Case Study and Implementing Diversity Policies

Imple handsting mixed bag Policies channelise Principles A return for ITEC and an disparate(prenominal) engineering vocati one and only(a)s who want to turn a profit from employing a sev datel(a) clobber atforce Implementing innovation Policies maneuver Principles A guide for ITEC and almost other(a) engineering phone termes who want to benefit from employing a divers(a) toyforce Christina Evans, Judith Gl everywhere, Yvonne Guerrier and Cornelia Wilson check of Business and kindly Sciences Roehampton University 80 Roehampton Lane London SW15 5SL Tel +44 (0)20 8392 3000 www. roehampton. ac. uk For correspondence ab expose this accounting transport email mailto c. emailprotected ac. uk September 2007 The imperial honorary society of engineering ISBN 1-903496-37-3 Content warm-up Ac intimacyments List of realizes Executive summary 1. Introduction 1. 1 Why the command for a ring of manoeuver Principles for embedding variation in the ITEC atomic number 18 na 1. 2 How the steer Principles confound been derived 1. 3 Summary of the directional Principles 1. 4 dodging of the Guiding Principles Suggestions on how sum upments might use these Guiding Principles Guiding Principles 3. 1 survey and leadership 3. 2 Well-defined rail line typeface 3. confederation wide policies to mainstream mutation 3. 4 Education, training and cognition founding 3. 5 supporting pull in approach patterns and transcriptional culture 3. 6 blustering and transp arnt enlisting and travel civilizement examples 3. 7 Partnering with knocked out(p)er bodies 3. 8 Tar lighted outreach and siding the enlisting net 3. 9 Management of suppliers 3. 10 Monitor, modify and celebrate achiever 3. 11 Matrix of see plump foring arrangingal depicted object studies Conclusions Resources to service with your mixture journey Notes 3 4 5 6 9 9 10 11 12 14 2. 3. 15 15 20 23 29 36 40 45 49 53 56 60 62 63 66 . 5. 6. App stopices I. List of acronyms 68 2 T he august honorary society of engineering Implementing transmutation Policies Guiding Principles tune-up I am delighted to welcome this raw(a) get crosswise Implementing miscellanea Policies Guiding Principles funded by The kinglike academy of engine room and produced in fusion with twinitec. Equalitec, funded in opus by the European Social Fund, under the Equal Programme, is a broad-ranging furcatenership of boldnesss committed to promoting and frequenting womens advancement in discip draw in Technology, Electronics and Com graveling (ITEC).ITEC is a cite driver of qualify in the worldwide cheatledge economy and a happen upon contri entirelyor to the productiveness and competitiveness of the European economy. just now festering is universe affected in whatever beas by a shortage of skilled ITEC dieers. To meet the go along growth in ITEC we take aim to encourage much than than individualists with several(a) behindgrounds and skills, in part icular women, to consider a travel in ITEC and ITEC relate disdaines.It is now surface recognised that in that location ar galore(postnominal) line of reasoning and mixer benefits from boost expectanter sort inside the acetify moorage. Yet women argon trustworthyly under-represented in the ITEC argona, especi solelyy in more(prenominal) aged(a) pieces. This melodic theme trys both(prenominal) practical guidelines on how to take a leak an disposalal culture where women and others from various beam settings with credit line critical ITEC skills atomic number 18 countenance to participate and reach their full potential. It contains many examples of safe(p) practice drawn from a clasp of ITEC employers.I would encourage you to use this report with a revolve of mess in your nerve to service stimulate compete and depart polices and practices to encourage great variety show. Dr Rosalie Zobel Director Directorate G/Comp adeptnts and Systems Informa tion Society and Media Directorate General European rush The Royal academy of Engineering 3 Accognitionments The authors would wish to thank the many brasss and individuals that reserve cook up this report possible.In particular we would identical to thank The Royal academy of Engineering for sponsoring the project Professor Wendy H entirely, CBE FREng, Senior Vice President of The Royal honorary society of Engineering, for chairing each of the Equalitec innovation Forums Dr Elizabeth Pollitzer, Director, Equalitec, for the initial inspiration for this report, as fountainhead as her continuing halt, and in all of the Equalitec partners and other participating organisations that arrive contributed to the ideas and eggshell examples contained inwardly this report.A list of Equalitec partners and contributing organisations brook be found on the back cover of this report. 4 The Royal academy of Engineering Implementing re bracingal Policies Guiding Principles List of f igures designing 1 Summary of the Guiding Principles Figure 2 dodge of the Guiding Principles Figure 3 mutation Balanced Business poster Figure 4 Development options to help oneself charabancs manage a flexile engage force Figure 5 enlisting strategies to assist entry and re-entry of women into ITEC Figure 6 Equalitec C atomic number 18er Model (reproduced with permission from Portia Ltd) Figure 7 REC form Pledge for Recruiters (reproduced with permission from REC) Figure 8 Intellects Women in IT Forum Survey Perceptions of Equal Pay (reproduced with permission from Intellect) 11 12 20 31 40 41 54 57The Royal Academy of Engineering 5 Executive summary This report draws together key learning from earlier Equalitec variety show Forums and reports, as well as other research on implementing conversion, in the form of ten Guiding Principles that endure be applied in organisations that want to make up a more versatile work force. It is intend to act as a practical guide for managers and miscellany practitioners in Information Technology, Electronics and Computing (ITEC) line of businesses, and other organisations. ITEC is now a major(ip) driver of turn in many businesses, in particular in the service sphere of influence.But a shortage of skilled workers is making it difficult for some firms to compete successfully in the global economy. Despite this skills shortage, fewer than one in five ITEC professionals and managers atomic number 18 women and the number of women sedulous in ITEC is declining in most industrialised countries. With organisations chasing fewer and fewer skilled workers, thither is a strong business end for increasing the proportion of women in ITEC. indoors the UK it has been estimated that removing barriers to womens habit and increasing their labour mart participation could be worth amid ? 5 billion and ? 23 billion. This is equivalent to 1. 3 2. 0% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), according to the Women and Work Com missions report Shaping a Fairer Future 1. Yet many ITEC companies stripping it difficult to attract and fulfil women. whizz reason whitethorn be that IT continues to dupe a macho male image that fuel put women off. In summing up many women and fresh girls be non cognisant of the various mathematical functions on offer in the ITEC sector and so do non see a match in the midst of their go aspirations and what is on offer.Building a diverse workforce is non easy. It ingests on-going perpetration from senior leaders to transport intimately pagan potpourri, underpinned by presentment to develop a cohesive set of employment policies and practices. Furthermore, a absorb raised(a) at the November 2006 Equalitec renewing Forum 2 is that the growing trend of global sourcing in IT is affecting the miscellanea and cellular inclusion agenda in the UK. Where organisations atomic number 50 slow bar bump off for in labour from other countries there is little of a bu siness imperative to invest in growing its own workforce.So wherefore does this matter? Is renewing, particularly gender revolution, more difficult to achieve in the ITEC sector? Wider research suggests that women in Science, Engineering and Technology workplaces face difficulties over and preceding(prenominal) those experienced by women in other occupations, as these workplaces contrive traditionally been male dominated 3. Industry commentators in like manner ac overhear sexledge that the sector does wee-wee additional pres authentics for employees something that undersurface make it more difficult for women and others with pity responsibilities.First, there is very much a need to deliver projects to specific deadlines, involving workss long hours. Second, individuals need to spend signifi jakest amounts of time reinforcementing up on(predicate) of the latest ripenings in the house and maintaining their skill levels for women with caring responsibilities this can be especially caperatic as updating of skills is costly and time consuming. many an(prenominal) women on the job(p) in ITEC be concerned that maternalism leave and course breaks accelerate skills obsolescence.Although funding is allocated to training graduates (new entrants) this is generally non the possibility for women returners 4. In addition women, and indeed men, who choose to work odd-job(prenominal) often bugger off their commitment questioned. 6 The Royal Academy of Engineering Implementing Diversity Policies Guiding Principles Whilst the catchity duties (race, dispower and gender) squander created a burning platform for castrate in humanity sector organisations, this same burning platform does not certainly apply to secluded sector companies.But switch overs in the public sector tendering process, to go out compliance with the general duties, atomic number 18 beginning to influence practice in private sector companies who bid for public sector contracts thi s modification forms a key component of the business case for some private sector companies as this set of Guiding Principles shows. Equalitec, originally reasserted by funding from the Department of championship and Industry (DTI), and latterly the European Social Fund (ESF), was set up to abet and support womens employment in ITEC.Over the six years that Equalitec has been running it has worked with over 50 organisations to help build and disseminate rock-steady practice for employing and retaining women in ITEC. The Guiding Principles covered at bottom this report, and listed below, are supported with many examples of nice practice drawn from a range of ITEC employers. Many of these employers are working in partnership with Equalitec. Adopting the good practices contained within this report lead help build workplaces that benefit all workers, not unspoiled women.Guiding Principles for embedding diversity in ITEC and other related businesses 1 Vision and leadership 2 We ll defined business case 3 Company wide policies to mainstream diversity 4 Education, training and fellowship expression 5 Supportive work practices and organisational culture 6 filmy repossessment and locomote development practices 7 Partnering with external bodies 8 Targeted outreach and railroad siding the insertment net 9 Management of suppliers 10 Monitor, improve and circumstances success Recommendations for taking these Guiding Principles forward Business leaders determination this Guiding Principles report creatively to help raise indicates and develop policies and practices in your own organisation. Some initial suggestions on how to do this can be found later on in the report. A key insurance form _or_ system of presidency to review is your career and taking over planning, making these more open and vapourous. This exit help shout out the demand of individuals at different life-stages and with different necessitate and aspirations, thus encouraging them to join your organisation. Revisit information monitoring policies and practices to decree authoritys of enabling greater availability and transparency of data. Where firms are moderate close making specific data public they could perhaps contribution techniques of data collection.This would help the measurement of progress both within and between organisations and help establish industry-wide benchmarks, over against which broader change could be measured, particularly in notification to the gender impart gap. The Royal Academy of Engineering 7 analyse partnering with a range of schoolingal and professional bodies to ensure that the skills needed to work in the sector meet changing employers needs. One possible counseling of achieving this is to work in partnership with HE institutions, professional bodies, and other employers, to create an ITEC Academy, something similar to the Power Academy recently established to address the shortage of skilled power engineers. This would help continue the excellent work started by Equalitec.Equalitec partners carry found the Equalitec brand, underpinned by the European Social Fund and support from the DTI, has created a legitimacy for the miscellaneous activities that they are engaged in to bring almost change. Without a similar body going forward there is a concern that change will not happen at the pace that is needed. Central government and other polity makers Provide more preferences for facts of lifeal institutions as well as the careers service to promote the diverse career opportunities avail fitted within ITEC. Review policies to help women returners, especially occupational returners (i. e. returners to the industry after an extended career break), who are an under-utilised pool of endowment.A key policy area for change is education, where there is an chance to develop conversion courses for passel with a degree in a discipline other than computer science, enabling them to take up an I TEC subroutine. This would not only help women returners, but other people who whitethorn want to move into ITEC at a later stage in their career. e-skills UK work more most with businesses to develop skills frameworks and progression pathship canal for ITEC professionals working in different business sectors. passkey bodies Work closely with educational partners to change the general perception of the ITEC sector and encourage more people to seek employment in the sector. uphold and assist ITEC employers to introduce and develop good employment development practices. This could be achieved by gathering data on the gender balance among members, promoting cultural change, and brokering learning networks. Develop the range and accessibility of professional development programmes, qualifications and networks, that address the development needs of women on maternity leave, as well as men and women who want to take a career break. Apply these Guiding Principles within their own pr ofessions and organisations. 8 The Royal Academy of Engineering Implementing Diversity Policies Guiding Principles 1. Introduction 1. 