Organization Description
ARINC Inc. is a premier provider of aeronautical engineering solutions. Their services range from defense, aviation, airports, government, and other transportation services. The company itself emerged when the Federal Radio Commission (now known as the FCC) sold their license to their airline communications. In recent years an investment group called The Carlyle
Group owned the company. During this period the CEO was John Belcher and he lead the company in being successful, which served its investors well. During the period while The
Carlyle Group owned ARINC INC. they were able to transform it into a highly profitable company. Recently Rockwell Collins, a major player in the aerospace and defense industry, acquired the company in December 2013 for $1.4 billion.
ARINC Inc. is now a business unit of Rockwell Collins called Information Management
Services (IMS). IMS has offices that spread all over the United States and the world. There are major offices are London and Singapore with smaller offices and working locations in many other countries. The countries include ones if Asia, South America, and the Middle East. Being that the organization is so widely dependent on international business, problems such as issues would diversity would cause major setbacks. The workforce of IMS is not only diverse ethnically but also diverse in gender, education level, economic status, and so many more ways.
Current Diversity Policy
Diversity is something that can be widely seen at IMS, and this is probably most seen by those in Human Resources Administration and Development (HRAD). There are several diversity and inclusion initiatives currently in place; ARINC Cultural Exchange (ACE) is the division that focuses on their diversity and inclusion programs. ACE focuses on the awareness of the multicultural issues that affect the global world and their business, for an example:

geographic locations, work experiences, age/generations, beliefs, appearances, military background, marital status, and education (“Rockwell Collins/ARINC,” 2008).
In 2012, ACE conducted a survey to review the success of their diversity and inclusion initiatives, 83% of the employees were aware of the company’s diversity programs. The areas that the employees requested improvements were (top 4): 50% Leveraging generational diversity in the workplace, 36% preventing unlawful discrimination, 29% American with Disabilities Act,
24% Affirmative Action Plans.
Research Method
In an effort to get a sense of the employees’ perspective on diversity at Rockwell
Collins/ARINC, our team created a survey through Survey Monkey that was distributed electronically. We used the Society for Human Resources Management’s (SHRM) diversity survey as a starting point and guide when developing our survey questions ("Diversity survey," n.d.). A survey method was chosen as it is less time-invasive to employees at work, and surveys can easily be distributed and collected electronically (“Using surveys for,” 2006). Our research strategies for the diversity project were developed around the idea of mixed-methods research, which incorporates both qualitative and quantitative data collection. While both methods offer benefits and drawbacks to research, using them cohesively provides increased reliability and validity in our findings. “If we assume that each type of data collection has both limitations and strengths, we can consider how the strengths can be combined to develop a stronger understanding of the research problem or questions (and, as well, overcome the limitations of each). This ‘mixing’ or blending of data provides a stronger understanding than either by itself”
(Creswell, 2013, p. 215). We incorporated both methods in our data collection by having a variety of question formats like multiple choice, ranking, and short answer.

Our diversity team did recognize that our data collection was not free of limitations or constraints. The original plan was unfortunately terminated when the original organization decided they no longer wanted us to conduct the diversity project. The team had to start the project over entirely midcourse, which caused a time constraint on our research and data collection. We were unfortunately unable to do in-person interviews and had to rely solely on our survey data. Ideally, in-person interviews would have been conducted with upper management and lower level employees. Interviews typically yield the richest data and detail among other collection methods (“An overview of,” 2002). These interviews would have added to our qualitative research. Interviews would have been conducted from various departments and job levels to provide a diverse sample that was representative of the organizational population. If provided more time, our diversity team would have integrated observations into our data collection method. Naturalistic observations allow an evaluator to “learn about issues the participants or staff may be unaware of or that they are unwilling or unable to discuss candidly in an interview” (“An overview of,” 2002, p. 54).
Another limitation of our research was accessibility. ARINC Inc. is currently undergoing an acquisition by Rockwell Collins. While we were allowed to conduct this diversity project at
Rockwell Collins/ARINC Inc., due to the acquisition, we were limited to the business unit of
ARINC Inc. only. Based on these limitations/constraints our findings are less definitive because the methods are not as well rounded as we had hoped.
Research Results
The demographics of the survey participants are as follows:

69% have worked for ARINC for at least 5 years, with 45% of these individuals working
10 or more years (shows strong employee tenure).


