The cliched signature dish of mediocre restaurants is the "tossed salad." Invariably, what's tossed into this mix is a slice of tomato, maybe two slices of cucumber, and lots and lots of soggy iceberg lettuce. You know you're eating a plate of old lettuce, but the restaurant will stick to its claim that you've been given a salad. Maybe there's a fancy salad dressing included--but it doesn't quite hide the fact that you've been short-changed.
             It's not an appetizing picture. Even less appetizing--and far more serious--is the issue of workplace diversity. What constitutes diversity in your company?
             In one company it may be a formal procedure in which sustained efforts at hiring and keeping a diverse group of employees are the order of the day. In another, it might amount to no more than hiring a couple of extra women or minorities. Yet both companies, when confronted with the question, would claim a commitment to diversity within the workforce.
             Part of the problem with sustaining workplace diversity is that people don't understand what it entails. They get hung up on numbers, or they make inaccurate assumptions about the kinds of work people can do. Is a company whose staff is 60 percent women and minorities diverse? In volume, yes. But what if those women and minorities are holding all the clerical positions, and none of the mid- to upper-management positions? Some companies go a different route. They find qualified women or minorities to fill key high-level positions, but they don't hire more among the rank and file. Often, these individuals are strongly committed to diversifying the company--but they're caught in a web of red tape and are forced to move slowly. The unfortunate result is that these people--the ones whom others count on to open doors--become objects of resentment rather than of hope.
             In years past, people could claim ignorance or the difficulty of changing old habits. The most common argum
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