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Women'sVision
Leadership Institute
Leadership
Diversity Assessment
This
assessment was developed over the past several years by a
number of the Women'sVision Board members. Every company uses
some of these practices. Applying this assessment to your
company will tell you where you are relative to "the
Best Practices goals." Shifting the culture of your organization
to reflect Best Practices by adopting more of these measures
will assist your company to become a place where women want
to work.
Research
shows that all employees men and women, as well as those from
different ethnic cultures, have similar desires for being
heard and valued in the workplace. So when an employment environment
works for women, it works for all employees.
This
assessment covers four areas:
1. Leadership
2. Environment
3. Acquisition and Development
4. Measures
Each
area covered assesses your company's development as one of
three stages Basic, Progressive, or Best Practices.
Strategy
#1 Leadership
Goal:
Senior leadership is committed to addressing women's workplace
issues. Employees see leaders' actively supporting change
internally and externally through their own behaviors.
Basic
- Recognizes
the ethical and business rational for diversity.
- Communicates
the value of diversity in the marketplace and business.
- Ensures
enforcement of company policies on non-discrimination and
non-sexual harassment.
Progressive
- Understands
changing demographics and embraces change.
- Establishes
strategic links to help the entire organization understand
the importance of diversity.
- Integrates
the goals of recruitment, development, advancement and retention
of women into human resource strategies.
- Composition
of the Board of Directors, Executive Committee and senior
leadership meets the current cultural norm.
Best
Practices
- Creates
a vision for diversity and inspires others to follow.
- Provides
clear and consistent communication of the leaders' commitment
to diversity.
- Leaders
'walk the talk' around diversity.
- Composition
of the Board of Directors, Executive Committee and senior
leadership exceeds the goals for inclusivity.
Strategy
#2 Environment
Goal:
Establish a climate that is non-sexist, inclusive, and a "best
place to work" for women.
Basic
- Ensures
a safe work environment.
- Recognizes
women as an important talent pool.
- Utilizes
the skills and experience of women.
- Provides
family-friendly benefits.
- Provides
flexible work schedules.
Progressive
- Provides
diversity and sexual harassment training for both genders.
- Promotes
women based on their potential and contributions.
- Supports
women who provide innovations and take appropriate risks.
- Recognizes
and celebrates women's contributions.
-
Establishes networking opportunities for women, internally
and externally.
-
Addresses work/life balance issues with policies and programs.
Best
Practices
- Women
are empowered to make decisions.
- Supports
women and men as colleagues and partners in all aspects
of the business.
- Actively
encourages women to customize the pace of their career advancement
without harming their long-term chances for success.
Strategy
#3 Acquisition and Development
Goal:
Use procedures to attract, recruit, develop, advance and retain
women.
Basic
- Ensures
women are represented in line functions.
- Ensures
a balance in the retention of women at all levels, even
in periods of downsizing.
Progressive
- Has
a balance of men and women on recruitment teams.
- Provides
development opportunities for high-potential women in women-only
and combined groups, recognizing the value of each.
- Establishes
a women's network.
- Provides
resources for educational programs.
- Does
not put progressive, development programs on hold, despite
budget cuts.
Best
Practices
- Conducts
an early identification of high potential women.
- Provides
access to leadership programs for women.
- Links
women with high visibility projects.
- Matches
women with a sponsor or mentor.
- Enhances
career opportunities for women.
- Partners
with women's organizations that facilitate women's development.
Strategy
#4 Measures
Goal:
Measures results, monitors progress, continuous process improvement,
and rewards change agents.
Basic
- Sets
targets to improve representation of women at all levels
and in all functions of the company.
Progressive
- Identifies
problem target areas and takes action to remove barriers
to women.
- Monitors
and demonstrates progress on turnover and promotion of women.
- Minimizes
bias in imbedded practices, performance review criteria,
tests and other selection tools that favor males.
- Benchmarks
with other companies.
- Reviews
research on women and barriers to their advancement.
Best
Practices
- Ensures
fair and continuous monitoring of compensation for both
genders.
- Holds
managers accountable for implementing diversity practices
with rewards and sanctions for the range of behaviors.
- Collects
research on the status of women.
- Continuously
monitors informal power structures and networks that can
be detrimental to women's advancement.
- Implements
and monitors innovative solutions to women's issues.
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