Diversity Consciousness Development - Essay Example

Diversity Consciousness Development Diversity Consciousness Development Introduction In the 21st century, the business world has placed emphasis on the need for organizations to embrace diversity. American businesses and organizations have not been left behind regarding the issue of workforce diversity. Notably, diversity in the American setting is defined by multiple cultural and religious backgrounds. The American population comprises of whites, Asians, Indians, Latinos, African Americans, Hispanics and Africans. An organization that appreciates diversity in its workforce should exhibit a representation of the above groups among its staff. In the past, there has been a high level of exclusion in the work force. Such exclusion has been defined by discrimination by some minority groups as well as women in the work place. Minority groups in the United States exhibit racial differences from the mainstream population comprising of the white Americans (Dayer-Berenson, 2010). After immense research concerning diversity, it has emerged that it can be a source of a high level of creativity as well as innovation. Such realization has compelled and motivated American organizations to view diversity in a positive way. Many organizations are struggling to embrace diversity and utilize the potential of diversity in a bid to register growth in their organizations. As Americans become more accommodating of the minority groups, and as civil right movements place emphasis on the need for inclusion, a salient need for diversity consciousness has emerged. This paper will analyze diversity practices evident at the union county college as the focus organization in this study. Moreover, the paper will analyze the findings from two other organizations considering whether they have embraced diversity and whether the employers exhibit diversity consciousness. Context of the Problem It is critical to understand the theories and perspectives that define the workforce diversity. With an increasing emphasis on the need for employers to develop diversity consciousness during the hiring process, there is a need to understand the relevant diversity practices that exhibit the presence of diversity consciousness. Evidently, the American workforce comprises of individuals from different backgrounds and personalities. Organizations that have embraced diversity usually benefit from such efforts as a diverse workforce exhibits more core competencies. In a bid to evaluate the modern theories that govern the workforce diversity, it is critical to consider the practices of a specified organization and evaluate the views of the employers concerning the issue of diversity. Evidently, no organization can be said to have fully embraced diversity because the concept of diversity stretches to include people of different personalities and abilities. Having a heterogeneous workforce is one of the aspects that manifest diversity (Bolchover, 2012). Literature Review Diversity in the workplace denotes the appreciation of the differences as well as the similarities that define different members of the staff. These differences and similarities may surround aspects such as age, physical inadequacies, racial and cultural differences, religion, and gender. Moreover, diversity in the workforce stretches to include the personalities of different employees as well as their variation in core competencies. All these aspects should be considered if an effective definition of diversity is to be developed. In a more detailed definition developed by researchers in this field, workforce diversity includes the numerous attributes that a team in the workplace relies on in their efforts to achieve both team and organizational goals. Experts in this field have highlighted that an environment of respect does exist between the employees who have embraced diversity (Glasper, McEwing, & Richardson, 2009). Such employees appreciate the competencies of each other and are willing to cooperate in an effort of utilizing the potentials of each individual to achieve organizational goals. Notably, employees who have embraced diversity and who understand the true value of such diversity to the organization regard each other with dignity. Research regarding workforce diversity has highlighted indicators of workforce diversity in an organization. One of the evident indicators is the issue of race and ethnicity. In the modern day, businesses are venturing into new markets in varied global regions. Moreover, American businesses and organizations rely on employees from different races and ethnic communities since the American population is very diverse. In order to determine an organization that exhibits diversity consciousness in this aspect, there must be evidence of employees belonging to different races and ethnic communities. If the employers are to achieve this, they have to let go of the existing stereotypes and focus on the positive attribute of each ethnic community. Since the American society has a negative history of racial discrimination, organizations that value diversity usually employ additional efforts beyond the hiring of people from different races. The additional efforts involve offering training and empowerment to the employees regarding the value of diversity. Employees who are trained to value diversity are more likely to cooperate in a team irrespective of the difference in ethnicity. An organization that has fully embraced different races within the work force should be defined by employees who feel dignified within the organization (Goffee & Jones, 2013). Irrespective of their ethnic community, they should be appreciated for their core competencies. The second indicator of workforce diversity is inclusion of age and generational differences. Organizations should ensure that their employees belong to different age groups and that their core competencies are being recognized irrespective of their age. The young should feel appreciated and should be given opportunities that challenge them towards the professional growth. Moreover, organizations that have embraced diversity in this sense should give chances to the elderly as well. If an organization is comprised of employees belonging to different generations, it is more likely to register creativity and innovation. The employees will bring together ideas from the different generations in order to benefit the organization. Those