UNIVERSITY OF THE PEOPLE

MASTERS IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

BUS 5511: HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

UNIT 7 WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT

Abstract

In this article, I will outline a plan for implementing a diversity initiative at Arrow3 media, a

digital marketing agency based in Kampala, Uganda. Kampala is a fast-growing city with

professionals from all over the world, so a diversity initiative is important for Arrow3 media

digital marketing agency to operate effectively while maintaining and developing its competitive

advantage. The proposed diversity plan will include key factors such as diversity coaching,

policies, procedures and implementation recommendations, concluding that such a plan cannot

be created without input from all stakeholders to be successful.

Introduction

Diversity and inclusion are topics that are often talked about but rarely understood and acted

upon. They are important not only because they are correct, but also because they are smart.

Diversity and inclusion can help organizations find better solutions and fresher perspectives,

which is why they invest heavily in them.

Leaders of global organizations have a unique opportunity to impact the lives of people around

the world with a focus on improving diversity and inclusion efforts. Diversity and inclusion in

the workplace are hot topics in the HR world these days. In fact, some of the most influential

companies in the country have committed to diversity and inclusion and have set aside large

amounts of money to invest in their diversity and inclusion efforts.

Company

Arrow3 media is a digital marketing company that operates in the East Africa region, more

specifically in Kampala, Uganda. Arrow3 media marketing provides a wide range of marketing

services that businesses typically do not have within their own expertise. The company's main

goal is to help other companies increase sales of products and services using technology. Arrow3

media reaches customers online through Omni channel, multi-channel or single-channel

marketing.

Through single-channel and multi-channel marketing, the company communicates with

customers through websites, blogs, emails, and social media, among others. Omni channel

provides a seamless customer experience across channels and devices.

The company's headquarters are located in Kampala; however, Arrow3 media has clients and

employs workforce (permanent, project and freelance) from other countries including Kenya,

China, India, USA and Canada.

Kampala is considered the capital of the Ugandan economy due to its geographical location,

exceptional infrastructure and economic and legislative framework that allows many

international corporations to operate. Kampala is the most populous city in the country, with over
3.6 million inhabitants as of 2022, where about 1 million are Expatriates , 72% are male and

about 60% of the population is concentrated in the 25–44 age group. Expatriates mostly work in

the private sector (73%), while nationals make up around 9%, and unlike other countries, a

quarter of working expatriates in Uganda are in managerial positions in a spectrum of activities

across all sectors.

Addressing Diversity and Inclusion

Despite significant progress in diversity and inclusion in recent decades, it is not enough to focus

solely on increasing these factors when facing organizational challenges in the workplace. Hiring

a diverse workforce does not guarantee equality of experience and opportunity for everyone, so

inclusion is key for diversity to have a real impact and enable all employees to thrive.

To advance diversity, Arrow3 media must take a systemic approach including developing an

inclusive culture, inclusive approaches to employment policies and practices, and managing

equality and diversity in ways that support the business context, examining management

practices and diversity data to identify and understand barriers and take appropriate action.

Targeted initiatives, together with a coherent strategy, ensure work practices to support an

inclusive culture. The following strategy must be supported by Arrow3 Media's organizational

values and management behaviors that support the importance of inclusion and diversity.

Although companies in East Africa are not required by law to write an inclusion and diversity

policy, creating one demonstrates that Arrow3 media takes seriously its moral obligation to be a

diverse employer and encourages employees to treat others equally (Bush, 2021).
Overall strategy

Arrow3 media recognizes that a diverse and inclusive workforce needs an inclusive culture to

thrive; therefore, the company must ensure that initiatives and policies have ongoing support

from top management for continuous improvement over time. The company must support the

creation of a business strategy that considers business objectives, including ways to address the

diverse needs of employees and customers, and facilitate regular policy reviews through audits

and consultations.

