Plan of action
How to start the action?
Finally, we advise to convert the recommendations into a plan of action that provides clarity to all those involved. In such a plan you indicate what the intention is, what concrete actions are planned, with whom and when, and to what result they should lead. Depending on the nature of the recommendations, this plan will be either concise or extensive. It is also desirable that this plan can count on the approval of the management (see what we said earlier about recording the agreements in writing).
| Plan of Action |
|||
| Current stage of the organisation (7-Stage model) | |||
| What is the intention for change (7-Stage model) | |||
| Which model for change you recommend (Colour Print model for change) |
Areas of concern | ||
| What are the recommendations for the organisation | |||
What concrete actions are planned
|
By who? | When? | Expected result |
The start of process of change
Starting a change process needs to think about the question of how to determine the need for change, and then it is important to think about how to set up this process. However, before you start, it is important to consider why you want to start this process. This principle question has also two sides: first, why diversity policy is important for your organization and secondly, from what point of view do you want to explore this:
Principle questions
- Do you want to compare the diversity management of your organization with comparable organizations (benchmarking)?
- Would you like to investigate how employees from different cultural backgrounds interact as professionals?
- Do you want to investigate how learners are thinking about the diversity policy of your organization?
- Or do you want to know how specific target groups see your organisation (e.g. people with disabilities or other specific groups?
- Do you want to investigate how your employees support the diversity policy of your
organization?
The right approach for the intended change
Determination of the need for change can happen in different ways. We recommend the following:
Reframing Process in Practice
On the basis of this phasing, an “ideal type” can be constructed of an organization that has successfully completed the transition process to diversity in the organization.
Implementation of change
In all stages of the process: stimulate internal discussion
Stimulate mutual discussions on diversity policy. A good starting question is:
To what extent do you think our institution reflects diversity in society?
Do you think we are doing enough to appoint more women to leadership positions?
Do you think we do enough to attract people with a migration background?
Do we offer people with disabilities sufficient facilities to be able to work for us?
You can make posters with these or similar questions to stimulate discussion.
In any case, make sure that the discussion about diversity remains a lively one – not because it is politically correct, but simply because it really matters. It would be very powerful when the management plays a stimulating role and sets an example by participating on an equal basis in the discussions.