In the end, they decided not to go that that store. It all depends what you pay attention to. It all starts with paying attention, but after that there is a process that needs to happen before realistic numerical targets can be set and measured.
First, to see diversity and inclusion there must be open communication. Start with conversations between a group of people from diverse backgrounds, colours, experiences, ages, genders, abilities, orientations and persuasions, who are all working together on a common goal. Some training directly related to diversity and inclusion might be involved. People responsible for these types of training initiatives should work with key decision makers to develop training that meets specific organizational objectives.
Of course, the final critical piece is to actually measure these results and make adjustments. Remember: what you measure grows and what grows should uncover something unexpected. Consider an example. Many Canadian cities have diversity and inclusion plans and they all look pretty good on paper. But how do we know these elements are effective? What if the progress reports are just propaganda from the people who liked the decision?
I was their idea after all…. To start, we know initiatives are effective if we have a good measurement process and tools in place to find out. It is critical to measure and evaluate initiatives otherwise there is no way to find out if they have been effective or if money has been well spent. Without measurements there is also no way to prove whether good programs should be kept or expanded. On the other hand, there are issues with setting numerical targets.
There could be concern about measuring the wrong thing or if targets are not met, numerical goals could be discouraging. Further, finding measurement tools that are right for the job and getting accurate demographic data on which to base goals is often harder than it seems.
It could also be a problem to measure something that does not have enough variety of tangible, intangible, financial and non-financial indicators to provide a real-life snap shot of the situation. But remember Principle 1: What you pay attention to grows. Moving forward, you can always check whether or not a measurement is true — that is valid, and reliable — when the end users of the program or initiative are consulted, and when something new or surprising occurs.
Here we have Principle 2: if you are involving the end users, there will be surprises and changes. The EAC is actively working on improving their diversity and inclusion results and they started by looking at who was applying for arts grants and participating in arts programming.
Then, they dug deeper to find out who received funding or supports. From this demographic they started to reconsider their processes, the people involved at key points, and the kind of demographic representation they wanted to achieve across minority populations. They conducted a diversity audit, hired a community liaison, started staff training for Aboriginal inclusion and visible minority and immigrant inclusion, and looked at their policies and practices through a diversity lens.
This preliminary work has enabled the EAC to establish a benchmark. True diversity is revealed by more than just numbers. As the leadership team learns more about their employees, they can make better decisions to support and foster diversity and inclusion. Next, we will get into some ways companies can expand on their diversity and inclusion initiatives.
First is implementing employee resource groups. Oftentimes, ERGs are employee-led groups whose members share a common characteristic, whether it is race, religious affiliation, gender or affinity. Additionally, these networks provide employees a support system, offer professional development opportunities and foster workplace diversity and inclusion.
They help create a culture of connectivity and can have a positive effect on any organization. In any industry, employees want to work with an employer who invests in their employees. When companies invest in ERGs, employees have a more concrete way to share their interests and unique attributes with customers to establish more personal relationships. Participation in the program is voluntary and any employee can join. Whereas many similar diversity programs target only managers and HR , we have managers, administrative, and scientific staff participate together in mixed groups to capture multiple perspectives.
Cohorts range from 10 to 25 participants, and the sessions incorporate a mix of discussion and hands-on activities. The course meets once a month for four months, although many participants choose to informally communicate, both online and in person, between sessions. Most have formal training or personal experience with diversity-related issues, although this is not required to participate. Materials from both academic literature and popular media, such as TED talks, are incorporated into the sessions, and participants are encouraged to share their personal experiences within UCAR.
While we still meet resistance from employees who do not understand how diversity and inclusion are related to their job in a scientific organization, this resistance is becoming less common as we continue to engage in change management and make the case for inclusivity across UCAR.
Many workplace diversity programs have focused only on bias reduction. Studies have shown that when employers require bias reduction training, hostilities can actually increase. We learned that the majority of UNEION participants were already aware of societal biases and workplace barriers that women, people of color, and other marginalized groups face.
Because research suggests having high levels of awareness before training can lead to more engagement in diversity-related programs, UNEION focuses on 1 equipping participants to intervene when they see bias or harassment unfolding, and 2 training people on how to talk to others about organizational diversity.
UNEION leaders dedicate one session to in-depth bystander intervention training, so people know how to step in when they observe instances of bias and discrimination. The training begins with a demonstration of different intervention techniques, with lead learners role-playing a scenario based on real instances that had been reported at UCAR , asking the participants for interventions, then acting those suggestions out. Participants consistently report this session as the most impactful, having boosted their confidence to intervene appropriately with peers, supervisors, and upper management.
At each session, lead learners introduce community resources for improving diversity and inclusion. Alongside these pieces, UCAR has made significant structural efforts to be a more inclusive organization, including undertaking a comprehensive workplace culture study, developing a diversity, equity, and inclusion strategic plan, expanding an outreach and mentoring program for underrepresented students, revamping hiring procedures, and reviewing policies to ensure they are equitable for all.
These efforts have significantly shifted the conversation about diversity and inclusion at UCAR. Many workplace diversity trainings tend to target only managers. Because previous research shows there are benefits to recruiting diverse groups in terms of race and gender for trainings, UNEION lead learners also emphasize recruiting from all levels of the organization, including non-technical and clerical staff.
Research has also shown that inviting non-managers to diversity and inclusion workshops can help organizations better identify points of conflict and possible resolutions.
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