Diversity in the Workplace - Coursework Example

? Diversity in the Workplace Introduction The increasing globalization in the world requires more interaction among people from different beliefs, backgrounds, and cultures than ever before. Because of globalization and multiculturalism, people no longer work and live in an insular marketplace; instead, they are now part of the worldwide social, political and economic spheres (Harvey and Allard, 2005). Businesses are increasingly faced with competition from various quotas, in addition to having being faced with the challenge of increased customers and shareholders’ expectations. It is for this reason that organizations need diversity in order to become more open and creative to change. Capitalizing and maximizing on diversity in the workplace has become a very critical management issue today (Thiederman, 2008). The leadership and management teams in organizations need to recognize that workplace environment is diversifying, evolving, and changing. Management and employees must be equipped to value multicultural differences in both customers and associates in order for everyone to be handled with dignity. Considering that managing diversity remains an important organizational challenge, leaders and managers should learn the skills required in a multicultural and diverse environment (Devoe, 1999). This paper will discuss various aspects of diversity in the workplace. Generally, diversity is defined as understanding, valuing, celebrating, accepting, and acknowledging differences among people with regard to ethnicity, race, gender, spiritual practice, age, public assistance status, class, sexual orientation, and mental and physical ability (Shakhray, 2009). In the wake of globalization, diversity issues are considered fundamental and are projected to become even more critical in the coming years because if increasing differences in the populations around the world. As such, organizations are required to focus on diversity particularly within the work setting and to look for ways of becoming completely inclusive organizations since diversity has the potential of resulting to greater competitive advantages and productivity. Diversity especially in the workplace is believed to be an invaluable competitive asset that any organization cannot afford to ignore (Devoe, 1999). Valuing and managing diversity is an important component of effective people management that can go a long way in improving productivity and satisfaction in the workplace. Demographic changes such as the organizational restructurings, equal opportunity legislation, and women in the workplace will need organizations to assess and review their practices of management, as well as to develop creative and new approaches to manage people. Such changes will increase customer service and work performance (Harvey and Allard, 2005). There is no doubt that diversity in the workplace is a reality around the world. this is not only reflected in the organizational demographic trends, but also in how issues are being addressed in the workplace including the issues of disability accommodation, flexible work arrangements, elder care and child care among others (Thiederman, 2008). Diversity is beneficial in many ways to the organizational as a whole and also to the management and employees. Even though employees are interdependent in the work environment, respecting differences of individuals can significantly increase productivity. Workplace diversity can increase marketing opportunities, business image and creativity. In the modern era when creativity and flexibility are critical to competitiveness, workplace diversity is important for the success of any organization (Lewis, 2000). Proper management of diversity in the workplace can provide a distinct advantage in this era of enhanced competitiveness. Various studies have shown that heterogeneity promotes productivity and creativity. In addition, heterogeneous groups have demonstrated to produce better solutions to challenges within a workplace environment, as well as having higher levels of critical analysis. This is a vital asset especially at the time when organizations are undergoing tremendous self-examination and change in finding more effective ways of operation (Devoe, 1999). Effective management of diversity in the workplace helps an organization to develop a reputation as an employer of choice for many job seekers. As such, an organization will not only have the ability of attracting the best talents, but also be in a position of saving money and time in turnover and recruitment costs (Shakhray, 2009). More importantly, an organization will be able to reflect its diversity and therefore be able to meet the increasing demand of providing informed products and services to an ever-increasing diverse customer base. A number of studies have proven that workplace diversity has the potential of proving an organization with tremendous benefits as regards improved morale and motivation (Devoe, 1999). Employees tend to enjoy a work environment that upholds their dignity and respect their respective cultural and social aspects. Realization that they cannot be discriminated against based on their different socio-cultural orientations gives employees the critical morale and satisfaction that ultimately makes them better employees. In addition, workplace diversity creates an atmosphere of mutual respect and understanding that is crucial in fostering greater teamwork. Employees are able to take pride in their differences and work towards a common goal of achieving organizational aims