advanced in age have remarkable experience and wisdom and deliver critical opinions during the decision making. The young are likely to be more resilient and aggressive with technology savvy ideas that can benefit the organization. The third implication is gender. If an organization qualifies as exhibiting diversity consciousness, it must depict a gender balance in different departments. In the modern day, organizations give opportunities to women, which they could not access in the previous era. Diversity in terms of gender becomes a reality when sexual harassment does not exist within a workforce (Holland & Hogg, 2010). When men and women can work together in a bid to achieve the organizational goals, then they value the gender diversity. An additional indicator of workforce diversity is whether the organization has included people with disabilities. Notably, people who exhibit physical disabilities may have other core competencies and deserve a chance within an organization to utilize such competencies. With numerous religious beliefs existing across the globe, and evident within the American population, embracing such religious differences also serves as an indicator of positive diversity consciousness. The other commonly referred indicator of the workforce diversity is the concept of marital and family status. The 21st century registers multiple differences in the views concerning marriage and family compared to the previous centuries. Some people no longer believe in marriage, and with the increasing divorce rates, single families are becoming more prevalent. If an organization has embraced the workforce diversity, then it should appreciate an individual’s core competency within the workplace irrespective of the marital or family status (Lannon & Gurak, 2012). The concept of workforce diversity emerged in the United States as a preferred strategy to address the uneven distribution of resources. After the emergence of this concept, the significance of such diversity was defined. The focus of workplace diversity as it was initially conceived was ensuring that there was inclusion of minority groups within different work places as well as promoting a national integration. Moreover, with the prevalent social imbalance during that time, a main objective of the workforce diversity was ensuring that the minority groups were given employment opportunities. This was a critical objective because the minority groups were least considered for positions in different organizations previously. The implementation of the workforce diversity as a reality in different organizations has taken different forms. Some organizations have opted to introduce a diversity office and department, which ensures that the organization exhibits practices that promote cohesion, inclusion, and integration (Mondy, 2009). Methodology In order to determine whether the selected organization exhibited diversity consciousness, a qualitative approach was used. This approach utilized a case study analysis, which focused on the union county college. Two other organizations were considered for the study so that the research could be able to make comparisons. Interviews were used as the main data collection method. Three interviews were conducted independently, which sought to highlight the views of three employers concerning their awareness on the value of diversity in the workforce as well as the existing practices that promoted diversity in each organization. In addition to interviews, more data were collected from the organization selected as the focus of this study (Murray, 2009). This was possible through accessing copies and policies of diversity in the organizations of interest. After the process of data collection, analysis of the findings occurred. Findings from the Interviews After analysis of the data collected through the interviews conducted, it emerged that the three employers selected as the interviewees had varied levels of diversity consciousness. One of the interviewees was an employer in charge of the hiring process at the union county college. From her reflections during the interview, it emerged that the institution exhibited a remarkable level of diversity consciousness. This is because the college admitted students from diverse backgrounds and offered them an equal opportunity to receive quality education. In order to promote quality education for such students, the employer was well aware that workforce diversity was also critical. Therefore, the college hired candidates who had the relevant skills and capacities, but a balance between different ethnic communities was maintained. One of the factors motivating the institutions to embrace workforce diversity was the fact that the students faced challenges related to the language barrier (Platow, Grace, & Smithson, 2011). Therefore, the college had to hire staff from different backgrounds in an effort to ensure that the needs of the students were met adequately. It emerged that the institution hired both the whites as well as the minority groups. The employer also revealed that a gender balance was a factor considered during the hiring process. The second interview was a resource specialist at the Essex County College. Her responsibility was ensuring that students received proper placement in their respective fields. It was evident that the institutions had diversity consciousness because job placements ensured that individuals from different minority groups, which defined the nearby population, received equal chances. From the colleges commitment to cultural diversity, it emerged that there were efforts in place to ensure that employees from diverse backgrounds were able to appreciate each other and cooperate forming a favorable work environment. The institution had diversity policies I place, which were communicated to all the employees. However, there was a salient need for effective training on the importance of diversity so that employees can recognize the value of appreciating their differences and similarities (Rozkwitalska, 2013). The third employer interviewed belonged to a company called ‘We Move it for you’, which is based In New Jersey. This company exhibited the lowest level of diversity consciousness because it lacked any indicators of a diverse workforce. Most of the employees were black and male making it evident that the organization did not include other ethnic communities, and that it denied women a chance (Rozkwitalska, 