Building a Culture of Inclusion at the U.S. Air Force Academy
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Building a Culture of Inclusion at
the U.S. Air Force Academy BY ADIS M. VILA
The mission of the United States Air Force Academy began exploring ways to construct a more robust
(USAFA), the youngest of the four service academies, USAFA D&I strategic plan. After reviewing more
is to educate, train, and inspire men and women than eight different diversity plans from other col-
to become officers of character motivated to lead lege campuses and talking with more than thirty
the United States Air Force in service to our nation. D&I professionals known for instituting best prac-
Nearly four thousand officers, enlisted personnel, tices in their organizations, I entered into fruitful
and civilian employees work with more than four conversations with senior leaders about D&I goals
thousand cadets, a population almost 80 percent and objectives for the USAFA.
male. Together, we are Team USAFA.
Next, I met with the senior leaders, identified
In November 2010, I began working in a newly strengths within their respective units, and discussed
formed position as the chief diversity officer (CDO) ways to accomplish a set of strategic objectives at the
for the USAFA in Colorado Springs. I was asked to unit level. Additionally, we began to identify chal-
serve as the principal advisor to USAFA leadership lenges that might detract from creating an inclu-
to ensure that diversity programs and projects are sive organizational culture and made it a priority to
developed in accordance with federal, Department address these issues. Mission partners, departments
of Defense, Air Force, and USAFA guidance and pol- and directorates, and the CDO office framed issues
icy. Additionally, I serve as the strategic leader, di- to target and strategized on how we might measure
versity advocate, and principal advisor to academy progress. Together, we are creating a sense of ur-
leaders on diversity programs and issues and the gency, working to aggressively eliminate barriers,
primary voice on matters of equity, diversity, and and striving to create a more inclusive culture.
inclusion.
To date, the USAFA has approved D&I Goal 4 of
In this article, I share my experiences to date and ar- “The USAF Academy Strategic Plan” and its accom-
ticulate the steps we are taking to build an inclusive panying objectives (to be incorporated in the 2013
organizational culture at USAFA. As a practitioner update):
with thirty years of experience managing organi-
zations, studying and implementing change, I have
FOSTER A USAFA ENVIRONMENT THAT
relied on the research and theory of some of the
EMBRACES DIFFERENCES AND DEMON-
best scholars in the field, particularly Frederick A.
STRATES INCLUSIVENESS. USAFA promotes
Miller, John P. Kotter, and Jerry Porras. For our di-
an organizational culture of mutual respect for
versity and inclusion (D&I) work, publications by
all and a culture that embraces the diverse con-
Roosevelt Thomas Jr. and David Thomas and Robin
tributions of all who help accomplish its mission
Ely provide frameworks and road maps that have
of educating, training, and inspiring future offi-
proven useful.
cers of character. (Approved)
Objective 1. Team USAFA will reflect the AF’s
The Organizational Imperative enlisted population from a structural diversity
One of my first steps was to immerse myself in the perspective consistent with merit system prin-
USAFA, engage as many leaders as possible across ciples and applicable law (EO [Executive Or-
the base, and gain greater discernment of the existing der] 13583 dated Aug 18, 2011). (Approved)
culture. I reviewed “The USAF Academy Diversity Objective 2. Develop and implement a com-
Plan” (2009), made D&I a discussion point during prehensive system of education and train-
my one-on-one encounters with senior leaders, and ing focused on effectively managing and
c 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com)
A Publication of the National Civic League National Civic Review • DOI: 10.1002/ncr.21070 • Spring 2012 49leveraging diversity and inclusion for Team in “The United States Air Force Diversity Strategic
USAFA. (Reviewed by USAFA senior lead- Roadmap”:
ership and currently in the formal corporate
review/approval process)
A composite of individual characteristics that
Objective 3. Build and strengthen partner-
includes personal life experiences (including
ships with diverse communities, businesses,
having overcome adversity by personal efforts),
and civic community organizations to sup-
geographic background (e.g., region, rural,
port diversity and inclusion across Team US-
suburban, urban), socioeconomic background,
AFA. (Reviewed by USAFA senior leader-
cultural knowledge, educational background
ship and currently in the formal corporate
(including academic excellence, and whether an
review/approval process)
individual would be a first generation college
Objective 4. Develop and execute a compre-
student), work background (including prior en-
hensive internal and external communication
listed service), language abilities (with particular
plan that shares best practices in diversity and
emphasis on languages of strategic importance
inclusion and leads to more transparent pro-
to the Air Force), physical abilities (including
cesses throughout USAFA. (Reviewed by US-
athletic prowess), philosophical/spiritual per-
AFA senior leadership and currently in the
spectives, age (cadet applicants must be within
formal corporate review/approval process)
statutory parameters for academy attendance),
race, ethnicity and gender.
After extensive collaboration with colleagues, we
prepared a memorandum for senior leadership
where I shared some of the best thoughts in the This description of diversity is broad and is likely to
literature on implementing change in a complex or- expand even more as lesbians and gays openly serve
ganization. Like Frederick Miller (1998, pp. 152- in the Air Force.
