Final Assessment- D&I Initiative and Organizational Goals

Final Assessment- D&I Initiative and Organizational Goals

Business Case

A hypothetical case of United Plc. is adopted to create and implement a D&I initiative. Specifically, the D&I initiative will focus on creating a culture of belonging for United Plc. The organization values the need to recognize diversity, inclusion, and belonging as important business success drivers apart from being ethical imperatives. The D&I initiative will help the business create a work environment where employees from diverse backgrounds feel included, valued, and empowered to contribute their unique talents and perspectives. The initiative will lead to improved employee engagement, retention, and productivity, alongside strengthening the organization’s reputation as an ethical organization. Achieving this will take into account the impact of federal and state laws. The initiative has to be undertaken within the regulatory requirements of federal and state laws through compliance. Essentially, this will ensure that the intended initiative fosters an environment that promotes fairness and equity by upholding legal requirements.

For the D&I initiative, two internal business case examples are identified. Diversity councils and resource groups are the first examples that will focus on creating a platform for employees to engage in diversity-related initiatives, advocate for inclusion, and share experiences (Hewlett & Yoshino, 2016). Notably, this will create a sense of belonging among underrepresented employees. The second internal environment example will entail developing leadership and mentoring programs to address the barriers to advancement and ensure equal career growth access among employees. Through this, it will be possible to cultivate a diverse pipeline of diversity and inclusion in the organization. The organization will also adopt diverse recruitment strategies for the external environment in the initiative. In this example, the organization will partner with other organizations and associations representing diverse communities. Another external environment example will entail employee branding and recruitment. Essentially, the organization will enhance its employee brand to highlight its commitment to diversity and inclusion and, in turn, attract more diverse talents.

Role and Importance of a Code of Ethics in the D&I Initiative

A code of ethics or corporate social responsibility (CSR) will play an important role in ensuring the success of the D&I initiative. This is so because it serves as a framework that governs the organization’s commitment to ethical practices, social responsibility, equity, and fairness. The organization will incorporate D&I concepts into its code of ethics to reinforce an inclusive and diverse workplace. The code of ethics is important for several reasons. First, it provides guiding principles that align with the organization’s core values and ethical standards. Second, the code of ethics helps set clear employee expectations regarding their conduct within the organization. When D&I initiative aspects are integrated into the code of ethics, a strong message is sent to the employees. Lastly, the code of ethics is important in ensuring the organization’s compliance with the regulatory requirement on aspects such as equal employment, inclusion, and diversity fostered by the D&I initiative.

Ethical practices that relate to areas of HR management include recruitment and selection. Specifically, ethical practices in recruitment and selection include ensuring equal access to job opportunities, avoiding discrimination and bias in selection, and implementing diverse recruitment strategies. Another HR management aspect to consider entails training and development. An ethical practice to adopt when training and developing employees should offer equitable access to learning opportunities, offer development programs that target specific needs of interest by employees from various backgrounds, and do the training using diverse learning styles and preferences. Lastly, HR management areas of performance and promotion should consider ethical practices. In doing this, performance measurement and promotion should include fair and unbiased evaluations, equitable opportunities for promotion, and transparent feedback.

Specific D&I Strategies and Tools to Utilize

Short-term strategies that will be utilized for the D&I initiative include recruiting, hiring, onboarding, and integration. Regarding recruitment and hiring, the organization will target to reach diverse candidates using diverse job boards, attending diversity-focused career fairs, and partnering with organizations focused on diverse communities. Further, the organization will implement blind resume screening techniques to mitigate unconscious bias at the primary stages of the hiring process. Regarding onboarding and integration, the organization will conduct periodic check-ins during the onboarding period to address any arising challenges and foster a sense of belonging.

