A diversity audit can be viewed as a statement because it can send a message to
the workforce that management cares and is willing to devote the necessary time
and resources (Grensing-Pophal, 2001).
Diversity audits can be useful in uncovering workplace discrimination problems.
They can enable an organization to uncover biases, or perceptions of biases,
among employees and managers (Grensing-Pophal, 2001).
Information obtained through diversity audits can help organizations develop
policies and training programs and avoid discrimination complaints (Grensing-Pophal,
2001).
In addition to diversity audits, objective sources of information regarding an
organization's practices also can be drawn from existing reports and data on
matters such as Equal Employment Opportunity complaints and grievances; hiring,
promotion, and turnover statistics; and pay practices (Grensing-Pophal, 2001).
In addition to diversity audits, organizations may decide to conduct additional
assessments to gather baseline information through surveys, focus groups, or
interviews with employees. Baseline information can be used for comparison
purposes as a way to determine employee perceptions of the organization's
progress toward meeting stated objectives (Grensing-Pophal, 2001).
Update and institutionalize an initial diversity assessment and establish a
continuous improvement process, characterized by periodic faculty, staff, and
student surveys; diversity program inventories; and other assessments that
provide information on areas needing improvement and areas of success (Virginia
Tech University Diversity Plan, 2000).
Assess each recruitment approach used, including the number of actual hires made
from these pools on an annual basis (de los Santos, 1994).
It is important to look at the people who are in the organization's top spots,
and then trace how these people rose through the company. If these practices are
exclusionary to some employees, then they need to be addressed (Flynn, 1998).
An excellent way to assess how welcoming your campus environment is to faculty
of color is to conduct a cultural audit (Turner, 2002).
Analyze the cultural diverse faculty composition on campus and set goals for
enhancing diversity (Dumas-Hines, Cochran, & Williams, 2001).
The committee or team should benchmark what other nonprofit, for-profit, and
universities are doing (Digh, 1999).
"To avoid quick-fix solutions and effect a meaningful cultural change, assessing
or auditing diversity practices is essential to identify and analyze the current
situation. Cultural audits gather data about the perceived strengths and
weakness of the organization's diversity practices. Internal audits stand a
better chance of convincing managers that problems exist rather than reviewing
reports from other organizations. Statistical, factual and perceptual data
gathering dispels myths about policies and practices that contribute to
differential treatment and factors that facilitate or hinder diversity."
(Mathews, 1998).
"After gathering data about the perceived strengths and weakness of the
organization's diversity practices, the next step is to measure the
organization's practices against other comparable organizations' diversity
practices. One approach that can be used to assess and measure similar diversity
policies and practices is benchmarking" (Mathews, 1998).
"Benchmarking is a tool organizations use to search for the practices that can
serve as a model for the development of a superior diversity management program"
(Mathews, 1998).
Kemmerer and Arnold identify the basic steps in benchmarking:
Identify diversity management practices to increase
sensitivity through self-learning, training, education, recruitment, hiring
and retention practices
using similar organization's practices as benchmarks.
Compare the organization's performance in creating a diverse workforce against
the best practices' organizations.
Using these results, identify how to improve future performance through
reexamination and including employees' input in the workforce planning
decision-making.
Establish obtainable goals and forecasting methods that will improve workforce
diversity in the organization.
Communicate the benchmarking findings to all employees.
Develop diversity plans and action teams that include all organizational levels.
Implement diversity action plans, monitor performance and evaluate results.
Revise diversity action plans as necessary (Mathews, 1998).
The needs assessment component gives the organization the opportunity to
carefully assess what type of training is most appropriate for their employees.
Failure to conduct a needs assessment could lead to training that does not focus
on real issues in the organization. This could lead to a waste of resources (Wentling
& Palma-Rivas, 1999).
Before beginning any kind of diversity activities, it is important to conduct a
formal assessment of the campus climate for diversity. "Such assessments, or
audits, provide baseline data and show a snapshot of the terrain before
decisions are made on any new programs. Audits allow an institution to identify
pressing problems or particular groups who may be experiencing a hostile
climate. Furthermore, a baseline allows an institution to measure progress over
time and to identify the next most appropriate set of activities" (McTighe Musil
et. al., 1999, p. 29).
"Recommending campus dialogue about these seven questions is intended to foster
a climate of expectation and openness to focused and sustained evaluation of
diversity initiatives . . . As a starting point for campus conversations, the
following set of questions can assist:
What are the operating understandings of diversity? What are the emerging
definitions?
How is diversity understood in the context of its emerging
definitions?
How is diversity understood in the context of the institution's immediate
community?
How does the institution's knowledge of diversity correlate with the
actual demographics of its city and state, the country, and the world?
