Where and How
CMC Can Help with Your
Diversity Initiative Challenges

Employee Focus Groups

Focus groups provide insights into concerns employees have in the workplace. Many of their concerns are further supported by information collected and quantified on the written opinion survey, if one is conducted.

The groups consist of eight to ten employees from various areas of the work environment. The selection is generally random and is determined by internal staff members. A consultant from CMC facilitates the discussion with the group. Each session requires one and one-half hours. Notes are taken by the CMC staff member either by hand (notepad or flipcharts).

Focus groups may be based on ethnicity, gender, functional area, age, sexual orientation or any other group as required and determined by your organization.

The information collected from the focus group sessions is anonymously summarized and reported back as part of the overall findings and recommendations.

Climate Surveys

Coleman Management Consultants (CMC) conducts opinion surveys or climate surveys to assess employee group attitude. The surveys provide information on the level of employee trust, confidence and satisfaction with their jobs, their company, their benefit programs, their work location, their management, their work teams and their opportunity for advancement. The information is collected, tallied and the findings are reported demographically. In this way we are able to identify issues which may be unique to given groups, but which could have an adverse effect on the entire organization’s productivity. A climate survey is a snapshot of employee attitudes at a given point in time. It provides information on where to place emphasis and attention when embarking on a diversity initiative and forms the baseline from which an organization can measure its progress.

CMC provides client assistance in developing the questionnaire. CMC offers an “inventory” of questions which has proven helpful in similar studies over the years. From this inventory, with CMC assistance, the client selects those questions which will be useful, then adds additional questions unique to their environment. Once the questionnaire, usually 60-80 closed questions and two to four open questions, is approved, CMC has it printed in a sufficient quantity to satisfy the survey goals. The surveys, along with postage paid envelopes addressed to CMC, are delivered to the client, who handles the distribution to its employees.

Employees must have confidence that their answers are completely confidential or the study will not be successful. To accomplish this, a cover letter from an appropriate executive usually accompanies the questionnaire explaining the reason for the survey, the importance of receiving complete, honest employee feedback, and that the organization will never see the completed questionnaires, only summary data. Even with this type of encouragement, it has been CMC’s experience that approximately 40% of the questionnaires will not be completed.

It is not necessary to survey the entire employee population to secure very high levels of confidence that the findings are correct and reflect the attitudes/opinions of the employee group at large. CMC can provide statistics on the number of completed questionnaires required to provide acceptable accuracy and confidence levels once the total employee size to be polled is known.

Once CMC has received the completed questionnaires, the answers to each question are key entered, key verified and entered into the computer. The computer produces one page of information per question. Each page has twenty columns of information. In this way, the responses to each individual question are represented demographically, side by side. Thus, if males agreed that promotional opportunities were equitable, but females disagree, this information would be on the same page along with the perceptions of African-Americans, Hispanics. older workers, managers, non-man

Climate surveys contain a great deal of data. CMC will provide an analysis of the findings, draw conclusions and make recommendations for required actions. Deliverables are the computer output, a written report and a presentation to both the survey sponsors and to management.

Planning, of course, is essential to the success of any organization and activity. CMC has years of experience in conducting planning sessions for short and long term diversity initiative goals, starting and positively orienting affinity groups and helping to form diversity councils. Our third party objectivity and twenty-five years of diversity experience will ensure well grounded, but aggressive plans with solutions and action steps that are creative and attainable.

A separate strategy for diversity that is tied to the overall mission of your organization is required if the diversity initiative is to be “business case” oriented. This specifically addresses executive, management and employee training; work/family issues; supportive activities in the general environment to offer reminders about diversity concepts and other issues identified in the analysis phase of the project.

As each area is discussed and strategies are developed, specific measurements and benchmarks will be identified in order to measure progress in this area. The measurements will provide an opportunity to adjust strategies as required to meet changing employee and organizational needs. Final targets to evaluate the various areas will be included in the plan as it is created.

Following are some areas where CMC can be of help.

• Define Diversity and how it relates to your overall business mission.
  
  
• Create a Diversity Council. This involves: recruitment, selection, organization and internal structure.
  
  
• Develop a strategic plan with goals and timelines for actualizing the objectives of the committees.
  
  
• Conduct a climate study that allows the council members to understand the total work environment (employee attitudes, skill levels of management, etc.) and to set initial benchmarks for future evaluation of progress.
  
  
• Research “Best Practices” in the industry.
  
  
• Provide training for executives, managers and employees and identify appropriate next steps.
  
