Many voices call diversity a “business imperative,” meaning that today’s increasingly diverse and multicultural workforce should be an asset that, if tapped, creates opportunities for performance gains. But even with such awareness existing, consultant R. Roosevelt Thomas says that too many employers still address diversity with the goal of “making their numbers.” A female vice president at Avon once described the challenges of truly valuing and managing diversity this way: “Consciously creating an environment where everyone has an equal shot at contributing, participating, and most of all advancing.”