Managing Diversity: An Evidence-Based Approach - Research Paper Example

Introduction: Diversity is a factor that is inbuilt into nature itself and the sheer variety that one can see in the flora and fauna in nature is a testimony to this fact. This is reflected in the human race also. Imagine a world where every human being belongs to the same race, are socially equal in all respects, and share the same beliefs. There will be no diversity here and it will not fit into the diversity scheme of nature. In effect, the diversity that is seen in nature is reflected in the human race also. People are different in terms of culture, social behavior, religious beliefs, color, race and economic status. There was a period when travel and communication was limited and hence interaction between diverse people was rare. But the advent of globalization has changed all this. Immigration of people and expansion of businesses globally transformed everything. Now one can see people of different races and nationality, working in one country and even within a single organization. This state of affairs has resulted in the emergence of a relatively new field of management namely diversity management. This paper will discuss and review the diversity management practices in the health sector with specific focus on a hospital. It will in fact, give focus on a specific area of study and look for evidence of best practices in this area of management. The paper will conclude by appraisal of the diversity management practices in the area of study and recommend a strategy for the institution. Definition of diversity management: A review of literature will reveal that even though there are many definitions for diversity management, the basic concept in each of these definitions is the same. In a lighter vein, it can be said that there is no diversity among the various definition for this topic. According to the United States Department of Veteran Affairs, diversity management is a “process intended to create and maintain a positive work environment where the similarities and differences of individuals are valued, so that all can reach their potential and maximize their contributions to an organizations strategic goals and objectives.” (Glossary, 2007). According to a publication by the University of Vienna, diversity is segmented according to the following factors namely; gender, nationality and ethnicity, social class and background, sexual orientation, mental and physical capability, age and worldview/religion. (Diversity management: Diversity definition, n.d). Diversity management process: The pre-implementation process: The European Commission of the EU has published a detailed report of the process of diversity management in a paper titled ‘Training Manual for Diversity Management’. According the paper, companies that implement effective diversity management practices gain six specific advantages by doing so. These are “1) Strengthening cultural values within the organization 2) Enhancing corporate reputation 3) Helping to attract and retain highly talented people 4) Improving motivation and efficiency of existing staff 5) Improving innovation and creativity amongst employees.” (Keil et, 2007, p.5). It can be seen from the above that there are definite advantages in implementing such policies and practices, which will be invaluable in providing customer service and overall efficiency whether the organization is run for profit or not. The paper also outlines the process for implementation of diversity management. A diagrammatic representation is also given for getting an overall picture of the process. It should be noted that the review of diversity management practices of the chosen organization will be based on the following sections. (Keil et al, 2007, p.14). The process begins with the formation of a diversity management steering committee. The area is usually associated with human resources management department. But the HRD manager and staff may be only familiar with a mono-cultural workforce. Hence, a committee that includes diverse people according to the category mentioned earlier (gender, race, nationality etc) should be formed and the implementation process should be done under their guidance. Planning should be long term and take into consideration the next ten to twenty years. Various scenarios should be taken in to account and a most possible one should be selected. The process should be based on this scenario. A diversity management vision should be created next. This vision should be in accordance with the overall vision of the organization itself. A diversity audit should be conducted and the diversity that exists within the organization should be made into a report. The goals of the diversity management should be formulated that should be in tune with the company goals. The company goals should be modified, if necessary, to include the diversity management goals also. By this time the organization will be ready to implement the whole process. The implementation should proceed in a phased manner, but without taking too much time. It may be noted that the hospital under review in this paper will belong to the category of small and medium enterprise. The organization is called the Healwell Hospital and is located in New York. It is a reasonably large hospital with around 600 beds. It has a well established outpatient, general medicine, coronary, orthopedics and ophthalmology departments. The area that will be taken up for study is the outpatient department. This is the department where patients are treated (mainly for minor ailments and injuries) and sent home after treatment. In other words, they do not have to stay at the hospital. Since it is more of a charitable hospital a wide variety of patients come for treatment, especially at the outpatient department. They include people from all races especially from the working class. The hospital has a well established diversity management policy. They have implemented all the above steps before the actual implementation of the policy. The only notable drawback is that these policies have yet to be implemented fully in the coronary and orthopedics departments. Actual implementation of the diversity management process: It is now time to put the recommendations of the committee and the HRD department into practice. The steps (ideally suited for small and medium enterprises) are given here, which are from the above mentioned paper itself. Analysis: An analysis that takes into the following factors should be done at the time of implementation. Ideally a SWOT analysis with diversity in mind should be done. “SWOT Analysis is a powerful technique for understanding your Strengths and Weaknesses, and for looking at the Opportunities and Threats you face.” (SWOT Analysis, 2008). It should be seen whether the best of talent is staying away since a diversity policy is not in place. The Healwell Hospital had done an analysis and has found that nurses from India are well suited for this profession. “The US, UK and Australia have all looked to India to provide nurses because of shortages of staff.” (Beary, 2003). Hence, the hospital began to appoint more qualified nurses from the country in its entire department including outpatient department. Another area of analysis is whether any problems have occurred due to lack of diversity. An analyses