Week 2 Due 1/18/14... attached is reading material needed

Evaluating Diversity Management: Conducting a Diversity Audit

Carol P. Harvey

A ssumption College

GOALS

· • To provide a capstone learning experience for students that enables them to learn how the theories and cases studied during the semester apply in the real world

· • To allow students to improve their critical thinking skills by developing and applying criteria to the evaluation of an organization’s diversity initiative

· • To provide students with the opportunity to compare and assess the relative levels of commitment that organizations have or do not have to implementing and managing diversity programs

· • To help students to learn about the dynamics of working on a team

· • To showcase the unique ways that some organizations are working to manage diversity and to illustrate that some organizations may be ignoring the business case for diversity and limiting their efforts to legal compliance

With the current emphasis on the business case for diversity and the goal of an inclusive workplace the diversity audit is designed to be a capstone assignment that measures where an organization is in terms of its change efforts. Diversity audits are evaluations based on qualitative and quantitative information about the status of diversity within the organization. Today, many organizations conduct audits to assess their progress in determining the effectiveness of diversity recruiting and retention efforts, measuring the value of diversity training, surveying workers about the success of diversity initiatives, such as supplier programs, employee resource groups and diversity councils. These audits reveal whether a gap exists between what is being done and what the organization should do in terms of diversity and are used as a basis for action planning.

Although this assignment is not as involved as a real corporate internal diversity audit, the content is designed to provide students with an opportunity to visit a real organization and to gather enough information to evaluate its progress in terms of its diversity initiatives. While the team should make recommendations for improving diversity at this organization in the paper and presentation, because of possible legal ramifications, it is not their role to act as actual consultants.

Dividing up the work equitably and preparing the criteria and questions for the interview are part of the assignment. Do not expect your instructor to do this for the group.

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INSTRUCTIONS

After your instructor forms groups of 4 to 5 students, it is important to follow the sequence as numbered below.

· 1. Find an organization that is willing to work with your group. The group should meet early in the semester to brainstorm possible organizations that might be willing to participate in this project. As always, it may be easier to gain access if a group member already has an established relationship with an organization such as an internship placement, a job there, or a family member who is employed there. Notice how these connections illustrate an example of privilege. Groups should always have an alternative organization in mind just in case their first choice does not work out. Some companies may refuse because they are afraid of what students may find, or are currently involved in a lawsuit, etc. If a group selects a major corporation whose headquarters is not local, it may be necessary to visit more than one site to get a more accurate sense of the organization’s diversity efforts. Very early in the semester, make contact with someone in the organization. Explain the assignment for what it is: an opportunity for students to learn firsthand how a real organization deals with diversity issues on a daily basis. The group needs to be realistic about this field assignment. Sometimes small companies of less than 300 employees are more difficult to audit because their size limits the financial and human resources available for diversity efforts. In contrast, in large Fortune 500 companies it may be more difficult to find the right contacts. Even organizations that are willing to cooperate may find it difficult to schedule meeting times that work for students. So, it is imperative that the team line up both a first choice and at least one backup choice for this project and begin the process early in the semester in case the group encounters difficulties.

· 2. Conduct secondary research which involves materials gathered for another reason. Internal examples include annual reports (a good source of mission and value statements), press releases, employee handbooks, and any other materials that the organization can provide. Explain to your contact person that the group would like to be as knowledgeable as possible about the organization to maximize the time on the visit. Today much of this information also can be found on the internet. While this is a good place to start, be aware that information on an organization’s website is subjective and prepared by the public relations staff, whose job it is to present the organization in a favorable light. Any material that the group can find or the organization can provide should be read by each group member before preparing the questions for the visit. Students should also conduct thorough external secondary research on their organization for additional material. Utilizing various library databases, students may discover very useful information. For example, some companies are often the subjects of articles that can be found in newspaper and periodical databases. Many companies with strong diversity programs also have been involved in discrimination lawsuits that are detailed in legal databases. Since students are not apt to be told about these on site visits, it is important to thoroughly research your organization.