153), I believe that communicating the organiza-
tional imperative for D&I is crucial during the early Historically, note David Thomas and Robin Ely, two
stages of organizational change. The USAFA must perspectives have guided diversity and inclusion ef-
establish a clear and direct vision of the reason(s) forts: the discrimination-and-fairness paradigm and
a more inclusive work culture and diverse work- the access-and-legitimacy paradigm. The former fo-
force are mission critical. Furthermore, the Air Force cuses on equal opportunity, fair treatment, and
Chief of Staff, General Norton Schwartz, and two compliance with laws and regulations; the second
publications—“From Representation to Inclusion: paradigm highlights the role of cultural differences
Diversity Leadership for the 21st-Century Military” but does not go far enough to create an inclu-
and “The United States Air Force Diversity Strategic sive organization. Thomas and Ely advocate a third
Roadmap: A Journey to Excellence”— have stated paradigm, the learning-and-effectiveness paradigm,
that D&I is mission critical. In addition, the Octo- that incorporates aspects of the first two but goes be-
ber 14, 2011, “Memorandum for all Airmen: Decla- yond them to clearly argue the importance of valuing
ration on Diversity,” signed by Secretary of the Air and leveraging diversity within the workforce.
Force Michael Donley, Air Force Chief of Staff Nor-
ton Schwartz, and Chief Master Sergeant of the Air An environment that values diversity, equity, and
Force James A. Roy, states that “diversity through- inclusion will drive appropriate hiring practices and
out our Air Force is a military necessity.” Thus, a promotion opportunities and also increase retention
key part of our change strategy is to clearly commu- of our very best personnel. Equally important are the
nicate to Team USAFA the rationale for the change organizational benefits derived from greater innova-
efforts. tion, creativity, and engagement due to an inclusive
atmosphere and the unique perspectives provided by
each ethnic and sociocultural group.
Coupling Diversity and Inclusion
The varied dimensions of diversity at the USAFA Across Team USAFA, members of underrepresented
are consistent with the Air Force definition given groups can challenge prevailing presuppositions,
50 National Civic Review DOI: 10.1002/ncr Spring 2012policies, and practices that are detrimental to inclu- called “Interactive Theatre Training” for nearly two
siveness. Diverse perspectives will enable USAFA to hundred Team USAFA members. The purpose of the
become more adept at identifying blind spots, bridg- training was to engage the audience in a variety of
ing cultural gaps, and advancing the academy as a scenes that reflect the current environment and the
premier learning organization. The goal of our tri- challenges military and civilian employees face in a
partite focus on diversity, inclusion, and equity is to diverse military workplace like USAFA. The audi-
create an organization where, as Miller writes, “in- ence was encouraged to engage and have a dialogue
dividuals are allowed to participate and are enabled with actors about D&I issues. The training was well
to contribute fully in the group” (p. 151). received, and many of the attendees reported that
the training was informative in illustrating the dy-
Advocates for Change namics of the workplace.
To build a core of advocates at USAFA, we have
coordinated multiple brown-bag luncheons where I Because the interactive training did not provide ac-
meet with a variety of civilian employees and active- tionable tools on social group diversity dynamics or
duty members from various mission partners to dis- clearly illustrate how to make the organization more
cuss D&I initiatives, provide feedback, and respond inclusive, we conducted a pilot program, “Leading
to questions. In all these engagements, we stress the Consciously Discovery Training,” for two groups.
value of pluralism, innovation, and the quality of hu- The Discovery Group consisted of thirty Team US-
man diversity. Many across Team USAFA are will- AFA members who served as “trainers in training.”
ing to serve as advocates for change. The Awareness Group had sixty key Team USAFA
members (that is, leaders and supervisors represen-
Additionally, on July 28, 2011, in collaboration with tative of all units across the campus). The purpose
oku & associates interACTIVEactors (an interactive of the training, which was conducted by Harlan
theatre group of professional actors trained in diver- Consulting Services, was to help Team USAFA de-
sity and inclusion), we conducted a pilot program velop skills in addressing diversity dynamics and in
National Civic Review DOI: 10.1002/ncr Spring 2012 51exploring ways to positively change the culture at principles, provide timely career development of
USAFA. Further, the training served as a platform the workforce, provide fair and equitable perfor-
to develop in-house talent and enable the CDO of- mance evaluations, and promote opportunities for
fice to infuse D&I into the USAFA’s daily practices. all civilian and active duty members to succeed pro-
By leveraging this group of advocates to generate a fessionally. The commission documented the un-
positive return on the D&I investment, we will en- derrepresentation of minorities and women among
courage greater institutional involvement. It is our both the enlisted and officer population when com-
goal, despite grim budget projections, to have more pared with their representation in the overall civil-
Team USAFA members go through awareness train- ian population. We are piloting a mentoring pro-
ing so that employees identify their biases, recognize gram with women employees to address issues of ca-
the assumptions we make in relating to others differ- reer advancement and career development. Initially,
ent from ourselves, and use techniques to clear their women will be mentored by both men and women.