The majority age range was 35-54 years of age, with the highest percentage of participants in the 35-44 year range (41%).

76% of the participants were female.
After reviewing the survey results, it appears that ARINC employees believe that diversity is something encouraged by the organization overall. While it is encouraged, there were several findings that suggest employees do not believe diversity is supported or reinforced properly. 50% of the participants only somewhat agree that management demonstrates the importance of diversity. The data shows that a large percentage of employees believe that management does not fully support the importance of diversity and that there is clearly room to improve.
When employees were asked if people of different backgrounds are encouraged to apply for higher positions, 67% were either neutral or somewhat agree, indicating that advancement opportunities are limited to those outside the dominant organizational culture. As we have discussed in the course, having diverse perspective and backgrounds in executive positions creates more opportunity for inclusion and diversity acceptance. The survey asked participants to determine if the company has done a good job providing training programs to promote multicultural understanding. More than half (53%) of the participants were neutral, somewhat disagreed, or strongly disagreed with this question. ARINC’s Cultural Exchange program appears to have a disconnect between their mission and diversity strategies in the organization.
According to the ARINC Cultural Exchange site, the program was created to “raise awareness of multicultural issues that affect doing business with our customers and working with co-workers” (“Rockwell Collins/ARINC,” 2008). In addition, the site states that an
“organization’s success and competitiveness depend upon its ability to embrace diversity and include all employees in realizing the benefits. When organizations actively assess their

workplace diversity assets and develop and implement diversity plans, multiple benefits can be seen” (“Rockwell Collins/ARINC,” 2008). As the diversity course has shown, these statements are entirely true of the “business case for diversity,” but ARINC is not implementing practices to support the beliefs. ARINC is doing a disservice to themselves until they begin to make a stronger connection between the Cultural Exchange’s ideals and their actions within the organization.
Organization’s Problems with Diversity
ARINC does a large amount of international business it would be alarming if the organization ranked poorly with its employees as it pertains to diversity. Diversity in itself helped ARINC Inc. become a successful organization in that it has a large international employee base. While ARINC's employees overall felt the organization was very supportive of diversity and dedicated to fostering a diverse work environment there were still areas which the organization could improve. The survey found that the organization was weaknesses pertaining to generational diversity and equality, low diversity in those given opportunities for upward mobility and fostering an image of diversity to applicants and new hires.
One of the clear weaknesses within the organization was that employees did not feel that the organization valued those in different generations. Of survey participators 19% felt the organization did not equally value different aged individuals. The majority of the organization is above the age of 30. The organization is made up of Millennial, generation x and baby boomers.
One way the organization can strengthen equality amongst its multi-generational workforce would be to create a mentorship program. This would provide opportunities for younger generations to gain knowledge from the older generations but it would also encourage the different generations to bond and learn how to better communicate and work with one another

(Tigum, 2013). This program can be used to pair new employees with seasoned employees, while it may focus on mending generational bonds it can also have to bring diversity consciousness in general.
A mentorship programs would help provide educational opportunities but it could also help provide on the job training to increase upward mobility for many employees. Individuals have many characteristics, which make them diverse and different such as economic background, ethnicity, gender identity, and family structure. Programs supported by management which encourage coworkers of different cultures to interact will better all involved, current employees can strengthen their interpersonal skills and diversity awareness while providing valuable knowledge and skills to newer employees (Tigum, 2013).
Ignorance can be a major factor in problems between generations in the work force.
Millennial generation employees often suffer from the harsh stereotypes older generations have established against them in the work force. A mentorship program will also be extremely cost effective in that it would not require large amounts of time away from the job and will provide both employees an opportunities for growth within organization. Leadership of ARINC Inc. must show unwavering support and participate within the mentorship program. It is important for employees to see leadership involvement and that the company's leadership values diversity and would be dedicated to increasing diversity within their organization (Canas &Sondak,2014). A peer mentorship program would show employees that the organization was dedicated to providing opportunities to all generations and that all generations are valued by ARINC.
Another recommendation for ARINC would be to encourage different groups to establish affinity groups. Affinity groups provide a secure place for diverse individuals to communicate and interact, they can empower employees within an organization (NY TIMES,2004). Just the

