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The impact of workplace diversity in an organization
Primary dimensions of diversity management
The impact of workplace diversity in an organization
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“Rapid internationalization and globalization has enhanced the significance of workforce diversity”. (Shen, 2009) There is now a growing need for diversity management and interlacing cultural differences into the company’s core values. Within the last couple of decades human resource management has tied in diversity management with compliance to the EEOC and affirmative action. Going forward into the future, companies need to start looking at diversity in the workplace as an individual focus to utilize. “Less attention has been paid to valuing, developing and making use of diversity”. (Shen, 2009) The marketplace is changing rapidly, for a company to be successful the demographics in the work setting must be similar. “Diversity management does not only recognize but also values and harnesses workforce differences, such as individual characteristics, backgrounds, orientations, and religious beliefs, so that individual talents are being fully utilized and organizational goals are met”. (Shen, 2009) Not only are there benefits for external stakeholders to see a company’s diversity management successful, internally having different viewpoints and cultural backgrounds help bring new perspectives to problem solving. A study found that “a diverse workforce has a better quality solution to brainstorming tasks, displays more cooperative behavior relative to homogenous groups, and can raise organizational efficiency, effectiveness and profitability.” (Shen, 2009) Human resources’ role in diversity management is finding a way to implement a strategy to incorporate diversity into a corporation’s day-to-day activity. “Both HRM and diversity management are concerned with individual differences the development and well being of each and every ... ... middle of paper ... ...m-Line: The Metaphor Of "Managing Diversity." Journal Of Business Communication 40.1 (2003): 28-49. Business Source Premier. Web. 26 Nov. 2013. 5.) Diversity Identity Management: An Organizational View Cole, Brooklyn, and Manjula Salimath. "Diversity Identity Management: An Organizational Perspective." Journal Of Business Ethics 116.1 (2013): 151-161. Business Source Premier. Web. 26 Nov. 2013. 6.) Managing cultural diversity and the process of knowledge sharing Lauring, Jakob. "Managing Cultural Diversity And The Process Of Knowledge Sharing: A Case From Denmark." Scandinavian Journal Of Management 25.4 (2009): 385-394. Business Source Premier. Web. 26 Nov. 2013. 7.) Workplace Diversity Practices "Workplace Diversity Practice." SHRM. SHRM, 11 Oct. 2010. Web. 26 Nov. 2013. .
54 8 Copeland, (July, 1988), pg. 49 Bibliography: Copeland, Lennie (1988, Jun). "Making the Most of Cultural Differences at the Workplace", Personnel, pp. 52 - 54 Copeland, Lennie (1988, July). "Valuing Diversity, Part 2: Pioneers and Champions of Change", Personnel, pp.
Cañas, K. A., & Sondak, H. (2014). Opportunities and challenges of workplace diversity: Theory, cases, and exercises (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Gender, racial, and ethnic diversity means different things to different people. Some believe that diversity is about quotas, and affirmative action. Others believe that diversity is something that will happen on its own with out intervention. Some experts who study diversity, however, believe that diversity is not something that should be left up to chance. It is important, therefore, for organizations to take action to encourage and foster diversity in the workplace (Clarke, 1995, p. 13).
Being successful at managing workforce diversity involves attracting and retaining the highest quality individuals in the talent pool. For managers it means learning how to manage human potential sensitively. It requires an ever-increasing awareness of how people from different backgrounds deal with authority, communication, overall business etiquette, and relate to their communities of affiliation. Successful management of workforce diversity is a process that takes place in many stages and on many levels. It requires managers to first recruit a competent and qualified staff, then to accommodate individual needs within the context of the work team and the organization.
Within an organization, diversity is considered a having a population of people that are of different races or cultures working collectively. From this collection of people, a variance of perspective is formed and talent is fostered in order to maximize performance. These great minds work
Schein in his book “Organizational Culture and Leadership” explains how different believes and behaviors start to be logical when we understand their cultures by stating “When we learn to see the world through cultural lenses, all kinds of things begin to make sense that initially were mysterious, frustrating, or seemingly stupid” (2010, p. 13). This kind of foresight should be the starting point in order to manage the tremendously growing diversity in the workforce nowadays. Leaders and administrators of both public and private organizations through their influence are responsible to promote and manage diversity in an ethical manner.
Business Firms and organization need to apply workforce diversity in their management. Diversity at the workplace is simply understood as the variation of skills, experience and ideas among employees. This can arise due to differences in various aspects like race, gender, religion and physical attributes. In addition to these, other discrepancies include national origin, medical conditions and so many more (Subbarao 98). Diversity among the workers is an important tool that often leads to prosperity in an organization hence the need for maximum application of this important business virtue.
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).
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.
Diversity is what makes people different, not just culturally but in human differences. Having a multitude of differences in the workforce gives an organization the ability to use many ideas to reach a common goal. A person could say that a diverse group of people together in one room can accomplish greater achievements than a room filled with the same types of individuals. Managers understand the concept of diversity, and how important diversity is to the success of a company’s ability to implement programs that continue to develop a harmonious and diverse workplace. The recognition that diversity is a reality in the workforce has generated an enormous amount of activity over the years among leaders in business, government, and civil society alike (Thomas Kochan, 2003, p. 4).
Barak, M. E. (2005). Managing diversity: toward a globally inclusive workplace. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications.
According to Kinicki, diversity represents the multitude of individual’s differences and similarities that exist among people. When developing a cultural diversity training program, one has to manage diversity with a new approach of inclusion and recognition. Managing diversity enables people to perform up to their maximum potential (Kinicki p. 111). As we analyze diversity, we will evaluate some common barriers and challenges in managing diversity. In developing a diversity program, we will analyze methods and procedures that will be apart of the program. Kinicki (p.*) says an important first step in overcoming these obstacles is for leaders to convey to their employees why the organization values diversity.
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...
However, just like everything in life there has to be a balance. To every strength there is a weakness, to every efficiency there is an inefficiency, and often times a diverse workforce includes oppositions and drawbacks and it’s often left up to the human resource managers to implement and oversee diversity training, recruiting, and employment. Throughout this paper we intend to uncover the advantages, oppositions,
The world is not flat and society is realizing that the lines that previously divided the various ethnic, race, gender, generation, sexual orientation, and social groups needs to change to keep up with the economic globalization that is happening. Employers are seeing the value of a globalized workforce and learning to embrace the changes and the opportunities it affords. The workforce demographics are evolving, which is forcing employers to realize and embrace the importance of diversity and the effects on the economy. Diversity management is a key ingredient to fostering a productive and creative workforce. A diverse economy helps creates a strong economy.