GED Strategy
2010 – 2015
August 15th, 2010
Senior Advisor – Gender Equity and Diversity
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What is GED?
Gender Equity and Diversity (GED) embodies CARE’s commitment to the organizational
imperative of valuing, respecting and fully benefiting from each individual’s unique qualities and
abilities in order to fulfill and strengthen our vision and mission. In fact, our success in advancing
quality programming depends on our ability to harness and apply the skills and abilities of our
staff within an environment of respect, trust, and value for the contribution of all. Understanding
and appreciating GED internally is a process to
create these conditions.
“the glass ceiling is far from being
shattered in the executive suite of the
nation's largest companies as women
currently hold only 5.8 percent of the
top positions. However, the glass
ceiling is showing signs of weakness
as this represents twice the rate from
just a few years ago.” (Gender bias
To advance gender equity, CARE affirms the
commitment that all people carry inherently equal
dignity and rights, therefore, CARE should always
affirm and uphold the equal rights, and opportunities
of men and women. Furthermore, each person, by
virtue of her or his particular character and context,
has a unique identity and combination of aspirations
and abilities. Therefore, CARE must strive to
understand how the particular conditions of each
individual or social group shape their ability to excel,
and create tailored opportunities for each to thrive.
and compensation
the executive
By advancing
diversity,inCARE
seeks to ensure that, collectively, CARE’s partners and staff at all
levels
embody
the
richness
of
diversity
suite of the fortune 100; Jan 2007) found in the socioeconomic and cultural environments in
which we work. CARE conceptualizes diversity in the broadest sense, going beyond regular
classifications of gender, race, nationality, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, age, disability,
among others, to also include diversity of perspectives that uphold CARE’s core values, and to
emphasize the value of creating and maintaining a work environment that promotes diversity.
Realizing our vision and upholding our mission and core values will require staff to apply GED
standards to our organizational behavior that support and reaffirm the equal dignity and rights of
all.
Business Rationale
GED is important to CARE because it is reflective of who we are, what we do, where we work,
and our vision for the future. Our business rationale for GED is as follows:



As CARE further emphasizes its focus on
“There is evidence that managing a
women’s empowerment in our programs, it
diverse
work force well can contribute to
is critical that we practice similar principles
increased
staff retention and
in house, and ensure that staff understand
productivity. It can enhance the
the importance of power relations as they
organization's responsiveness to an
relate to gender.
increasingly diverse world of customers,
In order to enhance and advance our relief
improve relations with the surrounding
and development work, we need a variety of
community, increase the organization's
perspectives to inform relevant and
ability to cope with change, and expand
responsible choices about how programs
the creativity of the organization”
are designed, and how projects are
Human Resources, University of
managed and implemented.
California, Berkeley
To increase capacity within the communities
in which CARE works, we need to build collaborative relationships and partnerships amongst
people with a multiplicity of similarities and differences.
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


CARE’s mission calls for affirming the dignity and worth of all people. This includes, but is
not limited to, combating discrimination in all its forms.
CARE’s successful future is dependent upon our ability to learn and innovate. Our
differences in knowledge, approach, and perspective are the source and spring of innovation
and learning.
CARE promotes gender equity and diversity because we believe it is the right thing to do and
it allows us to lead internally with our staff and externally in our work with program
participants by upholding CARE’s core values of Respect, Integrity, Commitment, and
Excellence.
Our Vision for 2015
CARE will be an organization where diverse people flourish; where we welcome, embrace
and enrich the gender equity and diversity of our staff whose perspectives and
experiences will allow us to achieve excellence in our work to eliminate global poverty and
social injustice.
We will achieve this vision by:
 Building on learning from the past
 Using our Framework for Action
 Providing coherent leadership and support on GED across the organization
 Communicating clearly inside and outside the organization
Background and learning
“Diversity is incredibly valuable. It’s a must, a
1998 CARE USA marked the genesis of GED
condition without which you will not
by announcing its GED Initiative with much
succeed, but that richness comes with a
enthusiasm and support from executive
complexity that needs to be accepted and
leadership. Over the years, GED’s progress
managed.”
was reflected within CARE USA’s
Antonio M. Perez; Chairman and CEO of
programmatic and internal work in Country
Eastman Kodak CO.
Offices and Headquarters. Progress was
made in areas affecting project and program participants and staff in areas such as
understanding ethnic differences, exposing religious biases, correcting gender inequities,
improving representation and participation of marginalized groups, women, and
underrepresented groups, building awareness among staff through formal and informal learning,
and increasing the number of women and underrepresented groups at CARE. For example, GED
experienced many successes such as: women in Country Offices going beyond their prescribed
gender roles for example to join the cadre of drivers; instances of national staff being promoted to
prominent decision making positions; staff working in conflict countries holding dialogues across
ethnic lines; and the adoption of a CARE International (CI) Gender Policy and policy on the
Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA). Country Offices also carried out GAP
analyses (or gender audits) and developed specific plans to improve representation, trust,
learning and accountability; systems of governance internally were improved to ensure voice and
participation of a diversity of staff in senior management and decision making teams.
Organizational development and learning took place more systematically, CARE began to offer
leadership and management training including Leading with Impact, CARE People Management
Program and specific courses were also designed to improved GED awareness (The GED
series). Successful programs to increase gender equity and diversity have targeted national and
female staff development and ensured systematic analysis of trends and use of the data for
planning; they have provided sustained training in GED in recognition of relatively high turnover at
different levels within the organization.
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During the past few years a lull fell upon GED. This has provided us with a good opportunity to
learn from our experience. Our own work and the literature shows that progress is made when
there is high executive and senior leadership support backed up with dedicated GED human and
financial resources and strong communication on GED activities within our Country Offices and
Headquarters. CARE’s work also shows that success is most likely when there is strong
integration between CARE’s internal GED work and its programming and external marketing in
GED, and a strong sense of the meaning and relevance of GED in CARE.
We have 24% women and 76% men in our staff, and it’s
not getting better. One of the reasons is that everyone
would like to see that figure change but no one is ready to
accept compromises in their team to bring about the
change. In short, I need to build awareness and the
support of Managers in order to address the question. (A
country office human resource manager)
In short, success depends upon
coherence, strong leadership and
management, good communication;
and systems of accountability that
inform decision making and that are
inclusive and build upon our values;
This strategy is an expression of a
rededication and renewal of excitement around GED. The review of our GED work reinforced our
framework for action and also identified some critical priority areas for work within them, these are
outlined below.
A framework for action: Priority Strategies
Framework for Action
Representation
(Paradigm I)
Trust
(Paradigm II)
Learning
(Paradigm III)
Accountability
CARE has used this framework for action since the early 2000’s. It has a proven track record and
is well known and understood throughout the organization. This strategy therefore reaffirms the
framework. It is important to note that four areas of strategic importance that cut across the
framework have been identified, they are:

Coherence (between our marketing, our program and our organization);

Leadership

Communication

Information
These areas of focus are highlighted in the accompanying action plan.
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1. Representation: The ability of an
Contrary to the organization’s commitment to
organization to attract and retain
excellence
based on inclusion and diversity … staff
qualified and committed staff
workforce data indicates that women are not well
representing different backgrounds,
represented in the organization’s workforce. This
gender, ethnicity, age groups and
under representation is reflected at the
experiences; and staff who offer
management
and leadership positions in general
different perspectives, and opinions in
and
specifically
that of field and project offices.
order to collectively foster relationships
Currently
women
staff
account only 24% of the total
that contribute towards the
staff
in
the
organization,
as noted in the recent
organization’s effectiveness.
climate
survey.
Similarly,
gender
diversity is the
Representation is based on the
lowest
among
senior
management
where female
recognition that discrimination is
account
only
13.5%
of
management
positions.
wrong. The focus here is on equal
(CARE
Ethiopia’s
GED
Action
Plan
2008)
opportunity, fair treatment, recruitment,
and compliance with contextually
relevant Equal Employment Opportunity requirements. Advancing representation implies not only
a focus on demographic patterns, but works toward ensuring that all staff have an opportunity to
contribute to a variety of ideas for effective decision-making and innovation.
Representation priorities for 2010-2015:
 Specific focus areas based on data analysis – e.g. leadership at CO and regional levels;
Africa and Asia focus for increasing female representation, etc.
 Affirmative action and Code of Ethics; Proactive attention to under-represented groups.
 Alignment of work place policies and practices to good industry practice in GED
 Improving representation of vendor/consultants
 Recruitment
 Orientation, on-boarding and exit interviews
 Performance management
 Talent management
2. Trust: The quality of relationships within CARE. In order for gender equity and diversity to
contribute to effective decision-making and innovation, relationships built upon trust must exist,
and systems and structures that support trust building must be available.
Trust Priorities for 2010-2015:
 Employee Engagement, Gap analyses and Climate Surveys (BSQ etc)
 Communication – in main CARE languages
 Staff well-being
 Internal leadership
 Accountability systems that are responsive to the voice of staff
3. Learning: The ability and willingness of CARE staff to learn from each other, to respect,
value, and fully capitalize on diverse people, perspectives and new knowledge and innovation
Learning Priorities for 2010 - 2015:
 Orientation and on-boarding
 Performance Management
 Improved, sustained and integrated formal training – in partnership with others and
meeting identified learning needs (whether programmatic or organizational)
 Targeted coaching and mentoring programs
 Greater alignment between programmatic priorities and staff knowledge and skills.
4. Accountability: The organization’s ability to accomplish and sustain its commitments. In order
for progress to be made in advancing representation, trust, and learning, we need strong and vital
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systems to hold staff at all levels accountable for progress. Leadership support and accountability
at all levels is integral to this process.
Accountability Priorities for 2010 – 2015
 Leadership – building strong and
It is practically impossible to make inclusion work
consistent leadership around GED and
without support from the highest level in an
ensuring that leaders seek to use clear
organization….Simply put, when the executive
accountability mechanisms for change.
team meets to set the organization’s strategic
 Policy review and implementation
direction, add a diversity and inclusion
component to each unit.
 Integrated (program and
(Linda Burrs – Clean Up a Toxic Workplace;
organizational) data tracking and use
Diversity – July/Aug 2010)
(including Ubora) in decision making
and prioritization
 Programmatic and Organizational Planning and Reporting systems
 Rewarding (within our performance management and in other ways) positive action and
change
 Performance management and evaluation
 Improved communication
Making it happen
This strategy depends on all of us particularly the management lines in CARE; after all our
stand on issues and the decisions
Gender in organizations …becomes simultaneously and
we make often give implicit ethical
continually performed and institutionalized. While
and value based messages
organizational actors may believe they are expressing purely
around GED. The strategy has
personal, preexisting tendencies and tastes when they dress in
been pulled together and will be
a particular way, manage disputes or interact with their
