ASSESSMENT COLLECTION

The second collection is the ASSESMENT COLLECTION

Here you can find the whole publication: CHECKLIST "DIVERSITY REVOLUTION": Tools for assessing the respecting diversity at the level of organizational culture, climate and staff competencies

Within it, we created a check-list for self-evaluation of any organisation/institution that works with young people. The checklist "Diversity Revolution" is based on contemporary and relevant theoretical knowledge about key elements of respecting diversity in institutions/organizations working with children and youth. These elements are identified within the domains of the institution's/organization's culture and climate, as well as the individual cultural competencies of management and staff.

After reviewing the theoretical foundations of respecting diversity, a survey of existing tools for assessing respecting diversity (questionnaires, interview protocols, checklists, scales) at all levels of the institution's/organization's functioning (culture, climate, individual competencies of the institution's/organization's actors) working with children and youth in the educational system, social welfare, and youth work was conducted. The content of the checklist is designed based on the review, analysis, integration, and adaptation of a total of 43 different tools for assessing diversity appreciation (detailed in the next chapter).

After the initial development of the checklist, it was piloted in three countries (Serbia, Italy, Slovenia). Cultural universality testing of the checklist, as well as testing of the items themselves, was conducted in each country. The sample in each country included leaders and employees from three sectors – youth work, education, and social work. The final checklist was created based on feedback obtained through the pilot process.

The checklist "Diversity Revolution" is created with the intention of serving as a respecting diversity screening tool in all domains of the functioning of an institution/organization – the domain of culture, the domain of climate, and the domain of individual cultural competencies of the actors – both management and staff.

Two versions of the checklist have been formulated – one for management and one for employees. The checklist for management comprises a total of 33 items (11 items for each of the three domains – culture, climate, and cultural competencies), while the checklist for employees includes 35 items (11 items for the culture domain, 13 items for the climate domain, and 11 items for the cultural competencies domain). At the end of the checklist, in both versions, management and employees are provided the opportunity to write up three things that need and can be done to improve diversity appreciation in the institution/organization - in other words, to propose priorities for improvement.

Screening and assessment of respecting diversity in the institution/organization may include three steps, that is, three levels of assessment:

The first level of assessment of respecting diversity in the institution/organization involves the completion of a checklist by the management (for example, director, acting director, deputy director, secretary, lawyer). Based on the first step of the assessment, the management has the opportunity to gain insight into the positive practice of respect for diversity in the institution/organization, but it can also map certain omissions and room for improvement, which further opens up space for planning specific interventions to improve respect for diversity in its institution/organization. If it is estimated that it is necessary to get a more "objective" and comprehensive picture of respect for diversity in the institution/organization, the management can proceed to the second step of the assessment.
The second level of assessment involves the distribution of a checklist to all employees in the institution/organization, in order to see their perception of respecting diversity in different domains of functioning. In this way, the management can gain insight into the employees' observations, which can be similar, but also completely opposite to the management's observation, which opens up space for new constructive discussions and improvement of the functioning of the institution/organization.
The third level of assessment serves a detailed and in-depth assessment of one or both domains of institutional functioning (culture and/or climate) or a detailed assessment of individual cultural competencies of management and/or employees. After performing a quick screening using the checklist and getting a preliminary insight into the functioning of their institution/organization in terms of fostering diversity, in the third, final, assessment step, management and/or employees are provided with a list of 43 tools to assess the fostering diversity in the institution/organization (at all levels of functioning). Management and employees can, from the created list of 43 tools for assessing respecting diversity, choose the one that best suits them considering the described characteristics of the assessment tool (type of assessment tool – checklist, questionnaire, scale; domain of functioning that it assesses – culture, climate and/or cultural competences; sector – education, social protection and/or youth work; target group for which the instrument is intended; number of items), and to access the selected tool and gain a detailed insight into the level of respect for diversity in the specific domain of functioning (institutional and/or individual). A list of tools suitable for culture/climate/competency assessment is available in the third chapter of the publication.