1 Why the need for a set of diversity guiding principles for ITEC organisations?In todays global get laidledge economy the groundbreaking use of ITEC technologies is fundamental to business survival in an ever complex and competitive business world. The ITEC sector continues to be a growth sector. Ten percent of the GDP in the UK comes from the ITEC sector, according to Intellect, the Trade Association for the UK high-tech industry. Furthermore 34% of the worldwide GDP comes from the ICT market according to the Public Technology Association 5. With this amount of investment and growth in ITEC it is not move that the demand for skilled ITEC workers is outstripping supply. This is the case in all businesses, not just amongst the major ITEC producers.Despite this increasing demand, the number of women employed in ITEC roles remains much lower than w omens participation in the workforce more generally and is declining in most industrialised countries. In the UK fewer than one in five ITEC professionals and managers are effeminate and this figure is even lower in IT strategy and package program development roles 11. With 40% of business requirements being for skills at advanced levels, the gender imbalance in the IT workforce creates a continuing challenge for businesses according to Karen Price, CEO, e-skills 6. What these figures indicate is secernate of horizontal and vertical segregation 8 in a sector that was optimistically viewed in the 1960s and 1970s as a golden era for womens employment.As a relatively new sector it was anticipated that some of the traditional barriers experienced by women in the workplace would be removed, and that women would be able to participate on a more equal substructure with men. Sadly the reality has not matched this optimism. A concern voiced at one Equalitec Diversity Forum is that the growing trend of global outsourcing in IT is affecting the diversity and inclusion agenda 2 . Where organisations can easily buy in labour from other countries, there is less of an imperative for firms to invest in growth its own workforce. However having IT systems developed and serviced by ternion parties does go skills implications for organisations internal workforce. In practical name this means a growing need for IT literate module who understand the business and know how to use IT to drive the business forward 7.With organisations struggling to attract and retain skilled knowledge workers, it does not make business sense to under-utilise diverse pools of gift, including women. Speaking at the November 2006 Equalitec Diversity Forum, Meg Munn MP, Parliamentary Under deposit of State (Women and Equality) endorsed this view If the UK is to come on develop and sustain a conciliative, exceedingly skilled workforce one that is able to cope with the twin challenges of g lobalisation and rapid demographic change then we have to ensure that all our talented people are involved. The Royal Academy of Engineering 9 Yet the reasons for the lack of participation of women in ITEC roles are complex.Sector image, as well as organisational culture, has a role to play here. ITEC work is still perceived as a place for geeks and anoraks, working long hours and with little fundamental inter pull by with others. However as other Equalitec publications have shown this image does not smooth the reality of ITEC work, or the diversity of employment opportunities 8. The changing nature of ITEC work, particularly as offshoring and outsourcing has become more commonplace, has led to an cast upd demand for interbreeding workers. These are workers who can manifest both technical and behavioural skills, such(prenominal) as team working, communication, relationship management, tractableness and innovation, and project management.Behavioural skills are viewed as thos e that women are able to contribute, drawing on these from their multiple roles inside and outdoors the workplace. But if businesses want to capitalise on these behavioural skills they need to find more creative ways of attracting and retaining women. 1. 2 How these Guiding Principles have been derived working with a diversity agenda is gainsay. There is no single simple solution. Organisations have to ensure a common understanding of diversity and the affiliation with Equal Opportunities (EO). Whereas EO is concerned with difference at the social sort out level, diversity management is centered on individuals, with organisations striving to recruit and retain individuals with diverse backdrops and experiences 9.In addition, the diversity agenda is heavily contextualised economic, political, legal and social forces each electric shock on business priorities and internal organisational practices. Despite these broader forces there do bet to be a number of key practices that organisations can focus on if they want to mainstream diversity. growth an organisational culture that is supporting of diversity and where women are encouraged to reach their full potential is not easy. The nature of some ITEC roles can make it difficult for women, and others with caring responsibilities, to combine their work and family lives. Yet as other Equalitec projects have identified, some organisations are actively trying to change their culture so that people from diverse backgrounds, and with diverse talents, disembodied spirit acknowledged.These Guiding Principles draw together some of the good practices developed in a range of private and public sector organisations. They have been derived from categories drawn from various sources Equalitec Diversity Forum reports the DTI and Equalitec sponsored report Successful Recruitment Strategies and Practices Times vertex 50 hands Diversity index BCS Women in IT awards Auroras Where Women Want to Work awards US National Academy of Engineering Diversity in Engineering report, as well as the National School of Governments Diversity Excellence model and the Civil operate diversity executing indicators. The load-bearing(a) case examples are drawn more often than not from Equalitec publications.They have been tested out with Equalitec partners, and other organisations closely involved with Equalitecs work, to ensure that they cover the key areas that ITEC and other organisations need to focus on to build a diverse workforce. 10 The Royal Academy of Engineering Implementing Diversity Policies Guiding Principles 1. 3 Summary of the Guiding Principles From the background sources depict above we have identified 10 Guiding Principles. These are shown in Figure 1. 1 Vision and leadership senior leaders demonstrate an on-going commitment to mainstreaming diversity by ensuring that the relevant policies, practices, metrics and action plans are in place. Ongoing commitment is in like manner present thr ough usual and consistent communication, internally and externally, astir(predicate) the organisations achievements against its published action plans.Well defined business case the diversity agenda forms an integral part of the strategic business planning agenda not something that is a becoming to have, perhaps especially for private sector firms that are offer for contracts within the public sector. In the public sector the effectiveness agate line i. e. ensuring the diversity of the workforce matches the diversity of service users, is perhaps more of a key driver. Company wide policies to mainstream diversity overall diversity policy is supported by changes to other organisational policies e. g. recruitment, reward, conciliatory working and work-life-balance, performance management, career management and safekeeping policies. Education, training and knowledge building on-going commitment to education and training for all employees in set out to change behaviours and dev elop organisational practices.Supportive work practices and organisational culture a workplace that is open and welcoming of people from diverse backgrounds and which can demonstrate good examples of implementing different forms of flexible work arrangements. open recruitment and career development practices commitment to changing the recruitment and promotion practices so that women and others from diverse backgrounds are able to develop satisfying careers. Partnering with external bodies relationships are developed with a range of partnering institutions to advance the diversity agenda, exploitation this as a way of further developing internal knowledge and capabilities.Targeted outreach and widening of the recruitment net imaginations (time, energy and money) are invested in developing awareness of the changing nature and opportunities within the ITEC sector and encouraging young girls and women of all ages to develop a career in ITEC. Management of suppliers current and futur e suppliers understand the organisations diversity agenda and the organisation ensures that suppliers adapt their practices appropriately. Monitor, improve and celebrate success demonstrates a commitment to gathering quantitative and qualitative data to monitor progress on the diversity journey, using this as a way of further refining policies and procedures. 