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We are currently witnessing a proliferation of `Diversity
Managers' in French companies. But what are the responsibilities
of the holders of these new posts, and what is their field
of operation? What processes are taking place in the company
to legitimize the post of Diversity Manager?
Linked to the historical development of business and its
internationalization, Diversity Policies in French companies
have been characterized by a varied and often inflated inventory
of the parameters of the problem, and the criteria according
to which progress in the matter is to be assessed. Some
stem from an increasing diversity at both the client and
supplier level; others from the sources of labor itself
(age, the presence of women, social origins, qualifications);
some are more logical in terms of evident anti-discrimination
(people coming from `visible minorities', victims of exclusion
on the grounds of religion, sexual orientation, weight or
disability...); while others are linked to the performance
of diversified teams at times developed from a distance,
the stated objective being to promote unexploited skills
within the company and favor the exchange of knowledge and
expertise in organizations that seek to develop as a network.
`Manager in Charge of Diversity', `Diversity and Inclusion
Manager' and `Director of Social Innovation and Diversity'
are all titles that testify to the proliferation of a new
kind of post in French companies, under the general heading,
`Diversity Manager'. But what is the scope of the post of
Diversity Manager? Is it simply a question of mentioning
the word in the job title? Apparently not, since certain
posts designated and presented as Diversity Managers by
their companies have titles in which the word diversity
itself does not appear (e.g. `Associate Human Resources
Manager' in the French subsidiary of a washing powder company,
`Advisor to the President on Equal Opportunity Issues' in
a railway group). What characteristics do these positions
have in common that might allow them to be grouped together
under the name `Diversity Managers'?
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