  
• Establish a “Communication Strategies” plan to share information, accomplishment and progress inside and outside of the organization.
  
  
• Determine ways that senior management members may show their commitment to diversity.
  
  
• Develop a process for evaluation of the initiative…as a whole and the sub-parts as well.

It is extremely important for the executive team to not only be supportive but also to show excitement about a diversity initiative. The leadership can only happen if that executive team fully understands diversity and their specific role in making it happen.

In CMC’s diversity executive forums we spell out the benefits they will receive both personally and to the organization when they actively support the initiative. The forum links diversity to the organizations business mission and strategic plan and informs them of the skills today’s executive must develop to successfully lead a diverse workforce.

An executive forum can be conducted in a four hour overview or a complete diversity seminar in two-days.

Planning, of course, is essential to the success of any organization and activity. CMC has years of experience in conducting planning sessions for short and long term diversity initiative goals, starting and positively orienting affinity groups and helping to form diversity councils. Our third party objectivity and twenty-five years of diversity experience will ensure well grounded, but aggressive plans with solutions and action steps that are creative and attainable.

A separate strategy for diversity that is tied to the overall mission of your organization is required if the diversity initiative is to be “business case” oriented. This specifically addresses executive, management and employee training; work/family issues; supportive activities in the general environment to offer reminders about diversity concepts and other issues identified in the analysis phase of the project.

As each area is discussed and strategies are developed, specific measurements and benchmarks will be identified in order to measure progress in this area. The measurements will provide an opportunity to adjust strategies as required to meet changing employee and organizational needs. Final targets to evaluate the various areas will be included in the plan as it is created.

Following are some areas where CMC can be of help.

• Define Diversity and how it relates to your overall business mission.
  
  
• Create a Diversity Council. This involves: recruitment, selection, organization and internal structure.
  
  
• Develop a strategic plan with goals and timelines for actualizing the objectives of the committees.
  
  
• Conduct a climate study that allows the council members to understand the total work environment (employee attitudes, skill levels of management, etc.) and to set initial benchmarks for future evaluation of progress.
  
  
• Research “Best Practices” in the industry.
  
  
• Provide training for executives, managers and employees and identify appropriate next steps.
  
  
• Establish a “Communication Strategies” plan to share information, accomplishment and progress inside and outside of the organization.
  
  
• Determine ways that senior management members may show their commitment to diversity.
  
  
• Develop a process for evaluation of the initiative…as a whole and the sub-parts as well.

In an effort to be inclusive of a variety of ideas, thoughts and approaches, it is prudent to consider forming an employee group within the organization. There are many titles for such groups: Employee Councils, Diversity Council, People Task Force, Human Resource Groups, Task Teams, among others.

However, the underlying reason for their existence is the same: to gather input from all over the organization and to make recommendations to ensure an inclusive empowerment for all employees. While all criteria for membership on the councils will always be measurable, other criteria will be based on visual characteristics (age, gender, race) to ensure inclusion of all employees. At the same time it is essential to remember that diversity means much more than visible similarity or difference, it should also include things we cannot see such as: character, thought-process, religious beliefs, education, personality, work habits, cultural background and many more.

The following pages offer suggestions for the creation, organization, and implementation of councils/committees. Whatever it is called internally it needs to reflect something positive to the employees that is separate and apart from their daily policy interactions.

The items below offer some possible action steps when considering the formation or organization of a council.

• CEO should appoint council members when possible.

• Assign a clear and realistic mission to the council, along with adequate support and resources, with a timetable for achievement of key milestones.

• Train council members (at an early stage) on diversity definitions, typical diversity issues and approaches, as well as current company programs.

• Form subcommittees within the council to focus on specific areas, to ease scheduling conflicts, to speed progress on developing consensus and to limit the time required for member participation.

• Caution participants at the outset about the long-term nature of the effort and the need for both commitment and patience.

• Include white males on the committees as equal participants.

• Establish procedures for replacing participants who get tired of the process before momentum is established, or who may lack a strong commitment from the outset.

• Utilize teambuilding activities to help the employee diversity council work through possible wide variations in perceptions of the issue that could slow down decision-making.

• Advise supervisors, in advance, of who the employee diversity council members are, instruct them on how to provide encouragement, flexibility and support for employees’ participation. Create a formal linkage between the employee diversity council and the relevant human resource staff.

• Establish significant logistical support, technical guidance and implementation assistance, which recognize the time and technical limitations of the employee diversity council participants.

Councils that have existed for a while, might require new life to be pumped into group members. Here are some thoughts and suggestions that may be helpful:

• Establish a “learning section” for each meeting and discuss a topic selected by a member.

