Diversity at London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympics Games Ltd - Research Paper Example

Diversity at London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympics Games Ltd Table of contents Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………….1 Diversity management…………………………………………………………………………….2 Strategies for diversity management………………………………………………………...….…3 Conclusion………………………………………………...………………………………………4 References…………………………………………………………………………………………5 Introduction LOCOG is almost a fully privately financed company that has the duty of preparing and staging the 2012 Olympic Games. LOCOG is an organization, which will host people from all over the world. This organization will have to adapt to the differences in perspectives, experiences, culture, race, mental, physical abilities, gender and other differences among the people the organization will host. Diversity was a key factor for selecting London to host the 2012 games, during the Olympic hosting bidding. Diversity in the workforce can be categorized into these two aspects; functional level diversity and surface level diversity. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the significance of workforce diversity, and how human resources contribute to LOCOG’s objective of diversity. In today’s world firms need innovative ideas to sustain and flourish, a diverse workforce provides the proficiency to generate superb ideas for the company’s success. In order for LOCOG to stage a game for everyone, the corporation has the mandate to create a truly inclusive culture where diversity is valued and celebrated. Diversity is a fundamental part of the 2012 games and must remain at the heart of everything LOCOG does. Recruitment and development skills are critical components of achieving diversity objectives (Chelladurai & Madella, 2006 p45). LOCOG will establish the desired level of diversity for our workforce, suppliers, officials and spectators, only by welcoming the world. Diversity management The human resource department can help LOCOG attain the vision of diversity by recruiting workforce that is truly diverse, this workforce has to incorporate all strands of diversity in disability, age, ethnicity, faith and belief (Kossek, 2005 p87). The department should also regularly communicate the vision of diversity and inclusion to the workforce and stakeholders. The human resource department should also provide the workforce with the necessary tools that will enable them to integrate diversity and inclusion in their everyday work (Chelladura, 2006 p100). Diversity management can help an LOCOG attain its mission in the following ways: 1. It will create a competitive advantage for the organization; members can provide the organization with knowledge resources. Diversity also produces a flexible, proactive and energized institution. 2. The organization will become more knowledgeable of the diverse customers; diverse members can understand and help customers who are similar to them. 3. Customers feel more comfortable when dealing with members of the organization, who seem similar to them, and that makes the customer feel an identity with the organization members. 4. Complex tasks usually require complex and collective input. This requires knowledge resources like skills information, and different perspectives that can be provided by diverse members. 5. Diversity management will help LOCOG in increasing problem solving through providing a knowledge resource, diverse members can provide novel approaches, information, and immensely perspectives in the solving of the organizations’ problems. Diversity can also provide a competitive edge for LOCOG in the following ways; 1. Better customer service: Organizations have different kinds of customers. A diverse employee base that can only be provided by the human resource department can provide a better understanding and communication with the different types of customers and thus serve them better (Mannix & Neale, 2005 p34). 2. Better problem solving: A team that is composed of diverse members has the advantage of better information. Diversity can provide the ultimate knowledge resources for problem solving. 3. More flexibility: To respond to different customer needs LOCOG must have the ability to change quickly in order to meet the rapid changing customer desires. To deal with varied and changing customer nets the organization had to be flexible (Bartz et al, 2000 p325). Diversity management is a conscious choice that is made by an organization, to value these differences through the use of diversity as a source of strength, which achieves organizational goals. Strategies for diversity management In order to keep track with the diverse environment, organizations need to manage appropriate strategies, which could help in the maintenance of values and norms of a diverse workforce. Shen, Chanda, D’Netto, and Monga (2009) recommended various strategies for the different levels of workspace that include the operational, tactical and strategic level (Shen et al, 2009 p234). In the strategic level, the human resource department will formalize its policies in order to tackle diversity. In the tactical level, the department will establish strategies related to selection, recruitment, training, compensation, development and appraisal activities. The operational level strategies are directly related to the personnel and employees; here the management of the human resource department will ensure that all the employees remain contented with their job (Briscoe et al, 2008 p56). The strategies that can help LOCOG in attaining their diversity mission include:- 1. Recruitment of diverse employees. 2. Develop and maintain diverse employees by fostering an environment that values differences. 3. Promote open communication and dialog to overcome the behavioral resistance and improve understanding to gain the acceptance of diversity in the organization. 4. Conduct an organizational assessment to determine the strengths of the organization together with the areas that need improvement related to diversity management principles (Klarsfeld, 2010 p150). 5. Enhance mechanisms where managers and employees can express their ideas and concerns on diversity and work environment issues. 6. Continue to review and modify recruitment strategies for the identifying and attending minority and women job affairs (McCuiston et al, 2004 p83). Conclusion This paper explains the significance of workforce diversity. It also describes how human resource can contribute to LOCOG’s objective of diversity. In order for an organization to have a properly functioning diversified workforce, the company must adopt several diversity management skills. The human resources department deals with the recruitment of the employees into the organization. Therefore, the department plays a crucial role in the selection of individuals from all over the globe. Proper strategies, which guide the management on what the organization aims at achieving using diversity, is a requirement for effective diversity management. Organizations all round the world are paying increased attention to diversity. The benefits accrue from employing people from all over the globe are not hidden. Diversity has now become widely regarded as vital for any organization to achieve its goals. Increased numbers of women, ethnic backgrounds, minorities, intergenerational workers and many different lifestyles will affect the organization’s functionality and competitiveness. It has characterized the workforce of this century. Hence, the management of diversity is a highly significant business imperative. The human resource department can thus play a vital role in helping this organization to achieve the broad objective of diversity. References Bartz D. E, Hillman L. W, Lehrer S. "Managment Education & development." A model for managing workforce diversity, 2000: 321-26. Briscoe D. R, Schuler R. S, Claus L. International Human Resource Management. Oxford: Taylor & Francis, 2008. Chelladurai P, Madella A. Human Resource Management in Olympic Sport Organisations (vol 3). Leeds : Human Kinetics, 2006. Kossek E. Managing Diversity: Human Resource Strategies for Transforming the Workplace. Cambridge: Blackwell Business, 2007. Klarsfeld A. International handbook on diversity management at work : country perspectives on diversity and equal treatment. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, 2010. Mannix F, Neale M. A. "What Differences Make a Difference? The promise and Reality of Diverse Teams in Organizations." Psycological science in th public interest, 2005: 31-55. McCuiston V. E, Wooldrige B, Pierce C. K. "Leading th diverse workforce.Profits, prospects and Progress." The leadership & Organization Development Journal, 2004: 73-92. Shen J, Chanda A, D'Netto B, & Monga M. "Managing diversity through human resource managment an international perspective and conceptual framework." The international Jounal of Human Resource Managment, 2009: 235-51. Read More