tracked by the Senior Advisor
clients or colleagues, their behaviors and inclinations are
for GED within the Global
strongly influenced by their surrounding organizational
Support Services. As mentioned
culture – what matches or clashes with the organization’s
above, coherence and
style. (Doing Gender; Doing Class Mary Nell Trautner 2005)
communication are key and one
of the core roles of the Senior Advisor will be to ensure that different parts of the organization are
prioritizing and working together to ensure results.
As we move into Fiscal Year 2011, there is evidence of a high level of interest and support. 5 out
of 6 regions have an explicit objective related to improving representation of staff (particularly at
senior levels); 50% of (CARE US) CO AOPs reviewed (excluding LAC and SAR) have explicit
objectives, the majority relate to representation but cut across the four areas of the framework for
action. This interest should be increased and sustained at high levels. It will be important to
ensure that this strategy happens in support of regional and CO aspirations, this will mean
working closely with leadership in the regions and also with regional and CO HR staff.
CARE International is also taking a strong lead on this work, the CI Gender Network is actively
following up on the implementation of the CI Gender Policy and has developed useful guidance
for action planning and measurement. This strategy will work within this broader context and use
the best tools and support from the network.
Within CARE US HQ, there is a high level of energy and commitment to the work, it will be
particularly important to build support and sponsorship from the Executive Management Team
members. The Senior Advisor will work very closely with the Director, Gender Unit (and her
team) in Program Quality and Impact. There will also be a strong and explicit linkage
particularly with all parts of the Human Resources Unit. Finally, the role of internal
communications will be critical to ensure clear and coherent messaging around the work.
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Measuring success
One of the simplest ways to measure success is by quantitative methods. Representation lends
itself to such methods and we are using them in our Ubora system (particularly for CARE US and
International positions); it will need improvement and expansion if we are to understand the
situation globally.
Measuring the more qualitative elements of the framework can be more challenging – for
example, diversity of perspectives in decision making or the quality of participation, increased and
sustained learning and trust. It is not however impossible; there are both proxy indicators and
qualitative surveys that provide information in relation to gender, diversity, seniority,
division/department, etc; these might include:

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Recruitment data (diversity applicants, long lists, short lists, successful candidates)
Turnover and reasons for leaving (from exit interviews)
Staff well being – sick leave, workload information (PAR), mental health
Talent Management – assessments and talent development
Performance Management – objectives and development and evaluation
Employee Engagement Survey/Climate Survey or GAP analysis data
Strategic plans; AOPs and reviews
Measure of success:
Representation:
1.
Increase in the diversity (by gender, race, nationality, ethnicity, religion, sexual
orientation, age, disability, among others) of staff in critical parts (defined by data
indicating low levels of diversity) of the organization.
2.
Increased representation and active participation (by gender, race, nationality,
ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, age, disability, among others) in decision
making bodies
3.
Reduced turnover
Trust:
4.
Improved organizational climate including trust and voice as evidenced in surveys
and GAP analysis/Gender Audits
5.
Improved and systematic communication relating to GED internally
6.
Issues raised and addressed by leadership (e.g. in EES)
Learning
7.
Number and quality and sustainability of training and learning events around GED.
8.
Mentoring and coaching programs in place and benefiting targeted staff
9.
Qualitative stories of learning and change
Accountability
10.
Number of GED related plans in existence and reports against plans
11.
GED data produced and used in planning and prioritization at various levels of the
organization.
12.
Improved and systematic communication relating to GED internally
13.
Performance management and talent management data indicates that we are
improving in areas of representation, learning and trust.
This strategy is accompanied by a plan that outlines objectives, activities and expected results for
the first three years of the strategy. The strategy will be reviewed on an annual basis and plans
adjusted based on management information and priorities. To obtain a copy of the plan, please
contact Allison Burden at [email protected].
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