A Diversity Planning Grid Helps To Integrate Your Organizati ✓ Solved
A diversity planning grid helps to integrate your organizati
A diversity planning grid helps to integrate your organization’s diversity goals, policies, and activities into an interconnected whole. The diversity planning grid is a tool to help you achieve your organizational goals. Complete your table based on the grid below, and fill in the blanks to guide your decision making about your diversity planning strategy. You are going to be running a tight budget, so as you translate the strategy into an actionable diversity plan, ask yourself, 'What is the most effective way the strategy can be achieved at each step of the process?' Strategy What Why When How Who Where Assessing Need—The Environmental Scan Defining Diversity Building Support Review Other Plans Mission and Vision Training Priorities and Goals Accountability—Evaluating and Assessing the Plan
Assessing Need — The Environmental Scan
What: Conduct an environmental scan to identify current diversity-related strengths, gaps, and opportunities across internal and external contexts (workforce demographics, supplier diversity, customer base, regulatory expectations) to inform prioritization. (Cox, 1993; Mor Barak, 2014)
Why: Establishes a baseline, reveals systemic barriers, and aligns diversity goals with organizational strategy to maximize impact. (Thomas & Ely, 1996)
When: At the outset of planning and then annually for refreshment; conduct quarterly quick-checks to stay current. (Hunt, Layton, & Prince, 2015)
How: Use data audits, workforce analytics, exit interviews, customer and supplier diversity reviews, and external benchmarking; combine quantitative and qualitative methods. (Hewlett, Marshall, & Sherbin, 2013)
Who: D&I office, HR analytics, business unit leaders, and external consultants as needed.
Where: Across all locations and functions; integrate with enterprise data systems.
Defining Diversity
What: Develop a clear, organization-wide definition of diversity that encompasses demographic, cognitive, experiential, and cultural dimensions. (Roberson, 2006; Cox, 1993)
Why: A shared definition ensures alignment of goals, measures, and interventions; prevents ambiguity and “ortho” biases in implementation. (Thomas & Ely, 1996)
When: Early in the planning cycle; revisited during annual strategy refreshes. (McKinsey & Company, 2015–2018)
How: Facilitate leadership workshops, inclusive policy reviews, and cross-departmental discussions to socialize the definition and its implications.
Who: D&I council, senior leadership, HR, and communications teams.
Where: In policy documents, mission statements, and internal communications platforms.
Building Support
What: Secure executive sponsorship, allocate resources, and cultivate broad buy-in from managers and staff. (Hewlett, Marshall, & Sherbin, 2013)
Why: Support at all levels accelerates adoption, improves openness to change, and sustains momentum over time. (Hunt, Layton, & Prince, 2015)
When: Initiate at plan launch and maintain ongoing engagement throughout the cycle. (McKinsey & Company, 2015–2018)
How: Regular leadership communications, accountability ties to performance, inclusive leadership development, and visible sponsorship of diversity initiatives.
Who: C-suite, department heads, HR, and employee-resource groups (ERGs).
Where: Across all departments and sites; include virtual and global teams.
Review
What: Define metrics, establish dashboards, and set review cadences for progress toward goals. (Roberson, 2006; Page, 2007)
Why: Enables evidence-based adjustments, demonstrates accountability, and sustains trust with stakeholders. (Thomas & Ely, 1996)
When: Quarterly reviews with an annual formal assessment; mid-cycle adjustments as needed. (Hunt, Layton, & Prince, 2018)
How: Implement KPI dashboards, diversity climate surveys, retention and promotion metrics, and external benchmarking. (McKinsey, 2015–2020)
Who: D&I team, HR analytics, internal auditors, and executive sponsor.
Where: In HRIS, performance management systems, and executive dashboards.
Review Other Plans
What: Align the diversity plan with existing strategic plans, HR plans, talent management, and compliance requirements. (Hunt, Layton, & Prince, 2015)
Why: Reduces duplication, leverages synergies, and ensures coherence across organizational initiatives. (McKinsey, 2015–2018)
When: Synchronize during major planning cycles and whenever strategic shifts occur. (Hewlett et al., 2013)
How: Map each plan to common goals, create cross-walks, and establish joint governance mechanisms.
Who: Strategy office, HR, compliance, and business-unit leaders.
Where: Corporate strategy documents, policy repositories, and governance forums.
