The Changing Workplace: Dealing with Diversity in the Workplace - Research Paper Example

The Changing Workplace: Dealing with Diversity in the Workplace Introduction Diversity in the workplace refers to differences in people in the organization based upon their gender, age, personality, cognitive style, race, tenure, role in the organization, education etc. Driven by increased globalization, the diversity in workplace is expected to become more prominent in the coming years. Of course, diversity also encompasses a wide variety of other differences, including work experience, parental status, educational background, geographic location, and much more. (Greenberg 2004) The organization need to manage this diversity more effectively in order to enhance their efficiency and productivity. And managing diversity means more than simply observing legal and policy requirement. They need to address the issues related to workplace diversity including communication gaps, adaptability etc. This paper aims to address various challenges which gets arise due to diversity in the workplace. It then discusses some of the solutions for dealing with workplace diversity and the benefits of having this diversity. Challenges of Diversity in the Workplace While diversity in the workplace brings about many benefits to an organization, it can also lead to many challenges. It is the responsibility of managers within organizations to use diversity as an influential resource in order to enhance organizational effectiveness. Some of the major challenges resulted from having diversity in the workplace include: 1. Communication: There can be regional, cultural or language barriers between a diversified team, which may result in ineffective communication of key objectives. This in turn will result in lack of team work, low morale and ultimately will lead to low organizational productivity. (Greenberg 2004) 2. Resistance to change: There are employees in the organization which do not want change in the way they work and they refuse to accept the fact that the social and cultural makeup of their workplace is changing. They always want to do things in their traditional way and this result in the hampering of new ideas and also affect organizational progress Managing diversity is defined as “planning and implementing organizational systems and practices to manage people so that the potential advantages of diversity are maximized while its potential disadvantages are minimized,” according to Taylor Cox. Recommended steps to manage diversity in the workplace followed by world’s some of the top organizations are: 1. Assessment of diversity in the workplace: Top companies assess and evaluate the diversity of their workplace, as an integral part of their management strategy. They carry out employee satisfaction survey to implement their strategic plans for dealing with workplace diversity. It can help in identifying what challenges and obstacles to diversity are there in the workplace and which policies needs to be added or eliminated. Reassessment can then determine the success of workplace plan implementation 2. Development of Diversity in the workplace plan: The organizations need to choose a survey provider that provides comprehensive reporting for the workplace plan. Also, the plan should be comprehensive, measurable and attainable. An organization must decide what changes need to be made and the timeline for that change to be attained Other recommended solutions to manage diversity in workplace include: 1. Handle change resistance with inclusion: Need to create a sense of involvement among the employees in executing diversity initiatives 2. Create an environment of openness in the organization: Need to encourage employees to express their ideas and attribute a sense of equal value to all 3. Organizations need to respect individual’s contribution, overlooking their differences in opinions and beliefs 4. Weed out gender biases. Another way managers can manage diversity in the workplace is to promote acceptance of both genders, male and female. The entire staff at any workplace should not discount the role women play in the success of a company. As a manager, set a good example and treat both genders equally and with respect. If there still seems to be a divide among the genders in your workplace, provide training seminars to promote equality within the workplace (Provost 2011) 5. An organization should provide an atmosphere of openness and candor. Employees should never be dissuaded from voicing their opinions and ideas, regarding any matter Further, organizations need seek the solutions of the following questions to manage diversity in the workplace more effectively “What policies, practices, and ways of thinking and within our organizational culture have differential impact on different groups? What organizational changes should be made to meet the needs of a diverse workforce as well as to maximize the potential of all workers?” Benefits of Diversity in the Workplace Diversity is beneficial to both the organization and the members. Diversity brings substantial potential benefits such as better decision making and improved problem solving, greater creativity and innovation, which leads to enhanced product development, and more successful marketing to different types of customers. Simply recognizing diversity in a corporation helps link the variety of talents within the organization. Some of the major benefits of diversity in workplace include: 1. Increased Productivity. With employees having a variety of skill sets, abilities, talents and experiences, organizations can create, execute and sustain creative solutions in various situations. They can make better decisions on resource allocations, and utilization. Besides, productivity will increase, saving them cost and time. At the same time, you organizations increase customer satisfaction. (Zaineb 2011) 2. Expanded Business. With employees having varied socio-cultural understanding and skills, organizations can cater to customers on a global scale. They can reach customers much faster and offer your services more effectively. This can improve your chances of their success in the market 3. Diversity adds a unique richness to the workplace. The employees have their unique experiences and opinions, driven by their diverse backgrounds. This would enable the organizations in providing greater value to their clients. This would also help organizations in understanding the needs and requirements of the customers on a global scale 4. Diversity in workplace leads to a wide variety of viewpoints and business ideas. This helps an organization formulate the best business strategy, with its large pool of different ideas and solutions 5. Managing diversity well provides a distinct advantage in an era when flexibility and creativity are keys to competitiveness. An organization needs to be flexible and adaptable to meet new customer needs Consequences of Ignoring Diversity Ignoring diversity issues costs time, money, and efficiency. Some of the consequences can include unhealthy tensions; loss of productivity because of increased conflict; inability to attract and retain talented people of all kinds; complaints and legal actions; and inability to retain valuable employees, resulting in lost investments in recruitment and training. Conclusion: As the economy become increasingly global, workplaces are becoming increasingly diverse. Thus, in the future, organizational success and competitiveness will depend on the ability to manage the diversity in the workplace effectively. Without diversity in the workplace, companies run the risk of becoming mono-cultural organizations that see things from a very limited perspective, which in turn would hamper their business growth. Hence the discussion suggests that it is imperative to realize that workplace diversity should be taken as a tool for better organizational progress rather than a managerial problem and if effectively managed, it can be a key to gain competitive edge and success References Greenberg, Josh. “Diversity in the workplace: Benefits, Challenges and Solutions.” AlphaMeasure, Inc. (2004): Web. 4 Apr 2011. . “Managing Diversity in the Workplace.” UCSF Human Resources, Web. 6 Apr 2011. Williams , Helen . guidelines on workplace diversity. Australia : Commonwealth of Australia , 2001.  Provost, Tiffany. "How To Manage Diversity in the Workplace." HowToDoThings.com Web. 7 Apr 2011. Zaineb, Asma. "Managing Diversity in the Workplace!." commlabindia. Oct 05, 2010. Web. 7 Apr 2011. Wikipedia contributors. "Diversity (business)." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 31 Mar. 2011. Web. 7 Apr. 2011. Read More