Reference no: EM132331179

Conduct strategic planning for diversity learning practices

Learning Outcomes

Students who successfully complete this Unit should be able to:
- Plan diversity learning strategy
- Design and develop organisational diversity learning strategy
- Implement organisational diversity learning strategy
- Review organisational diversity learning and development
- Improve diversity organisational learning strategy formation

Assessment Task 1:Briefing paper

This first assessment task requires you to research concepts associated with organisational diversity learning for an organisation of your choice. The following tasks require you to plan, implement and evaluate a diversity learning strategy so you will need to negotiate access to the organisation and both permission and authority to carry out the tasks described on the following pages.

For your chosen organisation you are to assume that you are working as the Diversity Manager at the Global Head Office in Brisbane, Australia. The Chief Human Resources Officer has asked you to write a briefing paper for the Board of Directors explaining some fundamental concepts associated with organisational diversity learning.

Your assessor will assume the roles of Chief Human Resources Officer and the Chair of the Board of Directors.

Your report should be between 400 and 600 words and must include the following.

1a A rationale for having an organisational diversity learning strategy

1b The Legislative and Regulatory requirements that apply to an organisational diversity learning strategy

1c A description of at least three types of organisational learning and assessment strategies that can be used to support organisational diversity learning and/or incorporate valuing and leveraging diversity principles

Assessment Task 2: Research and analysis report

Thanks to your briefing paper, the Board of Directors now has a better understanding of the learning required by the organisation. As a result, the Chair wants you to conduct the research and analysis required to plan a learning and workforce training strategy.

The culmination of your research and planning will be a report for the Chair of the Board of Directors (your assessor). Your report should be between 1500 and 2000 words and must include the following.

2a The outcome of consultation with relevant organisational stakeholders for ideas on strategic diversity learning requirements for the organisation. This should include identifying the stakeholders by organisation or role, briefly describing their interest in diversity learning within the organisation, their suggestion for diversity learning requirements and the rationale for those.

2b A description of two different approaches to learning and workplace training directed at supporting the valuing and leveraging of diversity. The descriptions should include the methodology, resources required, target audiences, how they would support the valuing and leveraging of diversity, and how the outcomes could be assessed/measured

2c An evaluation identifying which learning/workplace training approach would be best suited to support the valuing and leveraging of diversity in the organisation and why. The evaluation should balance the advantages and disadvantages of each approach to come to a defensible recommendation. The evaluation must be accompanied by a plan for implementation. The plan must contain sufficient detail for the Board of Directors to be able to make a decision on whether to go ahead. This means a rough outline of timeframes, costs, personnel required and other major resource considerations.

2d An analysis showing the alignment of the chosen organisational diversity learning strategy with the human resources and learning requirements of the organisation. The analysis should clearly identify how the chosen strategy will align with existing human resource practices and help achieve the learning requirements of the organisation.

2e An analysis of the technological and systems requirements to support the chosen organisational diversity learning strategy. The analysis should specify the required/desired technologies and systems and how they contribute to the effectiveness of the learning strategy.

2f A plan indicating how the technology and systems requirements could be acquired and implemented. The plan should include suppliers (internal and external), installation/implementation lead times, resources required to install/implement and an estimate of cost.

2g Commentary on how various diversity dimensions may affect individuals and their experiences, and inclusive social interactions within the organisation. The commentary should explain the dimensions of diversity in the organisation (eggender, religious beliefs, race, marital status, ethnicity, parental status, age, education, physical and mental ability, income, sexual orientation, occupation, language, geographic location), how those may affect individuals representative of those dimensions in terms of their experiences with others in the organisations and the promotion of socially inclusive interactions within the organisation. for this commentary, choose the four dimensions of diversity that are most challenging within the organisation.

2h Recommendations for learning that would support individual staff members recognise and manage the effects outlined in 2g.The recommendations should focus on identifying one's own behaviour and its effect on others, and one's own response to the behaviour of others.

2i A review of the organisation's policies and procedures to determine their continuing relevance, operational effectiveness, forward thinking and to identify any gaps. The review should focus specifically on the relationship of the policies and procedures to organisational diversity learning.

Assessment Task 3: Strategy Design
Your report was well received. The Board of Directors now wants an organisational diversity learning strategy to be designed and developed.
The design will need to be signed off (endorsed) by the Chief Human Resources Officer (your assessor).

The strategy must meet the following criteria.

3a Be clearly based on the information provided in the Briefing Paper and Research and Analysis Report.

3b A well-defined focus on valuing and leveraging diversity within the organisation. This should be obvious in the goals, targeted participants and targeted organisational activities.

