Managing Workplace Diversity - Essay Example

?Managing Workplace Diversity Table of Contents Table of Contents Introduction 2 Definition of Workplace Diversity 2 Issues Surrounding Workplace Diversity 3 Resolving Workplace Issues 4 Importance of Workplace Diversity within Organizations 5 Changing Workplace Scenarios in the wake of Racial Discriminations 6 Role of the Government 7 Role of the Management 8 Role of the Supervisors 9 Hofstede’s Theory in the Related Contexts 10 Role of Managers and Leaders within Hofstede’s Dictum 11 Role of Management with regards to Racial Discriminations 12 Controversies Surrounding the Discussion on Race 13 Conclusion 14 Bibliography 16 Introduction In the modern times, workplace diversity has come about as a giant killer topic. This is because the diverse individuals present under the workplace realms try their utmost to make their mark on the edifice of the organization, which in return means that they need to be noticed and apprised of for all the right reasons. However what happens is something that is totally out of the related contexts. People get harassed by a number of issues – gender based, racial, age wise or any other. However, for the sake of discussion regarding this paper, an important aspect of race has been pinpointed and the same has been elaborated upon within the workplace dimensions in the changing business scenarios of present times. The workplace diversity discussions therefore would be the prime objective here as these will be linked in close association with how the element of race is propagated, used, misused and later on philosophically handled for restoring the sanity of the organization. Definition of Workplace Diversity It is first and foremost to define what workplace diversity basically entails within it. This is because the workplace diversity understandings are drawn upon the premise that there would be immense success points when one comprehends the real meaning of working along with one another, and thus finding out the exact ways and means through which work gets done in a quick enough way. What is significant here is an understanding that work must be carried out by the people, and not by their respective diverse communities, as is often understood by the employers when they are hiring an individual for a job (Hudson, Barnes & Brooks, 2007). Within a workplace realm, it is mandatory for the employers to bring about a culture that easily accepts people from different groups, communities and societies so to speak. This is because it will set a good precedent for the company under consideration, and give it the required mileage as and when needed. It will also tell the organization where it has to beef up on its diversity related aspects when there is a dire need to set things right, and bring about an iota of difference within the related ranks. Issues Surrounding Workplace Diversity Workplace diversity does have a number of issues that are brought under its aegis. When the employees are being shabbily treated due to their family or ancestral backgrounds, there is the important discussion of race which is brought to the fore (Cable & Yu, 2011). When there are impending issues due to age aspects of the employees, the age factor is given consideration and when there are gender related biases happening at the workplace, the element of gender is given more significance than can be thought of. What is absolutely abysmal is the view that all such problems are brought to the fore in one context or the other, whereby they hamper the smooth communication and interaction mechanisms which take place within an organization and create significant issues within the diversity that has thus been created all this while. In fact, this workplace diversity takes the backseat and the eventual beating at the hands of those employees who have evil or ulterior motives right from the very beginning. The communication domains within the organization are important because if the racial discriminatory aspects come to the fore, these could bring about serious anomalies within the organization. If the employees feel disgruntled with one another, they would not be able to produce solid results; results which are significant and based on the long run. Resolving Workplace Issues The workplace diversity issues linger on because these need to be properly resolved before an organization could think of being the sole savior for its own employees and workers. How organizations understand the dictum of workplace diversity is something that holds a great amount of value for the employees, the stakeholders, and the customers at the end of the day. This means that the vital processes of growth and development that are taking place are handled in a viable way, so much that the entirety of workplace diversity has become magnanimous in the recent times, and quite rightly so for a number of reasons and dispositions (Pearce, Powley & Barrett, 2011). The top management has also woken up to the realization that something constructive needs to be drawn up within the realms of the organizations as far as the workplace diversity discussions are concerned. One must understand that workplace diversity is a positive undertaking and should always be understood in the same domains of growth and development within an organization, and hence similar undertakings and efforts are much needed at the end of the day. If the workplace diversity undertakings are not bringing in positive thinking ideologies, then this would mean immense problems for the organizations and thus there would be serious problems for all and sundry. Importance of Workplace Diversity within Organizations Therefore workplace diversity is significant towards understanding how different and distinctive people can work hand in hand with one another, and how they can derive the best possible value out of the related contexts. These are significant pointers and should always be seen within the thick of things because it is the need of the hour as the businesses are changing on a proactively consistent basis and the results expected of them are also coming in from different angles and perspectives. What remains to be seen is the fact that the organization will be able to decipher the exact basis of the workplace diversity that is on the rounds these days, and thus creates a mesh between the relevant stakeholders, all of which bring some sort of sanity within the related discussions. Changing Workplace Scenarios in the wake of Racial Discriminations The organizations