Innovate Vancouver

Innovate Vancouver offers professional recruiting. They specialize in project management, technology, innovation, and healthcare. They also provide innovation training and leadership development services.

Do you want to develop a candidate’s technical skills? Coach them so they can hit the ground running quickly. Contact Innovate Vancouver to get your company’s individualized quote for recruiting and leadership development services.

A Four Stage Model to Support Workplace Diversity Innovation

In order to remain an effective, ethical, sustainable, and dynamic business a model to support workplace diversity is sorely needed. In a previous article I discussed the core competencies, skills, and strengths available in the diverse workplace. These competencies include flexibility and dynamic generation of ideas. They also involve the ability to meet the needs of a broader and culturally complex community. Moreover, they contribute to a smaller customer attrition rate. When workplace diversity is supported in an environment that seeks human resources, structural, procedural, and social innovation everyone wins.

Not all organizations have the same core competencies. As a result, some may not realize the benefits of workplace diversity. This will be true until the organizational culture aligns better with the individual and community cultures served.

There are many models available for organizations to use to support their journey towards supporting workplace diversity. Each of the models must be followed ‘to their intent’ if the values are to be realized. Organizational efforts that simply ‘check off the box’ to reach compliance with workplace diversity models (or Accreditation Requirements, CARF, etc.) will inevitably produce performance that deviates from the model’s intent.

Shallow execution of guidelines and ‘best practices’ will at best produce inelastic and unconvincing results. At worst, it will increase conflict, friction, and stakeholder dissatisfaction.

The above image depicts a generic model for evaluating organizational readiness & commitment to supporting workplace diversity.

Without mastering these stages the onboarding of diverse staff, experience, perspectives, and skillsets will meet resistance:

Workplace Diversity encompasses a variety of norms, values, and traditions. It includes different customers and behaviors. This exists within an organizational framework that aligns mission, goals, and teamwork. The way goals are achieved should align with both individual and organizational values. This approach also provides flexibility around processes, strategies, and skills.

Organizational leaders can help co-establish shared goals. They support employees developing their own skills and core competencies along the way. Such leaders are more likely to realize a fully engaged and motivated team. This is more effective than micro-managing at every turn. Whether an employee needs directing, training, mentoring, or coaching depends on their motivation. It also depends on their attitude and experience with the task at hand (see Situational Leadership by Ken Blanchard).

This is not to say that the organization’s mission, values, or vision remain arbitrary or can be adjusted whenever inconvenient. Organizational fit, alignment, and investment remain key attributes of an effective and happy employee. To achieve this requires the engagement and support of both the employee and the organization. Without the support of both any efforts to produce lasting organization (or individual) change is likely to result in failure.

The above image depicts a generic GAP Analysis. Starting from the beginning, the Organization aims to better understand their current position. They also seek to comprehend how they arrived there and identify barriers that hinder organizational learning. These barriers also prevent additional gains. Without a structured approach the organization’s efforts, and past successes, are likely to remain ineffective and un-reinforced. Subsequent improvements are unlikely as the organization’s progress become stalled in confusion, misalignment, and lost traction.

The Four Stages of Recruitment Innovation

The following developmental model highlights the order in which these ecosystem and business model competencies are related (and developed).

The Diversity Plan includes recommendations are also made to reflect the specific industry, services, and programming provided by the organization. When the plans goals are realized the competencies acquired will reflect a larger diversity supporting ecosystem.

The quality of the organization’s diversity plan will depend on the extent to which feedback mechanisms are incorporated. As mentioned above completing a checklist is not enough. The difference between meeting the ‘letter’ vs. ‘intent’ of the diversity framework will be realized through the benefits (or lack thereof) realized.