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Figure 1 Summary of the Guiding Principles The Royal Academy of Engineering 11 1. Schema of the Guiding Principles Mainstreaming diversity is not a simple linear process. There are a number of inter-related areas that require working on simultaneously. The schema in Figure 2 is intended to illustrate the dynamic relationship amongst the Guiding Principles defined earlier. Depending on the organisational context, change whitethorn be initiated from any one of these areas at a presumptuousness point in time. In some organisations, for example, data on distaff attrition rates, or lack of diversity in the recru itment strain, whitethorn act as a catalyst for change. In others a change in leadership, such as the appointment of a new CEO, may act as the catalyst. At different times in the business life cycle organisations may eed to focus on developing policies and practices that have more of an internal focus and at other times they may need to work on policies and practices that have more of an external focus. Vision & leadership Well-defined business case Company wide policies to mainstream diversity Internal focus External focus Education, training & knowledge building Supportive work practices/ culture carry and transparent recruitment & career development practices Partnering with external bodies Targe ted ou treach & widening the recruitment net Management of suppliers Monitor, improve and celebrate success Figure 2 Schema of the Guiding Principles 12 The Royal Academy of Engineering Implementing Diversity Policies Guiding PrinciplesWhat is clear from the background research carrie d out to produce this report is that implementing polices and practices to mainstream diversity is not easy, effrontery the complexities that we are dealing with. Other reports on diversity have likened this to the complexities of the software engineering process itself, highlighted in the book The Mythical Man month by Fred Brookes, formally of IBM There is no silver bullet, no conjuring potion that can fix things. Things only get fixed if you take the problem ad hominemly, and you want to make a difference. It is that simple. If you care enough about it to put your money where your mouth is, and you put somebody in a eadership stick to do something about it, you can make a difference. 10 It is not surprising therefore to find leadership at the top of these Guiding Principles. The Royal Academy of Engineering 13 2. Suggestions on how organisations might use these Guiding Principles One of the key aims of Equalitec is to share and disseminate good practice in the employment an d progression of women in ITEC. This report draws together much of the good practice gathered through Equalitec projects. Whilst many organisations have do great progress on increasing the representation of women in ITEC roles, most would agree that they still have more to do.It is hoped that this set of guiding principles will support change in organisations, thus fortune to stem the current scorn in the number of women in ITEC. Some suggested ways that organisations could use this report include Using this report in your diversity training programmes for line managers, helping to raise awareness of the issues and stimulate debate for change. The questions at the end of each section would provide a start point. Recognising that successful change involves a top-down and bottom-up approach, consider using specific sections of the report with different employee groups/forums to help stimulate a dialogue about change. You could perhaps start with the section Monitor, improve and cel ebrate success with a group of senior managers.This could prompt a review of the diversity data that are currently available, as well as where the gaps are. Using the section on Supportive work practices and organisational culture with different employee groups could generate further ideas for change. qualification the report available to all supply as part of your e-learning resources. This could help those aspiring to leadership roles broaden their awareness of the diversity agenda. Using the report as a basis for reviewing exist policies and practices. 14 The Royal Academy of Engineering Implementing Diversity Policies Guiding Principles 3. Guiding principles having the legitimate support of senior leaders sends a powerful marrow to the easement of the organisation that diversity matters. 3. Vision and leadership Effective leadership is crucial in all culture change programmes and developing an organisational culture that embraces diversity is no exception. When test o ut these guiding principles with experienced managers there was general consensus that fancy and leadership needs to be the number one guiding principle. It needs to be number one for a very simple reason having the genuine support of senior leaders sends a powerful pass along to the rest of the organisation that diversity matters. Without this, as many Equalitec partners will testify, diversity does not happen. So what type of leadership is required? Leaders with a personal commitment to diversity Effective management of diversity requires ongoing commitment from the CEO and other senior leaders.This commitment can be demonstrated in many ways setting a clear vision for diversity, contacted to the business case making sure that others understand the business case in the context of their organisations modelling the behaviours needed to build a diverse workforce making sure that the appropriate structure and polices are in place, as well as ensuring that all employees are aware of their responsibilities and where they fit into the diversity agenda Chuck Prince, who is our chairman, aims to make sure that we are not only the largest monetary service organisation but similarly that we are the most respected. All of us, as employees, have to attest to our overlap responsibilities.Those are our responsibilities to the organisations, the franchise through to our clients and also to each other, to make sure we recognise and respect diversity which includes gender diversity. Sharon Pagram, Recruitment Manager, Europe spunk East and Asia (EMEA), Citi 2. Many organisations have introduced Diversity Councils as one of their supporting structures. These can help build insights and knowledge to support the change agenda. A case example of this from Symantec appears at the end of this sub-section. Leaders who demonstrate mindset flexibility A key skill referred to time and time again is that of mindset flexibility, particularly amongst those in leadership roles I speculate there is something about having men with the right attitude.I dont know quite how you articulate this, but it is to do with having a diversity of thought and approach in the senior executive team. Having men who are different from each other and function well in a flexible remote culture. Men who encourage interaction at all levels and very believe that difference is a good thing. I really do believe that if you have a culture which encourages bright, creative individual men to stay at senior levels, women will benefit too. Rebecca George, Partner, Deloitte 11. Mindset flexibility is seen as being of the essence(predicate) to help rethink jobs and how crush to resource these The Royal Academy of Engineering 15 What you are look for when recruiting is a set of outcomes and you try to be more flexible about