T his iterative phase will include a review of initiatives to determine progress.
We need to ask ourselves:
- How will we hold people accountable for aligning with the changes?
- Have we embraced anti-bias and anti-racism in our hiring processes?
- Do we have more engaged employees who are committed to the Henry Ford College Mission, Vision, Values?
…and the ultimate litmus test:
- Are we starting to see an HFC team that is more representative of our students and our community?
- Are people not only represented, but also included in crucial conversations?
Call to Action: Colleagues and Campus Community
We are excited to present our Henry Ford College ABIDE Talent Management Strategy. Progress on this strategy has been in the works since 2022, and we are pleased to share it. We solicited input from broad groups of HFC stakeholders, and those collaborations have resulted in a strategy created as a living document, continually evolving as we grow as a College, and as the needs of our local and global community change.
Why ABIDE?
Diversity requires commitment. Achieving the superior performance diversity can produce needs further action – most notably, a commitment to develop a culture of inclusion. People do not just need to be different; they need to be fully involved and feel their voices are heard.”
– Alain Dehaze, CEO Adecco
Top organizations understand that each of these principles are most effective working in concert versus singular ideals. Diversity alone has little strategic value. Only when we combine the actionable principles of equity, inclusion, belonging, and a commitment to social justice will we experience sustainable change. It is not enough to strive for diversity within our College Community if our team members don’t feel as though HFC is a place where they belong.
It is not enough to have a seat at the table if our teammates' voices are not valued equally and equitably. It is not enough to make new policies without addressing how practices of the past have affected our current culture. We will continue to ensure that everyone feels valued, that all voices are heard, and that we build upon our commitment to being a Welcoming College dedicated to the LIVING the values of advancing belonging, inclusion, diversity, and equity for everyone.
Why start with Talent Management?
“A workplace needs to be inviting. People are coming to work to enjoy their jobs, to make money for their family and to enhance their lives. They shouldn’t have to come into a hostile work environment or a place where they can expect to be mistreated.”
— Cynthia ‘Cynt’ Marshall, CEO Dallas Mavericks
Talent is HFC’s most valuable resource. Continuing to create and implement equitable and inclusive practices specific to how we recruit, develop, manage, and retain our talent is a top human resource strategic priority. We know that to provide the best service to our students and our community, we must intentionally focus on acquiring and cultivating qualified talent with diverse perspectives.
Most important, representation matters. Our students perform best when they can relate to faculty and staff culturally and socially, as well as academically. Our ABIDE Talent Management Strategy aligns with our ABIDE Strategic Plan to complement our goals of closing achievement and retention gaps with our students.
Additionally, this talent management strategy aims to address underrepresentation of historically marginalized communities, including our approaches to mitigating potential misrepresentation, reducing implicit and institutional bias, and reducing potential barriers to success in our talent management practices.
Why Now?
“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
- James Baldwin, American Writer and Activist
The years 2020 and 2021 served as an awakening and a reckoning. While communities of color have long experienced social injustice, events of the past years brought those experiences to light in a way that cannot be ignored. Taking intentional, strategic action is no longer optional.
We asked ourselves, how can we focus our collective energy, and engage and support our colleagues in a way that produces sustainable change?
We knew that a single part of the larger solution originates with our people. The need for a strategy focused on talent was overdue and therefore became a natural starting point. Our promise to you is that this is simply the beginning of our efforts. Henry Ford College is choosing to be intentional in ensuring that our workforce is multivariate, multicultural, embraces intersectionality and differences, and that our workplace fosters equity, inclusion, and belonging.
The ABIDE Talent Management Strategy is a singular component of what we envision as a larger, overarching College-wide strategic imperative that demonstrates not just our commitment to a workforce that works for everyone in our community, but also considers how every aspect of our academic and administrative operations align with this commitment.
We encourage you to read through the ABIDE Talent Management Strategy as a personal call to action and find ways in which you can personally contribute to HFC’s shared vision. You are critical to our success as we move forward together. We welcome you to contact the Talent Management Team with any questions or suggestions.