Industry reports reveal cutbacks by organizations in diversity programs as cost cutting moves in response to a down economy, according to Meagan Polakowskis blog posting, Taking Sides. This tactic flies in the face of research:

What Strong Teams Have in Common speaks to Gallup research on the strong link between employee engagement and diversity and the key elements of strong organizational teams.

Research Links Diversity With Increased Sales Revenues, Profits and Customers notes that companies with the highest racial diversity had 15 times greater sales revenue, according to a University of Illinois study.

The American Sociological Review in Does Diversity Pay? reports diversity is as an important predictor of higher revenue, customers, and profits.

Clearly the numbers bear out what many already know: diversity is good for business and part of a winning talent strategy.