Diversity in the Emerging Marketplace.

The emerging global marketplace of diverse consumers requires today’s corporations to “recruit retain and promote diverse employees to ensure success” (Robinson, M., Pfeffer, C., & Buccigrossi, J. 2003). As we move into a generation of an increasing number of non-whites to whites, our children will experience a more dramatically diverse workforce. Companies must do more than simply display the intentions of values of diversity. They must embrace and remove the obstacles for the various groups they wish to represent. In order to do this, managers and leaders must first recognize the various groups. It is no longer just about race or gender. This ever-growing issue of diversity now expands in to areas such as sexual preference, disability and familial status. The buying power of these growing diverse markets require companies to invest in the “most valued corporate resource of human capital” (Robinson, M., Pfeffer, C., & Buccigrossi, J. 2003) by leveraging the diversity of their people in recruiting and retaining the most talented professionals out there. To do this, companies must take initiatives in identifying satisfiers and dissatisfiers of the groups they wish to represent. In knowing these, companies are better able to adapt to changes in the external environment and to anticipate and respond to the changes.

The key is that corporations need to recognize that Diversity Inclusion takes more than just lip service. Sure there are many companies that carry out diversity training programs. Mine, for instance, has online training for various company culture awareness programs, with titles such as “Avoiding Discrimination” and “Embracing Inclusion”. While these are mandatory trainings we must complete, there is little follow up on...

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...the experience as “easy” or “hard”. The process in and of itself is very easy. The challenge is using good judgment and critical thinking skills to ensure whatever source you are using is reliable.

Works Cited

Robinson, M., Pfeffer, C., & Buccigrossi, J. (2003). Business case for diversity with inclusion. Workforce Diversity Network. Retrieved January 22, 2012, from http://workforcediversitynetwork.com/docs/business_case_3.pdf

Solis, H. L., & Hall, K. (2011, December). Women in the Laborforce: A Databook (USA, US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor and Statistics). Retrieved January 29, 2012, from http://www.bls.gov/cps/wlf-databook-2011.pdf

Working Mother Research Institute. (2011, August 19). Working Mother 100 best companies 2011 Executive summary. Working Mother Magazine. Retrieved January 29, 2012, from http://www.workingmother.com/research-institute