by the hospital showed that language was a problem especially in the outpatient department. Many people, especially new immigrants could not speak English well. In most other departments, the patient will be accompanied by a relative or friend (since the disease or condition is more serious) who could communicate effectively. In the outpatient department most of the patients came alone. Due to language problems as aforesaid, a lot of time was lost in communicating. The hospital also took staff who could speak Spanish, Arabic and Hindi and this problem was solved to a great extent. These staff also used to help out in other departments in case of need for translation. The patients were also happy that they could talk to someone who understands their language. Another factor that emerged in the analysis is to understand the diversity of the market. It is a well known fact that New York has a wide and diverse population. This was the primary reason why Healwell Hospital decided to implement diversity management in the first place. Other factors that should be analyzed are outlook relating to equality, discrimination, religious orientation, disability etc. Healwell has taken a reasonable analysis of these factors and has found no problems to date regarding these issues. The statutes with regard to diversity in the work place also have to be considered. Recruitment: Getting the right person for the right job is essential for the proper and efficient running of the organization. If the organization relies solely on recruiting from a particular class or race, then it may not get the ideal candidates for the job. Recruitment should be done scientifically, using proper job description, and a suitable, scientific interview procedure. It does not matter if the applicant is diverse from the current work force. New markets: If the right candidate is not available in the local market, new market should be explored even if it is from outside the country. Healwell Hospital has just done that, by beginning to recruit nurses from India. Need of the customers or clients: Satisfaction of clients is an important factor in the success of an organization. The communication problem, felt especially in the outpatient department, could have been frustrating to the patients (clients). Appointment of personnel who could communicate in languages other than English is the right step in increasing client satisfaction at this hospital, where a lot of non English speaking outpatients come. Internal communication: Communication within an organization is equally, if not more, important than external communication. The outpatient department has now a diverse work force especially among the nurses. The nurses who were appointed were the ones who passed the IELTS or equivalent tests. Internal training in language, organizational and American culture were also imparted. Other factors: Other factors that feature prominently in implementation of diversity management are enhanced image and reputation for the organization and external help in implementation. The Healwell Hospital has used its own resources in implanting policies and did not take outside help from professional organizations. Regular and periodic evaluation of the process is also necessary. Best practices in diversity management: The United Nations has published a paper titled ‘Best Practices in Diversity Management’ detailing how implementation can be effective and without bias. They are briefly discussed here. “In best practice organizations, diversity is a process that is an integrated, ongoing and measurable strategy.” (Reichenberg, 2001, p.2). Even though policy formation should be done at the top, the implementation itself should be decentralized allowing departments to take their own course of action best suited in each case. Diversity training should be given to the entire staff as and when needed. Demographic data about diversity (from government statistics or other reliable sources) should be analyzed and checked whether the organization is under-representing any particular class of people. The existence of laws and statutes in each country regarding diversity management will encourage companies to look at these matters more seriously. Creation of a review committee for periodic review of the whole procedure should be done. The strategy should improve recruitment, development and retention of the diverse work force. The diversity management procedure should be measurable and all departments made accountable for effective practices of the same. Suggestion and recommendations: While Healwell Hospital has been able to implement a creditable diversity management program, there are certain areas to improve with regard to best practices as envisaged by the UN. The policy followed should be more decentralized since the needs of different departments in the hospital vary. Each department should follow a policy that will be best suited for them (based on the overall policy). They have not yet analyzed demographic data to assess whether under-representation of any class of employee exists. A serious program (apart from language and culture) for diversity training should be developed and implemented. It is also not verified if the program helps in increasing staff retention. A diversity audit committee should also be developed with adequate representation from the diverse workforce. Healwell Hospital has a credible diversity management program already in place. Incorporation of the above mentioned suggestion will definitely improve the effectiveness of the whole program which will be beneficial for the hospital, its employees and all other stakeholders especially the patients, as well. Reference Beary, Habib. (2003). Indian nurses’ American dream: Melody D’sa is ecstatic. Her dream has come true- a new life in America. BBC News. Retrieved November 27, 2008, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3191525.stm Diversity management: Diversity definition. (n.d.). Universitatwien. Retrieved November 27, 2008, from http://www.univie.ac.at/diversity/php/definition.html Glossary: Diversity management. (2007). United States: Department of Veterans Affairs. Retrieved November 27, 2008, from http://www.va.gov/dmeeo/glossary.htm#d. Keil, Marion., et al. (2007). Training manual for diversity management: What is diversity? What is diversity management. Human European Consultancy: idm. 5. Retrieved November 27, 2008, from http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/fundamental_rights/pdf/train/traisem_en.pdf Keil, Marion., et al. (2007). Training manual for diversity management: The diversity management change process. Human European Consultancy: idm. 14. Retrieved November 27, 2008, from http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/fundamental_rights/pdf/train/traisem_en.pdf Reichenberg, Neil E. (2001). Best practices in diversity management: Diversity best practice organizations. United Nations Expert Group Meeting on Managing Diversity in the Civil Services. 2. Retrieved November 27, 2008, from http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/un/unpan000715.pdf SWOT Analysis: Discover new opportunities manage and eliminate threats. (2008). Mind Tools: Essential Skills for an excellent Career. Retrieved November 27, 2008, from http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMC_05.htm. Read More