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Kodak
Advisory Panel Delivers Recommendations on Diversity
and Inclusion
Eastman Kodak Company today announced the results of
an external advisory panel's  two-year
review of the company's diversity and inclusion efforts,
recognizing the company's achievements to date, and
offering recommendations to further strengthen Kodak's
long-term initiatives in this regard.
"In
2001, we formed this advisory panel voluntarily and
asked it to help build upon Kodak's record of embracing
employees and customers of all backgrounds," said
Kodak Chairman and CEO Daniel A. Carp. "We knew
then that there were immense business benefits for companies
that take a broad view of diversity and inclusion. And
we wanted a panel of experts from different cultural,
ethnic, educational and professional backgrounds to
tell us, basically, how we were doing and what more
we needed to do."
 At
Carp's request, panelists first convened to study Kodak's
comprehensive strategy for diversity and inclusion.
In its second year, he asked the panel to assess future
trends and their potential impact on Kodak. The panel
found that changing trends in global demographics and
the overall workforce would prompt Kodak to expand its
diversity efforts in order to remain competitive in
the race for talented employees and to meet consumers'
needs.
"In
our first year, we found that Kodak does a lot of things
right," said Eric Holder, a former U.S. Deputy
Attorney General, who chaired the panel. "The company
is very focused on diversity and inclusion, but needs
to consider how its focus would need to evolve in the
years ahead. Our recommendations center on helping Kodak
remain a leader in corporate diversity as the marketplace
it serves changes in the digital age."
At
the end of its first year, the panel made recommendations
to Carp and Kodak's board of directors. Their suggestions
focused on increasing representation of employees from
multicultural backgrounds, creating an internal business
case for diversity, setting diversity expectations for
senior managers, and establishing diversity as a criterion
to be used when staffing senior positions.
"There's
good news on most of these recommendations, as well
as room for improvement," said panel member Rev.
Norvel Goff Sr., pastor of Baber African Methodist Episcopal
Church in Rochester, and president & CEO of the
Greater Rochester Chapter of the NAACP. "Kodak
has made great progress. The company has maintained
its overall (diversity) representation across its workforce
for the past five years, even as employment has declined.
"But there is still room for improvement,"
Goff said. "For example, overall representation
of women and people of color at Kodak has remained consistent
over that period. As part of its commitment, the company
must continue its recruitment efforts and identify new
ways to keep its talented, multicultural employees."
At
the panel's suggestion, the company created an internal
business case to help leaders understand the business
opportunities created through its focus on diversity
and inclusion. Kodak also set expectations for training
that include a review of Equal Opportunity Employment
policies for all employees, and goals to place 10 percent
of its annual spending with minority- and women-owned
businesses by 2006. Kodak created a web
site that outlines its diversity and inclusion strategies,
achievements, and activities. In 2002, Kodak's board
adopted a panel recommendation that diversity be a criterion
in the selection of the company's top 20 leaders.
New
recommendations
In its final summary to Kodak, the panel recommended
that the company:
- Set
a goal of maintaining a workforce whose multicultural
makeup matches the available labor force in the U.S.
by December 2006.
- Institutionalize
its Winning and Inclusive Culture strategy (WIC) as
the social underpinning of the Kodak Operating System
(KOS). The WIC strategy outlines the basis of teamwork
and employee interactions at Kodak. KOS is the system
Kodak uses to drive productivity and reduce waste
in its operations.
- Put
in place mechanisms that ensure adherence to the Kodak
Values at all operations globally. Although different
cultures have different customs and societal norms,
the company would take steps so that Kodak's Values
are shared with, and affirmed by, current and new
employees worldwide.
- Form
an internal diversity advisory panel of senior leaders
with global representation. As Kodak's operations
become more global and multicultural, the panel said,
its leaders worldwide must take a greater role in
guiding the company's diversity and inclusion efforts.
- Expand
current efforts to address global challenges in education
especially with respect to women and people of color
in the U.S.; and support global initiatives that address
educational opportunities in key markets.
"I
want to express my personal gratitude to the panelists
for the time and energy that they devoted to this worthy
endeavor," Carp said. "Kodak's approach to
maintaining a workforce that can succeed in multicultural
markets will be better and smarter because of their
efforts."
In
addition to Holder and Goff, the external advisory panel
members included:
- Dr.
Johnnetta Cole -- President, Bennett College in
Greensboro, N.C., and former President, Spelman College
in Atlanta, Ga.;
- Jean
E. Dubofsky -- Attorney; former Justice on the
Colorado Supreme Court;
- Dr.
Taeku Lee -- Political Science Professor at University
of California at Berkeley, former Assistant Professor
of Public Policy, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy
School of Government;
- Richard
McCormick -- Immediate Past Chairman of the International
Chamber of Commerce; Chairman Emeritus of U.S. WEST,
Inc.;
- Lionel
Sosa -- Media Consultant; founder of Sosa, Bromley,
Aguilar & Associates (now Bromley Communications),
the largest Hispanic-advertising agency in the U.S.
The
Kodak Values
- Respect
for the Dignity of the Individual:
we value and champion our differences. This helps
us maintain the diversity of our workforce.
- Uncompromising
Integrity: we demonstrate honest, ethical behavior
in all transactions, placing the success of our business
and its people ahead of any personal gain.
- Trust:
we work in an environment in which we can trust
one another and share information freely, thereby
doing our jobs to the very best of our abilities.
- Credibility:
by consistently delivering on our commitments (and
even admitting to the occasional mistake), we earn
the credibility of those around us.
- Continuous
Improvement and Personal Renewal: varied opportunities
for individual learning and growth allow us to achieve
the world-class expectations of our publics.
- Recognition
and Celebration: we welcome opportunities to openly
celebrate individual and team achievements, and congratulate
those contributing to Kodak's success.
For
additional information about Kodak, visit our web site
on the Internet at: http://www.kodak.com/.
12/17/2003
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