• View a popular film as a team and discuss the implications for diversity inside and outside of the organization. Write a review of the movie for publication in the newsletter or posting on the intranet.
  
  
• Sponsor a company/division wide contest on a topic selected by the group. This could be targeted towards developing a new internal poster for diversity; identifying a cover for the Annual Report for the company; a cover for a progress report from the council to senior management as examples.
  
  
• Write/compile a booklet for internal distribution sharing success stories” and/or “best practices.”
  
  
• Establish an award (along with selection criteria) to be given by the council to an outstanding manager, employee, department, team or executive. Plan an event to distribute the awards.
  
  
• Develop a system to honor and value employees on a consistent basis. For example: distribute “great job”, “thank you”, etc., stickers to individuals who meet criteria (established by the group).
  
  
• Shuffle members of the sub committees to challenge council members to develop and/or use other skills.
  
  
• Create an “expo” inside your organization/department showcasing personal hobbies of employees, which are not always visible or known.

CMC can help you with these and many more activities for your council. Give us a call to set up a free strategy session.

It is essential to establish benchmarks and measurement strategies for the diversity initiative up front. Once these are in place, the task of measuring progress becomes easier. The climate study will, of course, be a major source of information; however other objective measurements may be included:

• A review of policies and practices within the organization
  
• Employee turnover
  
• Recruitment numbers
  
• Promotions within the organization
  
• Polls completed by managers concentrating on specific areas of concern
  
• Response and use of current programs such as: flextime, work/life policies, etc.

It is also possible to use more subjective criteria as measurements when the measurements have been pre-determined and agreed upon. These may include but are not limited to those listed below:

• More effective team work
  
• Improved efficiency
  
• Fewer conflict situations
  
• More positive employee attitudes

CMC along with your staff will discuss and determine the appropriate areas that should be targeted for tracking.

Because organizational values and culture are slow to change, it is important to measure the progress that is being made very closely. Only then can future programs be justified in management time and dollars spent.

Periodically, CMC along with your staff can develop a short questionnaire to be used with focus groups to determine movement and/or progress in specifically identified areas.

Information on the progress of diversity strategies needs to be communicated to the employee population on a systematic basis. Often visible differences do not occur quickly in a diversity initiative and the employee population is left to wonder what is happening and whether or not it is working. They might even question if it is still a priority in the organization.

There are numerous ways to update the full population on diversity efforts. Some of them include: the creation and distribution of an internal newsletter detailing the progress; general publicity (posters, open letters, etc.); formal presentations and meetings to specifically discuss the progress.

During the initial discussions, a consideration may be given to the development of a “publicity/communications” task force (a cross section of employees), to concentrate on the communications strategy.

This plan will be developed in partnership with your designated staff and CMC. Each step will contain the following:

• Who is responsible
• Date due including detailed timetable
• Required resources
• Vehicles to be used
• Approximate costs

On an on-going basis, pre-determined information regarding the Initiative should be shared with employees and may take the following forms.

• Breakfast meeting with executives and managers
• Lunch and learn sessions regarding various diversity related topics
• Intranet updates on internal and external activities, articles, resource available, etc.
• E-mail to publicize timely information
• Published articles in standard departmental/organizational newsletters
• Special meetings held in work areas, departments, various locations on specific topics
• Published bulletins devoted only to the Diversity Initiative
• Focus group meetings to determine current climate of the organization
• Executive talks scheduled periodically and open to all employees

These are some possible ways to ensure updates, however, others may be determined and included. CMC can be of help in identifying important issues, drafting positive messages and help monitor employee reception.

The framework of the plan will remain constant while specific tasks and/or activities may change.

Developing and tailoring management development modules is one of CMC’s core competencies. We can conduct the training on-site or over the internet.

• BUSINESS IMAGE
  
  
• CAREER ASSESSMENT AND PLANNING
  
  
• CHANGE MANAGEMENT
  
  
• COACHING
  
  
• COMPLETED STAFF WORK
  
  
• EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATIONS
  
  
• LEADERSHIP
  
  
• LISTENING SKILLS
  
  
• MENTORING
  
  
• NEGOTIATION SKILLS
  
  
• PERFORMANCE PLANNING & EVALUATION
  
  
• PLANNING SESSIONS
  
  
• PRESENTATION SKILLS
  
  
• READING THE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT
  
  
• CULTURAL AWARENESS TRAINING
  
  
• STRESS MANAGEMENT
  
  
• TEAM BUILDING
  
  
• TIME MANAGEMENT