Measuring and Monitoring the Diversity Climate in Organisations

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Measuring and Monitoring the Diversity Climate in
Organisations

• Professor Charmine Härtel
• www.charminehartel.com
• Director of the Social Economic Interface
  Research Network (SEIRnet)
• Associate Dean (Staff Research Development)
• Faculty of Business and Economics
• Monash University

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Diversity must be managed

• The evidence shows -- unmanaged diversity more
  often than not leads to workplace conflicts,
  unequal information exchange, in-groups
  out-groups, decreased job satisfaction and
  productivity, decreased loyalty to the
  organisation and a poor organisational
  reputation.
• The facts are, people tend to like people they
  perceive as similar to themselves and thus, by
  default, spend less time communicating and
  socialising with people dissimilar to themselves.
• aversive racismunconscious feelings of unease
  toward different others and minimal contact

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Evidence-Based Diversity Management

• Good intentions are not enough for effective
  diversity management...
• HR policies may (unwittingly) foster prejudice
  instead of diversity.
• Important to practice evidence-based diversity
  management.
• Todays topic measuring and monitoring your
  organisations diversity climate.

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Overview

• Defining diversity
• The diversity of diversity Effectively managing
  diversity relies on accurately knowing the
  type(s) of diversity in your organisation.
• Diversity climate defining, the goal of
  diversity openness and monitoring and measuring
  it.

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1. Defining Diversity

• Literally variety or points on which things
  differ.
• Many perspectives on how to define diversity
• Historical disadvantage approach defines
  diversity along historical lines of oppression.
• Individual differences approach defines diversity
  as encompassing all forms of difference.
• Comprehensive approach recognises both
  perspectives need to be considered.
• These differing definitions are mirrored in the
  practitioner community.

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Benefits of a Comprehensive Approach

• Adopting a comprehensive approach (historical
  disadvantage plus individual differences)
  recognises members of a historically
  disadvantaged group (eg, Indigenous Australians)
  are affected by being identified as a member of
  that group and any individual difference they
  have (eg, education, religion, disability). It
  also ensures we are attending to the inclusion of
  each employee in the workplace.
• We know that we can only succeed as a company if
  we have
• an environment that makes it easy for all of us,
  not just for some
• of us, to work to our potential. Procter and
  Gamble

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Evidence for Comprehensive Approach

• Study of managerial career advancement of 1st and
  2nd generation migrant and 3rd generation
  Australian women.
• Maori and non-Maori (Pakeha) in a New Zealand
  University classroom. What is the diversity?

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2. The Diversity of Diversity

• Numerous dimensions on which people can differ,
  eg
• - Cultural background - Gender
• - Sexual orientation - Age
• - Occupational experience - Religion
• - Values, attitudes beliefs - Education
• Organisational cohort - Physical ability
• Socio-economic

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The Benefits of Knowing the Type of Diversity You
are Working With

• Due to the multitude of dimensions on which
  people can differ, it is important to know the
  type of diversity that you want to monitor and
  measure.
• Diversity may be visible or invisible, readily
  detected or underlying.

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The Benefits of Knowing the Type of Diversity You
are Working With

• Different types of diversity will impact
  differently upon organisations. For example
• Readily detectible or visible differences such as
  racial diversity may initially have a significant
  impact on group inclusion and interaction however
  the impact of underlying or invisible
  differences, such as differences in values,
  attitudes may not have an immediate impact on a
  group but can have long term consequences.

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The Evidence re Knowing the Type of Diversity
You are Working With

• Study of managerial career advancement of 1st and
  2nd generation migrant and 3rd generation
  Australian women examined 4 diversity types
  cultural background, language, race, generation
  of migration.
• Maori and non-Maori (Pakeha) in a New Zealand
  University classroom. What is the diversity?

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3. What is Diversity Climate

• Diversity climate refers to perceptions regarding
  an organisations policies, practices, leadership
  and social environment as they relate to
  difference.

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The Goal -- Diversity Openness

• Diversity openness refers to
• The degree of receptivity to perceived
  dissimilarity
• Embracing difference
• Tolerance of difference
• Positive feelings, thoughts and behaviours toward
  people perceived as different.
• A continuum -- Diversity closed refers to
  negative feelings, thoughts and behaviours toward
  people perceived as different.

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Diversity Climate

• A diversity open climate is characterised by
  organisational policies, practices and
  relationships that fully embrace people from
  different backgrounds and wholly accept and value
  differences.
• A diversity closed climate is characterised by
  low organisational acceptance of people from
  different backgrounds and the failure to
  recognise and value differences.

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The Benefits of a Diversity Open Climate

• A diversity open climate means the organisation
  offers full support for minority members (e.g.
  giving time, resources and opportunities) and
  facilitates full integration and inclusion of all
  employees regardless of difference.
• A diversity closed climate means the organisation
  ignores the needs of minority members,
  discouraging their full integration, neglecting
  attending to issues of inclusion.

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The Evidence for Diversity Open Climates

• Perceptions of an organisations diversity
  climate are critical determinants of employees
  behaviours and performance.
• Regardless of an individuals own diversity
  openness level, an organisational diversity
  climate of openness reduces employees closedness
  to difference, creating a fairer and more
  equitable organisation.
• Research shows that organisations viewed as
  having a diversity open climate reap sustainable
  benefits in areas such as innovation,
  conscientiousness, problem-solving,
  organisational citizenship behaviour and job
  involvement.

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Measuring and Monitoring Diversity Climate
Individuals Relationships

• Diversity Situation
• What is the diversity composition of the
  organisation and what proportion of each
  diversity type is present?
• Do perceptions of inclusion differ by diversity
  type?
• Do perceptions of relationships with co-workers
  and leaders differ by diversity type?
• Is open communication, contact and trust only
  occurring within diversity types or across them?
• Is there conflict or cooperation between
  diversity types?
• What is the level of diversity openness in
  individual employees?
• Are there status differences among the diversity
  types?

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Measuring and Monitoring Diversity Climate
Policies Practices

• Diversity Values and Policies related to
  Communication
• How the organisation communicates?
• How often it communicates?
• To whom does it communicate?
• Diversity Practices
• Performance appraisal
• Training and development
• Recognition and support
• Diversity management

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Measuring and Monitoring Diversity Climate
Policies Practices

• Conflict Resolution Processes
• Proactive actions
• Reactive actions
• Procedurally fair
• Interactionally just
• Distributively just

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The Benefits of Measuring and Monitoring
Diversity Climate

• Organisations can use a diversity climate measure
  to
• Bring their diversity initiatives to the next
  level, whether that be at the individual, group
  or organisational level.
• Identify which organisational policies and
  practices need improvement.
• Ensure they know what diversity needs to be
  managed?
• Improve the attitude and behaviour of all
  organisational members in the long-term.

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Conclusion

• 3 keys to effective diversity measurement
• Keeping in mind that diversity comprises
  individual differences and group differences
• The need to know what your diversity is
• Measuring and monitoring the key features
  associated with a diversity open climate

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Accessing a Diversity Climate Measurement Tool

• If you would like to employ an instrument to
  measure diversity climate, I do have one which
  has been developed in the Australian context.
  Please contact me if you would like a copy at
• charmine.hartel_at_buseco.monash.edu.au