Challenges to Managing Diversity in Organisations - Essay Example

CRITICAL EVALUATION OF CHALLENGES IN MANAGING DIVERSITY IN ORGANIZATION Introduction The question was answered by describing whatdiversity is and the significance of accepting and respecting people’s wellbeing irrespective of race, age, profession, language, ideas and or place or origin. In the modern dispensation, organizations are increasingly bearing the brand of diversity in the workplace. Furthermore, the question was answered by showing how organizations have become the face of diversity to the extent that a defining diversity has become synonymous with organizations. Pundits have argued that diversity can be a blessing or a curse if not managed properly. Management teams in a number of organizations are increasingly becoming keen on the issue of diversity. It is, however critical to note that there are a number of challenges in managing diversity in the organizations. The question was answered by stating a number of issues that play out in an attempt to manage diversity to the extent that success is at times elusive. A number of challenges are bound to arise in managing diversity in organizations for the simple reason that a number of management teams never envisage the phenomenon of diversity. People in organizations have characteristics and features. When the human resource directorates in organizations employ people, they never intend to ensure homogeneity. Moreover, the question was answered stating how resistance is a critical challenge to managing diversity. There are individuals who are never alive to diversity in the organization (Perspectives on Leadership in 2012 2012, p. 8). Sabotage of diversity plans in organizations is a common phenomenon in organizations. To this end, there are people who do not acknowledge that there are people with unique features and as such have some importance to the organization. Resistance from a clique of people in the organizations sends a message of rejection of diversity. In the event that there are employees who do not recognize diversity in the organization a problem ensues (Cox 2001, p. 3). The morale of the workers is a critical aspect of employees. When there is resistance to diversity, the morale of the workers is downgraded to the extent that the organizations productivity is largely affected (Iris and Carlos 2007, p. 274-288). It is possible that the people who resist diversity in the organization do no welcome a diverse audience and if they do, they frustrate the efforts of the diverse audience to the extent that they are not able to carry out their duties, as they would have done (Schwabenland 2012, p. 45). Management has, therefore, to deal with resistance in the organization to ensure that people gain acceptance of the programs. Organizations can organize for retreats to ensure that employees in their diverse nature blend and gain acceptance and respect from one another. As long as there is resistance, diversity does not become practical (Megatrends 2002, p. 23) This resistance may make some employees from coming in and the others leaving. Communication is another challenge in managing diversity in organizations. Ordinarily, poor communications bring about misunderstandings. Case in point is that organizations have people from different places speaking different languages. In essence, workers are not able to communicate as appropriate in the organization. This brings about poor office relations to the extent that people begin to see one another as strangers just because they cannot sustain conversations that ensure understanding (Anca, Vázquez & Palgrave 2007, p. 8). People coming from different backgrounds have different communication styles and methods. How the organization harmonizes these elements is a big challenge (Institute of Personnel and Development & CIPD 1995, p. 21). Communication is a critical aspect in any organization. When people are able to talk to one another, they are able to share ideas that may be helpful to the organization. Diversity, therefore, becomes a challenge with respect to the communication. It is critical that organizations are able to encourage their employees to learn various communication methods and styles to ensure that each one of them carries some value and feels included in the system. When there is no proper communication among the employees, a division emerges. People who speak almost similar languages are drawn together and this is not a good show for any organization as Harrison notes (Harrison 2005, p. 9). Communication is a modern day challenge in managing diversity. How well the organizations deal with the aspect of communication determines how far the company can hold the employees together. Without proper communication, misinterpretation crept in hence ensuring poor office relationships. Managing diversity becomes a problem when there is no proper organization. A number of organizations are so disorganized to the extent that even the diversity plan becomes a mirage (Kirton & Anne-Marie 2010, p. 67). When the organizations do not have proper plans for any program, failure is a possibility. In essence, diversity is a new phenomenon that organizations are increasingly getting worried about the emergence of diversity. In fact, a number of institutions try to come with plans to ensure that diversity works as appropriate so that the organization is able to achieve the objectives