Vital Signs
Research Project
Designed for Catalyst member organizations wherever they are on the diversity journey, Vital Signs is chock full of insights, critical questions, compelling charts and visuals, customizable spreadsheets, leading practices and more. Vital Signs will help you better understand your numbers, but it is not just for metrics experts—it’s for everyone.
The Vital Signs toolkit helps you use workforce statistics as a diagnostic test, providing guidance by highlighting your unique gaps and patterns, your strengths and opportunities. Vital Signs provides actionable steps that lead you to ask the right questions, interpret your data, and understand what’s driving your numbers so you can accelerate impact.
The toolkit includes three tools, with more to be added over time:
- Vital Signs: How They Can Lead to Change in Your Organization introduces the Vital Signs approach and suggests how to start defining what “good” looks like for your organization.
- Vital Signs: Using Your Data to Close the Gaps shows you how to use five fundamental metrics—representation, hiring, turnover, promotions, and time in position—to identify gaps and pinpoint areas in need of action. At the end, a unique Key Metrics Comparison chart will help drive impact even for members who know their data well. Customizable figures and tables from this tool are available in Vital Signs: Using Your Data to Close the Gaps – Figures and Tables.
- Testing Popular Assumptions: We Can’t Find Qualified Women outlines three steps you can take to test the validity of this and other assumptions for your organization with data, probing questions, and leading practices.
Key Questions: Positioning You for Action
Listen to a brief activity about sponsorship from our July 2012 Vital Signs webinar to stimulate your thinking. How do you respond? How do others respond?
Webinars and Events
Members can listen to the recording of the webinar Vital Signs: Getting Behind the Numbers, which guides you through the toolkit and other resources. It first aired on February 21, 2013.
In addition, members can listen to the recording of our 2012 Vital Signs: A New Catalyst Member Benefit webinar for further information on the Vital Signs approach and valuable strategies for moving forward.
We'd Like To Hear From You
Have you seen metrics and key questions used to create impact in your organization? Do you have a suggestion for another popular assumption about women in the workplace? Are you willing to share what you’re working on and your success stories? Do you have a questions or suggestions about Vital Signs?
Please contact us. Note: We can only respond to submissions from individuals at member organizations since Vital Signs is an exclusive member benefit.
