Executive Summary of Organizational Diversity

Executive Summary of Organizational Diversity

Impacts of a Diverse Workforce on Patient Outcomes. With the changing demographics in the United States, healthcare organizations need to have a diverse workforce that mirrors the national demographics. Nursing agencies and health organizations indicate that having a diverse workforce provides the opportunity of offering quality health care that increases patient satisfaction, as well as emotional well-being (Campinha-Bacote, 2003).  Furthermore, Health professionals also argue that cultural diversity knowledge reduces health disparities thus contributing to health equity (Campinha-Bacote, 2003).   A diverse workforce improves the decision-making process in the workplace.  Phillips & Malone (2014) further indicates that nurses and patients are more satisfied when the staff comes from different ethnic or racial background.  However, this is because a culturally diverse staff has the required cultural competencies to understand patient values and beliefs (Phillips & Malone, 2014). Situations where diversity impacts on healthcare delivery or patient outcomes are those that incorporate people from different races, social economic, cultural and ethnic backgrounds (Campinha-Bacote, 2003). Furthermore, multiculturalism affects patient outcomes in hospitals or healthcare organizations without cultural competencies (Campinha-Bacote, 2003). The multistate health organization defines diversity as “everyone and everything with no one and nothing left out” (Christus Health, 2016).

Source: (Phillips & Malone, 2014).

Strategies Used To Integrate Diversity in Its Practice

• The multistate health care developed strategies to improve inclusion and diversity. For instance, in 2011, Chief Executive Officer of the health organization identified “a culture of diversity and inclusion” as one of the strategic objectives of the organization (American Hospital Association, 2015).
• The CEO also developed a scorecard to determine the incentives tied to strategic objectives and encouraged managers to improve workforce diversity through direct reports.
• Furthermore, the office of diversity and inclusion provides general and competency training to eliminating unconscious bias, generational differences, as well as talent development (American Hospital Association, 2015).
• The Health organization also introduced a data system called MIDAS to analyze race, ethnicity, and language.

These strategies focus on understanding patient population.  With the implementation of these policies, the organization managed to improve diversity in leadership from 13 percent to 23 percent, and system-level corporate board to 25 percent (American Hospital Association, 2015).  Furthermore, the company engages all the departments in promoting diversity in the workplace. The results reveal leadership diversity is not yet representative of the population. Representative leadership is critical in current healthcare organizations as leaders, especially non-whites, act as role models for non-whites students, thus contributing to diverse nursing workforce (Campinha-Bacote, 2003). However, the appropriate change needed is to increase scholarships to the minorities to achieve advanced nursing education appropriate for leadership position.

Executive Summary of Organizational Diversity Essay

Importance of Leadership and Multiculturalism in Workplace

Diversity in leadership is important in health organization operating in community with diverse culture and ethnic background.   Diverse leadership improves patient satisfaction, clinical outcomes, and enables the organization to reach strategic goals. Studies also support the claim and show that diverse leadership improves trust between employers and employees and increases patient comfort (Cohen, Gabriel & Terrell, 2002).  Multiculturalism allows healthcare providers and policy makers to offer culturally competence services and reduce ethnic and racial health disparities (Phillips & Malone, 2014).  This discussion implies that by promoting leadership diversity to be more representative of the patients or population around is likely to improve organizational performance (Cohen, Gabriel & Terrell, 2002).

Current Recruitment and Retention Policies

 The Multistate agency developed recruitment and retention strategies to keep its diverse workforce intact.   The organization’s current recruitment policies recognize that employees are critical to the success of the health care organization.  The core principles include open competition approach to recruitment, the recruitment based on merit, provide training, development, and development for those recruited and selected in the process (Christus Health, 2016). Its current retention policies center on fair compensation, practice budget and physician benefits. Furthermore, it utilizes efficient and clear administrative policies easy and direct to understand.  The organization uses different salary compensation plans such as Percent of Collections Compensation Plan, Fixed Salary Compensation Plan and Work RVU (wRVU) Compensation Plans among others to retain employees (Christus Health, 2016).  The organization also improves the workforce environment by providing ensuring respect, professionalism, and patient-focused practices in the workplace. However, despite the efforts, these strategies do not address specific needs and barriers for specific groups. No strategy implemented that directly target the recruitment of minorities.

Extent of Diversity in the Workplace

The multistate health care organization has considerably achieved significant diverse population, although more still need to be done.  The level of diversity improved from 15 to 23 and the level of corporate board grew to 25, but more need to be done to improve diversity to the required level.  

The organization has recognized diversity in all areas. Ideally, it implements diversity in leadership, training and education, recruitment and retention, supply chain, and community partnership, but has not reached the required level (Christus Health, 2016). For example, the minority in the United States account for about 37 percent of the whole population but the diversity the hospital is 23 for the nurse.  The diversity in corporate manager is 25 percent, which is far below the required level.

Recommendations

The policies discussed in a report by AACN (American Association of College of Nursing) propose increasing the number of nurses with a doctoral degree to increasing diversity (AACN, 2015). These policies suggest that enhancing the enrollment of minorities in nursing program will increase diversity. As a result, the organization needs to sponsor or provide programs that empower minorities to continue with their education (AACN, 2015). Minority leaders or educators act as role models to the students.  Changes in the organizational structure appropriate to change include introducing nursing leader from the minorities and launching programs that support the enrollment of minorities in nursing programs.

As a health care leader, the changes that I would champion include employing nursing leaders from the minorities group, and formulate policies that specifically target minorities. For example, minority nursing leaders and educators play a critical role in empowering the students.  Furthermore, I would also introduce support programs for the leaders to improve their education and performance.

Executive Summary of Organizational Diversity