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Managing diversity is an issue that is significant in today’s global environment, and is only predicted to increase in importance due to the changing face of the workplace. The need to adapt to the changing labour market and have a competitive advantage over others is essential for success. This essay will address this issue by outlining the significance and implications of having a diverse workforce, whilst also focusing on the various perspectives. These include the associated benefits and challenges in managing an ethnically diverse workplace, as well as the various views relating to Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and diversity management. It will come to show that the only way for New Zealand (NZ) to move forward in the changing corporate environment, is to adopt change and embrace ethnic diversity in order to achieve organisational success.
Managing diversity has become an increasingly significant global issue. The world is becoming more mobile and diverse; meaning the composition of the workplace is altering to include a wider range of ethnic groups. Although in NZ there has been a downward trend in the European population from the 2001 (79%) to 2006 NZ census (67.6%), this group remains dominant. This descending pattern is predicted to continue (Macky, 2008), with the 2016 workforce of Auckland estimated to be only half European (EEO Trust, n.d.). As the Maori, Pacific, and Asian populations are on the rise, NZ’s Human Resource Management practices will need to change. The prevalence of new migrant workers means NZ has an increasingly non-traditional culture. Because NZ relies on skilled migrant workers to fill positions left by those leaving the country and retiring, NZ needs to compete with other countries to gain ...
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Human resources at UC Berkley (n.d.). Managing diversity in the workplace. Retrieved from http://hrweb.berkeley.edu/guides/managing-hr/interaction/diversity/principles
Macky, K. (Ed.). (2008). Managing human resources: Contemporary perspectives in New Zealand. NSW, Australia: McGraw-Hill.
Rudman, R. (1999). Human resources management in New Zealand (3rd ed.). Auckland, New Zealand: Longman.
Singham, M. (2006). Multiculturalism in New Zealand: The need for a new paradigm.
Aotearoa Ethnic Network Journal, 1(1), 33-38. Retrieved from http://www.aen.org.nz/
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Mathis, R. L., & Jackson, J. H. (2010). Human resource management (13th ed.). Mason, OH: Thomas/South-western
Bohlander, George, and Scott Snell. Managing Human Resources. 15th. Mason, OH: South-Western Pub, 2009. 98-147. Print.
Noe, Raymond A., et al. Human Resource Management: Gaining a Competitive Advantage. 7th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2010. Print.
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.
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.
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
Mackey, K. (Ed.). (2008). Managing human resources: Contemporary perspectives in New Zealand. NSW, Australia: McGraw-Hill
The EEO was the government’s attempt to ensure that all individuals have an equal chance for employment, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, or national origin. Workplace diversity is fundamental to the structure of an organization, ensuring that individuals are also characterized by their differences as they are by their similarities. A desire for a diverse workplace reinforced by the need to comply with anti-discrimination legislation places a big demand on organizations.
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.
Fisher, C., Schoefeldt, L., & Shaw, J. (1996). Human resource management. (3rd Edition). Princeton, NJ: Houghton Mifflin Company.
For the purpose of this paper, I will define what the term Diversity means, and then I will concentrate on the diversity as a result of geographic origin or ethnic diversity. I will look at how ethnic diversity is managed generally and then how my employer, deals with the diverse ethnic groups in its organization and what it needs to improve on.
Torrington, D. Hall, L. & Taylor, S. (2005) Human Resource Management. Harlow: Financial Times Prentice Hall
Tracey, W. R. (1994). Human resources management & development handbook. Amacom books. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Effron, Marc, Robert Grandossy, and Marshall Goldsmith (eds). "Chapter 3 - The 21st Century Workforce". Human Resources in the 21st Century. John Wiley & Sons, © 2003. Books24x7. Web. Apr. 6, 2012.