Thurmond B. Woodard, Dell Computer’s first VP of global diversity: “We’ve stepped up our global commitment.”

‘Dell has had good representation at all levels for a long time,” says Thurmond B. Woodard, VP of global diversity and chief ethics officer for Dell Computer Corp. “We had our first African American board member ten years ago, and there have been minorities and women at the VP level for at least that long. But now we’ve stepped up our commitment.”

Dell, founded in 1984, pioneered the direct sale of custom-configured computers to individual consumers and companies. It’s now the largest provider of personal computers in the U.S.

Woodard has been at the company since October 2000. He’s the first diversity VP at Dell, although Dell has had a director of diversity for a number of years.

Woodard came to Dell from a prestigious diversity firm, R. Thomas Consulting and Training (Atlanta, GA), where he was president and CEO. Although he’s coached and advised top execs at a wide range of companies, he’s enthusiastic about heading his own diversity organization at a single large firm.

“In consulting, I helped many organizations create good diversity models. But I was never around to see whether or not they stayed true to the model over the years. That was one thing that motivated me to get back into industry,” he explains.

Woodard and his team have created a diversity model for Dell that “integrates workforce and marketplace efforts,” he reports. Robust supplier and customer diversity initiatives are the marketplace element. Workforce activities focus on recruiting and community relations, of course, but even more on company culture.

“Culture change is what makes the rest of the effort successful,” Woodard believes. And, since Dell is a data-driven company, metrics and accountability have naturally been built into the model.

Dell Computer Corp www.dell.com Headquarters: Austin, TX Employees: 39,000 (worldwide) Revenues: $35.4 billion Business: Computer systems; products and services for IT and Internet infrastructure

Four imperatives drive the Dell diversity vision: to get access to the best talent, however packaged; to minimize unproductive tensions in a diverse workforce; to meet government requirements for workforce diversity and relationships to small businesses; and to support diversity in a global context as Dell expands its business base worldwide.

In the two years since Woodard came on board, the company has taken steps on many fronts. Dell business leaders and managers have all participated in diversity training, either at in-person sessions with Roosevelt Thomas of R. Thomas Consulting, or through custom-designed online training modules. The focus is on putting together an effective team. Training for potential mentors has also been implemented.

Woodard feels that employee networks are needed at a company as large as Dell. They help people overcome isolation, and can also have a role in recruiting, assimilation of new employees, community outreach and marketing. Woodard and his team are working to strengthen the networks for both internal and external diversity efforts. Currently, active networks focus on African Americans, women, Asians, Hispanics and gay/lesbian/transgender people.

Woodard views his office as a resource. At Dell, he explains, the diversity model is “owned” by each business leader. Each business unit has set up a diversity steering committee with its own action councils that do whatever is needed to meet the company’s overall diversity objectives. That might, for example, involve diversity-focused recruiting or local education initiatives.

Diversity at Dell is clearly driven from the very top. President and COO Kevin Rollins is the company “diversity champion” and heads the corporate diversity council; founder and CEO Michael Dell makes frequent appearances at diversity-focused events. In July 2003 the CEO was the featured speaker at the National Council of La Raza conference in Austin, TX. This fall, he will keynote the National Society of Hispanic MBAs conference in Ft Lauderdale, FL.

A mighty effort, and it’s working: culture change is happening. “We’re already seeing changes in the degree of inclusiveness,” Woodard reports. “People are speaking up and challenging each other more.”

The outward-focused aspect of Dell’s diversity model includes involvements with diverse technical organizations like NSBE, SHPE, SWE and AISES, along with the National Urban League, the League of United Latin American Citizens, the National Council of La Raza and Catalyst, the women’s business research organization, as well as Jesse Jackson’s Operation Push.

The company also works on its own to promote “digital inclusion.” Its Dell TechKnow program, for example, provides computer training to economically disadvantaged middle school students in twelve U.S. school districts. To date, more than 1,500 students have successfully graduated from the program and been able to take computers home with them. “We’ve trained school personnel to refurbish computers that come back to us for use in the schools,” Woodard notes.

Hiring at Dell is still active, although today’s business climate has decreased the numbers somewhat, says Glenn Rannick, VP of human resources for Dell’s product groups and worldwide procurement.

The current emphasis is on experienced engineers with EE or CS degrees, but college recruiting is still part of the strategy, Rannick says. College hiring accounts for about 20 percent of each year’s new recruits. Several historically black colleges and universities, along with Hispanic-serving institutions, are on Dell’s list of core schools.

These relationships go back many years, Rannick says, and they’ve been fruitful. Approximately half of Dell employees are minorities or women. “This is a unique company,” Woodard concludes.

D/C