Arrow3 media must commit to providing guidelines and training to line managers to help them

effectively respond to diversity needs. Since organizations operate internationally, diversity

management must consider local norms, culture, social issues, and the way multicultural

environment affects individual work styles and personal preferences

Diversity coaching/mentoring

Coaching must be provided before and during the preparation and implementation of a diversity

action plan to help individuals, teams and organizations build a sustainable, inclusive culture.

Coaching training aims to eliminate the effects of privilege and oppression, raise people's

conscious awareness and tackle unconscious biases, and take concrete steps to ensure full

integration of inclusion into organizational culture. Diversity coaching must lead to constant

recognition and adaptation to different environments, taking into account the individual's

situation, to meet their needs and support their journey. Diversity coaching must combine robust

methodologies, tools and deep diversity knowledge to increase diversity program effectiveness,
help Arrow3 media overcome barriers to building an inclusive framework, exploring

unconscious biases and empowering conscious choices with accountability (Frodsham, 2020).

Inclusivity built into key features

- Recruitment and selection

In order to tackle biased recruitment and promotion decisions, criteria of 'fit' must be removed

from the recruitment literature as unrelated to diverse status, background, preferences or beliefs

to ensure that talent management practices are inclusive and supportive of diversity

continuously. Job specifications must be written in detail without preconceptions about who is

best suited for the position; the description of the ideal candidate must include explicit

assumptions about skills and behavior and must build a person specification based only on

relevant characteristics (avoiding genderism, race or class descriptions). Recruiters and managers

need to review profiles together, ensure awareness of limiting assumptions and set them aside

(CIPD, 2019).

- Training and development

Inclusion and diversity concepts and practices need to be incorporated into staff training courses,

management training and team building exercises to raise awareness of diversity, value different

opinions, perceptions and ideas in a positive way. Induction programs must include issues of
diversity, raising awareness of the employee group within the network to spread awareness of the

organization's values and principles. Finally, line managers at Arrow3 media must be trained in

understanding diversity issues and how to support organizational policies and practices (Bhide,

2021).

- Salary and incentives

To link diversity to rewards, Arrow3 media must reinforce accountability for progress and send

clear signals about the organization's priorities and how success I s defined. Perhaps the best

approach for Arrow3 media is to address diversity outside of the compensation program and

drive accountability at the organizational level, publishing detailed diversity reports including

commitments, metrics and progress on key initiatives, as their external communication can

increase the attention of managers and teams. Another approach would be to select scorecards

with multiple diversity metrics, allowing Arrow3 Media to demonstrate commitment to diversity

initiatives while compensating employees according to the scorecards (Semler Brossy, 2021).

- Communication

An open culture must be developed at Arrow3 media with the right communication channels

based on open dialogue and active listening to ensure access for employees from different

groups. Due to the nature of the business, the Company has all methods and channels, such as

websites, intranets and internal blogs, among others, to promote and communicate updates on

diversity policies and practices to all employees.

 - Performance management

The key is to analyze and understand individual strengths and areas for improvement without

stereotyping and prejudice, building a neutral environment that puts talent and skills above all

else so that employees feel respected and have the tools they need to excel and perform without

they would have to fear being judged or judged. He refused. Unbiased leadership builds trust

among employees towards leaders to be non-discriminatory. A 360-degree feedback strategy is

important to reduce inequity; employee involvement, helps create a positive environment and

team spirit.

Customized performance reviews help managers and supervisors analyze the personal and

professional challenges of employees and ensure that everyone has the necessary tools, is

motivated and supported enough to give their best to the organization (Bhide, 2021).

- Evaluation

It is important to nurture and train employees' individual skills and talents, celebrate their

achievements and offer equal opportunities for growth based on their talents and strengths,

because Arrow3 media's success is ultimately based on the growth of its employees. The

company must realize the competitive advantage of a diversely enriched, qualified and motivated

workforce. Enhancing a diverse organizational culture, work ethic and overall spirit of teamwork

and commitment pushes individuals to meet organizational goals.

