HRM 7620 Module 2 Written Assignment: Building Inclusive Talent Practices Example

Removing Barriers at Each Step: Inclusive Talent Practices for Hudson State University

Student Name

MBA in Human Resource Management, Thomas Edison State University

HRM-7620: Human Capital Management in Multicultural Organizations

Mentor Name

Month Day, Year

Removing Barriers at Each Step: Inclusive Talent Practices for Hudson State University

Introduction

Hudson State University employs about 3,200 faculty and staff. Its staff workforce is less diverse than its student body, and its climate survey shows that staff from underrepresented groups are less likely to believe they can advance. Before recommending changes, HR reviewed how staff are hired and promoted. It found that about 40 percent of staff hires come through referrals, that interview panels ask different questions of each candidate, and that half of staff promotions in the last two years were made without a posted opening. Chun and Evans (2014) describe inclusive talent practices as the foundation of diversity strategy: processes designed so that every qualified candidate has a fair chance. This assignment applies that idea to each step.

Where Bias Enters

Research shows that bias can affect decisions even when no one intends it. Bertrand and Mullainathan (2004) ran a field experiment in Boston and Chicago in which they answered job ads with invented applications that differed only in the name at the top, and those with names typical of white applicants drew about half again as many callbacks as those with names typical of Black applicants. Goldin and Rouse (2000) found that when orchestras adopted blind auditions behind a screen, the probability that women advanced increased substantially. These studies show that decisions made on incomplete information, with room for subjective judgment, are vulnerable to bias, and that changing the process can reduce it.

At Hudson State, bias can enter at four points: who hears about openings, which applications are screened in, how interviews are conducted and scored, and who is considered for promotion.

Six Inclusive Practices

Referrals can remain a source of candidates, but they should enter the same posted process as everyone else rather than bypass it. Structured interviews also improve prediction of performance, so they serve quality as well as fairness.

Applying the Practices Lawfully

Inclusive practices must comply with federal and state anti-discrimination law. Title VII and New Jersey's Law Against Discrimination prohibit employment decisions based on protected characteristics, and the legal environment for diversity programs tightened in 2025. The practices above are designed to widen access and apply the same rules to everyone: no position is reserved for a group, no candidate is scored differently because of a protected characteristic, and development programs are open to all. Monitoring outcomes by group, to detect barriers, is a long-standing compliance practice, but the results should be used to fix processes rather than to make decisions about individuals.

Onboarding and Retention

Inclusion continues after hiring. New staff who lack informal networks may find it harder to learn unwritten rules. A structured onboarding program, with a peer guide for every new staff member and a check-in at 30, 60 and 90 days, gives every hire the same access to information. Shore et al. (2011) describe inclusion as the combination of belonging and being valued for one's uniqueness, and onboarding is the first place employees judge whether they experience both.

Measuring Results

HR should track, for each job family, the size and composition of applicant pools, pass-through rates from application to interview to offer, offer acceptance, first-year retention and internal promotion rates. If a group's pass-through rate drops sharply at one step, HR should examine that step. The measures should be reviewed twice a year with leaders and reported in the climate survey summary.

Conclusion

Hudson State's talent processes leave room for bias at several points, through referral-heavy hiring, inconsistent interviews and unposted promotions. Research shows that process changes can reduce bias. Six practices open to all candidates, applied within current law and measured at each step, would build the foundation for an inclusive workforce.

References

Bertrand, M., & Mullainathan, S. (2004). Are Emily and Greg more employable than Lakisha and Jamal? A field experiment on labor market discrimination. American Economic Review, 94(4), 991-1013. https://doi.org/10.1257/0002828042002561

Chun, E., & Evans, A. (2014). The new talent acquisition frontier: Integrating HR and diversity strategy in the private and public sectors and higher education. Stylus Publishing.

Goldin, C., & Rouse, C. (2000). Orchestrating impartiality: The impact of "blind" auditions on female musicians. American Economic Review, 90(4), 715-741. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.90.4.715

Shore, L. M., Randel, A. E., Chung, B. G., Dean, M. A., Holcombe Ehrhart, K., & Singh, G. (2011). Inclusion and diversity in work groups: A review and model for future research. Journal of Management, 37(4), 1262-1289. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206310385943