the people who might be able to provide those outcomes for you. Youre much less prescriptive about the inputs. Steve Palmer, London Borough of Hillingdon 12. It is also weighty when considering flexible work options to ensure that all options are considered We have just gone through a reorganisation at Citigroup Technology Infrastructure (CTI) and we now have two very senior members who are direct reports to the head of EMEA for CTI One of these will be working remotely, using flexi-working as well as other means. She will be working from Scotland whilst playing a major role in the CTI organisation.She is working flexi-hours and she is working remotely and that has enabled her to take on a adjust of the size that she has. Sharon Pagram, Recruitment Manager, EMEA, Citi 2. HR and diversity practitioners in particular need to demonstrate effective leadership by challenging line managers who are reluctant to try out different flexible work options. Leaders who listen to and communicate openly with their staff Open and honest communication is crucial if employees from diverse backgrounds, and with diverse needs, are to feel fully included I believe that communication is very important ensuring that there are adequate team briefings, newsletters, bulletins and staff gatherings. There are one-to-one meetings, for example for all staff.I think that this mix ensures that there is the opportunity to accommodate individuals and that those for example who are on flexible working, or those who are part-time are kept fully informed and up-to-date just as much as the staff who are there full-time. Angela Clements, query of ICT and Business Development, West Dunbartonshire Council 2. As the Microsoft example below indicates, senior leaders can send out a powerful message if they are personally involved in finding out what women are looking for in the industry Simon Brown is the general manager for Developer and Partner Evangelism and he is looking to attract more females into technical evangelist roles. He has been helping by investing time and thinking about what it is that women want in the industry, and what they want at Microsoft at different levels. Helen Duguid, Partner to Microsoft EMEA 2.It is just as important for female leaders to listen to the needs of their junior female colleagues, rather than make assumptions that they all have the same needs so many of the women who are at the top, they dont have families, or else they might have had them, but its been with a totally supportive background, or they havent needed to be the carer in the family but you wouldnt necessarily get from somebody at the top who didnt have that empathy, lets hear about you and whats it like for you? You dont get enough of that. 13. 16 The Royal Academy of Engineering Implementing Diversity Policies Guiding Principles Leaders who act as role models and who champion change The importance of senior leaders acting as role models during organisational change is well documented.But as so much change involves top down and bottom up thinking it is important that organisations telephone and nurture leaders at all level s to support the change journey. An innovative practice identified from a non-ITEC sector organisation, but one that could be adapted, is illustrated in the case example below. Case Recruiting internal diversity champions at Wigan & Leigh College 14 The college has 23,000 students located across six different sites. The college recognised that although it had achieved the disability ingredient of the diversity agenda it needed to do more on the other strands. To support its school of thought of inclusion, the college introduced a leadership and management programme to help change behaviours amongst its senior managers.This programme highlighted a need to do more to create a genuine culture of inclusion across the entire of the college. Following an equality and diversity health check the college went on to recruit internal equality and diversity champions to help promote their diversity agenda. The role was open to individuals at all levels and in different areas management, admi nistration and faculty member staff. All applicants went through a structured selection process. The rationale for such a rigorous process was to ensure that those selected could act as role models, as well as have the skills to help deliver the organisations diversity learning programme.Staff recruited into the Diversity Champion roles, were then wedded additional training to ensure that they were able to perform effectively in their new role. Having a diversity of role models could help junior staff feel a greater sense of belonging, as well as develop a sense of where they might aspire to I like the idea of people from throughout the organisation at all levels, who are happy to be kind of champion not just the high-flyers. If you have people where you are, or the next level up, where you are aspiring to be, its accomplishable and you can relate. 13. Leaders who are willing and able to change Developing an organisational culture that is committed to diversity requires leaders who are willing and able to change.A key point made by Terry Marsh, from the Women into Science, Engineering and braid (WISE) Campaign We talk a good deal about changing culture but really the culture that we have to change is one that does not cope with change in many cases. You do not have to change the culture but you have to change peoples ability to want to change, or their ability to cope with change We therefore have to look at whether there is a culture, in definite companies and certain sectors, that cannot cope with change at all. 2. Leaders who reinforce the diversity message Given that change takes time, leaders need to find different ways of promoting and praising those who are helping the organisation achieve its diversity goalsThe Royal Academy of Engineering 17 One of the practices that we have in place is that whenever a requisition is posted in our system the hiring manager receives a letter, signed personally by our senior VP for the EMEA region, talking ab out why a diverse workforce is important to the future of HP, for innovation, again referencing the business case. It reminds them that we have hiring goals and encourages them to work with the recruiter for a diverse source pool. Lisa Kepinski, Diversity & inclusion body Director, HP 13. Case Supporting structures to mainstream diversity in Symantec Symantec Corporation is the fourth-largest item-by-item software association in the world.It is the world leader in IT surety, providing security and storage products solutions and services, to virtually the entire Fortune 1000 companies. One of Symantecs best known products is the Norton consumer security solutions. The organisation employs just over 18,000 employees in 40 countries. Deborah Davis, Vice President, Enterprise Support Services, EMEA and India, explained how commitment to diversity within Symantec comes from the top. The group president, Tom Kendra, is the global leader and executive sponsor of the diversity and incl usion initiative within the organisation and Chief Technology Officer, sign Bregman, is the executive sponsor of the organisations global womens initiative.The organisation has established five goals for increasing the representation of women a) increase the percentage of women in leadership positions to reflect the overall female demographic and management power structure b) increase the percentage of women at the high end of the technical cover in engineering c) increase the number of women in sales d) increase the number of women across all of our technical fields, not just software development areas and e) build a work environment that supports and encourages women in their career aspirations. As well as executive commitment to