BSBDIV501A DIVERSITY IN THE WORKPLACE PRESENTATION 3

PRESENTATION OUTLINE

• Applying Diversity Principles to Work Areas

• Implement Actions

• Improving Diversity Policies and Initiatives

• Stakeholder Analysis

• Understanding Differences

APPLYING DIVERSITY PRINCIPLES TO WORK AREAS

Just to remind you best practice:

• Exceeds minimum legal obligations because of a commitment to

ethical work practices and the realisation that where

discriminatory behaviours are allowed, they will generate

significant productivity costs

• Involves establishing workplace culture that respects difference,

and practices and policies beyond legal minima

• Creating clear rights and practices to address harassment by

colleagues and clients

IMPLEMENTATION ACTIONSImplementing diversity policies and diversity initiatives involves a range

of actions, including:

• Incorporating diversity practice into recruitment and selection process

• Providing new recruits with information on the organisation’s diversity

policy at induction

• Prominently displaying policy in public areas such as noticeboards,

lunchrooms

• Holding meetings to explain the policy to existing staff

• Reinforcing key messages in the supervisory discussions, performance

appraisals and other business practices

• Providing training into the purpose and benefits of the policy, and

behavioural expectations as a result of the policy

IMPROVING DIVERSITY POLICIES AND INITIATIVESIt is important that business

continues to review and improve

their diversity policy to reflect

the rapid rate of change in the

world and expectations.

Managing diversity effectively

requires a strategic cycle

approach, consisting of the

following steps.

These stages will work in

conjunction with all stakeholders

on their feedback and

suggestions.

Organisational Preparation

Needs Assessment

Strategy Development and Implementation

Evaluation of Progress

STAKEHOLDER ANALYSIS

• Is a term that refers to the action of analysing the attitudes of

stakeholders towards a risk, activity, change or project

• Can be done once or regularly to track changes in stakeholder

attitudes over time

• Develops cooperation between the stakeholder and project team

to, ultimately, assure successful outcomes for the project

Identify your stakeholders Work out their power,

influence and interest, so you know who to focus on

Understand the most important stakeholders to

know their likely responses in order to win their support

Record this analysis on a stakeholder map

STEP 1: WHO ARE YOUR STAKEHOLDERS?

Depending on your project you could have any number of

stakeholders both internal to the organisation and external.

Stakeholders are anyone who has an interest in the outcome of your

work, positive or not!

Supervisors and managers

Co workers and team Family members

Customers – past, present and potential

GovernmentShareholders

and others with financial interest

Business partners

Community or public

STEP 2: HOW IMPORTANT ARE THEY TO YOUR PLANS?

Mapping your stakeholders on a grid such as the Power/Interest Grid

pictured is an excellent way to prioritize your stakeholders. What

power do your stakeholders have over the outcomes you seek?

Power/Interest Grid commonly used “dimensions” include:

Example: You propose to extend trading hours in your business. It is a great idea from the perspective of increase profits as the precinct you operate from is already working extended hours and you are losing profits by not being open. Who does this affect? Deciding on the way forward without the involvement of the stakeholders would be problematic. Imagine your staff are predominately working mothers/fathers with school age children. They may not want to accommodate your plans. By involving them at the outset you will have a chance to work with the most influential, who will in turn, help you implement your plans to the satisfaction of all staff.

Power

•high, medium, low

Support

•positive, neutral, negative

Influence

•high or low

Need

•strong, medium, weak

STEP 3: THINK ABOUT YOUR STAKEHOLDERS

How do they measure based on the dimensions mentioned above.

• Stakeholder’s position on the grid shows you the actions you have

to take with them. In the example of increased trading hours we need to understand where our team fits in the grid. Increasing hours of trading will impact on people’s routines with their families, with their life outside the workplace, they may not be as excited about the increase hours as you! Consult the EBook for more about this example.

UNDERSTANDING DIFFERENCESUnderstand that everyone brings different characteristics to a team.

• It is important for all team members to understand and address their

own prejudices and to foster and demonstrate respect for everyone

within the workplace

• Every staff member needs to recognise that each individual has skills

and qualities to contribute to the success of the team

• By identifying and utilising all team members’ individual strengths and

experience it is possible to build a skilled and dynamic workforce

• Collective differences provide enormous strength to improve the

organisation’s products, services and customer relations

• Diversity in the workforce provides increased flexibility - improvements

through efficiencies which helps with team morale and retaining a

skilled workforce and economies with our human resource cost

UNDERSTANDING DIFFERENCES

• To manage diversity within the workplace effectively you can:

• Aim for diversity in selecting and recruiting staff

• Understand that everyone brings different characteristics to a team which may include:• Their educational level• Their life and work experiences• Their personalities• Their marriage status and

socioeconomic status

• Bring diversity into team meetings regularly

• Put up pro-diversity posters• Be a positive role model in the

promotion of diversity• Arrange for diversity training• Gather feedback and suggestions for

improvement to the diversity policy and diversity initiatives within the organisation

UNDERSTANDING DIFFERENCES

Work Area

• Identify job roles or tasks that require special skills

Job Role/Tasks

• Identify skills or abilities needed

Skill/Ability

• Identify: diversity issues to watch out for and benefits to be gained through diversity

Migrants

•16% of people in Australia speak a language other than English at home

•Comprise more than 45% of population growth

•Come from a range of cultural, economic, social and political backgrounds

•May have been affluent and well educated; many may be fleeing war and atrocities

Culture

•To understand other cultures, understand your own

•Not just personality traits; they’re important cultural differentiators developed over generations.

•Differences can be seen as a source of misunderstanding and negative conflict

•Educate, train and understand to manage diversity in the workplace

Be aware

•Builds cultural intelligence, and productive workplaces as people work effectively across cultures

•When people are “culturally aware”, they stop thinking of the way they do things as “normal” and other ways as “different”

•They don’t assume they know how someone from another culture will, or “should” behave.

To manage diversity within the workplace effectively understand everyone brings different skills and experience to a team.

PRESENTATION SUMMARY

Now that you have completed this presentation you will know about:

• Applying Diversity Principles to Work Areas

• Implement Actions

• Improving Diversity Policies and Initiatives

• Stakeholder Analysis

• Understanding Differences