Recommendations for policies and procedures

Arrow3 media managers, along with employees, must determine if there are any barriers to the

employment, opportunities, inclusion or promotion of individuals from different demographic

groups. The organization should consider the policies and procedures that need to be created,

removed or modified. Some of the policies and procedures proposed for Arrow3 media include:

 Implementing an employee referral program as an outsourcing solution, accepting "like

me" referrals where employees can refer talent from the same demographic, minimizing

adverse impacts and discrimination claims. Arrow3 media may need to limit employee

referrals or consider other options to supplement the referral program.

 Identify departments that are under-represented or have biased practices against certain

groups. Detecting, revising and improving management styles that do not address

diversity in the desired way.

 Corporate culture must address apparent preferences towards aspects linked to religious,

gender, class or other types of discrimination and recognition of demographic differences

with celebrations according to other cultures; holidays and important events are good

ideas for building inclusion.

  Understanding diversity at Arrow3 media may require understanding their workforce

relative to the Kampala labor market, improving internal practices and identifying areas

of concern by comparing internal data on several categories over time and determining

what may be needed for change.

 Arrow3 media must identify how leadership is responsible for supporting diversity

initiatives, providing and allocating the necessary resources for training and promoting an

inclusive workplace (SHRM, n.d.).

Implementation of initiatives

Examples of corporate support for diversity initiatives are changes in policies and procedures,

training, targeted recruitment and sponsorship of diversity awareness events for employees. The

company must implement an action plan by setting realistic goals, starting with elements of

greater business value, to create momentum. An example of an action plan could be:

 Initiative

Build the Arrow3 media team's cultural competency and inclusive decision-making to ensure the

team effectively utilizes the existing diversity of the workforce and benefits from a variety of

initiatives.
  Responsibility

Arrow3 media Director & HR Manager.

 Action items

Cultural awareness and diversity training, team building workshops, ongoing diversity, and

inclusion dialogue with teams, individual sessions and team meetings.

 Time window

Cultural awareness and diversity training: 6 months; team building workshops: monthly

meetings and annual internships; ongoing dialogue: during staff interaction/meetings and as

needed (SHRM, n.d.).

Conclusion

Building a diverse work environment aims to create a consistent, high-trust work environment

for employees, regardless of their demographic. Accumulating daily experiences helps people

feel that they belong, that their unique talents matter, and that the company and colleagues care

about their individual needs. Organizations today are more diverse and the need to be globally

connected is greater than ever before. Given the complexity of today's work environment, leaders

must support business goals and success based on collective intelligence to maximize individual

potential. Creating and implementing a diversity initiative is a complex process that requires a
great deal of research to include all factors involved and must be developed in conjunction with

all stakeholders to increase the success rate.

References

Diversity management that works: summary of recommendations (2019, October 21). CIPD.

https://www.cipd.co.uk/knowledge/fundamentals/relations/diversity/management-

recommendations

Frodsham, J. (2020, December 7). Coaching for sustained change: leading diversity, equity and

inclusion initiatives. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2020/12/07/coaching-

for-sustained-change-leadingdiversity-equity-and-inclusion-initiatives/?sh=160187ce7ad3

Bhide, S. (2021, March 1). 5 key rules of performance management for a diverse workforce.

People Matters. https://www.peoplemattersglobal.com/article/diversity/5-key-rules-of-

performance-management-for-adiverse-workforce-28586

Bush, M. (2021, April 13). Why is diversity & inclusion in the workplace important?. Great

place to work.

https://www.greatplacetowork.com/resources/blog/why-is-diversity-inclusion-in-the-workplace-

important
De Bel-Air, F. (2018). Gulf labor markets, migration, and population. Gulf Research Center.

https://gulfmigration.grc.net/media/pubs/exno/GLMM_EN_2018_01.pdf

How to develop a diversity, equity, and inclusion initiative (n.d.). SHRM.

https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/how-to-guides/pages/how-to-

develop-adiversity-and-inclusion-initiative.aspx

Using compensation to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (2021, March 17). Semler

Brossy.

https://semlerbrossy.com/insights/using-compensation-to-promote-diversity-equity-and-

inclusion/