ensure that goals and metrics are in place, the organisation has created a number of structures to sustain its diversity and inclusion initiative, as shown below. Supporting Structure global Structure Global Diversity & Inclusion control Committee Ex ecutive D Steering Committee meets quarterly 16 Diversity & Inclusion Councils established D Office Global Diversity & Inclusion Office 16 Diversity & Inclusion Councils 18 cuckold Champions personation as a associate between roll and Executive Leadership Seek support for cuckold recommendations Identify, share and implement best practices Build Symantec brand as an employer of filling for women Identify external womens organizations and build long term partnerships demo Metrics and Reporting Build collateral to support activity of SWAN Champions Conduct quarterly conference calls with SWAN Champions 1 18 The Royal Academy of Engineering Implementing Diversity Policies Guiding Principles There is an overall Diversity and Inclusion Steering Committee as well as a network of 16 Diversity and Inclusion Councils, a figure that is expanding across the globe.In addition the organisation has a Symantec Womens Action Network (SWAN). SWAN champions attend external womens conf erences and organisations, acting as a spokespeople for the company, and build the Symantec brand as the employer of choice for women. There is also a commit diversity and inclusion office that acts as a link between the SWAN networks, the Councils and the executive leadership, to ensure that information and knowledge from the various fora and groups are shared. Source Equalitec Diversity Forum, June 2007 13. Points to discuss in your organisation Do staff believe that the leadership is really committed to the diversity agenda? What do they believe that they are committed to?How is this monitored, communicated and acted upon? How diverse are the role models in your organisation? How is personal commitment to the diversity agenda monitored in your organisation? Is it something that current and aspiring leaders need to demonstrate in order to gain promotion? How is mindset flexibility developed in your organisation? The Royal Academy of Engineering 19 3. 2 Well-defined business c ase There are several drivers for implementing diversity policies and practices ethical and social justice, regulatory, economic, and business case. In private sector companies it is the business case telephone line that provides the main driver for change.There are many dimensions to this. It can help organisations knap into new markets, as well as appeal to a broader guest base. In an increasingly diverse society the importance of the demographics of the workforce mirroring that of clients and customers is also a powerful business case argument. Access to wider pools of labour can be a powerful argument particularly where critical talent is in short supply, as in the case of ITEC. Increasingly organisations are adopting a balanced scorecard approach to the business case for diversity, as indicated in Figure 3. Enhanced understanding of new and emerging markets marketplace Mirroring of clients Customers Winning new business Products and services that meet the needs of diver se customer base demographics of client base reflected in the workforce split understanding of needs of diverse customers Access to wider customer base supplement diversity of suppliers and other partnerships Enhanced reputation and profile amongst clients and other stakeholders take in Access to wider pools of talent Better staff retention lower recruitment costs Productivity/effectiveness Enhanced creativity, innovation and problem understand Enhanced employer image/reputation Richer business processes Greater organisational flexibility and responsiveness to change Employer of choice Inclusive work environment where all employees are fully Better utilisation of diverse/scarce engaged and perform talents optimally Figure 3 Diversity Balanced Business poster Although it is important for those working in change mover roles to have a broader awareness of the business benefits of diversity, it is crucial that they are able to focus on the key business benefit for their organisation, as this is what gets the attention of the senior leadership team For us in Pfizer, the diversity business case rests on the values of creativity and innovation because we want to bring new medicines to patients. Trish Lawrence, Diversity Initiatives Manager, Pfizer PGRD 15. 20 The Royal Academy of Engineering Implementing Diversity Policies Guiding Principles The nurture Proposition Profitability and Business Success Invention and High surgical procedure The Business Advantage Creativity and Productivity Diversity and Inclusion 14 August 2007Having got the attention of senior leaders, those working in change agent roles also need to find ways of communicating the business case in a form that line managers identify with One of the things we have learned is that to get the attention of line managers, we need to make the business case much more explicit. In our untimely efforts, we had a business case but we did not publicise the financial implications enough. 16. One way of doing this is to link cost/benefit data directly to line managers budgets If its mortal you know, who was a good employee, who wants to come back and they need ? 2,000 of training, but youre not paying for an agency to recruit them, its a no-brainer from a business case viewpoint. 23. A continuing challenge for those working in diversity roles is being able to make direct linkages between diversity policies and enhanced direct performance and bottom line results.As Stephen Alford, HR Manager at Fujitsu Services, pointed out at the first Equalitec Diversity Forum 15 this problem arises as often a range of policy interventions are needed to address a specific diversity issue. The following case study from Fujitsu Services provides further guidance on how diversity champions can build a large(p) business case for diversity. Case Building the Business Case at Fujitsu Services Fujitsu Services design, build and operate IT systems and services for customers in the finan cial services, telecom, retail, utilities and government markets. It employs 21,000 people worldwide. Around 12,000 of those are located in the UK working for a wide range of Public and Private sector organisations.At the 2006 Diversity Forum Stephen Alford, HR Manager, pointed out that one of the key arguments he uses to get senior business leaders to focus on diversity is to link back to the goal of winning new business. As an IT services company a key business driver is winning new contracts, something that as Stephen explained is now influenced by the changing legislation especially when tendering for public sector contracts. The Race Relations Act 2001, Disability Discrimination Act 2005 and the Equality Act 2006 mean that public sector organisations have a statutory duty to The Royal Academy of Engineering 21 promote equality in these three areas in their own organisation. In addition they have a responsibility to audit their suppliers to ensure that they too have equality sch emes in place.Some of the arguments that Stephen draws on to convince managers about diversity include Legal drivers focusing on the pre-tender bid situation where questions are asked about whether there have been any cases taken against the organisation and whether any have been lost. In particular pointing out how the discrimination legislation which underpins equal opportunities is uncapped and how claims can hit the bottom line significantly if the organisation gets it wrong. natural elevation the profile of Fujitsu using the strapline Why focus on diversity inclusion? to point out how as an organisation Fujitsu wants to be employer of choice in the IT service sector and