Measuring diversity and diversity management practices is strongly regarded as the
initial step of HR diversity management practice (Kossek et al. 2005). Diversity capabilities in organizations could be undermined by the lack of attention to the documented polices and practices and proper record keeping. For example, according to ACIB (2000), in Australia, most organizations did not keep information on ethnic background in the 1990s. Sixty percent of the surveyed organizations had no data on language skills, and 35% did not collect data on employee age. A lack of systems for identifying diversity means that CEOs are not well placed to harvest the diversity embedded in their firm’s human capital. Therefore, many scholars have suggested organizations measure the identity profile or demographics of defined work groups (Cox 1993), the dominant organizational culture, and the perceptions of various employee groups in order to identify cultural barriers that may hinder the full and effective participation of all employees (Kossek et al. 2005). A critical analysis of the current HR diversity practices, such as recruitment and selection procedures, criteria for entry into jobs, selection tools, diversity training programmes, performance appraisal and compensation is also important. Such an analysis helps to overcome unfairness, remove the glass ceilings and eradicate tokenism and resistance (Human 1993). Periodic audits
of diversity are necessary to identify the areas that require improvement to manage
diversity effectively. Organizations can compare this data with benchmarking in an industry or a region in order to rate and increase the representation of women and minorities in the workforce or management. Our next sections focuses on the techniques for improving HR diversity at the tactical level.