of today are promulgating such workplace scenarios which will instill a sense of calm and tranquility amongst the people. This is because they want to have employees who will not feel that they are asked to do something difficult at the workplace, rather their work realms are such that they can both work and enjoy at the same time. However, this needs to be brought about when the employees are the ones who speak their mind more than anyone else. This is significant because the employees’ working domains are usually the ones that are affected by the positive as well as negative linkages that have been developed over a period of time, and which shall be the cornerstone of success or failure that is apparent at the workplace. The racial discrimination that comes about within the workplace settings is a deterrent to the overall productivity that could be envisaged. This will mean that the racial elements create some sort of furor and basically provide the rifts that come about within the employees themselves. The employees feel threatened on a number of counts and due to this anomaly, this often feel that they have been hard done by. They believe that their work conditions are such that they will not be able to remain positive in essence. The organizations therefore look up to their employees to remain as racially naive as they can be in the long run. This is because the racial discriminations at the workplace realms are never thought of as being the perfect saviors for growth, linkage and productivity. Instead these are seen with a sense of skepticism and doubt all the same. Therefore what is really significant is the manner under which these racially driven talks and gestures are being cropped up. Role of the Government As a matter of fact, how the government shapes up its actions and behaviors is something that needs to be properly understood because it is the government itself which dictates the basis of these organizations. If the government does not have a clear cut stance on this agenda, it would mean there are serious shortcomings within the related settings and these need to be addressed in a proper manner. However, the government has brought in different Acts and measures to make sure that the employees remain in charge of their work realms more than ever. On the part of the government, it is a fact that the multiethnic workers working within the same domains of the organizations are given proper significance by the government so as to manage their work undertakings and tasks and to bring about a sense of optimism within the workplace realms in the long term scheme of things, if seen from a broadened perspective. Role of the Management The role of the management is something that needs to be adequately analyzed, documented and later on implemented within the thick of things. The role of the management becomes increased when the racial talks get out of hands, and thus leave a bad mark on the reputation of the organization. It is of paramount importance to comprehend that the racial discrimination elements need to be aligned in such ways and means that there are more positives that can be derived than anything else imaginable. It is important that a supervisor must understand that an employee, if he hails from a biracial setting is given the luxury to document his own self because this is the need of the hour as far as the organizational undertakings are concerned. The biracial employees should be given the time to make their own selves understood within the thick of things as their problems and anomalies are solved in an amicable way. This is quintessential that the biracial employees are given room to make their voice get heard and thus their message must be conveyed to the right set of the top management, which is the audience in this scenario. The manner in which the biracial employees are taken note of is indeed an important undertaking, and one that shall be understood in an adequate way nonetheless. Role of the Supervisors Similarly, the role of the supervisor is to make sure that he guarantees that the communication links which are present amongst the employees belonging to different backgrounds remain important under all scenarios and situations. It will essentially bring to light the solutions of doing away with the disputes and conflicts on an organizational level and bring a new sense of camaraderie between the employees and their supervisors. In keeping with the same understanding here, a theory that can be made use of here is the one that discussed by Geert Hofstede. He has focused on his perspective that is drawn on the notion of the cultural differences which come about for the sake of the employees working in the workplace domains. He has brought to light a number of interesting and glaring concerns which are related with the same notions (Rose, Bakir & Blodgett, 2008). Hofstede’s Theory in the Related Contexts Hofstede has basically dispelled the impression which is present under the aegis of the employees who work towards achieving similar objectives and end goals, and thus find out new pathways to tackle the issues that engulf their work domains. Here the organization wants to achieve supremacy and to reach a certain point, it is important that the employees understand the dictum of the organization more than anything else. They must shed away their fears and work in unison with one another to think of the bigger pictures, i.e. the organization itself. The future should be drawn as such that the solutions are found out in an automated way. The perspective needs to be aligned and re-aligned as and when required within such organizations, under the theory put forward by Hofstede. He has mentioned the need to comprehend that the racial and cultural differences are difficult to tackle and hence the bigger picture should always be kept in mind, as far as the employees and the organizational undertakings are concerned. The element of frustration is such that the employees can get bogged down but what is really needed is a vision to set things right and that too within the shortest time frame possible. What Hofstede has taught basically comprises of the cultural dimensions and how these are deemed to be precise as a very small effort is paid to the fact that diverse workforce brings about results which are seen as successful for the organizations. On the flip side, the role of the organizations is also not in cognizance with the same, which remains distressing to state the least. Role of Managers and Leaders within Hofstede’s