2013). Considering that New Jersey is inhabited by Latinos as well, hiring black only was a sign of racial exclusion. Discussion Workforce diversity is a concept developed to ensure that organizations exhibited awareness of the value of diversity and viewed it in a positive way. In the previous era, when social exclusion and discrimination defined the workplaces, diversity was undervalued. However, research has highlighted that workforce diversity can be utilized to exhibit benefits to the organizations and the individuals as well. There is evidence that many organizations are making efforts towards the realization of having a diverse workforce. The benefits of such a workforce cannot be overestimated (Rozkwitalska, 2013). Evidently, many organizations have developed policies towards the implementation of diversity. For example, two of the organizations considered above exhibit a high level of diversity consciousness. A close evaluation of their diversity policies and practices indicates that they exhibit positive growth in some of the crucial diversity indicators. For example, the Essex County College and the Unity County College have embraced racial diversity by hiring staff from different ethnic backgrounds. Moreover, the two institutions are sensitive to ensure that there is gender diversity among the employees (Goffee & Jones, 2013). Notably, the Essex Country College makes more efforts in communicating its diversity policies to the employees as well as offering training and empowerment to the employees, in an effort to ensure that they recognize the value of diversity. A further evaluation of the two colleges considered for the study reveals that there are evident benefits of embracing diversity. The two colleges have a diverse workforce with all the minority groups well represented. In such a setting, it is possible for the diverse community of students to register maximum learning. It is possible to address the needs of the different students as the employers highlighted when the staff is also diverse. Therefore, embracing diversity has served to enhance the performance of the colleges in different aspects (Bolchover, 2012). Recommendations From the findings above, it is evident that the organizations can do much more in exhibiting the diversity consciousness. Although the process of embracing diversity presents challenges, the organizations can indulge in strategic planning process that will identify the most appropriate combination of cultures that will benefit the organization. For example, an organization based in a region with many Latinos and African Americans must analyze the nearby population and ensure that each is represented. The organizations should establish a defined department tasked with the responsibility of promoting diversity, communicating diversity policies, ad performing a quality check on the level of the diversity consciousness. Having a diversity office and department will serve to ensure that diversity policies are implemented within each aspect of the organization (Holland & Hogg, 2010). The diversity offices can also strategies on how to use diversity in a bid to benefit the organization. It is critical for the organizations to offer effective training to the employees on the values of diversity. Since employees may have varied perceptions of diversity, they need to receive training that can change their perceptions regarding their differences and similarities. If this is achieved, employees are more likely to appreciate each other irrespective of their differences and realize what such diversity can offer them. Notably, employees can benefit immensely when they embrace diversity through collective learning and increased production that can register higher wages for them (Goffee & Jones, 2013). The organizations need to increase their investment towards a full embracing of diversity. There should be more efforts geared towards offering equal opportunities to people of different ethnic communities, religions, ages, as well as gender. Organizations should focus on utilizing the principle of conflict paradox. This is by ensuring that the workforce has an opportunity to utilize their differences in a positive way. Such differences can be useful in motivation, decision making, and behavioral change. This principle serves to ensure that differences exhibited by the workforce are utilized for the benefit of the organization (Holland & Hogg, 2010). Conclusion Evidently, the concept of workforce diversity is not new in the American businesses. Since the development of the concept, organizations have exhibited efforts towards the adoption of policies that promote the workforce diversity. There are different indicators of diversity consciousness, which are critical in the evaluation of the level of diversity depicted by different organizations. Research has revealed that diversity can be used to benefit the organization in different aspects. Therefore, the organization should indulge in strategic planning in a bid to develop strategies of utilizing and managing diversity. References Bolchover, D. (2012). Competing Across Borders: How Cultural Communication Barriers Affect Business. London: Economist Intelligence Unit. Dayer-Berenson, L. (2010).Cultural Competencies for Nurses: Impact on Health and Illness. NY: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Glasper, A., McEwing, G., & Richardson, J. (2009). Culture IN Foundation studies for caring. Basingstoke, Palgrave. Goffee, R. & Jones, G. (2013).Creating the best workplace on the earth. Harvard Business Review, 91(12): 99-106. Holland, K., & Hogg, C. (2010). Cultural awareness in nursing & healthcare. London: Arnold. Lannon, J. & Gurak, L. (2012).Strategies for Technical Communication in the Workplace. New Jersey: Pearson Education. Mondy, R. W. (2009). Human Resource Management. Alexandria, VA: Prentice Hall. Murray, A. (2009). Predicting Workplace Deviance from the Interaction between Organizational Justice and Personality. Journal of Managerial Issues 17(2): 247- 263. Platow, M., Grace, D. & Smithson, M. (2011).Examining the Preconditions for Psychological Group Membership: Perceived Social Interdependence as the Outcome of Self-Categorization. Social Psychological and Personality Science3 (1). Rozkwitalska, M. (2013). Effective cross cultural relationships in multinational corporations: Foreign subsidiaries viewpoint. Business strategy and organization behavior, 65-74. Read More