Chapter 8 Diversity and Organizational Change Introduction Effectively managing diversity requires that you be an effective manager of change. After all, diversity is not a program, "it is a process of systemic organizational change." When people think of diversity as a program, they might think that at some point they will be finished with it and can go on to something else. However, this is not the case. Generally speaking, the need to successfully manage diversity will always be a priority whenever you have people in the organization who are different in a variety of ways. Like any other change initiative in the organization, to achieve results, your efforts to manage diversity in your workforce will require the basics of building a strategy, creating a tactical plan, taking ownership, being accountable, and implementing and measuring progress against the plan. It must also embody the principle of continuous improvement to seek new ways to create a high performing work environment using diversity. Building a Change Strategy for Diversity Management Developing a strategy and putting a plan in place are the first steps in any change effort. What separates an ordinary manager from a great manager of diversity is their ability not only 157 EBSCO Publishing : eBook Collection (EBSCOhost) - printed on 12/1/2016 9:49 AM via MASARYKOVA UNIVERZITA AN: 320103 ; Hubbard, Edward E..; The Manager's Pocket Guide to Diversity Management Account: S8431878 The Manager's Pocket Guide to Diversity Management to plan, but their ability to execute the plan, measure progress, make adjustments, and achieve results. Without these actions, even the best plans for change can fail. To begin, it is critical that you create a personal action plan that focuses on the use of tools and techniques mentioned in this guidebook for diversity management. Creating a Tactical Diversity Management Plan for Change Once your diversity management strategy is in place, it is time to consider what is needed to create a set of tactical plans to put your diversity process into action. Initiating, changing, refocusing, or revitalizing your organization's commitment to create a diverse and inclusive environment starts with building a baseline—building a solid understanding of the organization's current level of effectiveness in mastering the basics that influence the organization's ability to lead and accelerate the diversity change process. This requires that you help the organization do the following: