Evaluation and Consolidation Phase

Overview

The central activities undertaken during this phase - evaluation and monitoring of the diversity management project - provide the basis for reviewing the total value of the project and for making recommendations for changes in the future.

Evaluating a DM programme can be a complex exercise. In general, so many different activities are run during these programmes that it is impossible to get a clear picture of how each action contributed to changes in DM improvement. However, it is possible to say something about the overall effects of the programme and it is important that at least a basic evaluation is carried out to assess the effects of the DM project on the organisation. If resources permit (it may require expert assistance), additional analyses which provide more in-depth assessment should be undertaken.

Undertaking an evaluation of the DM project enables you to assess the costs and benefits of the project in terms of both hard measures, such as reduced absenteeism, increased productivity, reduced complaints, increased access to markets and soft measures, such as improved organisational image, improved employee morale. Both qualitative (interviews, discussions) and quantitative (statistics) data are useful in this analysis. The evaluation results form the basis for revising future programmes on DM.

In this phase the emphasis is on the total evaluation which is partly based on data collected in earlier phases. For example:

The general objectives formulated in the getting started phase
The objectives of the prioritised activities and solutions

Monitoring each phase of the methodology allows the user to judge how well the activities in that phase worked and, based on these findings, recommendations for new or adapted activities can be made for future activities in DM. Data for the monitoring activity should be collected at the end of each phase.

Findings from the evaluation exercise are useful for providing feedback to employees, management and other interested stakeholders on the successes and difficulties encountered in the project. Communicating the results to these groups helps maintain their interest and support in the project as well as gathering their opinions on how the project activities may be improved during the next period of the project.

Objectives

The aims of this phase of the process are:

To see if the objectives of the programme (general and specific) are met
To assess the effectiveness of the programme, activities, costs and benefits
To see if the process has worked
To provide feedback to employees, management and project team
To gather information to inform future activities

Map and Overview

Click on the diagram for more information.

What Needs to be Done and How to Do It

There are four main activities during this phase. It is not always possible or feasible to carry out a full-scale evaluation. However, it is very important to conduct even a basic evaluation so that some judgement can be made on the value of the DM project as a whole.

1. Basic Evaluation

2. More Detailed Outcome Analysis

3. Getting Insight Into the Process

4. Feedback of Evaluation Results