"Companies that recognize diversity as a business imperative benefit by tapping into a large part of the talent pool and employing those who represent a significant part of their consumer base"
Judy Kneisley, senior VP

Diversity has recently become a focal point for many organizations, but there is still a long way to go, according to the experts at career services company Lee Hecht Harrison.

Diversity must be integrated as an ongoing part of a savvy business' overall strategy to both meet the needs of the organization's employees and have an understanding of its consumer base. "Companies that recognize diversity as a business imperative benefit by tapping into a large part of the talent pool and employing those who represent a significant part of their consumer base," says Judy Kneisley, senior vice president and general manager of Lee Hecht Harrison's Woodland Hills office. "And they are beginning to view diversity initiatives as the optimal solution for staying competitive, rather than as a legal or moral issue."

In this spirit, here are five tips from the experts at Lee Hecht Harrison for instilling diversity awareness and strategy in your organization:

-- Communicate your diversity goals. Explore and expand the frames of reference within your company by bringing in key stakeholders for frank and frequent discussions during the development process of your diversity program.

--Assess the present state of your company's diversity. This can provide a benchmark for tracking the improvement once some of the issues are identified. It can also lead to building awareness and commitment to change and help your company more effectively recruit to promote staff inclusion.

-- Discuss ways to move past stereotypes and prejudice and proactively address change with representatives from all levels within your company. Creating such a group can move diversity initiatives into the culture of your organization, rather than having only one person responsible for being the diversity conscience of the company.

-- Identify ways to track your progress made over time. Have regular meetings and solicit input from associates to assess trends that develop as a result of working toward the goals that were set.

-- Look at best practices within your community. Check nominee lists for local professional diversity awards, see what those companies are doing and ask to speak to someone about their program. Contact local ethnic organizations in your community and become familiar with them to become better tied in with local demographics.