· 3. Preparing to visit the organization involves making an appointment to interview at least three company representatives, managers and/or employees. If you can interview people from different functions, areas and levels (CDO, human resources, training, managers, members of ERGs, and hourly employees), it will provide different perspectives and richer data. Although all team 377378members do not need to go on the interview, at least two or three should participate to minimize bias. Because many organizations are reluctant to let students record interviews, it is more realistic to be prepared to take notes. Of course, multiple visits would probably provide richer data, and some organizations will give students the time for this, but many will not. When making an appointment, it is helpful to arrange for a tour of the organization because this is how the groups may discover interesting observations that contrast with the information that they will be given. For example, one student group visiting a medium-sized manufacturing plant observed that the entire manufacturing workforce was composed of Asian American women. They later learned that one of the top managers believed that Asian women had small hands that made assembling electrical components easier. So, he instructed his supervisors to hire only Asian women in the assembly area. Job applications from all others were immediately discarded. At another site, students were proudly shown a “Mother’s Room” for the pumping of breast milk. When they asked about the usage of this facility, they were told that it was installed at the insistence of one female manager years ago and it is never actually used by anyone but her. Another group discovered a non-denominational chapel inside a major corporation. NOTE: To clarify steps four through eight, which are based on the critical thinking process, the same element, diversity training, will be used here as the example for each item. Before visiting the organization, the whole group should meet to work on three items:

· 4. Establish criteria (i.e., standards) for a diverse organization. These could include easily measurable items such as the number of women and people of color on the Board, the presence or absence of ERGs, supplier diversity programs, funds spent on diverse community causes, etc. Remember that the group’s criteria for what would make an inclusive diverse workplace must be tailored to the mission, size, resources, location, etc., of the organization selected. For example, a non-profit hospital located in a very diverse community will be very different from a Fortune 500 company with a headquarters in New York City and branches located in many countries. Other items like training may be harder to measure and this is why criteria are so important. Example: The group may be told that an organization has a diversity training program. Without items (i.e. criteria) that you can evaluate this program against, it is difficult to decide if this is an effective program or not. On an audit visit, one student group found out that the diversity training program consisted of requiring all new employees to watch a DVD. Their criteria for effective training included having employees involved in interactive learning, ongoing training efforts and training for all levels of the organization. Clearly, this methodology did not meet their criteria established for effective diversity training.

· 5. Prepare a list of thoughtful questions about this organization’s diversity efforts that the group will explore on the visit(s). Avoid yes or no questions that will provide less information. Try to ask more open ended questions, basing these on what the group already knows about the organization through its secondary research. Always, start with the easier more general questions and progress to the more probing ones. Example: By questioning employees, based on the previously established criteria, the group found out that nobody supervised this “training,” there was no follow up discussion or debriefing and that some new employees actually fell asleep in the darkened room!

· 6. Visit the organization/conduct primary research. Make an appointment that is convenient for your contact. Dress professionally; be on time, polite, and respectful of your contact’s time constraints and send a follow up thanking the contacts for their time. If the group is 378379thoroughly prepared and is knowledgeable about the organization, it will show. Occasionally, student teams are asked that the name of the company be kept confidential. The teacher will have to know the true identity of the organization to assess the team’s work. However, a fictitious name can be used for the paper and class presentation. Try to gather additional information through observation. Be sure to pay attention to “subtle” cues of inclusion or lack of inclusion. Is there evidence that they really do what they say they intend to do? Example: On the visit, the students asked if they could watch the diversity training DVD. When they watched it together, the group was amazed at how simplistic and boring it was and this information was an additional negative factor to consider in determining the organization’s level of commitment to change and inclusion.

