Transcript DIVERSITY TASK FORCE - New England Archivists

DIVERSITY TASK FORCE
NEA BOARD MEETING
NOVEMBER 2, 2012
AGENDA
•CHARGE
•INTERPRETATION OF CHARGE
(JUSTIFICATION FOR THOUGHTFUL, DELIBERATIVE APPROACH)
•THE STEPS TO OUR APPROACH
•PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER TOWARDS FINAL
REPORT
•ALTERNATE OUTCOMES VS. ORIGINAL
INTENTIONS?
•ACCOMPLISHMENTS TO DATE
•WHAT’S COMING UP: January Board Meeting
•RECOMMENDATIONS for discussion
NEA’S STRATEGIC PLAN: CHARGE
Long Range Plan
Action Plan
Interpreting the Charge
CHARGE: LONG RANGE PLAN
a. Identify the main 3-5 diversity issues facing the organization: Appoint a Diversity Task
Force to identify the main 3-5 diversity related issues facing the organization and make
recommendations for addressing them. Human and fiscal resources should be
considered when developing the recommendations. The Diversity Task Force submits
recommendations to Board within 6 months of convening.
Assignment: Board to appoint a Diversity Task Force, Diversity Task Force to identify
issues and make recommendations.
b. Articulate what diversity and inclusion mean to NEA As part of the process outlined in
objective a., above, the Diversity Task Force will articulate what diversity and inclusion
mean to NEA and develop a diversity statement to be approved by the membership
and published on the Website.
Assignment: Diversity Task Force
c. Incorporate diversity considerations into committee activities Charge each committee
with developing 2-3 ways to incorporate diversity and inclusion in their activities and,
with Board approval and fiscal responsibility, implementing at least one.
Assignment: All Committees
CHARGE: ACTION PLAN
Section 10
10. a. Identify the main 3-5 diversity issues facing the organization
Board and Diversity Task Force
1. Board appoints a Diversity Task Force
2. Diversity Task Force submits recommendations to the Board.
1. By Spring 2011
2. Within one year of convening
10. b. Articulate what diversity and inclusion mean to NEA
Diversity Task Force
1. Diversity Task Force submits a finished draft of a diversity statement to the Board for approval.
2. Board presents diversity statement to the membership for vote.
1. Within 1 year of convening.
2. At Spring 2012 meeting
10. c. Incorporate diversity considerations into committee activities
All Committees
1. Committees report their 2-3 ways of incorporating diversity and inclusion in to their activities to the Board.
2. Board considers and approves implementation of specific activities.
1. By Spring 2013
2. By Fall 2013
INTERPRETING THE CHARGE
Although presented with a time frame , and specific goals, we determined there were
specific questions that needed to be addressed before attempting to achieve these
goals.
•WHAT IS THE INTENDED OUTCOME? FOR WHOM?
•WHAT DOES A DIVERSE AND INCLUSIVE ORGANIZATION
LOOK LIKE?
•DOES THAT APPLY TO NEA?
•HOW DO WE DETERMINE THAT THE GOAL HAS BEEN
REACHED, THAT OUR EFFORTS ARE ENOUGH, & ARE
SUSTAINABLE?
•HOW DOES ONE MEASURE SUCCESS?
•WHAT DO WE USE TO MEASURE OUR PROGRESS &
RE-EVALUATE PLAN & OUTCOME ONCE GOALS ARE
REACHED?
THE STEPS TO OUR APPROACH
•DUAL
•DETERMINING OUR ROLE
•SOME “TOOLS” TO ADVANCE OUR
APPROACH
THE APPROACH
• INTERNAL
• EXTERNAL
ROLE OF TASK FORCE
Long Range
Plan
TASK
FORCE
NEA Board
NEA
Membership
“TOOLS”
•Research origins of NEA’s diversity charge
•Survey of other professional organization’s
similar efforts
•Survey of past NEA records at UCONN for
precedent
•Survey of Board Membership, Fall 2011
•Survey of General Membership 2011, 2012
Survey of other professional
organization’s similar efforts
ONGOING
•Society of American Archivists
•ALA
•RBMS
•ARL
•NARA
•ACA
•Oral History Association
•Digital Commonwealth
•Other Regional Archival Organizations:
Midwest Archives Conference (MAC)
Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference
Survey of NEA records at UCONN
1.
Evidence for precedent of diversity and inclusion:
to find and summarize evidence of what the organization has discussed and
done in regards to diversity: among board members, with membership,
within region, with external groups, etc.
2.
Defining the organizational culture without bias and outsider’s perspective:
what to preserve and what may need to change a) small town versus big city?
b) ambition
3.
Why does the past matter?
Establish legacy of commitment, legitimacy, and credibility…Who or what is
driving commitment? What has been invested towards this goal?
4.
Establish context for our time and work as a task force: tendering a favorable
response and acceptance through accountability. Can we ensure sustainability
beyond leadership changes for the sake of membership ?
5.
What precedence (if any) could be found for a “statement” of their mission
and values?
RECORDS REVIEW
•Series IV included records of the following committees: membership,
outreach, long range planning from 1987-1995 (in essence, the long range
planning committee or LRPC is the predecessor to the current Long Range
Plan and Action Plan), other subcommittees, and the Task Force on Future
Directions.
•Series V, Subject Files, undated, 1977, included information about Goals and
Priorities (or the GAP Report) done by SAA in the 1980s, and NEA’s draft and
formal response to the report); board emails; past meeting files 1986-1992;
regionals 1979-1981 (did not get to this last folder this time).
•We were also able to see correspondence, (but no formal program schedule)
of past NEA meetings that were not already included on the web site (19861992).
