Diversity is a fundamental value of any modern society. A lot of empirical studies show that effective diversity managing in a workplace brings a lot of benefits and it is essential to build a success. What does it mean in practice? In order to get a wide variety of benefits from organizational diversity, management should minimize the negatives (i.e. inequity, stereotypes or discrimination) simultaneously with empowering the positive elements – the appropriate use of diversity can bring a lot of innovative thinking, new perspectives or unique skills.
The Tuned Up! project delivers the innovative solutions supporting diversity management. The concept of the project applies to the idea of a Diversity Ambassador which is a new vocational role extending manager’s competencies and potential in the area of diversity management. Crucial factor to disseminate the idea of diversity is to create the leaders – diversity ambassadors, whose activity should be aimed toward people responsible for making strategic decisions, and those who are related to these decisions.
Implementation of such programme requires proper, multidimensional preparation of the employees who are in new role, their direct superiors, management and all working staff. Main issue is to provide them essential competences and work tools supporting efficient diversity managing.
To achieve this, the Tuned Up! program includes the following elements:
– A tool supporting diversity audit (evaluation of organizational processes, including two perspectives: managerial and employees’) – project includes elaboration of factual content and IT tool for on-line audit;
– A tool supporting the selection of a Diversity Ambassador from organization personnel;
The Tool set, supporting a Diversity Ambassador in a workplace – e-book elaborated in a collaboration with a target group;
– E-learning supporting the implementation of a diversity management system in an organization – intended for an organization’s employees;
– Manuals supporting the implementation of a diversity management system aimed at executives, developed in cooperation with a target group – recipients of this tool.
Within the Tuned Up! project we are going to aim at the most relevant dimensions of diversity for SMEs. Our goal is to create a versatile but simple model, which will be the basis for tools supporting small and medium-sized enterprises in the management of diversity, and thus achieve benefits for the company.
We want to connect the worlds of knowledge and practice and together create a product that will be directly responsible to the customers’ needs.
The project is directly addressed to corporate managers and SME’s decision makers. It can be also beneficial to individual professionals and entities acting in a business environment. They are potential users of this complex programme elaborated in the project. Free access to all products is guaranteed and publications such as manuals for employers can be easily used by external advisors in the process of implementation of diversity management in a company.
Name of the project: TUNED UP! -Tools for Enhancing Diversity
Programme: Erasmus +
Key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices
Partners in the project: ORANGE HILL –Poland; ZENTRUM FÜR SOZIALE INNOVATION (ZCI) –Austria; HOMINEM –Spain; INSTITUT INPRO –Czech Republic
Duration of the project: 2 years (September 2014 – August 2016)