| Course | HRM-7620 Human Capital Management in Multicultural Organizations |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 4 |
| Paper type | Module 4 written assignment: HR leaders as architects of diversity change |
| Length | About 675 words, 5 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Thomas Edison State University |
| Program | MBA in Human Resource Management |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for HRM 7620 Module 4
From Survey Findings to Changed Systems: An HR Director's Plan for Inclusion at Hudson State
Student Name
MBA in Human Resource Management, Thomas Edison State University
HRM-7620: Human Capital Management in Multicultural Organizations
Mentor Name
Month Day, Year
From Survey Findings to Changed Systems: An HR Director's Plan for Inclusion at Hudson State
Introduction
Hudson State's climate survey has shown the same pattern for three years: staff from underrepresented groups and first-generation college graduates report lower confidence in advancement and fairness, and their first-year retention is lower. Previous responses were statements and events. The university has appointed a new HR director with a mandate to change systems, not just awareness. Chun and Evans (2014) describe HR leaders as architects of diversity change, responsible for designing the structures and processes through which inclusion happens. This assignment sets out how the director should lead that change.
A Change Model
The eight-step model of Kotter (1996) provides a structure. Applied here, the model starts with urgency and a coalition, moves to a vision that people hear and act on, and ends with early gains that are extended and anchored. Applied to Hudson State, urgency comes from the survey and retention data, presented as costs to the university's mission and budget. The guiding coalition should include the provost, the chief financial officer, two deans, staff council leaders and the HR director. The vision should describe the outcome in terms everyone can support: every employee has a fair chance to be hired, developed and promoted.
Accountability
Kalev et al. (2006) found that diversity initiatives that created responsibility, such as task forces and managers accountable for results, were followed by larger gains in managerial diversity than training or mentoring alone. Dobbin and Kalev's later work suggests one reason: when managers are responsible for solving a problem and their results are visible, they engage with it. Hudson State should therefore create an inclusion council chaired by the provost, with authority to approve changes to HR processes, and require each division to report twice a year on applicant pools, promotions and retention. Division leaders' annual goals should include improving these processes.
| Structure | Authority | Accountability |
|---|---|---|
| Inclusion council chaired by the provost | Approves changes to talent processes | Reports to the president each year |
| Division leads | Implement posting, structured interviews and development | Twice-yearly reports on process measures |
| HR director | Designs processes, provides data and training | Owns the measurement system |
| Staff council | Advises and represents employee views | Reviews survey results and progress |
Resistance
Change of this kind meets resistance. Some managers will see new processes, such as mandatory posting and structured interviews, as bureaucratic. Others may worry that inclusion work exposes the university to legal risk after recent changes in federal law. The HR director should address both directly. Process changes can be presented as good management that improves hiring quality and fairness for everyone, supported by research on structured interviews. Legal concerns should be addressed by having university counsel review each practice, confirming that all practices apply the same rules to every employee and that no decisions are based on protected characteristics.
Short-Term Wins
Visible early results maintain momentum. Within the first six months, HR can post all staff openings, introduce structured interviews in two divisions and launch a mentoring program open to all staff. Reporting the first results, such as larger applicant pools and higher satisfaction among candidates, shows progress before longer-term outcomes, such as promotion rates, can change.
Sustaining Progress
Anchoring change requires building it into routine systems: hiring procedures, performance goals, budget decisions and leadership development. The council should review the measures every year and adjust practices that are not working. The HR director should also plan for leadership turnover, since changes that depend on one leader often fade when that leader leaves.
Milestones
| Milestone | Target date |
|---|---|
| All staff openings posted; structured interviews in two divisions | Six months |
| Structured interviews university-wide; mentoring program running | Twelve months |
| Gap in advancement confidence narrowed by half in the climate survey | Two years |
| First-year retention gap between groups closed | Three years |
Conclusion
The HR director's role is to design the systems through which inclusion happens. A change model, accountability with real authority, direct responses to resistance, early wins and integration into routine processes give Hudson State a realistic path from survey findings to changed outcomes.
References
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.
Kalev, A., Dobbin, F., & Kelly, E. (2006). Best practices or best guesses? Assessing the efficacy of corporate affirmative action and diversity policies. American Sociological Review, 71(4), 589-617. https://doi.org/10.1177/000312240607100404
Kotter, J. P. (1996). Leading change. Harvard Business School Press.
What the HRM 7620 Module 4 instructions ask for
The second HRM-7620 written assignment covers HR leaders as architects of diversity change. Expect questions about the role of HR leaders in leading organizational change for inclusion, the models and structures that make change stick, how to build accountability, how to handle resistance and how to sustain progress. Apply the text and research on what makes diversity initiatives effective to a specific organization, and propose a plan with milestones. With only two written assignments in the course, each is substantial, so support claims with evidence and use APA style. Choose an organization where you can describe the current situation with evidence, such as survey results or turnover data, since the change plan must start from a clear problem.
Inside the HRM 7620 Module 4 example
The paper opens with persistent survey findings and a new leader's mandate. A change model section applies Kotter's steps to the organization, naming the coalition and vision. An accountability section uses research on what drives results and sets out structures in a table with authority and reporting duties. A resistance section addresses both process objections and legal concerns. Sections on short-term wins and sustaining progress follow, and a milestone table closes the plan. The paper moves from diagnosis to design to execution. A milestone table with dates shows how the change will be tracked over three years. Each structure in the table has both authority and a reporting duty, which keeps accountability clear.
HRM 7620 Module 4 rubric: what earns full marks
Mentors grade this assignment on understanding of HR's role in leading change, use of change models and research on accountability, realistic handling of resistance and the quality of the plan. Answers that create structures with real authority and visible accountability, supported by evidence, show depth. Addressing legal concerns accurately and anticipating leadership turnover demonstrate professional judgment. Milestones with dates show the plan can be tracked. The remaining marks go to sequence and referencing. Mentors also credit plans that anticipate leadership turnover and build changes into routine systems, so progress does not depend on one person. Responses to resistance that use evidence and legal review show professional maturity.
HRM 7620 Module 4 help from the desk
Students lose points by proposing awareness campaigns as the main change, by naming a change model without applying it, or by ignoring resistance and legal review. Others set goals without saying who is accountable. Apply each step of your model to the organization. Give the change structure authority over processes. Plan responses to specific objections. Set dated milestones. A free first sample using your own HRM-7620 Module 4 organization is available on request. Avoid plans that consist of statements and events. Give the change structure authority over processes. Address the objections you expect from managers and the legal questions leaders will ask. Set dated milestones. Show what happens in the first six months.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Thomas Edison State University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
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HRM 7620 Module 4 questions, answered
Where can I find a free HRM 7620 Module 4 sample paper?
The complete Module 4 paper on leading diversity change at Hudson State University is above, with a change model, accountability structures and milestones.
What does it mean for HR leaders to be architects of diversity change?
They design the structures, processes and accountability through which inclusion happens, rather than only running awareness programs.
What makes diversity initiatives effective?
Research finds that assigning responsibility and accountability, such as task forces and accountable managers, produces larger gains than training alone.
How should HR handle legal concerns about inclusion programs?
Have counsel review practices and design them to apply the same rules to all employees without decisions based on protected characteristics.
How can diversity change be sustained?
By building practices into routine hiring, performance, budgeting and leadership development and reviewing results every year.