RECORDS REVIEW
We found these transitional years to help us focus and
place all events in context:
•Spring 1985 NEA meeting in Williamstown, pre-board
meeting discussion of SAA’s GAP Report
•1986: NEA board retreat
•1989: passing and implementation of first 5 Year
Strategic Long Range Plan
•1994 end of 5 year Long Range Plan
•1996 Task Force on Future Directions
Survey of Membership
HIGHLIGHTS
• 2011
• 2012
One Question included:
#11
1.
NEA has recently formed a Diversity
Task Force.
What diversity issues would you like
to see this task force address?
2. Question #19:
What areas do you think the NEA Diversity
Task Force should focus on? Please select
all that apply:
Response:
• answered question: 31
• skipped question: 60
“Diversity in the types of archivists/record
keepers represented by the membership”
Task force submitted 4 questions
Highest response among choices at
64.3% (74)
Survey of Membership
HIGHLIGHTS
Another response of great interest to us, from the 2012 Membership Survey,
was to question # 3:
Question # 3: If you are a member, how long have you been a member?
Less than a year 8.0% (9)
1-5 years 43.8% (49)
6-10 years 15.2% (17)
11-15 years 10.7% (12)
Over 15 years 22.3% (25) (2nd highest!)
MORE ON EXTERNAL APPROACH
The task force looks to promote and
collaborate on NEA’s diversity charge with
regional and national archives group
through an SAA Annual Meeting session
SAA SESSION PROPOSAL
“Unfortunately I do not have the most encouraging news
for you. After discussing this with my fellow officers and
past XXXX chair, we do not think we can participate in the
session you propose. I'm not sure if I should be ashamed
of that or not but we do not have strategies in place or
initiatives surrounding diversity per se. We're all agreed
therefore that we're not sure what we would talk about
or contribute to the discussion as you envision it.”
~Email quote from potential co-panelist from regional
archival organization
SAA SESSION PROPOSAL
Our response:
We just completed our proposal form, and I wanted to express my deepest thanks again to you for getting back to us
tonight, and for your diligent efforts in reaching out to your fellow officers and past XXXX Chair. We are ecstatic and
grateful for your efforts, in the midst of your commitments and with very short notice. Thank you!
Although we are saddened that XXXX will not be represented on our panel, it is our sincerest hope that we will keep in
touch with you and your fellow officers throughout the year. Your sentiment (and we totally empathize with you) is at
the very heart of why I proposed this session to Karen, who is NEA's Diversity Task Force Chair.
Our region is just getting started as well, and we hoped to share our experiences, step by step, and learn from other
regions--no matter what stage in the process we were all in. The session is an opportunity to provide support for
each other and strengthen communication between regions, and between regionals and SAA diversity [committee]
reps, as myself.
So, if our proposal is accepted, we still hope XXXX members will be in the audience and in full force!
Please know XXXX, that our intention is never to shame anyone, but to highlight everyone's efforts, no matter how
big or small, including the process of just thinking about or defining what diversity means for your region.
Others could still benefit from hearing just how XXXX got to the point of crafting a strategic long range plan, and your
group's vision. So, I hope we can continue this dialogue---if our session is accepted this year---or the next :-)
Our very best wishes to you, and we will let you know if our proposal is accepted.
Take very good care,
Michelle and Karen
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
TOWARDS A FINAL REPORT
How do we intend to synthesize and use the
information and feedback received from all
of these “tools” for recommendations to the
board and voting by the board and
membership?
USE OF RESEARCH AND SURVEY DATA
RECORDS REVIEW at UCONN: In our records review, we found out
that members were complaining about the declining number of
government archivists attending NEA meetings in the late 1980s.
2012 MEMBERSHIP SURVEY: “Diversity in the types of
archivists/record keepers represented by the membership”
Highest response among choices at 64.3% (74)
Therefore, here’s an EXAMPLE of a RECOMMENDATION:
The task force would like to recommend a joint meeting(s) and/or
social networking events to be coordinated and sponsored with
local NAGARA and CoSA officers and members.
ALTERNATE OUTCOMES VS.
ORIGINAL INTENTIONS?
It will take a little more time than at
first anticipated for this process
Diversity Journey
Mainstream
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4
Year 5
How Collaboration Can Change the World: Inclusion and Diversity Presentation by Ayelet Baron, October 2009
Moving to Inclusion and Diversity
FROM
ACTIVITY
INDEPENDENT
RESOURCES
TRANSACTIONAL
TO
PROCESS
COLLABORATIVE
LEADERSHIP
TRANSFORMATIONAL
How Collaboration Can Change the World: Inclusion and Diversity Presentation by Ayelet Baron, October 2009
We are not trying to be the diversity police!!!
ACCOMPLISHMENTS TO DATE:
CLARIFYING THE VISION
CREATING A PROCESS THAT FOSTERS
SUSTAINABILITY AND CONTINUITY
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS
COMING UP IN JANUARY
Future requests for board discussion and
voting
•Additional Survey(s): board, regional
groups & lapsed members
•Focus Groups
•Second of two public forums
RECOMMENDATIONS
We would like the board to consider the following ideas, submitted in our report for
this meeting:
1. The Task Force respectfully recommends that the board have an org chart
published on their web site, presenting the hierarchy and communication flow, and a
new leader’s guide to NEA (these efforts are related to membership retention and
inclusion, better communication internally, and externally between the board and the
general membership, & to our counterparts outside of NEA; and coincide with the
board’s introduction of a new roundtable structure). The Task Force would like to
work with the Membership and Communications Committee, and others on this chart
(as well as the Task Force on Organizational Effectiveness, if applicable.) This would
aid greatly in the transition from a Task Force to a committee.
2. The Task Force respectfully recommends that the Task Force work with the
Education Committee on researching the presentation and delivery of a workshop
and/or speaker(s) on diversity and inclusion for the board, first, and then the
membership.