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literature review on diversity management
literature review on diversity management
examples of diversity-conscious leadership
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For our module three assignment “Research and Inclusiveness” we were tasked with finding a full-text article on issues of diversity and their impact on leadership effectiveness. After two days of research, several searches with varying degrees of search parameters, and scanning multiple articles, I narrowed my search down to the article “Diversity as Strategy” (September 2004) by David A. Thomas, who is a professor of organizational behavior and human resources management at Harvard Business School in Boston. I chose this article because I thought it best reflected the assignment out of all the articles I was able to find, and it captured my interest.
The article describes the story of Lou Gerstner, former IBM CEO, who in 1995 created a diversity task force to build upon the already existing IBM equal opportunity policies. Gerstner was of the opinion that the company was not diversified enough, especially at the management level, and that increasing
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Gerstner realized that diversity is not just about handing out a pamphlet about Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity. He understood that he had to include the entire work force from the bottom up and inter-mix them, so they could gain a better understanding of each other. Gerstner made it clear that fostering, teaching, and managing diversity is an on-going process. However, without being given the proper tools a lot of managers may be doomed to be inefficient as they themselves can sometimes hold on to certain misgivings, as Thomas (2004) indicates, “Executive’s beliefs are frequently inconsistent with their behavior,…” (p. 104). A good example would be a former co-worker of mine. He was in middle management and of Indian decent. His group consisted of employees of various backgrounds, ages, lifestyles, etc. He was ineffective in managing diversity, as he himself discriminated against some of his team
Organizational diversity is a vital attribute causing rapidly growing controversial debates in today’s public and private business sectors. Many of the adversarial perspectives regarding organizational diversity have manifested in various organizations due to the implementation of laws, sanctions, programs and other initiatives designed and mandated to create a more equalized employment workforce.
When aligned with Organizational Objectives, diversity can be a powerful contributor to the organizations competitive advantage.” (Best practices page 9)
Gardenswartz, Lee, and Rowe, Anita, Diverse Teams At Work, Capitalizing on the Power of Diversity. Irwin Professional Publishing 1994.
Diversity is a reality in today’s workplace. It shouldn’t be merely tolerated but valued for what it brings to the organization. ‘It’s not about assisting the individual to “fit into” the corporate culture by “fixing” what is different about them.1
Pollar, Odette & Gonzalez, Rafael. (2011). Dynamics of diversity: strategic programs for your organization. Boston, MA: Crisp Pub Inc.
Diversity in the work place has generally been thought of as purely an employment equity issue. However, diversity is coming to be recognized as an asset which can, like any other asset that is well managed, contribute to the bottom line. Diversity is growing almost as quickly as the number of software vendors at an accounting convention (Talbot-Allen, 1995, p. 3)
Today’s management in the workforce is composed of all types of people verses thirty years ago when white males held a majority of upper-management positions in companies. These positions are now held by a mixture of ethnic back grounds and women who hold just as many if not more management positions then men. Just by looking at the changes in management demographics shows how important it is for people to understand cultural competency in the workplace. Dr. Roosevelt Thomas Jr. (1999) stated, “Diversity is the collective mixture of whomever we have in our workforce characterized by their differences and similarities” (p.11). Managers and supervisors must understand the characteristics of a diversity mature individual; they also need to be able to articulate the differences between affirmative action, managing diversity, understanding and valuing diversity to build skills that transforms awareness into productive and supportive workplace behaviors.
First, the management may be able to apportion the right resources and efforts in hiring the best and most diversified employees. Different perceptions on diversity indicate that diversity not only has benefits to an organisation but also presents several challenges, especially to the management. The different perceptions on diversity imply that managers should focus on solving diversity-associated problems to create an integrated workplace (Klarsfeld, 2016). To establish constructive diversity at the workplace, managers should institute feasible diversity-friendly policies, vision and
The impact of diversity in the workplace is contingent upon several factors. Across companies diversified workforces are becoming increasingly common. To successfully manage a diverse workforce, organizations are ensuring that employees understand how their values and stereotypes influence their behavior toward others of different gender, ethnic, racial, or religious backgrounds; are gaining an appreciation of cultural differences among themselves; and behaviors that isolate or intimidate minorities are being improved (Noe et al., 2010, pg. 302).
Managing diversity builds on the EEO foundation but puts a new emphasis on the importance of valuing workplace difference as good management practice. This approach means that organizations must develop people management strategies to value and accommodate differences in the background perspective and family responsibilities of their employees. It requires them to acknowledge the positive contribution that diversity can...
Barak, M. E. (2005). Managing diversity: toward a globally inclusive workplace. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications.
In the future diversity in the workplace may be required for companies that want to be competitive, because diverse ideas help create new solutions to help overcome obstacles. To take advantage of the synergy that diversity brings to the workplace, companies must develop long term goals and strategies. A long term strategy acknowledges differences and embraces them to encourage free thinking among employees. By incorporating diversity as an asset, companies can better prepare themselves to face the future. As their customers become more diverse, so should their workforce.
Shen, J., Chanda, A., D’Netto, B., & Monga, M. (2009). Managing diversity through human resource management: An international perspective and conceptual framework. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 20(2), 235-251.
Diversity is a highly important issue in today’s business, especially in a globalized company. Workplace diversity helps to get better solutions to business problems (Schawbel, 2012). When you have a group of individ...
Diversity is all around us and how organizations deal with the notion of diversity can be complex and quite diverse. We know that being diverse in the workplace is important to the organization's success, should be recognized, accepted, and embraced. It’s how the organizations live up to what they believe in and must go above and beyond legal compliance and requirements to promoting diversity and inclusion. Otherwise, employees may view the organization's vision and policies as lip service and only be tolerant of diversity because the organization said so.