partner of choice for winning business.As an organisation they are now monitoring their workforce more closely, so that they have the facts to be able to manage the business more effectively. Recruiting and retaining the best talent pointing out how with changing demographics you may not always be able to recruit the talent from the same place as you have always recruited from. In addition women, and those from ethnic minorities, are more credibly to join an organisation where there are role models and where they feel that they can get on. Having attracted the best talent then the organisation needs to focus on retention. Losing key talent is expensive. At Fujitsu Services mothers returning to work after maternity leave return on 120% of their salary until their child is 15 months old.The more senior the women then the more this costs the organisation, but as Marjan Kuyken, Practice Manager, Programme and Project Manager points out with that seniority comes more knowledge of the organisation and more expensive skills. Clearly these are knowledge and skills that the organisation would not want to lose. Limitations of a lack of diversity on performance diversity practitioners need to be able to provide a number of case examples to show how other organisations have made productivit y gains from building a more diverse workforce, as well as examples of where things can go when there is a lack of diversity in the decision-making teams. Sources Equalitec Diversity Forum, whitethorn 2006 17 Effective Recruitment Strategies and Practices Report 12.Questions to stimulate debate in your organisation Do you have key data to support your business case? Are they in a format that line managers can easily understand? Do you have a range of case examples, internal and external, that you can use to support the business case? How do you communicate the business case for diversity in your organisation? Do line managers have easy access to the data on changing demographics so that they can make informed recruitment and retention decisions? 22 The Royal Academy of Engineering Implementing Diversity Policies Guiding Principles 3. 3 Company wide policies to mainstream diversity Building an organisational culture that supports diversity and inclusion is not easy.As Juliet Webs ter, Involvement and Participation Association (IPA), points out organisations need to go beyond value statements and develop a rational set of policies to ensure that they attract, develop and retain employees from diverse backgrounds The most women-friendly ITEC organisations are, not surprisingly, those which have clear, coherent and thoroughgoing equality and diversity frameworks encompassing their employment policies and practices. These frameworks underpin and support a variety of practical initiatives which help organisations to attract, promote and retain women some of the strongest examples of good equality practice are not always designate as such, but what distinguishes them is a coherence of approach to staff development and progression and the express inclusion of all employee groups. 8.Many organisations, large and small, have acquire the importance of planning for diversity from the outset when developing their policies and practices, especially when the company is growing, or plans to grow in size If you find yourself with 15 engineers, none of whom are women, youre suddenly in a bad position for trying to hire your first woman. As you build up from zero, youve actually got to be especially careful in the early days. There is something about thinking early on, when were working in a field that is by its nature male heavy, to think carefully about those early hires. Doug Fraley, Head of People Programmes for EMEA, Google 12. So what key policies and practices should organisations focus on? Recruitment and selection The Effective Recruitment Strategies and Practices research 12 highlighted how the ITEC sector has developed a reputation for informal grapevine recruitment, where job openings are transmitted via established networks.Employee referral schemes, which have become increasingly popular with organisations, operate on a similar principle of tapping into employees existing networks. However there is a concern that practices like thes e can make it more difficult for women, especially returners, to gain entry into ITEC organisations. Where organisations want to attract a more diverse workforce it is important that they use a number of recruitment methods to signpost their vacancies and employment opportunities we say more about this in the section on Targeted outreach and widening the recruitment net. Selection methods should also be clear and consistent, as we explain in the section on Open and transparent recruitment and career development practices. Induction In some organisations, such as Fujitsu Services, the induction process is used to ensure that all new staff are aware of the organisations position on diversity and the actions that the organisation is taking to build a diverse and inclusive work environment. Performance management Wider research suggests that a key policy that needs to be revised in organisations committed to diversity is performance management. check The Royal Academy of Engineering 2 3 to the Corporate Leadership Council, organisations that are the most successful in building a diverse workforce are those that have developed their performance management systems so that managers in particular are held accountable for achieving the organisations diversity objectives. In the US, some organisations link Executive bonuses to the achievement of diversity goals 18.In other organisations performance ratings are ground on the How as well as the What and a specific case example of this occurs at the end of this subsection. A range of tools can be used to gather feedback on whether management behaviours support organisations diversity goals 360 degree feedback, peer review, and employee attitude surveys 19. However, ORC, a US based consultancy suggest that organisations should be cautious about linking diversity goals to managerial performance, as it might distort behaviours. An additional strategy could be to publicise a list of managers that have met the goals for incr easing the diversity of their unit 20. Flexible working and work-life-balance policies Wider research suggests that offering flexible work arrangements, including high quality part-time work, is part of the new business case argument 9. Flexible work arrangements can help women sustain their career through the child reproduction phase. The benefit to organisations is better retention of skilled female employees, thus intemperate overall recruitment costs. Whilst a policy on flexible working is important, as it signals the organisations intent, making flexible working work in practice is more problematic. This requires line managers who are committed to the principle, as well as having the necessary skills to manage flexible working. This point will be covered in more detail under Supportive work practices and climate later in this subsection. Pay and reward The governments survey on earnings (Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) 2006) shows that womens mean full-time hourly pay in computing and related jobs is 79. 