Workforce Diversity: A look back at GFR in June 1992.

• Position: Rewind

In June 1992, GFR included an article about an effort by the Los Angeles city treasurer to create a learning environment that would promote individual employee performance and departmental productivity.

Thirty years ago, we pointed out the diversity--and increasing diversity--of the U.S. workforce and featured a case study from the City of Los Angeles Treasurer's Office. This still-impressive multicultural initiative was all about embracing the powerful diversity of city staff and building on that to maximize its benefits. This included the obvious--having someone available to translate for non-English-speaking taxpayers or customers at a cashier counter, for example--as well as the more subtle but perhaps deeper advantages. An organization's employees are its key resource, so better management was expected to yield dramatic results.

The office's approach was to create a learning environment, starting by refining the department's mission statement to reflect its new direction. This process proved valuable because it showed staff the new way they'd be working and reflected the department's unprecedented investment in human resources. This was followed by a study that showed low morale, a perceived lack of planning and goal setting, and a need for improved communication, recognition, better methods of evaluation, and diversity training.

The department tackled these issues through one-on-one sessions and small group meetings. To gain a greater understanding of the varied backgrounds of the staff members, the treasurer set aside time to meet formally with each of the department's 50 employees for three 30-minute appointments over 12 months. This time commitment was seen as an extraordinary effort that was necessary to developing a positive working environment, raising...