for which it is set. However, disorganization is a big issue and it is a challenge to managements with respect to managing diversification. It is critical for organizations to choreograph elaborate plans that are critical in ensuring that plans such as diversification succeed (Alexandra 2008, p. 392-395). Workers should be encouraged to take up diversification as an important aspect. Organizations have dominant cultures within them. These cultures create some homogenous tendencies in organizations and this brings about the exclusion of some minority groups in organizations. Managing diversity, therefore, becomes a challenge in the sense that bringing collaboration between the two groups is never an easy task. Ordinarily, the homogenous groups always want to maintain their dominance in the organization to the extent that accommodating the other minority groups becomes a big problem. Management teams find it hard to reconcile the two different groups and others that may be found in the organization together (Pettigrew and Massini 1990, p. 37). This is a challenge that a number of organizations have to contend with. Organizations have to come up with ways of breaking the homogenous cycle in the organizations. If the groups are not brought together, it is imperative to note that challenges are bound to occur in many different ways. Cultural background in organizations is a phenomenon that hinders diversity. Management teams are ever worried about dealing with cultural issues in the working place. In the cultural event that cycles are not broken in the workplaces with respect to employee relations, it makes the organization loose on its productivity. Homogeneity cannot be condemned wholesale as being a challenge to the organization. In some places, homogeneity leads to high productivity hence raising the performance ratings of an organization (Reilly & Williams 2007, p. 15). When people have a number of things in common, it brings about better understandings and improves on office relationships. However, the same does not work for diversification. Employees in the workplace have a number of differences ranging from backgrounds to communication. In essence, people get to group based on the things that connect them as a people. This leaves the rest of the group out and this is not good for diversification (Katherine 2014, p. 34). Management teams find it a challenge to define the relationships between the different groups in the organization in the sense that getting the people to a level of understanding that is common to them is a critical challenge. Management teams in organizations have to come up with procedures and models that ensure commonality in diversity. Human resource directorates have to ensure that people maintain their cultural values while remaining alive to accepting and respecting other people from different backgrounds. While this may not be a walk in the park for management teams, it is a relatively practical approach in ensuring diversity in the organization (Managing diversity 2007, p. 27). Group thinking is another challenge in managing diversity. In organizations, there are people who dominate the process of decision-making. Every organization has a clique of people who organizations rely on for ideas. This, in essence, lock out the other people who have contrary opinions. Research has shown that organizations increase in productivity when ideas from a diverse majority are incorporated into the decisions of the company. When companies constantly rely on some dominant groups in the organization for decision-making and ideas, it suffocates the opinion of other people. This is not the essence of diversity. Diversification means that ideas from different quarters are incorporated into the system to come up with a conclusive outcome. David argues that when decision-making is open ended, it makes it easier to seal the intelligence gaps that could arise (Macdonald 2004, p. 23). Diversification is a critical aspect that involves bringing different ideas together. In essence, it means that organizations become effective when there is diversification of ideas. When the source of thinking is fixed, it does not give the organization an opportunity to hear what the other groups have in mind. Group thinking is a challenge for management teams, so most do not know how to deal with popular groups and incorporate minority in decision-making. Organizations should strive to bring everyone on board with regard to making decisions. When the diverse opinion is incorporated in the general policy document, the final analysis is that proper outcomes are ensured (Passmore 2009, p. 31). Organizations should break the cycle of group thinking and ensure that all the voices are heard. The majority having their way and the minority having their say should not be a policy used in organizations. Every idea should be regarded as important. There are organizations that do not allow people from different backgrounds to work within the organizations. Organizations are faced with the fear of the unknown in the sense that they are ever worried about having people from different entities being incorporated in the business (Macdonald 2004, p. 5). For instance, human resource management teams are sometimes in fear of employing people from different racial backgrounds. The notion being that there could be a clash between the people who do not share the same ethic society. While in the past, there were instances where people were discriminated racially, or based on the language spoken, in the modern dispensation, the notion could be said to be baseless and unfounded. Management teams should not be immersed in the old thinking concerning backgrounds, or the language a person speaks. It is critical to note that diversity is not specific on the details of inclusion. Gender is a challenging aspect of managing diversity. In the modern dispensation, women have become increasingly conspicuous in the corporate scene. Traditionally, women have thought to be fence sitters whose parameters revolve around the homes and taking of the family needs. The emergence of a clique of women who are learned and ready to take up responsibilities previously held by men has brought a whole new challenge in the management cycle. Men feel as though being dominated by women is not an idea that can carry the day. Some men in the same positions with women are other groups that never feel comfortable with the fact that they are to be at the same level with a gender that is seen to be of less stature in the society (Anca, Vázquez & Connect 2007, p. 13). The society has modeled peoples thinking to the extent that people only want to associate the different genders with certain roles. There is no open mindedness with respect of opening up to other possibilities. Gender stereotyping has become a problem for management teams to the extent that managing diversification has become a problem. It should be noted that women just like men have the right to climb the social ladder and become people of influence both in the society and the corporate scene (Mills, Judith & Rhonda 2013, p. 12). It is, therefore, critical that organizations have to come up with means and ways of ensuring gender diversity in the places of work. There should be an affirmative action on the policy plans of organizations to ensure that women have equal chances and opportunities. Though the companies should not be rewarded the women in a wholesale manner, but as long as they are qualified and their qualifications within the scope of operation, they should then be considered for the positions. Gender issues are critical and of immense pressure on organizations. Management teams must strike a balancing act in trying to bring about harmony. Diversity in gender in the organizations is something that cannot be wished away. Challenge in managing diversity is also evident when it comes to age. Sidanius notes that young age is associated with radical tendencies while older people are more of status quo oriented (Sidanius 2008, p. 16). This in essence means that older people are conservatism in nature. A blend of the two age groups in the organization brings about a number of challenges. Case in point is that when young people take up management positions; their aim may be to modernize operations. For instance, a young person may suggest the introduction of technology in running the operations of the organization. This may not be well received by older people who might be so much inclined to the traditional ways of operations. Managing the expectations of the two groups is a challenge that management teams have to contend with. Another challenge with respect to age is the fact that the older members of the workforce may not find it comfortable to take instructions from the juniors who are in the top management. This could bring about stagnation in running the affairs of the company (Healy 2011, p. 45). When groups of people fail to take up instructions or directions for certain responsibilities, a problem ensues and as such there should be quick and steady plans of actions to deal with the problems. Considerations of age should not be a factor to consider in the essence that people irrespective of age should respect the office holder and take up the instructions as appropriate (Cartwright 2002, p. 78). Human resource management teams should understand that age differences in an issue that should be treated with utmost consideration. Age differences in the organization are nothing but an issue of diversity. How management teams deal with the issue determines how good relationships among employees can be nurtured. Barriers like discrimination by fellow employees is another challenge that brings about challenges in dealing with diversity in organizations. (Syed & Kramar 2009, p. 631-659). Conclusion Diversity is a phenomenon that cannot be ignored in the modern dispensation. A number of factors have contributed to diversification and as such diversification continues to grow. While diversification continues to grow, human resource directorates and management teams have a problem in managing challenges of diversity. There are a number of challenges that make it a problem in managing diversity to the extent that the implementations of certain programs in organizations have failed (Perkins & Arvinen-Muondo 2013, p. 5). Communication, gender, disorganization, age and resistance are some of the challenges faced in managing diversification. Even though there are challenges, it is critical to note that the challenges are not beyond the organizations jurisdiction to provide a solution (Booyzen 2006, p. 11). The challenges of managing diversity can be resolved to ensure that there is harmony and stable operations in the respective organizations. 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