STRENGTHENING DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT
2 Strengthening Diversity Management
1.0 Background DIVERSITY MATTERS Diversity continues to be a front page issue with greater external/internal expectations and pressures organisations are pushed towards being more inclusive, fair, transparent, balanced and moral. But, CRF research finds, good diversity practice is patchy. • More than a quarter of 70 companies surveyed in 2011 do not have a diversity strategy. • Over half don’t have specific targets right through their organisations. • A third of HR directors don’t think their senior leaders “own” diversity.
DOES IT MATTER IN YOUR ORGANISATION? Sounds familiar? Might this be your organisation? The research report below stressed that diversity management is difficult, sometimes complex work. It recommends reviewing where your organisation is to try to improve current practice. These excerpts from the many tools provided are a starting point.
KEY CRF SOURCES Research report, Diversity and Business Performance, January
2011
Post-meeting Review, Diversity and Business Performance,
February 2011
3 Strengthening Diversity Management
2.0 Five levels of organisation practice A key aim of the CRF study was to provide a model of diversity practice to help members in evaluating their current approaches, and to guide post-evaluation improvement. This simplified table reveals these five levels of practice found during the research - see the full version in Section 2.3 of the report. Use it to decide where you think your organisation is.
LEVEL 5
achieving high performance through diversity. It is embedded in organisation practice and is never considered as a separate issue. Diversity is in the DNA.
LEVEL 4
everyone treated as an individual. Diversity focuses on integration and inclusion with objective, transparent performance measures. Difference is valued.
LEVEL 3
everyone treated the same. Diversity is about assimilation with a clear business rationale supported by formal structures and systems.
LEVEL 2
policies and procedures in place. Diversity is mainly regarded as a compliance issue. Practices meet minimum legal standards with basic awareness training and monitoring.
LEVEL 1
diversity is not recognised as an issue. Few specific policies and procedures are in place, as is a high risk of discrimination practice and claims.
Judging the level your organisation has reached is not easy. After all, the views of HR, other functions, their managers, senior executives and diverse groups may well differ markedly. Ask colleagues what they think and then widen Level inquiries further.
4 Strengthening Diversity Management
3.0 Improving practice - eight actions These actions are a summary of many recommended actions from Section 7.7 of the report.
RECRUITMENT/RESOURCING • Audit current recruitment statistics by gender/ethnicity, etc, for successful and unsuccessful candidates. • Review selection criteria, job descriptions, selection procedures, etc, for evidence of any overt or unconscious bias.
RETENTION • Examine when, where and why - and at what level of seniority or talent - you lose people. • Develop a retention plan for why minority staff leave and ascertain whether the reasons differ by diversity group.
PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT • Look at appraisal processes and performance criteria for any signs of hidden bias – and ascertain that criteria weightings reflect consistent standards across diverse groups. • Discuss with a range of managers how well they manage diversity and any support/resources they might need.
DEVELOPMENT AND PROGRESS • Examine targets for minority groups in lists for, and access to, leadership programmes, high potential pools and succession planning - and general development opportunities. • Devise a means of measuring development and progression results by business division, function and manager to identify issues and barriers.
NOTE Also refer to Section 9.2 for specific metrics and checklist questions for measuring diversity performance and results.
5 Strengthening Diversity Management
4.0 Good business... and five recommendations Report co-author and US diversity expert, Dr Wanda Wallace, says that over two-thirds of surveyed organisations with diversity strategies had clear business reasons for them – in addition to them seeing value in just being diverse.
She recommends • getting visible senior leadership support • understanding what and where the barriers are to diversity management progress • working with managers to develop their diversity attitudes and skills • good measurement as the basis for improving and influencing decision-makers • actively encouraging and developing networks that support diverse groups within the organisation and outside.
“Gender is where significant investments are being made.
We have been at this subject for quite a while but we’re not seeing enough traction. The lens is back on gender again.”
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