Turkish military leaders believe Turkey has not developed into a cohesive society. They consider Turkey's religious, sectarian and ethnic fragmentation -- pitting Islamists against secularists and Turks against Kurds -- to be a danger that should be kept at bay. In order to keep itself strong and cohesive, the Turkish top brass has tried hard to insulate its ranks from the fault lines that run through the rest of the country. [1] U.S. military leaders, on the other hand, believe that our Nation's diversity is our greatest strength. There is no question that our military cannot maintain the best fighting force in the world if we exclude or impede qualified Americans, or if we fail to treat every man and woman in the force with equal dignity and respect." [2] Regardless of the contrast in diversity strategies of our armed forces, both the Turkish and U.S. military maintain essential relationships with society. For example, a poll published in the Turkish daily newspaper Hrriyet in September 2005 found that the military was Turkey's most trusted institution because they were willing to curb their political power in order to confront key domestic challenges such as Islamism and Kurdish separatism. The important lesson learned from these military examples is that they identified key stakeholders. Inclusive and effective diversity leadership means involving all the important stakeholders in your organizations or groups activities.[3] When organizations are aware of the stakeholders, they can further integrate diversity into their business strategy. They make it possible for a wider customer base to identify with the organization. Though the Turkish military insulated itself from many of the societal fault-lines, similar to the American militarys exclusion of homosexuals, they gained loyal constituents who wanted to help them succeed. Some stakeholders may not have their demands incorporated into the organizations strategy. However, organizations must make some effort to respond to its own diversity and that of society as a whole. The moral nub of the stakeholder idea is that a wide range of groups have a stake said to be a moral interest in what corporations do, therefore requiring corporate decision makers to consider the moral, as well as the economic, aspects of their actions.[4] The Turkish military was able to improve their reputation as an organization that is inclusive because of the way it does business even though they did not include all in their final strategy. --------------------------------------------------- [1] Aydinli, Ersel; zcan, Nihat Ali; and Akyaz, Dogan. (January/February 2006). The Turkish Military's March Toward Europe. Ankara, Turkey: Foreign Affairs. [2] Dalton, John H. (6 March 1997). Diversity is Our Future. Washington, DC. Former Secretary of the Navys Speech during the Hispanic Yearbook Gala. http://www.chinfo.navy.mil [3] Lieberman, Simma. (2003). Putting Diversity to Work: How to Successful Lead a Diverse Workforce. Menlo Park, CA: Course Technology Crisp. p 6. [4] Frederick, William C. (1995). Values, Nature, and Culture in the American Corporation. Cary, NC: Oxford University Press, Incorporated. p 213. |