On the other hand, long-term strategies will include training, retaining, motivation, and succession planning. Regarding training, the organization will employ offering diversity-focused workshops and seminars to promote cultural competency and unity among employees. Concerning retention and motivation, the organization will establish employee resource groups to create a sense of community, implement flexible work policies and conduct regular employee engagement surveys targeted at D&I initiative metrics to track progress and areas of improvement (Donovan & Kaplan, 2019). Lastly, succession planning will be based on target management programs that identify and develop high-potential employees.

Barriers and Methods to Overcome

The first barrier to handle is resistance to change. Some employees and other stakeholders may resist the implementation of the D&I initiative, citing a lack of awareness, fear of change, and perception of preferential treatment. Addressing this barrier will include communicating the rationale and benefits of the initiative and fostering an open dialogue on the initiative. Another barrier to address is unconscious bias, which can hinder fair decision-making in recruitment, talent management, and promotion. The barrier can be addressed by implementing unconscious bias training programs for HR employees, utilizing a structured hiring process, and encouraging employees to challenge themselves for better self-awareness and self-reflection.

Measurement, Accountability, and Periodic Review of the Strategy

Measuring, accountability, and periodic review of the D&I initiative will include establishing metrics, regular reporting and communication, leadership accountability, employee feedback, periodic review and adjustment, and external benchmarking. Regarding metrics, relevant D&I metrics aligned with organizational goals, such as promotion rates, representation rates, and employee engagement scores, will be identified. Regular reporting and communication will be done by implementing a reporting framework to track and communicate the progress of the D&I initiative to all stakeholders. Additionally, leadership accountability will be achieved by integrating the objectives of the D&I initiative into the performance evaluation. Regarding employee feedback, regular employee engagement surveys will be conducted, and the results will be analyzed to identify areas of strengths and weaknesses. The surveys will be conducted periodically to track progress over time. Lastly, external benchmarking will be done to compare the company’s performance with the industry’s best practices to gain insights into areas of improvement.

References

Donovan, M., & Kaplan, M. (2019).The inclusion dividend: Why investing in diversity &inclusion pays off(2nd ed.). DG Press. ISBN-13: 9781732726208

Hewlett, S.A., & Yoshino, K. (2016, February 2). LGBT-inclusive companies are better at three big things. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2016/02/lgbt-inclusive-companies-are-better-at-3-big-things

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Final Assessment: D&I Initiative and Organizational Goals

Instructions
Using everything you have learned about diversity, inclusion, and belonging, develop a D&I initiative that includes the following elements:

**A strong business case
Consider the impact of federal and state laws.
Consider both the internal and external business case.
Include a discussion of two internal examples (e.g., retention, L&D, Diversity Councils, Resource Groups, talent management, succession planning, promotions, leadership development, and mentoring).
Include a discussion of two external examples (e.g., attraction, recruiting, hiring, branding, website effectiveness, social media presence).

**Elaboration on the role and importance of a Code of Ethics or Corporate Social Responsibility Statement as it relates to the organization’s D&I strategy
Consider and describe ethical practices that relate to areas of HR management.
** A discussion of specific D&I strategies and tools that will be utilized
Consider both short-term (recruiting, hiring, onboarding, development) and long-term (training, retaining, motivating, succession planning) strategies.
Cite D&I best practices.
**Identification of possible barriers and methods for overcoming them
**Details for measurement, accountability, and periodic review of the strategy

Formatting
Style: Your assignment can take a variety of forms (e.g., paper or presentation).
Length: Papers should be 3-4 pages in length, and presentations should be 5-8 slides, not including title or reference slides. All presentation slides must also include speaker notes to provide additional background information to accompany the text on the slide.

READING MATERIALS:

Donovan, M., & Kaplan, M. (2019).The inclusion dividend: Why investing in diversity &inclusion pays off(2nd ed.). DG Press. ISBN-13: 9781732726208

Hewlett, S.A., & Yoshino, K. (2016, February 2). LGBT_inclusive companies are better at 3 big things. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/206/02/lgbt-inclusive-companies-are-better-at-3-big-things