Nothing defines a successful corporate culture more fully than the way it fosters the inclusion of all employees and values their individual talents and differences. At Lockheed Martin this aspect of corporate culture is called diversity. The definition of that term has become much broader than its traditional focus on creating a workforce that is diverse from the standpoint of race, ethnicity, gender and age. Diversity today also emphasizes inclusion. Inclusion means embracing employees with different working styles, capabilities, communication styles and life experiences, so that all individuals in the workforce are valued for what they bring to the enterprise and have the support they need to succeed. Promoting diversity and inclusion is more than simply the right thing to do - it’s imperative to the success of the Corporation. The demographics of our society and the national workforce are changing rapidly, and at the same time there’s a shortage of top-quality engineers and scientists. There’s a talent war underway, and we must recruit and support people from diverse backgrounds if we want to remain competitive. - A diverse workforce also fosters innovation - studies show that teams composed of employees with varied life experiences are more likely to find solutions for their customers that aren’t constrained by traditional thinking.
- Customers are seeing more diversity in their own workforces - they are looking for the same in their industry partners.
Lockheed Martin supports a diverse workforce in many ways: Full Spectrum Leadership teaches managers to energize their team by recognizing that employees have different needs and motivations. Ethics Training teaches employees how to recognize and confront inappropriate behavior. Work-Life Balance Programs offer employees greater flexibility to balance their professional and personal lives. Career development opportunities give all employees the tools they need to succeed.
When we create a diverse, inclusive environment where we’re all pulling together and bringing out the best in each other, we end up with dynamic innovation, improved technology trending, stellar products, better everything. That helps ensure the success of our customers, investors, employees and our enterprise. Everybody wins. A commitment to inclusion in the Lockheed Martin workplace starts at the top with the Executive Diversity Council and continues down to the local level with: More than 30 Diversity Councils at operating units Women’s Success Forum African American Leadership Forum Council of Asian American Leaders Hispanic Leadership Forum 125 affinity groups at locations across the enterprise
To track progress in the area of diversity and inclusion, the Corporation uses its Diversity Maturity Model, which was cited by Profiles in Diversity Journal when the publication selected Lockheed Martin for an International Innovation in Diversity Award for 2007. The model uses an employee survey, an organization self-assessment with peer review, and objective statistical data. Last year’s score placed the Corporation on Level 3, where diversity is “embraced” as part of the culture. As Lockheed Martin continues on its diversity journey, it will focus on working with front-line managers and encouraging employees to take advantage of their power to impact the diverse culture of the workplace. At the same time, employees should feel free to approach their manager with suggestions for how a culture of inclusion could be strengthened in a particular department or on a particular team. Our willingness to be intellectually curious and open creates an inclusive environment, which drives innovation and creativity. We’ve made great progress in diversity and inclusion at Lockheed Martin, but we must continue our journey and continue to improve. Our success as a Corporation literally depends on it. | 
