A Fortune 100 company recently approached me to help them with some of their Latino diversity initiatives. One area of concern was their Latino employee network. The company was puzzled why a larger number of their Latino and Latina employees had not joined the network. The program seemed to have strong leadership, had executive support, was given a sizeable budget and was focused on business issues. However, even with all these elements in place, only about 11 percent of their Latino employees were in the network and the chief diversity officer wanted to know why the percentage was so low.

To me, it was easy to see that the organization was failing to realize they were assuming that all Latinos were the same and thus that all Latinos would want to participate. This unfortunately is a common mistake in corporate America. What corporations need to understand is that Latinos will respond differently to Latino initiatives based on their sense of Latino identity. A Latinos’ identity refers to how a Latino or Latina views their own ethnicity and culture. One’s sense of Latino identity is influenced by their race, national origin, language use, socioeconomic class, immigration status and a number of other elements. To better comprehend the issue of Latino identity, chief diversity officers should become familiar with the Latino Identity Development Model developed by Ferdman and Gallegos. The model describes 6 different Latino orientations or “lenses” through which Latinos and Latinas view their identity (see Table 1 for a condensed version of the model).   Table 1 Latino Identity Development Model Orientation Identity Lens Undifferentiated/Denial These Latinos tend to deny their cultural and ethnic differences.  They tend to see no need to connect with other Latinos and do not generally participate in Latino activities or programs.   Believe that “people are people” and that when Latinos don’t perform it is a result of their own lack of achievement. White-Identified These Latinos see themselves as Anglo and are thus different from and superior to people of color. These Latinos are completely assimilated into white culture and are disconnected from other Latinos.  Latino as Other Views oneself as primarily “non-white.” Does not feel Latino, but also doesn’t identify with Anglo values.  Considers themselves as simply a minority and is aware that minorities have been discriminated against. Sub-Group Identified Think of themselves in their own distinct ethnic or national-origin subgroup (i.e. Puerto Rican, Cuban, Mexican, etc).  Views their own subgroup in a more positive light.  Does participate in Latino programs. Latino-Identified View Latinos as a whole constituting a distinct category across all sub-groups.  Tend to be advocates for all issues Latino.  See whites as either an ally or a barrier, depending on their behavior. Latino-Integrated See their Latino identity as wholly integrated with their other social identities such as gender, class, religion, profession, etc. Latino identity is one of many lenses through which they view the world. Modified from: Ferdman, B.M. & Gallegos, P.I. (2007). Identity orientations of Latinos in the United States: Implications for Leaders and Organizations. The Business Journal of Hispanic Research, 1 (1), 26-41.  Sharing the model with the chief diversity officer helped me clarify three important concepts. First, Latino identity differences provide at least a partial explanation as to why not all Latinos would feel compelled to participate in the Latino employee network or any other Latino related initiatives. Second, the model describes why a singular approach to Latino diversity results in some Latinos feeling wrongly labeled, ignored or unappreciated. Third, it makes it easier to understand how a failure to comprehend Latino identity diversity is also a reason why some non-Latinos experience difficulty partnering with their Latino co-workers. It’s important to remember that no one orientation is necessarily better than another. Each has resulted based on an individual Latinos’ experiences and perceptions as to what is necessary to adapt and succeed in a specific external environment. We must keep in mind that the model serves the purpose of advancing our appreciation of Latino diversity. This appreciation of Latino identity diversity not only benefits corporations, it benefits Latinos as well. Those of us who are Latino professionals have to remind ourselves not to assume that other Latinos see the world as we do. This may be easy to forget for Latinos who may have only partial contact with other Latinos with different backgrounds. Just as with any other diversity initiative, Latinos also need to respect individual differences, even within the Latino community. Each Latino, regardless of their sense of identity, has valuable contributions that they can offer. My conversation with the chief diversity officer reminded me of my own sense of identity. Over the years, my Latino identity lens has changed. It changed when I left my predominantly Mexican barrio and went to college where I met many Latinos of different nationalities. When my first corporate employer had almost no Latino diversity, my identity was again a key issue I had to deal with. Now, working at an academic institution with a truly diverse workforce, I possess a more textured understanding of the complexity of what it means to be Latino. My hope is that this article will persuade you to resist overly simple identity models about any particular group or sub-group in the workplace. For example, as this article has shown, the diversity that exists within the Latino community will persist to thwart efforts to categorize us as a homogeneous group. Dr. Robert Rodriguez is the author of Latino Talent - Effective Strategies to Recruit, Retain and Develop Hispanic Professionals. He is the Chairman of the Board for the Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement (HACE) and is an Assistant Dean at Kaplan University. Comments and questions can be sent to his email address – Rrodriguez2@kaplan.edu

Dr. Robert Rodriguez is the Assistant Dean for the School of Business at Kaplan University. He is the author of “Latino Talent: Effective Strategies to Recruit, Retain and Develop Hispanic Professionals” published by Wiley & Sons. Robert also currently serves as the chairman of the board of directors for the Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement (HACE).