Dictum The role of the cultural managers and leaders present within the realms of the organizations is an important one because they are head-on with the solution to these problems and are in absolute understanding of the happenings taking place on the global front. Similarly, the shortcomings of the employees are also handled professionally no matter whichever cultural backgrounds the employees belong from. There is special emphasis paid on the fact that the work should get done at the end of the day, and the people present within the organizational mix must make it happen (Powell, 2006). Business leaders and managers have a sense of skepticism in their mind and this aspect must be drawn up in such a way that there are more positives to take than the other way around. The productivity levels for the sake of the organizations need to be understood in a proper way as the employees will be able to give in their best time and time again. Therefore the role of the organizational top heads is of fundamental importance as Hofstede brings to light the notion of change which is dependent on the cultural and racial angles all the same. Hence the theory of Hofstede has pinpointed the negative elements that are rampant within the organizations in this day and age. Role of Management with regards to Racial Discriminations Moving further ahead, the role of the management within such understandings of racial discriminations happening under the aegis of a workplace setting is an important one. The racial impediments create rifts amongst the people, and if the management does not realize the gravity of the situation at hand within an office place environment, there would be many problems that can come about in the future (Mueller, Frese & Bledow, 2011). What is even more necessary to understand is the fact that the racial elements are very sensitive in nature and no employee would ever like to be treated shabbily just because this employee belongs to a different race or ethnicity. The management has to understand its due role within the thick of things because it is direly needed. The management cannot just turn away its face from the legal predicaments that can arise in the wake of the racial discriminations which are being meted out on to the employees, just because they belong to a race which is not organizationally deemed as acceptable. This is tantamount to telling someone that he does not exist merely because he belongs to a distinct race; which is considered low and of inferior ways within the related societal understandings. Controversies Surrounding the Discussion on Race Race issues spark controversies because they are sensitive and apply to all the employees in more ways than one. It is easily applicable to those individuals who are in the minority within the workplace settings. The majority is always one step ahead of the racial discussions and is usually the group that creates problems for the minority in essence. However, such saddening state of affairs is usually handled by people who belong to the top management domains in a number of significant settings and ways. This is so done because the need of the hour is to get the act straight and deliver value for the sake of the organization in the long range scheme of things (Chan, 1997). If the management believes that it can make-do with the changing work dynamics and would not mind any incorporations from the people, though in a negative fashion, then the management is entirely in the wrong, and there is reason enough to believe such a premise. The need of the hour is to make sure that the negativities are stopped as soon as these crop up so that sanity could prevail within the related ranks. These negativities in the name of racial discussions are indeed the problem areas which could create serious anarchies at the workplace and ask of the people to get away from one another – an aspect which can simply be considered intolerable right from the onset. The efforts should be in line with changing or even turning the negativities into the positive ones by the top management realms working at the helm of affairs within such organizations. The racial elements should always be shown the door as these are filled with hate and nothing else. These will solve quite a few problems and resolve ambiguities from arising from a future standpoint. The racial discriminatory talks are always remarked as negative because these hurt the cause of the organization more than anything that could be seen as coming close to it. Conclusion In the end, it would be important to summarize the discussion at hand. This is because the workplace diversity domains are usually held in close association with the racial talks, as and when they are propagated, analyzed and talked about. When race is the most discussed aspect, there are serious problems in the wake of achieving organizational harmony. Therefore it is of dire importance to know that racial discussions should be kept at a safe distance from the shores of the organization and all-out efforts and endeavors need to be made on a consistent basis to bring in harmony and sanity within the related ranks. This paper has specifically mentioned how cultural and racial issues must be tackled in an amiable way and the theory of Hofstede has mentioned the strengths which remain within the organizational levels all the same. There is a dire need to set things right within the coming times so that racial elements do not mar the workplace settings’ sanity. No one has the right to take the other individual for granted, and when racial discussions do come about, this element of taking the other person as and when one wishes, is apparent, though for all the wrong reasons. All said and done, the need to remain in line with the changing requirements of the workplace regimes is something that holds a lot of value for the sake of the organizations, and it is about time that the element of race is handled in a manner that will extract the best possible return for the sake of employees who are working under its aegis. Therefore it would be a perfect fix to resolve the anomalies that have arisen and to keep at bay the negativities that come about in the future realms as well. Bibliography Cable, D. & Yu, K., 2011. Unpacking cooperation in diverse teams: Incorporating long-term orientation and civic virtue in the study of informational diversity. Team Performance Management, 17(1/2) Chan, A., 1997. Corporate culture of a clan organization. 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