· 7. Review, connect and relate what the group now knows from secondary and primary research the semester’s readings to understand these theories may apply to this organization. This discussion which is the most critical part of the process, should only take place after the visit(s). Groups that do the best on this assignment, usually take ample time to do this stage well. The entire group should meet and debrief. In terms of diversity: What did they really see on the visit? What does it mean in terms of the organizational culture? What did they learn? How did the visit support or refute what they had learned through their secondary research? What seems contradictory? What evidence is there of true inclusion? How can the theory learned during the semester, help to explain what they know about the organization? Example: What level of the Thomas & Ely framework does the training system seem to address? The group found that this national retailer, well known for its diversity hiring practices, focused all its diversity training such that is was, only on customer interactions (the access and legitimacy paradigm) and nothing on working in a diverse environment with people unlike themselves. After thoroughly discussing the data, the group should evaluate their organization against their established criteria for a diverse organization. At this point, the group may find that they omitted some factors and may need to add additional criteria. Example: This same student group saw a coffee mug labeled “DIVERSITY the XYZ Company” on the visit. Obviously, they had no way to know about this in advance. In their post-visit discussions they decided that this mug was merely an artifact in Schein’s levels of organizational culture. Their conclusion was that this company espoused diversity as a value only in a superficial way not to offend diverse customers and to avoid lawsuits not to operationalize diversity in terms of organizational change or inclusion. After watching the training video, each participant had to sign a paper attesting that they were present for the screening. These were kept on file in case of legal action. The mug was in fact given to each person who sat (or in some actual cases slept) through the training DVD!

· 8. Prepare written report (NOTE: Your instructor may assign different length and additional content requirements) approximately 12 to 14 pages in length that explains the findings in detail. The paper should be free from spelling and grammatical errors, cite all sources and interviews in a bibliography, and contain any additional helpful material in an exhibit section (copies of organizational value statements, relevant press releases, company newsletters, etc.). The report should detail the strengths and weaknesses of the organization’s diversity initiatives and be organized as follows:

· • A one-paragraph executive summary

· • One page company background (history, size, industry, organizational structure, etc.)

· • One to two pages explaining the group’s criteria for a diverse organization

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· • One to two pages describing what the group learned on the visit(s).

· • The remainder of the paper should focus on evaluating the organization’s efforts in terms of the diversity concepts covered in this course, by connecting course concepts to the organization’s diversity programs. For example, how does this organization tie diversity to its mission and values, what inclusion strategies does this company implement, is there evidence of a business case for diversity in this organization, etc.?

· • The paper should conclude with the team’s recommendations for change and a team “grade” grade (A, A-, B+, B, B-, etc.) for this organization’s diversity and inclusion efforts.

· • Bibliography, exhibits, etc.

· 9. A presentation to the class will allow the groups to learn from each other. It is particularly interesting to see the different approaches and contrasts of the organizations. Each team of students should make a class presentation that details the results of their diversity audit. As a minimum, the presentation should include a short company background, a list of the group’s criteria for a diverse organization, anything particularly interesting learned from the visit(s), and an explanation of the group’s evaluation of their organization, linked to the textual theory, in terms of how it attempts to manage diversity and inclusion. It is expected that the group will use visual material (PowerPoint slides, handouts, material supplied by the organization, etc.), rehearse their presentations so that individual speakers do not repeat each other’s material, not exceed the time limits set by the instructor, not read their presentations, dress appropriately, and be prepared to answer questions from the class. At the conclusion of the talk, the group, without revealing the grade that they assigned to the organization, should ask for a show of hands from the class members as to what letter grade from A–F should be assigned to this organization. Then, they can reveal what grade the group gave the company for their diversity efforts and the rationale behind the decision.

Writing Assignment

Assessing Group Diversity, Process, and Conflict Resolution

During the completion of this group project, you have had the opportunity to interact with students who may be different from you in their work habits and styles. In addition to visible social identity group differences, such as race, and gender, often differences in terms of personality, time management, leadership styles, values, etc. can cause conflict in terms of the quality, satisfaction, and completion of group projects both in classes and in the workplace. Since you are finishing a course on “diversity” management, this is a good time to assess the issues of productivity, individual difference, and conflict resolution in terms learning from this group experience.

Write a four- to five-page paper that analyzes the group performance in terms of the group process, i.e. how effectively this group worked together. In your paper be sure to answer the following questions but do NOT use any actual names of group members:

· • What were the primary differences in terms of working style that helped or hindered this group from accomplishing their objectives for this project?

· • How did the group effectively or ineffectively deal with these differences?

· • Did someone assume a leadership role? Was the leadership style effective or ineffective? Why?

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· • If there were conflicts or conflict avoidance in this group, apply Parker’s article, “The Emotional Connection of Distinguishing Differences and Conflict” to evaluate the resolution or lack of resolution of the conflicts.

· • In retrospect what could the group have done differently to produce a more effective project? What could the group have done differently to do it more efficiently?

