Making Staff Diversity a Priority
As the concept of diversity grows and evolves, many nonprofits are taking steps to make diversity part of their institutional culture. Many larger organizations are establishing a diversity officer, sometimes as part of other responsibilities and sometimes as a separate position.
Kay Hoogland, vice president and corporate director for global diversity for Motorola, offers a few guidelines for those who may find themselves coming into the position of diversity officer:
1. Assess where diversity is in your organization. Make it a candid assessment. Window dressing does not help the organization.
2. Learn from others inside and outside the organization. Listening to your own team should come first.
3. Determine whom to trust. Solicitations, invitations and messages will come flooding in. Exercise determining who and what can add value.
4. Find reliable data sources. Managers won't accept, "It's the right thing to do."
5. Resist the temptation to immediately adopt new programs. Look around first.
6. Ensure that you draw your support from a diverse set of disciplines across the company. Don't let diversity be just a human resources program.
7. Protect and leverage your credibility. The way you communicate your observations is key.
8. Get into the rooms where decisions are being made. Be in the critical decision path. Keep your door open. Wide open.
9. Put yourself out there. Progress is not made without taking risks.
Source: Nonprofit Times.
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