"There should be periodic meetings to communicate assignments, delegate
responsibilities and discuss anticipated costs and materials. These meetings
should also address issues and concerns that may arise and the progress of the
plan. Attempts should be made to develop collaborative relationships between
units and programs, especially when similar plans can be combined. An appointed
coordinator of events is a necessity as this person facilitates collaboration
between and scheduling of different projects" (Dumas-Hines, Cochran, & Williams,
2001).
When putting together a diversity team, remember that the group itself must be
diverse. Be sure to pull together a mix of people from across the organization.
Involve people from across levels and functional areas of the association (Digh,
1999). "Clarify the mandate, scope, and expectations for the team and the initiative (Digh,
1999)." "Establish a diversity council and define what it will do. It's not going to
work to just talk about diversity. This group should be very active" (Swanson,
2002).
"The investment is heavy in the beginning of such work which involves collecting
data for institutional audits of its current state in a wide range of campus
areas, meeting consistently over time with a representative number of
institutional leaders, and creating a campus-wide strategic plan as the
culminating activity"(McTighe Musil et. al., 1999, p. 18). "While the team must be representative and diverse in many respects, it's best
to limit membership to about fifteen people so that you can move forward
expeditiously (Bye, 2002).
When developing a diversity team, an initial formation meeting should be
considered with the following agenda:
A diversity-related icebreaker to get people talking and starting to know each
other.
A strong personal charter by your President about the organization and
competitive advantages of diversity and the importance she/he attaches to this
work. (Best done when the President is on the team or commits to meet regularly
with the team.)
Develop agreement on how the team will work together.
Check if there are any key areas or functions that are not represented on the
team.
Brief the team about diversity and its linkage to business or organizational
results.
Agree on a work plan and a tentative schedule (Bye, 2002).
