Several years later I suspect there has been some progress in the area of diversity but I don't know how much. Yes, there may be one or two top executives at a company who fit the bill of being from a minority group, but they are still few in number. How many middle managers in the electronics industry say they are from a minority group? How many entrepreneurs? How many engineers? I don't know, but I'd like to.

The thing is, frankly, that I hear little about diversity programs and the effect such efforts have had on the hiring, promotion and advancement of minorities (and women) overall. I have heard little about it in engineering as well.

It seems that we all assume diversity programs worked and we've bored with the subject. We're too concerned about today's economic woes or the industry down cycle to care about whether any groups face discrimination.

One group recently completed a study on corporate diversity programs that is encouraging, but the study doesn't reveal if the programs are working.

In March, Catalyst, the nonprofit research and advisory organization working to advance women in business and the professions, published a benchmarking study on its first-ever survey to analyze the diversity practices of global companies.

The 2001 Catalyst Member Benchmarking Survey measured the existence of diversity programs and activities among its 275 member companies.

The good news from the survey is that almost all participants said they had or are developing a formal strategy for diversity. Eighty-six percent of the 106 companies who responded said they have a formal strategy at the corporate level. Companies said diversity programs were an integral part of gaining competitive advantage and improving retention, marketing/sales results and recruitment.

I was disappointed, however, when I called to ask about whether the survey investigated the effectiveness of diversity programs. No, the survey was intended as a benchmark for companies to see how they stack up against their peers in offering such programs.

I'd like to know how effective the programs have been, to see if companies have made widespread changes and if those changes have affected the company's balance sheet.

Are diversity programs more than programs, more than lip service to what's become an "in" trend? It's time to find out.

Later this year Catalyst plans to report the results of a Women of Color survey that involves re-contacting women who were surveyed in 1999 and finding out where they are in their careers today. Stay tuned.