Leadership Challenges in Diversity The article, “Challenges of Leading a Diverse Workforce,” by Janice R.W. Joplin and Catherine Daus, discusses research that suggests six challenging factors when promoting diversity in an organization, along with proposed solutions to those challenges. The six challenges include, the Change of Power Dynamics, Diversity of Opinions, Perceived Lack of Empathy, Tokenism, real and perceived, Participation, and Inertia (Joplin, Daus 1997). The challenges and solutions are discussed in relation to a continuum that consists of stages of intolerance, tolerance, and appreciation for diversity in the workplace. Each challenge is met with a solution involving required skills and attributes of a leader. The …show more content…
“Two people can view the same event with very different interpretations and formulate opinions on the basis of those perceptions and interpretations” (Joplin & Daus, 1997, p.37, para.6). In my experience, both personally, and professionally, I have learned that no two people think alike. Being very strong headed and believing there was a right and wrong to every situation, I had to learn to accept that others had a right to differing thoughts and viewpoints. It was growing into leadership roles where I learned the values of opinions, and how incorporating them led to more success of the team and business. The article suggests that along with the ability to find commonalties between all opinions, leaders must be excellent at finding solutions to conflict in order to maintain respect (Joplin & Daus, 1997). This allowed me to recall a leader of mine who empowered diverse opinions to flourish. She was successful in listening to differing points of view in order to find solutions. I believe it was her leadership skills that motivated myself to perform at a higher level. By encouraging input in all decisions, the team and overall business results were very successful, and I believe this to be vital for all …show more content…
My first process was to type in word searches that included, “diversity and leadership”. After skimming the articles that populated, I began to narrow my search. I chose more specific words such as, “how to lead diversity,” and, “leadership needed in diversity,”. I read the titles and descriptions first, then was able to narrow down exactly what I wanted to learn from this article. I knew I wanted to reflect from past experience and take this as a chance to learn and gain new insights. I read a few articles, took notes, and contemplated my responses to them. When I read this article, I was immediately drawn to how it displayed common challenges, then proposed solutions. It helped me to review past decisions in leadership roles and learn new ways to deal with various challenges in my behavior working with others. I would not say that it was a particularly difficult process, nor was it easy. In the end it took a lot of time and contemplating to understand the correct word combinations to display the desired result. The process helped me become more familiar with the online Library as I have not previously had to use the system. I learned to search broad topics to trigger more ideas for a subject, then once the desired subject is realized, to narrow the search. In the end I know I have a long way to go with utilizing the system to its fullest, but know I have many
Cañas, K. A. & Sondak, H. (2011). Opportunities and challenged for workplace diversity: Theory, cases, and exercises. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Prentice Hall.
They have to understand and practice the tools needed to manage a diverse workplace. As discussed in The Loudest Duck leaders can employ these methods to obtain a harmonious, all-inclusive environment: appreciate, promote, employ and celebrate diversity. Leaders must show appreciation and interest in the diversity of their workforce, not just look at percentages and how those are fulfilled but truly engage in understanding and developing the challenges and successes diversity brings. They need to understand how their subconscious is predisposed towards other's differences and develop a character and attitude that is not biased or predisposed to people and situations that are only similar to them. It's important for leaders to have an open-door policy that encourages sharing thoughts, rationale and feelings will help unify the diverse workforce. Leaders more than others need to understand that for a company to succeed everyone needs to feel valued and appreciated regardless of the
Today, competent administrators show sensitivity to individual needs by encouraging upward mobility among all staff members. These forward-thinking leaders understand how important it is to treat all people fairly and equally and consider the dynamic forces that exist among employees. Sincerity in these matters is important, because a manager’s actions far outweigh their statements. Therefore, workplace leaders must learn to pinpoint and cultivate each employee’s special skills and promote upward or lateral mobility by providing training for the entire talent pool. To this end, managers must continually seek opportunities to learn more about diversity.
Scott, K., Heathcote, J., & Gruman, J. (2011). The diverse organization: Finding gold at the end of the rainbow. Human Resource Management, 50(6), 735-755.
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.
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).
Stoner, C., & Russell-Chapin, L (1997). Creating a culture of diversity management: moving from awareness to action. University of California. Retrieved April 8, 2005 from University of Phoenix, InfoTrac
Carrell, Michael R. and Mann, Everett E. “Defining workforce diversity in public sector organizations” Public Personnel Management, p.99 2013
Riccucci, N. M. (2002). Managing diversity in public sector workforces. (p. 28). Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press.
Having diversity in the workplace allows for greater growth within a company due to the different opinions and perspectives of people from all walks of life. To remain competitive, many companies are being advised to recruit, develop and retain men and women of all different backgrounds, ages and races (Cox and Blake, 1991). By doing this and also accommodating the needs of their demographically diverse workforce, companies will become much more appealing places to work therefore reducing turnover and absentee
Diversity management initiatives are long term and strategic in focus. They strive not only to recruit, but to actively develop, promote and capitalize on the different skills and perspectives of minority employees (Marquis, 2007.) Every day, peopl...
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.
Barak, M. E. (2005). Managing diversity: toward a globally inclusive workplace. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications.
Therefore, it is imperative for employers to put in place a deliberate training program that explains in detail the benefits and positive outcomes of a diverse climate in the workplace. Employers must communicate the effects of diversity in the workplace to ensure that the employees understand and embrace the climate. The most common practice to unleash diversity is through continuous training and mentoring. A continuous learning environment promotes understanding, improvement, and develops interpersonal skills. Employees must understand that diversity is an organizational attribute and not just a policy. When that understanding is achieved, the organization’s workforce is united and has a better chance of success in their mission. Therefore, organizations must adopt a diversity management practice that retains talent, improves satisfaction, and augment the organization’s