Demographics and diversity: graduates of an historically black university confront a growing Hispanic presence

Abstract

Companies increasingly concern themselves with the question of diversity. As globalisation continues to speed along and demographics undergo major shifts, organisations may believe that a more diverse work group will increase their effectiveness. This article addresses issues that may impact the success of integrating recent African American business school graduates of an historically black university into the culture of an organisation. African Americans were asked to compare Hispanics, the fastest growing minority, to both themselves and to whites with reference to managerial ability. Results show that they view themselves as distinct and more qualified than Hispanics, but see little difference between Hispanics and whites. The greater the supervisory ability of the respondent (as measured by Ghiselli’s Self Description Inventory (1971)) the greater the disparity perceived between African Americans and Hispanics. Implications for organisations are discussed.