Leadership's role in implementing organizational diversity programs

Diversity Plan Demands Leadership Involvement

Along with all serious organizational objectives, the chief executive of a firm and his executive team should be in agreement with the inclusion and diversity plan, as well as take it as a personal responsibility to ensure its success. Quite frequently, diversity is perceived at different organizational levels as an issue that is purely and solely the HR department's concern that needs to be combined with other nonessential "feel good" initiatives. Senior managers, thence, hardly ever adopt a laissez-faire approach to things apparently critical to their company's bottom line, such as development of a novel brand; entering new markets; or a key cost-cutting initiative. In the contemporary marketplace, human resource is the sole powerful organizational competitive advantage.

Therefore, it will be in the top management's and the overall company's best interests if they lead a diversity program, whilst simultaneously ensuring the workforce understands the practical significance of workplace diversity to their overall business success. Leaders must model what is expected of workers, provide an explicit vision, and hold people accountable. That is, they need to play all parts just as they would for any other crucial bottom-line strategy (Hyter, 2005).

Core Components of Diversity Plan

Hiring/Recruitment: Policy must clearly identify deliberate, concrete outreach/recruitment strategies geared at reaching every target worker group. Additionally, training, guidelines, or orientation materials for HR employees and managers engaged in the hiring process must expressly address non-discrimination, and equity, while interviewing and hiring candidates.

Job Training / Advancement: Company diversity policy must provide for unbiased access to advancement and training opportunities everywhere in the organization, in addition to targeted resources directed at markedly under-represented worker groups, as required. Furthermore, training protocols can include an element that explicitly fosters respect and sensitivity towards fellow workers.

Social Activities and Spaces: Diversity policies, more frequently, deal with access to official opportunities like promotion and hiring, but might overlook inclusion of diverse personnel in organizational social activities, networking opportunities, and access to resources and spaces for socialization. However, as networking and social opportunities have normally been associated with advancement opportunities, being excluded from social centers, groups, media, etc. can negatively impact people's career opportunities.

Job-task Composition and Structures: Areas to be considered include ascertaining work practices and norms do not disadvantage or exclude specific employees, or foster an unfriendly, cold environment. Moreover, diversity policies must encompass concrete strategies and goals to ensure individuals hailing from different backgrounds are employed at all organizational levels, including the top management, and not merely represented as some percentage of its overall staff.

Conflict Resolution: Requires clear protocols to address conflict, accusations, or concerns with regard to harassment or discriminatory treatment form critical components of an organizational diversity policy. Writing and implementing advancement and outreach policies do not suffice in safeguarding employees from alienation because of workplace inequities or tensions. Conflict resolution policies and procedures will help guarantee a positive work environment for every employee (BBI Briefs, 2012) and act as a deterrent to intolerance for cultural discrimination.

Role of Human Resource in Organizational Diversity Plan

Personnel training in the area of diversity issues and ethnic/cultural sensitivity will be vital to successful implementation of a written diversity policy. Irrespective of its depth, a diversity policy cannot succeed if HR staff and supervisors are not educated to understand and respect diverse workers' concerns and needs. Thus, a staff training policy forms a key aspect of organizational diversity policy. Moreover, all organizational members in-charge of policy implementation must receive verbal as well as written explanations and support asserting the company's commitment to worker diversity, in addition to explanations and support of the plans and process to ensure diversity is attained across targeted demographics, with particular emphasis on disabled employees.