thinking when confronted with practices different Later we plan to offer mentoring opportunities to
from their own. We can only create an inclusive or- men too.
ganizational climate if all members of Team USAFA
have the skills to lead and manage a diverse work In his August 23, 2011, visit to the Defense Lan-
force and a diverse cadet corps. guage Institute Foreign Language Center, Secre-
tary of Defense Leon Panetta stated (see http://
One of our signature initiatives is a USAFA www.culture.af.mil/library/pdf/osd0920611.pdf):
Women’s Initiative, which was a response to the
findings of the Military Leadership Diversity Com- Language, regional and cultural skills are endur-
mission (MLDC) provided in “From Representa- ing war fighting competencies that are critical to
tion to Inclusion.” A congressionally established mission readiness in a dynamic global environ-
commission, the MLDC expects all leaders and ment. . . . Our forces must have the ability to ef-
supervisors to understand diversity and inclusion fectively communicate with and understand the
cultures of coalition forces, international part-
ners, and local populations.
In response to Secretary Panetta’s message and a
memorandum, we are developing a second initia-
tive, the Ambassadors of Inclusion (AoI). We will
begin in the summer of 2012 with a pilot program
through which ten cadets will work in five multina-
tional firms in five different countries. The internship
will allow a cadet to experience a “different” na-
tional culture while enhancing his or her abilities to
understand a different organizational culture. Sub-
sequently, we will introduce a second phase to the
AoI program that will help cadets develop skills im-
portant to lead a diverse work force.
Pockets of Readiness
Many are willing to be “advocates for change” or (in
the military vernacular) a “cadre of influencers.” We
will continue to look for others whose professional
passion is creating
an inclusive organizational culture where cadets,
faculty, and staff (Team USAFA) work and
52 National Civic Review DOI: 10.1002/ncr Spring 2012learn from each other, examine their per- Collins, J. C., and Porras, J. I. “Building Your Company’s
sonal assumptions and philosophies, and value Vision.” Harvard Business Review, 1996, 74(5), 65–77.
those who may be dissimilar from themselves Kotter, J. P. “Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts
(M. Harlan, personal communication, 2011 Fail.” Harvard Business Review, 1995, 73(2), 59–67.
[www.harlanconsulting.com]). Military Leadership Diversity Committee. “From Repre-
sentation to Inclusion: Diversity Leadership for the 21st-
One example is a recent panel of experts we or- Century Military: Executive Summary,” March 15, 2011, Ar-
ganized to discuss the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t lington, Virginia. http://mldc.whs.mil/download/documents
Tell.” The panel proved fruitful in helping USAFA /Final%20Report/MLDC Executive Summary.pdf.
personnel interact with a social group that had pre- Miller, F. A. “Strategic Culture Change: The Door to Achiev-
viously felt marginalized but, undoubtedly, under- ing High Performance and Inclusion.” Public Personnel Man-
stands the importance of creating an inclusive orga- agement, 1998, 27(2), 151–160.
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velopment.” Academy of Management Review, 1978, 3(2),
249–266.
Envisioning an Inclusive Organizational Culture
Porras, J. I., and Robertson, P. J. “Organization Develop-
The Air Force’s “Declaration on Diversity” states: ment: Theory, Research, and Practice.” In M. Dunnette and
L. Hough (eds.), Handbook of Industrial and Organizational
We will promote an Air Force culture that em- Psychology (pp. 719–822, 2nd ed.), Vol. 3. Palo Alto, Calif.:
Consulting Psychologists Press, 1992.
braces diversity and provides the opportunity for
all Airmen to reach their full potential, and pro- Porras, J. I., and Silvers, R. C. “Organization Development
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Thomas, D. A., and Ely, R. J. “Making Differences Matter: A
After my first year, I believe that a fully inclusive New Paradigm for Managing Diversity.” Harvard Business
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USAFA may be years in the making but that the US-
AFA can make this happen. Many additional steps Thomas, R. R., Jr. “From Affirmative Action to Affirm-
are necessary before the USAFA’s culture may be ing Diversity.” Harvard Business Review, 1990, 90(2),
107–117.
benchmarked as a truly inclusive organization. I am
convinced that the expression “Diversity and inclu- United States Air Force. “Declaration on Diversity,” Oc-
sion is a process, not an outcome” is true, but I’m tober 14, 2011. http://www.af.mil/shared/media/document
/AFD-111101-008.pdf.
equally convinced that “strategic culture change”
will require Team USAFA’s leadership to follow United States Air Force. “Diversity Strategic
Miller’s dictum—“Coach the leaders and change the Roadmap: A Journey to Excellence,” October
system.” I am committed to enhancing diversity, eq- 19, 2010. http://www.af.mil/shared/media/document
/AFD-101117-010.pdf.
uity, and inclusion at the USAFA.
United States Air Force Academy. “USAFA Diversity
Plan,” June 2009. http://www.usafa.edu/superintendent
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Adis M. Vila is chief diversity officer, U.S. Air Force Academy,
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