Part 1 - Visioning Diversity & Inclusion
GETTING STARTED
Where to begin? What to focus on? How can you set priorities? What if you’re tight for time and resources?
Take the time to do a review of your organization so you can create a benchmark, pick at least one simple goal, and be able to check your progress at a future date. You may be surprised to see you are further ahead than you thought!
Look at our Benchmarking Quiz. This assessment tool will help you learn more about your organization’s relationship with workplace diversity and inclusion. This tool can also be used as a “check in” at regular intervals in order to track and monitor your progress towards inclusivity. There are seven sections: Strategy & Policy, Leadership, Recruiting and Hiring, Inclusive Workplace Culture, Communications, Volunteer Management, and Organizational Confidence.
Identify your gaps, then select your top 1 – 3 and devise a timeline. Six months later, review your progress and revise your plans and timeline again.
Even if you’re small you can take steps to increase your organization’s inclusivity. With the result of the benchmarking survey you can target specific areas that are in greatest need. Or you may want to tackle things you know you have the capacity for right now, while building a case to get support for actions that are more involved.
If you’re looking for ideas, check out this list of real-life examples of starting projects from small arts and culture organizations in Ontario.
Videos
To inspire you, here are some thoughts from Canadian arts organizations on getting started:
Resources
Projects to Get Started on Change
WorkInCulture Benchmarking Survey
Dig Deeper
Inclusion Continuum – a good overview of the stages of inclusion in an organization, from the Aboriginal Human Resource Council which offers resources, training and consultation.
Consider the Following
We have:
□ Reviewed with staff and board what diversity means to the organization in terms of
o Artistic goals
o Workplace goals
o Business goals
o Legal requirements
o Organizational approach and strategy
□ Reviewed and revised if necessary our vision and mission statements from the perspective of diversity and inclusion
□ Identified a schedule of reporting and a team leader or committee responsible for planning and oversight of diversity and inclusion initiative
□ Created a specific inclusion policy or revised existing policy
□ Revised or created other policies appropriate to a diverse and inclusive organization and consistent with current legislation
□ Consulted external stakeholders for their perspective on our image
□ Taken steps to examine cultural competency in the organization
□ Benchmarked the organization using WorkInCulture’s survey to determine a baseline for diversity and inclusion efforts and to chart long-term progress