6% of mens 12. Thus there is gender pay gap in the sector of just over 20%. This is big pay gap than the overall UK one 20. The main reason for the greater pay gap in ITEC is the tendency for women to be concentrated in lower paid jobs. If organisations want to attract more women to work in the sector then the gender pay gap needs to be addressed through the use of equal pay audits and job military rating schemes. Intellects annual survey Perceptions of Equal Pay May 2006 22 identified that only a small number of firms had carried out an equal pay audit.Yet as the survey also showed perceptions of unequal pay can affect recruitment. Talent management and succession planning Having attracted more women into the organisation it is important that they then have every opportunity to progress. Several organisations take care to be developing their succession planning policies to ensure greater diversity amongst their leadership population. A good example of this is shown in the IBM case study at the end of this section. Michael Chivers, Vice President, Human Resources for Sales and Marketing at Sony Ericsson spoke of the importance of organisations moving away from the 24 The Royal Academy of EngineeringImplementing Diversity Policies Guiding Principles rear view mirror approach to succession planning 11. By this he meant that instead of appointing leaders that are clones of the current leadership there is a need to think more about the leadership qualities that will take the organisation to where it wants to be in the future. Ensuring that women are given early responsibility in their career so that they build up their reputation and visibility was raised as a good strategy by several participating Equalitec organisations. This is something that will be discussed in more detail in the section on Open and transparent recruitment and career development. Restructuring and downsizing As part of the background research for this report we had several illuminating conversations with HR managers about what happens to diversity when organisations are restructuring or downsizing. Some interesting perspectives emerged. One was that where organisations have made significant investment in their diversity policies and practice they need to make sure that all of that good work is preserved in the new structure. A further perspective was that restructuring could create opportunities to bring in people with different experience because that is what the business needs. In addition to the key policies discussed above there are many other policies that may need revising, or developing, to build a diverse and inclusive workplace, as the following case from HP indicates.Case HP Policies and Practices Supporting Diversity and Inclusion Within HP there are three main areas of focus for diversity attracting diverse talent, promoting and developing diverse talent, and retention of diverse talent. The term diverse talent i s used within HP as it is broad and allencompassing. The organisation also has a number of policies and practices to support its diversity and inclusion strategy. These include Non-discrimination policy Electronic job posting Diversity Hiring Goals VPs message to hiring managers Harassment-free work environment Degree education program Domestic partner benefits Employee resource groups Development opportunities Open door policy Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) Open communication Management by objective Work-Life-Policies and Resources Common Thread diversity newsletter A key policy lever is the Diversity Hiring Goals, which reflects the philosophy that having a metric in place gives diversity a business grounding and helps the business get to where it wants to get to a rich, gender diverse workforce -faster. As Lisa Kepinski, Diversity and Inclusion Director, EMEA Region points out Having a metric creates a focus for the The Royal Academy of Engineering 25 business and it encour ages a partnership between the business and HR, as it is the business that sets the metric, not HR. A practice that reinforces the Diversity Hiring Goals policy is the VPs message to hiring managers.Each time a new recruit is taken on the hiring manager receives a personal letter from the senior VP for the EMEA region, pointing out why a diverse workforce is important to the future of HP, thus reinforcing the business case. Lisa acknowledges that organisations need to watch out for the impact that metrics might have on the focus of their work If you only have metrics in place for hiring and ignore promotion, development and retention, then you could have the revolving door syndrome. Source Equalitec Diversity Forum, June 2007 13 Organisations that have effective monitoring in place should use these data to develop new policies, as well as refine existing policies (see section on Monitor, Improve and celebrate success later in this section).Policies need to be initiated with the use of statistics, but they also need statistics so that monitoring and evaluation, reconstitution and re-evaluation can happen. Finally, policies need to reflect the legislation in the artless in which they are being introduced. The legislation makes it easier to introduce family-friendly polices. With an increasingly unstable workforce, opportunities for sharing different policies for attracting and retaining women in ITEC in different country contexts is something that would be most valuable. But again without appropriate data, policies can be unimportant or at worst pointless this relates as much to individual companies as to countries.Case Managing the female talent pipeline at IBM IBM is a global company that invents, develops and manufactures information technologies, including computer systems, software, storage systems and microelectronics. These technologies are used to provide professional solutions, services and consulting for businesses worldwide. It employs around 1 60,000 technical professionals, worldwide. Diversity is critically important to the business having a diverse workforce is crucial for developing diverse products and services. The organisation has developed its employment policies and practices to ensure that it attracts and retains people from diverse backgrounds, including female employees.As part of the Effective Recruitment Strategies and Practices research 23, Wendy Papworth, Gender Programme Manager, EMEA Workforce Diversity, outlined some of the practices to develop, progress and retain women. We run regular pay audits, as part of our salary rounds. We always look very closely at the gender element of the pay rounds, to make sure theres fairness and its a level playing field. But we do run specific exercises where if theres something that maybe suggests we should have a look at it, then we do. And we dig quite cloudy down into the data, and, you know, on pay for graduates, when I last looked at it about two years ago, there was no discrepancy.And there are so many factors involved in the determination of pay, so it was quite a lengthy exercise, but it was really positive. 26 The Royal Academy of Engineering Implementing Diversity Policies Guiding Principles So, a couple of things we do. We have womens leadership councils in each country, looking very closely at pipeline and progression. Weve worked with the HR teams in each country to specifically identify the creme de la creme of the female talent, and actively manage those women to make the next step change. That could be a move outside their business, or promotion. The womens leadership council can assist by profiling role models, by getting women more actively involved in mentoring or networking and engaged in education programmes.We also look at our attrition rates in terms of propensity to leave, so if theres a particular part of our structure where were seeing a higher increase of women likely to leave, say, for example, in the UK compared to t hat same position in the structure in another(prenominal) country, or overall in Europe, we conduct round tables with that part of the structure, and the draw just below as well. Its very important that we know how the women in the level below see, their future opportunities. So we conduct focus groups and round tables to get a feel for what will keep you with IBM. We keep an eye on where the key pressure points in our pipeline for women are.