Each depositor insured to at least $250,000 per insured bank

The Leadership Behaviors Working Group's mission was to identify leadership behaviors that support a corporate culture that encourages and values diversity. Six of the twelve FDIC Success Factors were identified as key to the corporation's diversity efforts. These factors are: 1) communicate effectively, 2) provide vision and direction, 3) show respect and concern for others, 4) demonstrate and promote teamwork, 5) develop others, and 6) demonstrate initiative, responsibility and accountability.

The Recruitment and Selection Working Group's mission was to establish a strategy for the FDIC to consistently recruit and select, both internally and externally, from diverse pools, the best-qualified candidates for all positions.

The Education and Communication Working Group's mission was to establish an education and communication strategy and mechanism to promote the FDIC's diversity goals. This working group understood that providing a consistent message to all employees and reinforcing that message is necessary to facilitate a cultural change.

The Career Development Group's mission was to develop a strategy to retain, develop, and motivate a diverse workforce. This working group addressed developmental opportunities and retention issues that included work life and benefits issues. The working group understood that individualized developmental practices, flexible workplace policies, and comprehensive benefits packages are important in developing, motivating, and retaining a diverse workforce.

A fifth working group, the Affirmative Action Working Group, was established to develop affirmative action policies for employment and procurement that are consistent with Federal, legal, and statutory guidelines and corporate diversity objectives. The Affirmative Employment and Procurement Policies are separate documents from the FDIC Diversity Strategic Plan. Affirmative action plans are mechanisms designed to identify and analyze, on a regular basis, areas of imbalance in workforces or contracting services. They are tools for ensuring that all qualified individuals and entities have equal opportunity to compete based on ability and merit.

The Vision Statement, Mission, and Goals included in the FDIC Diversity Strategic Plan are results oriented and reflect the FDIC that we expect to result from the adoption and implementation of the strategies and initiatives included in the Plan. The FDIC will develop performance measures to monitor its success in achieving the diversity mission and goals. This Plan is the first step toward achieving our vision. The Corporation is committed to accomplishing the goals and strategies included in the Plan. The actions detailed in the Plan are based on our assessment of the current corporate culture and the research conducted by our working groups. As we gather more data and evaluate our performance toward achieving our diversity goals, we may add to and change the action steps. Our commitment to achieving the goals and strategies will not change.

Every FDIC employee is ultimately responsible for the success of the diversity plan. Respect and cooperation are FDIC corporate values. Every employee's contribution is necessary to achieve an atmosphere of respect and cooperation. The FDIC Diversity Strategic Plan reinforces our corporate values and supports employees in achieving this goal.

The working groups identified the corporate divisions and offices and, in some cases, positions responsible for implementing specific strategies included in the Plan. This information, while not included in the Plan, will be used by the FDIC Diversity Steering Committee as it moves toward implementation.

FDIC management is responsible for negotiating workplace conditions and benefits with the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU). Each working group included a NTEU representative who participated equally in researching and developing the strategies. Implementation of many of the strategies, however, remains subject to negotiation with the NTEU.

The FDIC Diversity Steering Committee and all working groups acknowledge that without the cooperation and commitment of every Corporation employee this plan will not be successful. We solicited comments and concerns of the FDIC workforce through the Diversity Web Page on diversity issues and, specifically, on the Draft FDIC Diversity Strategic Plan. The working groups and the FDIC Diversity Steering Committee considered all of the comments and suggestions received. Employee contributions were invaluable to the completion of the final product. Based on these comments, the working groups' strategies and goals were combined as appropriate and categorized in the final plan under the following six areas:

• Building Commitment and Developing Awareness,
• Enhancing the Corporate Recruiting Program,
• Creating Developmental Opportunities,
• Enhancing the Internal and External Selection Process,
• Addressing Benefits and Workplace Issues, and
• Monitoring Progress and Establishing Accountability.