Diversity in the Workplace - Coursework Example

In addition to these groups of people, diversity also focuses on people belonging to other categories like, people having different educational background, different tenure with the company, different functional backgrounds and the resulting diversity from the mergers and acquisitions activity of organizations. Affirmative action is concerned with people who are experiencing issues related to discrimination based on color, ethnic groups, etc (Kravitz, 2008, p. 175). However, managing diversity is more related to the desire of the manager of a company to explore the potentials present in all the employees.

Thus, affirmative action is only a means of attaining diversity in an organization through the implementation of various policies and diversity is a broader concept which is the end result of affirmative action. Answer 2: Cultural diversity in workforce mainly refers to the various types of people that work in an organization and can be differentiated on the basis of their race, gender and ethnicity. In a culturally diverse workforce one can find people who have different cultural values (Pride, Hughes, & Kapoor, 2011, p. 253). According to Esty, Griffin & Hirsch (1995), they have suggested ten different dimensions of diversity which are thought to be the critical in a workplace.

They are: 1) Sexual Orientation, 2) Class, 3) Ethnicity, 4) Age, 5) Race, 6) Hierarchy or Status, 7) Gender, 8) Religion, 9) Physical ability or disability, and 10) Family situation. Hence, people working in a workplace can be differentiated based on any of these cultural dimensions. Organizations having culturally diverse workforce are characterized of having people who have different cultural values and varies with respect to the dimensions mentioned above. Answer3: Managing a diverse workforce is not an easy task and is associated with many challenges to be faced by the leaders in an organization.

Diversity management is not restricted to acknowledging the differences that exist between people working in an organization. It also involves the recognition of values associated with such differences between people, promoting inclusiveness and combating discrimination. The leaders of an organization managing a diverse workforce may also face the challenge of losing the personnel or reduction in work productivity because of discrimination, prejudice, legal actions and complaints against the organization.

In addition to this, negative behaviors or attitudes can prove to be barriers for an organization because this can result in having a negative impact on the working relationships between the employees and reduce the work productivity and morale of the people. The negative behaviors or attitudes that have been referred here include stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination and it should not be utilized by the company management while performing activities like retention, hiring, and termination of employees.

Answer4: Increasing diversity in the workforce of an organization needs implementation of an effective diversification strategy. By following the four steps mentioned below it is possible to increase diversity in the companies. Step 1: Explaining diversity for the company: The first step is to define and explain what diversification implies to the company as a whole. It is an important step to initiate diversity because the term diversity carries different meaning for different people in the organization.