Using Trend of Diverse Workforce - Assignment Example

Assignment Contents Contents 2 Introduction 3 Criticality and discussion 3 Developing the argument 4 Summarize the points 5 Analysis and application 6 Conclusion 8 References 10 Introduction In the present scenario numerous companies identified that increasing trend of diverse workforce enhances the level of performance. It even results into satisfied employees and happier customers. The concept of workplace diversity is based on the approach towards equal opportunity that encompasses gender differences, ethnicity race, sexual orientation, age, linguistic or cultural background, physical or intellectual ability, and gender identity. There are different theoretical frameworks based on cultural aspects of an organization. Some of these theories are closely related to the normal practices adopted by an organization. However some theorists have stated certain concepts like suggestion program, etc., are rarely witnessed within organization encompassing diverse workforce. Criticality and discussion Diversity can even be related to other approaches on the basis of which an individual can be differentiated from another on the grounds of socio-economic background, personality, life experience, religious beliefs, educational background, family responsibilities and religious beliefs. The management of diverse workforce majorly requires identifying different values of individual in the organization to realize the hidden potential of team members and in turn support respective department in terms of accomplishment of set goals. There are various benefits associated with workplace diversity as it facilitates development of strong relationship between department and external community. On the other hand an organization can even improve upon the quality of its services, products and programs with the support of diverse contribution from employees (Borak, 2005). The workplace diversity even helps to form a supportive and inclusive environment along with more effective delivery of client service and better team work. The major objective behind encouraging a diverse workforce is to increase the productivity level. On basis of this diverse workforce an organization can expect higher degree of innovation that helps to obtain different ideas for better decision making. The business and financial benefits are significant for majority of the large private sector firms. This has even contributed towards overall productivity and profit margin of the firms. However there is a need to incorporate diversity strategies in the companies having diverse workforce as this enables employee retention, reduces expense towards recruitment process, and enhances overall productivity. Developing the argument An organization needs to strike a balance between meeting as well as respecting the widespread needs of a diverse workforce. There are different approaches adopted by an organization such as diversity training programs where employees are made aware about the different cultures residing in the organization. This in turn helps to eliminate the barriers present amongst team members. However in broader context this type of program cannot be considered to be effective for long term as the diverse workforce would eventually possess different needs and wants. These needs can only be addressed if the management adopts best practices where such different cultural needs would not only be identified but even taken into consideration by the organization. There is a certain theoretical framework generally adopted by an organization which comprises of diverse workforce. It basically elaborates on nine leading practices that can address the diverse needs of an organization. Through this the major aim of diversity can be efficiently communicated across the system. Diversity needs to be considered as a main part of strategic plan of an organization. It shall be linked with high performance and productivity of an organization. Measurement needs to be done in terms of qualitative and quantitative approach which will measure the overall effectiveness of a diversity program. Accountability states that the compensation and performance assessment is directly associated with total progress of diversity initiatives. Succession planning helps to train and motivate a pool of diverse employees who have potential to become future leaders. The recruitment of diverse staff base and training programs indicate that all the team members are made aware about the widespread benefits of diverse workforce (Knippenberg and Schippers, 2007). Apart from the recruitment process all the other practices can be correlated with meeting the needs of diverse workforce. There are many organizations that focus on developing diversity training programs as they feel that this is the best mechanism to avoid any form of conflict within the organization and to address needs of diverse workforce. However implementation of only this program is not sufficient to analyze the diverse psychology of workforce. In order to do so institutionalization forms an essential factor for incorporating diversity initiatives into the system at the executive level. Individuals at the managerial position can be appointed to form a body. This body will interact with the workforce to identify their hidden needs and address those needs as and when required. On the other hand, responsibility of an organization is not limited to understanding the needs of diverse workforce. There lies a requirement to implement a diversity metrics that could encounter the overall progress of the team for accomplishment of strategic goals. Summarize the points There are certain theorists who have described the cultural elements supporting managers to understand well the diverse cultural background. This in turn even facilitates developing high performance work culture. The Deal and Kennedy’s cultural framework states that there are six cultural elements which impact behaviour of an individual in an organization. There is history stating certain past narrative about the company that helps employees belonging to diverse cultural background be closely knitted to the core values of the company. The tough guy or macho describes that cultural aspect where employees are determined towards taking high risks and even obtain faster feedback on their decisions. On the other hand the work hard or play hard concept states that team members would take up few risks and will simultaneously obtain feedback on their performance but needs to stay constantly enthusiastic (Sadri and Tran, 2002). Bet-your-company is another cultural concept which states that high level of risk is taken in decision making process but team members are not aware about the final outcome of their actions. The