Moral Dilemmas And Diversity In Multicultural Organizations

introduction.

In the research of Organizational behavior and Organizational development Science, there is not much of research has been done regarding the matter of moral dilemmas in multicultural organizations and the double standards that are set on minority experts in the work environment. The research that is accessible is overwhelmingly fixated regarding the matter of diversity. While both of these issues are related with diversity , the distinction between the two organizational dilemmas fall under there own denomination.

The two important dynamic realities that impact the environment of modern organizations are morals and diversity. Diversity is available when there is a mixture of varies and similarities regarding age, religion,

In a "melting-pot" society, organizational leaders must learn to adapt an array of cultural differences. What one culture perceives as ethical actions, another culture may not. In an environment in which words and phrases that was acceptable one day could change connotations overnight. Ignorance or misunderstanding actions facilitated by organizational leaders in handling questionable employee conduct can result in a calamity of problems. Every year organizations spend millions of dollars settling lawsuits involving employee discrimination claims. According to a 2001 study by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and FORTUNE Magazine, over 75% of surveyed organizations have engaged in some type of diversity activity or initiative to combat this dilemma. The problem with this approach is that these initiatives are predominantly targeting one group (Majority) and not the other (Minority). According to a study done by Black Enterprise (2005), diversity trainings rarely include the topic of ethics, which is affected by or culture, value, faith, education, race and economics. Andersen and Collins (1995) pointed out that many of the ethical difference among people are contributed by economic and cultural influences. These influences can be changed over time by introducing new influences, "The MCIM (multicultural change intervention matrix) addresses systemic planned change, multicultural organization development, and multicultural intervention and activities." (Lum, 1999, p. 63). Many of theses diversity training initiatives focus their attention towards embracing cultural differences, but avoid the topic of embracing ethical differences. Many sociologists believe that this is where the true dilemma stays