Experts Identified Nine Diversity Management Practices as Leading

Of the experts in the field of diversity management we spoke with or whose  publications we reviewed, the majority cited nine practices as leading. These practices are (1) commitment to diversity as demonstrated and  communicated by an organization’s top leadership; (2) the inclusion of  diversity management in an organization’s strategic plan; (3) diversity  linked to performance, making the case that a more diverse and inclusive  work environment could help improve productivity and individual and  organizational performance; (4) measurement of the impact of various  aspects of a diversity program; (5) management accountability for the  progress of diversity initiatives; (6) succession planning; (7) recruitment;  (8) employee involvement in an organization’s diversity management; and  (9) training for management and staff about diversity management. Experts and the literature generally agree that some combination of these  identified practices should be considered when an organization is  developing and implementing diversity management. According to diversity management literature, accountability is also a key  element for organizations to ensure the success of a diversity management  effort by providing a means for ensuring that managers at all levels are  made responsible for diversity in their organizations and evaluated on their  progress toward achieving their diversity goals and their ability to manage  a diverse group of employees. Recruitment

Recruitment, a key process by which federal agencies attract a supply of  qualified, diverse applicants for employment, is the first step toward  establishing a diverse workforce. Employee Involvement

According to the literature, involving employees in diversity management  helps them contribute to driving diversity throughout an organization. It  also can help identify and develop high-potential employees, improve  employee productivity and performance, and promote retention and  diversity. Agency Comments

On November 10, 2004, we provided a draft of this report to EEOC and  OPM for review and comment. In written comments, the Director of  EEOC’s Office of Federal Operations generally agreed with the findings of  the draft report and stated that expanding agency knowledge of the  available tools to achieve diversity is critical to the government’s success in  maintaining a workplace that is inclusive and responsive to the needs of an  increasingly diverse workforce (see app. Objective 2: Identifying Examples of Leading Diversity Management Practices in the Federal Government

To identify agency examples of leading practices in the federal government,  we reviewed diversity management literature and met with officials from  NAPA and others who directed us to agencies that may have implemented  some of the expert-identified practices. Of the organizations responding to the governmentwide  survey, 138, or 86 percent, returned usable questionnaires. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the U.S. Office of Personnel  Management, and the Corporate Leadership Council. A future report might provide a discussion of the means through   which agencies can determine how the multitude of similarities and differences that individuals  bring to the workplace are important to creating a “high performance organization” with “a  positive work environment where . . . all can reach their potential and maximize their  contributions to an organization's strategic goals and objectives.”
Such a study would be a valuable supplement to this report.
Why GAO Did This Study

A high-performance organization relies on a dynamic workforce with the requisite talents, multidisciplinary knowledge, and up-to-date skills to ensure that it is equipped to accomplish its mission and achieve its goals. Such organizations typically (1) foster a work environment in which people are enabled and motivated to contribute to mission accomplishment and (2) provide both accountability and fairness for all employees. To accomplish these objectives, high-performance organizations are inclusive, drawing on the strengths of employees at all levels and of all backgrounds--an approach consistent with diversity management. For purposes of our review, diversity management is defined as a process intended to create and maintain a positive work environment where the similarities and differences of individuals are valued, so that all can reach their potential and maximize their contributions to an organization's strategic goals and objectives. As part of a request that GAO report on the federal government's performance in managing its diverse workforce, GAO was asked to identify (1) leading diversity management practices and (2) examples of the identified practices in the federal government. This report contains no recommendations.

What GAO Found

Of the experts in the field of diversity management we spoke with or whose publications we reviewed to identify leading diversity management practices, a majority cited the following nine practices as leading. Top leadership commitment--a vision of diversity demonstrated and communicated throughout an organization by top-level management. Diversity as part of an organization's strategic plan--a diversity strategy and plan that are developed and aligned with the organization's strategic plan. Diversity linked to performance--the understanding that a more diverse and inclusive work environment can yield greater productivity and help improve individual and organizational performance. Measurement--a set of quantitative and qualitative measures of the impact of various aspects of an overall diversity program. Accountability--the means to ensure that leaders are responsible for diversity by linking their performance assessment and compensation to the progress of diversity initiatives. Succession planning--an ongoing, strategic process for identifying and developing a diverse pool of talent for an organization's potential future leaders. Recruitment--the process of attracting a supply of qualified, diverse applicants for employment. Employee involvement--the contribution of employees in driving diversity throughout an organization. Diversity training--organizational efforts to inform and educate management and staff about diversity. Experts and the literature generally agree that a combination of the identified practices should be considered when an organization is developing and implementing diversity management. We selected 10 agencies with the highest summary rankings from a 1999 governmentwide survey of federal agencies' diversity management programs to review for examples of the implementation of the identified practices. The implementation of the leading practices by these agencies may provide insights to other agencies as they undertake or attempt to strengthen or improve their own diversity management initiatives. We provided a draft of this report to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management for review and comment. In their comments, agency officials generally agreed with the findings of the draft report.