Bridging the gap between perception and reality: using diversity management as a tool

Howard Jessamy writes from his own personal experience as a black man and health services professional. He remarks on the continuing disparities of perception and opportunity between persons of color and white persons in health care organizational leadership. The concentration of minority persons in certain kinds of positions and at lower points in the managerial ladder reflects the social forces and stereotypes that often determine hiring and promotional decisions within our larger culture. Jessamy points out that one way to break this kind of "gridlock" is to acknowledge those differences in background, perception, and approach and then ot use them constructively to advance the broader purposes of the health care organization.