Diversity becoming increasingly important in health care settings due to the changing workforce and demographic patterns. Healthcare administration needs to understand and influence healthcare staff with values, beliefs, and expectations. The diversity programs and policies are designed to include more people from minority groups and other cultures in the organization, allowing for more perspectives to be considered in the organization. In this sense, there is a need to gauge how much influence diversity has within an organization to determine whether it can change the project. Organizations need to know if the diversity and inclusion program is truly effective in the organization. Measuring diversity is needed to make sure the initiatives have a positive impact on the organization.
An organization can measure the effectiveness of diversity programs using several tools. Some conventional measurements of diversity programs in an organization rely on counting the number of people who belong to the minority racial and ethnic categories ( Johansson, 2017) . The organization can determine the percentage of women compared to men or the percentage or minority racial groups compared to the majority categories. The success of a diversity program is achieved when the company has a breakdown that reflects the real world. In essence, the diversity should reflect a ration of men to women that is close to 1:1, or the ration of white employees to other cultures being close together. This measure provides a standard for ballparking the diversity of the company and interpret the results of the representation. Results have shown that an ethnically diverse organization is more likely to perform better in terms of profitability due to the diversity of ideas and skills.
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In most cases, organizations struggle to fill the quotas since most applicants are overwhelmingly white and male, which makes it difficult to hire many women and minority groups. However, other organizations fail to implement a diversity program by hiring from predominantly male and white groups of candidates. The success of an inclusive program is when the organization manages to hire employees from all genders and racial groups. The hiring process should not be discriminatory to ensure they hire employees based on merit. The hiring procedure therefore measures the success of the diversity and inclusivity program in place
Another way to measure the success of a diverse and inclusive program is by evaluating the level of minority individuals in the organization to determine their relative power that is more than assessing just a person's presence. For example, leaders can measure how often individuals in the organization get involved in key decision-making processes ( Dreachslin, 2007) . The success of the program lies in ensuring there is a fair representation of individuals in the human resource department and the core hiring team. This can help in ensuring the hiring process is fair and representative of all demographics.
Another outcome of diversity in the organization is improved employee satisfaction. Diversity and inclusion should also be focused on the culture of connection and business impact. As such, it is possible to measure the progress of diversity programs using more subjective perspectives ( Johansson, 2017) . For example, the organization can measure indirect feedback from employees regarding the success of the diversity program. They need to measure their perceptions, feelings, and lack of influence in the organization to determine its success. Employees should explain how they engage with each other in the organization and whether there are equality and fairness. Members of the minority groups should have some control in implementing the diversity program and take part in its future development.
In essence, the success of a diversity program relies on simple concepts of equality, fairness, and filling quotas. An organization should ensure it achieves the legal requirements of fairness and equality within the organization through factors such as equal promotion and compensation ( Johansson, 2017) . There should be fairness and inclusivity when announcing pay rises or leadership positions that can be considered based on merit. The measure of a successful diverse and inclusive program is when the organization can equally reward employees from their performances rather than their demographics. Fairness can also be measured based on the number of women in leadership positions in comparison with men. An organization where white men represent 90 percent of leadership positions
Business leaders have a responsibility to create a diverse corporate culture that is inclusive of all people. It should be a more heterogeneous environment that promotes a culture of open communication, tolerance, and conflict management strategies ( Dreachslin, 2007) . Organizations that embrace diversity should ensure their policies and practices can protect the rights of employees while complying with government regulations. There are several factors to consider when implementing an environment of diversity in an organization.
Government regulations are an important consideration when planning the implementation of diversity programs. In the United States, diversity is part of government regulation that falls into the Equal Opportunity and Employment Commission (EOEC). The law defines diversity as a protected class comprising of individuals who are protected in the hiring process under the employment laws of the United States ( Pitts et al., 2010) . The law prohibits organizations from discriminating against employees based on their race, national origin, disability, gender, religion, or pregnancy. In this regard, the organization considering to implement an environment of diversity has to consider such factors as stipulated by government regulations. The program should look to be coherent with the federal laws regarding hiring decisions while staying abreast of diversity laws.
Social pressures also come into play when implementing an environment of diversity in the organization. As the diversity of the US workforce continues to increase, organizations are facing pressures to create organizational cultures that allow employees from different cultural backgrounds. As such, the organization can consider implementing an environment of diversity as a means of responding to the social pressures and opportunities in the internal and external environments ( Pitts et al., 2010) . This includes increasing the number of women employees as health staff in the organization and nominating more people of color to leadership positions to maintain an environment of diversity and inclusivity. The organization should constantly review internal policies around issues of harassment and equal opportunity to ensure it reflects current laws and regulations.
Other factors to consider are the tension between personal standards and the goals of an organization. Diversity is often positioned as a warm activity that is morally just by an organization instead of looking to comply for direction and guidance. In this regard, the implementation should focus on meeting these conflicts ( Pitts et al., 2010) . For example, there are productivity and profitability issues to consider that can conflict with the legal and ethical considerations when working with diversity issues. However, studies have shown that organizations with a diverse cultural environment are highly productive, which makes it necessary to implement the programs. The policies should look towards adhering to the non-official rules of the organization that comprises of company values and corporate culture.
At the same time, an administrator can consider the company and industry ethical codes when implementing an environment of diversity. Ethics refers to the code of moral conduct that determines how well diversity affects a business. There are ethical considerations that an organization has to consider when looking to implement diversity in a health organization ( Pitts et al., 2010) . Such codes may include a lack of discrimination in the hiring and promotion processes, as well as ensuring equal employment opportunities for all people regardless of their demographics. For example, the organization can implement the diversity program by ensuring all employees are treated with respect and equality. It has to acknowledge that all employees are equally and be fair to take action in case of discrimination.
In conclusion, health organizations are supposed to know how to manage diversity in the workplace as one way of adhering to the diverse populations. Business leaders have the responsibility for setting goals for diversity and inclusivity in the organization ( Dreachslin, 2007) . Achieving diversity in the workplace is a fundamental part of fulfilling the mission of an organization since diverse populations have major impacts on the workforce. The focus of workplace diversity lies in promoting individuality within an organization and ensuring equality and fairness. An outcome of diversity in the organization include an increased representation of identified groups in the organization by eliminating health disparities.
References
Dreachslin, J. L. (2007). The role of leadership in creating a diversity-sensitive organization. Journal of Healthcare Management , 52 (3), 151.
Johansson, A. (2017, November 9). How Can You Measure Diversity And Inclusion Results? Millennials Have An Idea. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/annajohansson/2017/11/09/how-can-you-measure-diversity-and-inclusion-results-millennials-have-an-idea/#133f439a2310
Pitts, D. W., Hicklin, A. K., Hawes, D. P., & Melton, E. (2010). What drives the implementation of diversity management programs? Evidence from public organizations. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory , 20 (4), 867-886.