final cultural dimension is a process where the levels of risks are low and the time span for obtaining feedback is high. This cultural framework clearly states that there are different mechanisms for managing diverse workforce and developing an environment of high performance work culture. Autonomy and employee involvement in decision making process is essential. It enables more of interaction between diverse culture employees and management, necessary support towards employee performance in the form of appraisal systems, coaching and mentoring, rewards for group or individual performance and sharing of knowledge and information amongst employees (Pitts, 2006). The last factor is communication and as stated by the theorists are most important for effective management of diverse workforce. It helps to analyze cultural background of team members. On the contrary, there are other theorists such as MacDuffie who stated different best practices to be incorporated by an organization so as to accomplish strategic goals. These practices were enhancing the degree of employee involvement, enabling job rotation in the system, forming problem solving groups, decentralizing widespread quality efforts and arranging suggestion programs. Analysis and application Wal-Mart is a real time example of an organization creating a pool of talent by working together with employees in strategic decision making process. This company majorly adopts the principle of incorporating diverse training program in the system. On basis of this program the company is able to interact with its diverse workforce as well as develop a platform to explore creative or innovative ideas. The program even enables management of Wal-Mart to address any cultural conflict occurring in the workplace (Musser, 2005). As per the organization high performance can only be achieved by providing diverse workforce the freedom to work as per their choice and take strategic decisions as and when required. On the other hand the company even arranges for cultural programs where employees from different cultural background can interact with each other and identify their respective strengths. Toyota is another company that encompasses diverse workforce. Over the years it has been witnessed that this company achieves its desirable goals by retaining their employees and implementing innovative thoughts. The top level management of this company believes that efficiency and high performance is inter-related and they mainly focus on recruiting people belonging to different cultural backgrounds as it gives a scope to explore various dimensions. Toyota has even developed a team comprising of experts who are involved in judging the level of competency of employees. They mainly analyze the personality traits of diverse workforce by classifying them into Type A and Type B individuals. Type A majorly states that an individual is highly competitive, completes task at a faster rate and are often found angry. Whereas type B individuals are different as they are relaxed, consider one thing at a time, and are more likely to express their feelings. These kinds of classification help the organization to successfully meet different needs of diverse workforce and eventually develop strategies to motivate employees and transform work culture towards becoming a high performance workplace. The method by which management of Toyota addresses the needs of diverse workforce can be related to the tough guy approach of Deal and Kennedy’s cultural framework. Siemens can also be considered as a real time organization that aims towards developing high performance work culture. Siemens AG is global electronics and electrical business comprising of a turnover of £60 billion. The cultural aspect within the organization is well maintained by giving equal importance to job enlargement and enrichment. In job enrichment individuals are motivated towards taking up multiple tasks at a time but in scenario of job enlargement there is more responsibilities allocated to individuals with existing job profile. This organization does not apply such theory proposed by theorists but takes into account an important approach known as talent management. The diverse talent present within the organization is managed appropriately as the management believes basic needs of employees is to be appraised for their hard work and to be aware about their career path within the company (McMillan-Capehart, 2006). Through this talent management program top authority can communicate with the workforce and even motivate employees to perform well in order to achieve desired goals. The company even stated competitive advantage as matching their tasks with talent of diverse workforce in their annual report. It mainly strikes a balance between meeting and respecting needs of diverse team members by collaboratively working with the workforce and addressing those needs that are closely tied with their culture. Conclusion There are other theorists such as Ashton and Sung who stated that diverse workforce management is essential so as to facilitate high performance in the organization. According to their theoretical framework there are certain best practices that can be adopted by an organization to identify the needs of diverse workforce as well as address those needs. The company gives importance to religious festivals of employees belonging to different culture and organizes team building exercises where employees are given an opportunity to interact with other team members. The examples that have been mentioned to some extent incorporate theoretical framework into their business operations but in most cases the focus is on adopting a collaborative approach. This mechanism not only analyses the widespread needs of workforce but even supports management to convey message to employees regarding the reason behind addressing or not considering any specific need of team members. References Borak, M., 2005. Managing diversity: Toward a globally inclusive workplace. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Knippenberg, D., and Schippers, M.C., 2007. Work group diversity. Annual Review of Psychology, 58 (1), pp. 515-541. McMillan-Capehart, A., 2006. Heterogeneity or homogeneity: Socialization makes the difference in firm performance. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 19(1), pp. 73-98. Musser, L.R., 2005. Effective retention strategies for diverse employees. Journal of Library Administration, 35 (2), pp. 63-75. Pitts, D.W., 2006. Modelling the impact of diversity management. Review of Public Personnel Administration, 26 (1), pp. 245-268. Sadri, G., and Tran, H., 2002. Managing your diverse workforce through improved communication. The Journal of Management Development, 21 (1), pp. 227-237. Read More