Mission and Vision
What: Integrate diversity commitments into the organization’s mission and vision statements. (Cox, 1993; Page, 2007)
Why: Signals long-term commitment, guides decision making, and reinforces inclusive values across the organization. (Thomas & Ely, 1996)
When: Prior to or at the launch of the diversity plan; updated as part of strategic refreshes. (Hunt et al., 2015)
How: Revise or reaffirm mission/vision statements; embed language in communications and onboarding.
Who: Board, executive leadership, communications, and HR.
Where: Public-facing materials, internal intranet, onboarding, and annual reports.
Training
What: Define training priorities: unconscious bias reduction, inclusive leadership, equitable recruitment, sponsorship, and retention practices. (Hewlett et al., 2013; Roberson, 2006)
Why: Builds capability, reduces bias in processes, and creates a pipeline for inclusive decision making. (Thomas & Ely, 1996)
When: In phase 1 and ongoing; refresh content annually or as needed for organizational changes. (McKinsey, 2015–2018)
How: Blended learning (workshops, online modules, scenario-based exercises), measurement of learning outcomes, and post-training evaluations.
Who: L&D, HR, managers, and external experts as required.
Where: In-person training rooms, virtual classrooms, and on-demand learning portals.
Priorities and Goals
What: Establish measurable, time-bound diversity goals aligned with the mission. Examples include representation targets, retention and promotion rates, and inclusive leadership indicators. (Hunt et al., 2015; McKinsey, 2015)
Why: Clear targets drive accountability and provide a concrete basis for improvement. (Roberson, 2006)
When: Annually updated, with quarterly progress checks. (Hunt et al., 2018)
How: Use SMART goals, cascade targets to departments, link to budget, and tie to performance discussions. (Page, 2007)
Who: Senior leadership, HR, and department managers.
Where: Across all units and geographies; reflected in dashboards and reports.
Accountability — Evaluating and Assessing the Plan
What: Create an accountability framework with governance, reporting, and consequences or rewards tied to progress. (Cox, 1993; Mor Barak, 2014)
Why: Ensures sustained focus on diversity outcomes and demonstrates commitment to stakeholders. (Thomas & Ely, 1996)
When: Ongoing, with formal reviews quarterly and annual public reporting. (Hewlett et al., 2013)
How: Regular dashboards, audits, feedback loops, and adjustments to policies and practices; transparent communication with employees and external stakeholders. (Hunt et al., 2015; McKinsey, 2015–2020)
Who: Governance board, CEO sponsor, HR, internal audit, and external observers as appropriate.
Where: Corporate governance forums, HR systems, and external reporting channels.
Conclusion
The diversity planning grid provides a structured approach to translating strategic commitments into practical actions. By systematically assessing needs, defining diversity, building broad support, reviewing progress, aligning with other plans, embedding diversity in mission and vision, prioritizing targeted training, establishing measurable goals, and ensuring accountability, organizations can create sustainable, inclusive, and competitive advantages. Grounding decisions in evidence and aligning with proven frameworks (Cox, 1993; Thomas & Ely, 1996; Roberson, 2006; Page, 2007; Mor Barak, 2014; Hunt, Layton, & Prince, 2015, 2018; Hewlett, Marshall, & Sherbin, 2013; McKinsey 2015–2020) helps translate intention into impact and supports long-term organizational success.
References
- Cox, T. (1993). Cultural Diversity in Organizations. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler.
- Thomas, D. A., & Ely, R. J. (1996). Making Differences Matter: A New Paradigm for Managing Diversity. Harvard Business Review, 74(5), 79-90.
- Roberson, Q. M. (2006). Disentangling the Meanings of Diversity in Organizations. Academy of Management Journal, 49(6), 1253-1274.
- Page, S. E. (2007). The Difference: How the Power of Diversity Creates Better Groups, Firms, Schools, and Societies. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
- Mor Barak, M. E. (2014). Managing Diversity in the 21st Century: From Compliance to Competitive Advantage. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
- Hunt, V., Layton, D., & Prince, S. (2015). Why Diversity Matters. McKinsey & Company.
- Hunt, V., Layton, D., & Prince, S. (2018). Delivering Through Diversity. McKinsey & Company.
- Hewlett, S. A., Marshall, M., & Sherbin, L. (2013). How Diversity Can Drive Innovation. Harvard Business Review, 91(9), 30-31.
- Mor Barak, M. E. (2014). Managing Diversity in the Workplace: An Integrated Approach. (Overview chapter and related works cited in journals and books.)
- U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). (2020). Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace: A Practical Guide for Employers. Washington, DC: EEOC.