External (Legal) Coercion and Internal Commitment: A Case Study of an Affirmative Action Training Program in Municipal Government

Abstract

This paper describes the background, execution, and outcomes of the first year of an affirmative action training program for managers and supervisors in city government. Several pressures, e.g., long-standing hiring practices, militated against the program's success. The forces that facilitate the program included the legal pressure of Title VII, support from the city manager, an ordinance mandating that action be taken, the collaboration between the trainer (agency staff) and university consultants, and theoretical analyses of the issues. Several expected and unanticipated outcomes are described.