Advancing Workforce Equity: A Guide for Stakeholders
Phase 1: Planning
An important first step for a community interested in advancing workforce equity is to figure out what’s driving the work and what you want to accomplish. Understanding and articulating your why is an effective way to frame your purpose. A simple and clear why statement can guide the equity workgroup in decisions and choices throughout the project process. Specifically, a why statement will inform the development of the group’s definition of workforce equity, a key element in the advancing workforce equity process explained in this guide.
One approach to drafting your why statement is to use the following format:
“To _______ so that ________.”
Identify Stakeholders
During the planning phase, you want to identify your primary stakeholders and define their roles.
Host organization
Provides general oversight for the project: scheduling, hosting meetings, identifying equity workgroup members, establishing timelines, etc.
Equity workgroup
Made up of key stakeholders and community influencers, serves as the primary group responsible for developing and implementing the scope of work.
Facilitator
Leads and guides the equity workgroup throughout the process.
Funding partner
Supports all elements of the work with financial resources.
Data partner
An experienced data organization gathers and interprets equity data.
Take Action
- Develop a project summary and scope of work
- Lay the frame for your workforce equity project by building out your team and defining roles and responsibilities
- Hire a facilitator to guide the equity workgroup throughout the project.
- Using a stakeholder analysis approach, narrow down a shortlist of potential equity workgroup members and invite them to participate.
Related Tools
• Stakeholder analysis
• Role of the facilitator