and objectives (Thiederman, 2008). While there are numerous benefits associated with diversity in the workplace, there are identifiable challenges related to diversity in the workplace. A number of studies have established that managing diversity in the workplace and the actual differences among employees can present some challenges to an organization (Harvey and Allard, 2005). Management and individual employees may be challenged in recognizing the value of differences, promoting inclusiveness and combating discrimination. Moreover, they may be challenged with losses in work and personnel productivity because of discrimination and prejudice and legal actions and complaints against an organization. It has also been established that negative behaviors and attitudes can be barriers to diversity in the workplace due to the fear that they can harm working relationships among employees, as well as damaging work productivity and morale in the workplace (Lewis, 2000). Negative behaviors and attitudes in the workplace include stereotyping, discrimination, and prejudice, which should never be used by organization management for recruitment, hiring, termination, and retention practices. The challenges notwithstanding, organization should not ignore diversity because it can cost efficiency, money, and time. Some of the consequences can include inability to recruit and retain talented individuals of all kinds; inability of retaining valuable employees, leading in lost recruitment and training investments; legal actions and complaints; loss of productivity due to increased conflict; and unhealthy tensions (Shakhray, 2009). Considering that diversity in the workplace is important in today’s world and that there are consequences of ignoring it can be dire, it is important to understand how to manage diversity in the workplace effectively. Certain skills are required for creation of diverse and successful workforce (Thiederman, 2008). It is important that managers must understand negative behaviors and attitudes that can amount to discrimination and their consequences. Besides, managers need to recognize their own cultural prejudices and biases so as to be able to effectively manage diversity in the workplace. It should be noted that diversity is not all cultural and social differences among groups, but about differences among individual employees (Lewis, 2000). Considering this aspects, managers must be willing to change their organizations if necessary in order to get rid of any form of discrimination in their organizations. Managers and employees are required to learn how to manage workplace diversity in order to be successful. Managers should take the lead by understanding what is best for the organization in respect to workplace’s dynamics. Organizations must realize and appreciate that managing diversity is a comprehensive process that seeks to create a friendly work environment for everyone within the organization (Devoe, 1999). Effective management of diversity in the workplace largely requires personal awareness of the concept among managers and employees. It is for this reason that organizations need to create, implement, as well as maintain ongoing training aimed at changing the behaviors of their people (Shakhray, 2009). Managers should appreciate the fact that the process of change in respect to workplace diversity can be slow and costly, but they should strive towards achieving this kind of a change. It should be noted that managing diversity entails more than just ensuring affirmative action and equal employment opportunity. Organizations should promote diversity by encouraging communication: facilitating social gatherings, giving everyone chance to speak and creating dialogues among employees (Harvey and Allard, 2005). It is also important for managers to implement policies such as mentoring programs aimed at providing employees with access to opportunities and information. More importantly, employees should not be denied constructive, necessary and critical feedback for learning about successes and mistakes regarding diversity in the workplace (Lewis, 2000). Conclusion The above discussion has detailed various aspects of diversity in the workplace and reflected on its place in the changing marketplace, workplace and world in general. Diversity in the workplace brings high value and many benefits to organizations. As has been noted, it results to enhancing the competitiveness of an organization and improving work productivity. Additionally, it creates a safe and fair environment where everyone within an organization can access opportunities. However, as was noted, there are some challenges relating to diversity in the workplace such as the ability of some employees and even managers to value differences or to combat discrimination. In the light of various aspects of diversity in the workplace, it is important for organizations to strive towards ensuring that there is effective management of workplace diversity. References Devoe, D. (1999). Managing a diverse workforce. San Mateo, CA: InfoWorld Media Group. Harvey, C. P., & Allard, M. J. (2005). Understanding and managing diversity: Readings, cases, and exercises. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Pearson/Prentice Hall. Lewis, R. D. (2000). When cultures collide: Managing successfully across cultures. London: Nicholas Brealey. Shakhray, I. (2009). Managing diversity in the workplace: Seminar paper. Nordersteadt, Germany: Grin Verlag. Thiederman, S. B. (2008). Making diversity work: 7 steps for defeating bias in the workplace. New York: Kaplan Pub. Read More