presence of Affinity groups in organizations has been shown to increase diversity consciousness amongst employees by merely bringing awareness (NY TIMES, 2004). These groups will help
ARINC's workforce to learn more about the different employees working within the organization as well as show possible new employees that the organization supports a diverse workforce. A number of the diversity survey's respondents felt that the organization did not appear to have a high level of diversity when they were first introduced. Affinity groups can be powerful
"networking tools" which can be used to attract valuable new hires (NYTIMES, 2004).
Leadership should be open to ideas and projects that the affinity groups offer the organization as well as be active in supporting them in other way such as offering meeting space and time for the groups to meet. While a program such as this would produce slight cost in donating working hours to support the group, these sacrifices will come with large returns.
Providing support from leadership will set the tone for employees to be open to a diverse workforce, employees must see that leadership values these initiatives in order to improve organizational culture and attitude toward diversity (Canas & Sondak, 2014).
Possible Diversity Policy
Within the next six months, the short-term goal for ACE would be to set up a meeting to introduce the ARINC Inc. group to the leadership of Rockwell Collins and review their mission, value statement, and provide them with information about ARINC Cultural Exchange (ACE).
During this time frame ACE will give the group an opportunity to be involved with the different affinity groups. The second step to improving the outreach for the group would be to set a goal that for the first year to have at least 5% of the Rockwell Collins team to be a part of ACE.
Since Rockwell Collins already has policies in place that are very effective, I would not suggest a five-year plan. Rockwell Collins is the recipient of the Diversity Award three years in a

row for Diversity INC. “A total of 893 companies participated in the survey in 2013. The free report card assesses performance based on four key areas: Talent Pipeline, Equitable Talent development, CEO/Leadership Commitment, and Supplier Diversity” ("Rockwell Collins Ranks
34th on Diversity Inc. Top 50," 2013, p. 1) Ms. Joy Fitzgerald, Director, Diversity and
Workforce Effectiveness stated “these are great accomplishments for our company, especially given challenges that businesses face under the current economic climate.” ("Rockwell Collins
Ranks 34th on Diversity Inc. Top 50," 2013, p. 1)
“Our diversity and inclusion journey does not stop here- we must continue to open our arms and embrace all individuals who will help us drive tomorrow’s innovation” ("Rockwell
Collins Ranks 34th on Diversity Inc. Top 50," 2013, p. 2) By opening the arms of diversity to the
ARINC Inc. group, Rockwell Collins will be able to continue their progress of improving the work environment. Rockwell Collins strategically, and actively recruit on various web site that focus of a diverse target market; Women for Hire, Diversity.com, Hire Patriots,
VetSuccess.gov/job, and Disaboom. The sites listed will help Rockwell Collins improve the visibility to be able to recruit and increase their talent pool.
Employees are able to participant in conferences and diversity events, which include the
Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, Women in Technology International, National
Society of Black Engineers, and Recruit Military Career. Rockwell Collins also has a diversity newsletter that provides historical information and links. The articles listed on the site were,
Hispanic Heritage Month, Honoring Asian-Pacific American Heritage, The Presidential National
Volunteer Week, African American Heritage Month, and National Native American Heritage. In the newsletter, they have a section for Employee Diversity Spotlight; in this section they interview an employee and give information about the employee’s history with Rockwell Collins

and the employee heritage. ("Rockwell Collins Ranks 34th on Diversity Inc. Top 50," 2013, p.
2) My recommendations would assist the ARINC Inc. group to be aware of all the activities that
Rockwell Collins has in place and give them an opportunity to meet some of the leaders that are in charged with the various programs. There are two different leadership groups that are charged with developing and guiding the company’s diversity efforts, Executive Diversity Council and
Diversity Advisory Council. ("Leadership Commitment," 2014, p. 2)
Rockwell Collins believes that their impact reaches far beyond their financial contributions. It’s the employees that play and active and key role throughout the community to lead and inspire groups from the cultural institutions and education advisory council to their youth athletic teams. ("Building our Communities: Leadership," 2014, p. 1)