3c A design that addresses the requirements of the following.
i. Learners-transparency in determining eligibility of participants, access to learning during work hours, flexibility in learning activities, access to resources, instructors and other support required to meet training outcomes
ii. Instructors - training in the training delivery requirements, access to learning materials and resources in and outside work hours, support network among instructors and other personnel supporting the training
iii. Organisational strategic priorities relating to diversity
The requirements of learners and instructors and how they will be addressed should be described. Similarly, the organisation's strategic priorities and how they will be addressed should be outlined.

3d The strategy must identify potential changes in the organisation's circumstances and priorities. External and internal factors that may change the organisation's circumstances and priorities in terms of diversity should be identified.

3e The learning strategies must permit and promote responsiveness of the organisation to the changes outlined in 3d. The detail of the learning strategy must be sufficiently flexible to accommodate and respond to the changes identified in 3d. Examples would include learning activities being initiated by context and conditions rather than by timetable.

3f The strategy must include procedures for liaising with stakeholders such as such as diversity organisations, cohort organisations, educators, and learners to gain their feedback on the effectiveness of the learning strategies and learning resources in achieving the organisational diversity learning targets. Stakeholder organisations may include Diversity Council Australia, Aboriginal Affairs, National Disability Services, NSW Council for Intellectual Disability, Federation of Ethnic Communities' Councils of Australia.

3g The strategy must include a procedure formonitoring and incorporating national policy issues and system changes. The procedure must include regular scanning and analysis of the external environment for changes that have the potential to affect the manner or success of organisational diversity learning.

3h Assuming your strategy meets all the requirements, have the Chief Human Resources Officer (your assessor) sign off (endorse) the plan. The recommendations and plan must be logically based on the information provided in 2d - 2i. They should address methodology, technology, resources, people, targets, timeframes, and potential benefits to be gained from the changes.

Assessment Task 4:Implementation and Review

Your plan has been endorsed and you now must implement the organisational diversity learning strategy. This will require the cooperation of your chosen organisation. This requires the following to be implemented in a work environment.

4a Implement the organisational diversity learning strategy as planned and endorsed. In particular, ensure the learning strategy supports valuing and leveraging diversity and is appropriate to organisational and regulatory requirements.

4b Source diversity learning resources suitable for the desired learning outcomes and compliant with international, national, industry, workplace and regulatory requirements. For example, if the learning outcome relates to the target cohort (eg LGBTI), the resources should be from an organisation known to represent the interests of that community (egACON).

4c Validate the organisational assessment tools and methods to ensure they are consistent with the learning and wider operational needs.
This assessment task also requires you to review and report on the learning strategy. After a period of time (between 3 and 6 months) agreed to by your Chief Human Resources Officer (your assessor) you are to report on the following. Your report should be between 600 and 800 words and is to be presented to the Chief Human Resources Officer (your assessor).

4d Feedback from the stakeholders such as diversity organisations, cohort organisations, educators, and learners, on the effectiveness of the learning strategies and learning resources in achieving the organisational diversity learning targets.

4e Feedback from internal relevant stakeholders summarisingthe contribution of the learning strategy to the achievement of the organisation's diversity-related strategic goals and how that was measured.

4f Recommendations for updating policies and procedures outlining which require amendment, the nature of the changes, and why. The "why" should reflect the feedback gained through 4d and 4e.

4g An evaluation of the entire implementation process, identifying successful aspects and aspects that require improvement. The evaluation should describe the following.
i. The extent to which the original goals were achieved, the proportion of targeted participants who engaged in the strategy and how well the targeted organisational activities supported the learning (refer to 3b)
ii. Whether the needs of the learners and instructors were met (refer to 3c).

4h Commentary on the performance of resources used.The commentary should include feedback from the users, cost-benefit (if applicable), re-usability, and other factors that would influence a decision to continue with the same resources or seek alternatives.

4i Commentary on the performance of people supporting the learning strategy. The commentary should include feedback from persons involved in the learning and consider the intended role of each support person, the extent to which they were able to carry out that role, whether others may have been more suitable or better positioned in the organisation, and any other factors that would influence a decision to continue with the same people, provide intervention, or seek alternatives.

4j A plan for improving the diversity organisational learning strategy on the assumption it will be continued.

4k The plan (4j) is to be presented to the Chief Human Resources Officer (your assessor)as a document as well as an oral summary at a mutually agreed time and place (can be via electronic communication such as Skype).

Attachment:- Conduct strategic planning for diversity learning practices.rar