From Racism Awareness Training to Strategic Human Resource Management in Implementing Equal Opportunity

Most organisations attempting to implement equal opportunity with regard to race issues have concentrated on policy formulation, monitoring and training. Despite recent criticism, racism awareness training has been frequently adopted, often in isolation from developments in other human resource functions. However, strategic integration of all the HRM functions is necessary if equal opportunity objectives are to be achieved. Drawing on empirical research in assessment centres and on interorganisational collaboration, it is argued that this requires developments in recruitment, selection, training, career development, appraisal and reward functions and attention to issues of cultural change.