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Introduction
Welcome to Supplier Diversity For Dummies. As I embarked on this project, the timing for this book couldn’t have been more perfect given the predictions about entrepreneurship, demographic growth, and the workplace of the future. It has been an honor to write the first-ever book of this type in this series. I’m Kathey K. Porter, MBA, MSE, CPSD, and I’ve held a variety of leadership roles in supplier diversity and now as a supplier diversity consultant with a minority-, woman-, and veteran-owned business. My experiences (both professional and personal) have prepared me to create this work, and I’m excited to be able to share with you what I’ve learned along the way.
About This Book
Supplier Diversity For Dummies is your one-stop resource guide to get a comprehensive understanding of what supplier diversity is all about, how it contributes to an organization’s success, what your role is as a leader, and how to implement supplier diversity in every area of your organization. In this book, I explain everything from the common terminology to the continued evolution of supplier diversity to how outside factors influence your organizational policies. I also cover strategies for tasks like these:
Assessing your organization’s current culture and cultivating and sustaining inclusion and equity programs
Making the business case for supplier diversity and addressing the obstacles to supplier diversity
Aligning supplier diversity with your organization’s strategic priorities and creating a supplier diversity strategic plan
Measuring the success of your supplier diversity efforts
Fostering partnerships with the community to drive supplier diversity efforts
Throughout this book, I share from my experience, proven strategies, and results achieved as a supplier diversity leader across a number of industries, including government and higher education, an advocate with leading agencies, and a consultant to several global organizations. I also bring a personal perspective as an entrepreneur who frequently utilizes these programs. I’m also happy to share insights from other leading professionals and historians in this space.
This book answers questions, explains misnomers, and addresses concerns that I receive from supplier diversity and procurement leaders across the country. True to the For Dummies form, it demystifies supplier diversity to make it practical, understandable, accessible, and implementable. My hope is that it speaks to everyone with an interest in supplier diversity, from seasoned professionals to new practitioners to stakeholders responsible for leading this effort to senior leaders at the top. In other words, leaders at all levels can benefit from this book.
I want to quickly point out a few things to help you better navigate and use this book:
Important terms and key words are in italics and are followed with a quick definition or explanation.
Keywords and action steps in lists appear in bold.
Sidebars (look for the shaded boxes) feature content that’s interesting and informative but not essential to your understanding of a topic. If you’re wanting to get in and out quickly, you can safely skip them.
Foolish Assumptions
Generally, I know it’s not a good idea to make assumptions. But for this book, I’ve made a few to better serve your needs:
You’re working at an organization in a manager