· • From this analysis, what have you learned about this experience about diversity that can also be applied to productively managing the differences that can be “invisible” in the workplace?

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Diversity on the Web

EVALUATING ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY: AUDITING WEB SITES

In the twenty-first century, Web sites are an important channel of communication between organizations and their external stakeholders. If an organization is serious about its commitment to diversity, one would expect that this would be reflected in the design, content, and graphics of the Web site. Potential employees, customers, suppliers, etc., often turn first to a Web site before initiating interaction with an organization. If diversity is really integral to the mission and values of an organization, information on diversity should be easily accessible, informative, and well integrated into the Web site.

Your instructor will select an industry such as healthcare, hospitality, manufacturing government, education, sports, etc. or specific Web sites that members of the class will use for this assignment. Then, prepare a report on the following:

· 1. Evaluate how accessible diversity-related material is on this Web site. Is there a direct link from the home page? What type of results does entering the term “diversity” in a search box yield? Or, do you have to explore on your own? Sometimes searching under “careers” or “press releases” may produce some diversity-related results. On some Web sites, students will have to explore deeply into Web pages to find material related to diversity. What does this say about the organization’s commitment to diversity?

· 2. Evaluate the usefulness of the diversity information to potential employees, customers, and suppliers. Is the diversity material related to the organization’s business case for diversity, core values, mission, etc. the way that the organization does business? How current is the diversity-related material? For a good example explore Hewlett Packard’s Web site at http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/abouthp/diversity/

· 3. Evaluate the appropriateness of the photographs and graphic material that relates to diversity. Some Web sites will feature photographs of diverse employees and customers, yet not link this material to the verbal content. Some reuse the same pictures on different pages, etc. On the Hewlett Packard Web site, notice the photos they use and the diversity value chain graphic available at http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/abouthp/diversity/value.html

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· 4. Using the Web site that you were assigned for this assignment, assume that you are a) a potential employee, b) a potential customer and c) a potential supplier or subcontractor. What perceptions might you have about this organization’s commitment to diversity based solely on the Web site? Looking at this Web site, do you think that it encourages or discourages diverse employees to apply for jobs in this organization? Why or why not?

· 5. What internal management issues can affect the prominence that diversity gets or doesn’t get on an organization’s Web site?

· 6. Are there any diversity awards listed on the Web site? If so, review the criteria and selection process as presented in the Allard article on awards or if the award is not mentioned in that article. Evaluate the value of the award through the sponsoring organization’s Web site.

· 7. If students report their findings to the class, they can briefly demonstrate the best and worst features of the Web sites and the following question may then be used for class discussion: Assume that you are a (female, over 55, racial minority, person with a physical challenge, gay or lesbian, etc.) job applicant and you have read ads for job openings for which you are fully qualified in all of the companies presented in class. What perceptions might you have of each company before you even walk in the door? Would you still apply? Why or why not?

· 8. Evaluate the appropriateness of the photographs and graphic material that relates to diversity. Some Web sites will feature photographs of diverse employees and customers, yet not link this material to the verbal content. Some reuse the same pictures on different pages, etc. On the Hewlett Packard Web site, notice the photos they use and the diversity value chain graphic available at http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/abouthp/diversity/value.html

· 9. Using the Web site that you were assigned for this assignment, assume that you are a) a potential employee, b) a potential customer, and c) a potential supplier or subcontractor. What perceptions might you have about this organization’s commitment to diversity based solely on the Web site? Looking at this Web site, do you think that it encourages or discourages diverse employees to apply for jobs in this organization? Why or why not?

· 10. What internal management issues can affect the prominence that diversity gets or doesn’t get on an organization’s Web site?

· 11. Are there any diversity awards listed on the Web site? If so, review the criteria and selection process as presented in the Allard article on awards or if the award is not mentioned in that article. Evaluate the value of the award through the sponsoring organization’s Web site.

· 12. If students report their findings to the class, they can briefly demonstrate the best and worst features of the Web sites and the following question may then be used for class discussion: Assume that you are a (female, over 55, racial minority, person with a physical challenge, gay or lesbian, etc.) job applicant and you have read ads for job openings for which you are fully qualified in all of the companies presented in class. What perceptions might you have of each company before you even walk in the door?