Abstract

Nordstrom was well-known in American corporate circles for its commitment to diversity. The company not only made a conscious effort to recruit a diverse workforce, but it also extended its diversity initiative to outsiders who were associated with the company, through its third party diversity initiatives. This case discusses Nordstrom’s diversity initiatives. It describes how the company partnered with several organizations to ensure that it had access to a diverse pool of candidates for its recruit-ment efforts. It also provides information on the culture at and policies of Nordstrom that ensured that diversity was promoted in all parts of the organization. The case also discusses the ways in which Nordstrom extended its diversity initiatives to its suppliers and consumers through some of its programs. The case concludes with a commentary on the extent to which the diversity initiatives were successful at the company, in light of the lawsuits filed by some disabled employees against the discrimination they faced.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Understand the need for and importance of diversity in organizations
• Study the implementation of diversity at a large American retail store
• Analyze the extent to which diversity initiatives can be imple-mented at large companies
• and Understand the challenges in implementing diversity policies at large companies, and issues companies can expect to face when creating and maintaining an image of diversity.

Keywords

Nordstrom Inc., Workforce Diversity, Employee Discrimination, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Organizational Culture, Employee Code of Conduct, Supplier Diversity, Project Preview, Disability, Diversity Training, Customer Diversity, Americans with Disabilities Act, Retail