How is diversity understood in relation to the institution's particular historic
and current context?
How has diversity been integrated into the institution's mission, vision, goals,
and objectives?
What thought has been given to the ways students are taught to think about
diversity, in curriculum, climate, or campus ethos?
How, over time, has the institution come to understand its current diversity
climate?
What are some reasons that would persuade people on campus to document diversity
initiatives? What tools would help them do it?" (McTighe Musil et. al., 1999, p.
47).
"Assessment, then, provides institutions with a means of documenting their own
progress as well as accepting accountability. It can be a mechanism for
achieving equal opportunity and keeping such a goal at the heart of the
educational mission. The academy holds the promise of offering spaces of
encounter and engagement, spaces that teach students how to deliberate in the
face of difficult differences and how to expand their horizons by drawing on the
deep resources diversity offers. In the process, students become more prepared
to be informed citizens facile in working and living in a diverse democratic
society like the United States" (McTighe Musil et. al., 1999, p. 48).
While there are benefits to reviewing what other companies are doing related to
diversity, every organization has its own unique culture. It is critical to
establish an internal benchmark describing the current environment. A cultural
diversity assessment provides this original benchmark and becomes the vital tool
to determine the organization's progress related to diversity (Van Eron, 1995).
"A cultural diversity assessment is a process that provides an analysis of an
organization's culture. The assessment identifies the organization's
assumptions, norms, systems and practices to determine if they are supportive of
the company's vision for diversity. The main purpose of the assessment is to
identify what needs to be changed to create an environment more likely to allow
all employees to do their best work, be more productive and achieve their
potential . . . The collected data are used to determine what needs to be done
to implement positive change. This measurement system is important in
identifying issues that require attention, as well as securing management and
employee "buy in" for the overall corrective efforts needed and the respective
resources required. Involving managers and employees in the assessment will
increase their level of commitment to working toward the diversity goals and
vision . . . If the assessment is bypassed, companies are likely to implement
diversity initiatives that do not directly address the key issues or to
implement programs that, in fact, continue to reinforce the current culture . .
. A comprehensive assessment should be conducted at the beginning of a diversity
effort and serve as the baseline for diversity initiatives. Thereafter, periodic
updates of the assessment should be scheduled to assist the organization in
tracking progress, identifying issues that require additional attention and
determining emerging new issues" (Van Eron, 1995).
Occasional focus groups and brief surveys can be conducted (Van Eron, 1995).
Organizations should begin to gauge the impact of their diversity efforts by
assessing their employees' perceptions of prejudice and discrimination, fairness
of rewards, information accessibility, and career opportunities. Organizations
should then proceed to measure the extent to which these indicators of diversity
are enhancing organizational effectiveness (Comer & Soliman, 1996).
A needs assessment and a self-study process should be used to clarify what
abilities a person should possess as a faculty member and if these abilities can
best be found in ethnic minority faculty members (CEMRRAT, 1996).
The assessment includes the following phases:
Establish leadership commitment and support. Without strong leadership
commitment, the cultural change process will not succeed.
Form a cultural diversity assessment team. A team to steer the cultural
assessment and change efforts ensures coordination of the process as well as
"buy-in" of key constituents.
Review archival and HR systems data. In addition, human resource systems
including recruiting, training, development and reward systems should be
examined for how they support or impede diversity goals.
Conduct interviews and focus groups with managers, employees and stakeholders.
Individual interviews and focus groups ensure "buy-in" and understanding of the
diversity effort and help to define the cultural norms and critical systems that
support or hinder the diversity vision. Develop and administer an employee cultural assessment survey. By making the
survey available to all employees, there is likely to be more acceptance of the
findings.
Analyze data. The findings from the survey, interviews, focus groups, archival
data and systems review are integrated into a report that serves as a benchmark
of the organization's current environment related to diversity.
Provide feedback on findings from cultural diversity assessment. Through
meetings with management and communications with employees, ownership of the
data is secured.
Crete a plan of action. Once the current culture is understood, initiatives to
support the diversity vision and reduce barriers are planned.
Schedule periodic follow-up reviews or assessments (Van Eron, 1995).
When establishing long-term goals and initial objectives . . . "This is the time
for benchmarking to obtain the following types of information:
The business impact of working on diversity How other executives focus their time and energy on a diversity initiative
Best practices and practices to avoid
How other companies have addressed the processes important to you (i.e.,
recruiting, performance management, mentoring, career development, compensation,
etc.)
Timelines other companies have followed
Sources of effective training, development, and consulting expertise
How other companies have communicated to their employees about diversity
How companies measure their progress" (Bye, 2002, p.11).
