Successful Management of Diverse Workforce - Term Paper Example

Successful Management of Diverse Workforce Most managers will attest that managing a diverse work space can be difficult if they do not have knowledge of different cultures. Diversity has become a stronger word today because in the global marketplace has insured that most companies will need to change their way of thinking as they embrace new workers who are different than anticipated in the past. In order to be successful in a diverse workforce, a manager must develop skills that go beyond traditional management.

DIVERSITY DEFINED Managers are finding that the definition of "diversity" that they were used to is always changing. At one time diversity only meant "race" but today it means a myriad of categories that many managers are not familiar with consciously. A diverse workplace means understanding a multitude of concepts, attitudes or challenges that may be a part of every workplace situation. A strong manager develops the skills needed to understand the workers on their teams so that the team works more effectively as a unit.

SKILLS TO MANAGE A DIVERSE WORKFORCE Malloch and Porter-OGrady (2009) state that diversity can be complex and it may not be able to be identified easily. They suggest that diversity goes beyond "ethnic backgrounds, gender and age." The diverse workplace can include differences in "thinking styles, communication styles, decision-making styles, economic status, educational level and religious affiliation" (p. 107). Each person brings to their team specific ideals and talents that are rooted in their culture whether it is ethnic or a difference that is not so visible.

One way that a manager can make sure that they do well in managing diverse work spaces is by understanding that although people are different, they also have similarities that can bring them together. A diverse work team is always changing and a manager must understand how these changes are happening. They must take these changes and make them work for the entire team. Managers must understand their employees on many different levels in order to help them come together as a cohesive team. As an example, most sales people understand that although they may be different in many ways, they must all understand their customers in order to make sales.

Instead of the hard sell, most companies understand that they must develop relationships with their customers in order to keep them coming back. In a diverse setting a manager must have people skills like sales people do so that they understand how to build relationships with their team. According to Malloch and Porter OGrady, diversity management requires a maturity within the manager which is shown in three skills: 1. They must identify the different components that make up the diversity in their company. 2. they must acquire the ability to analyze the way that people come together. 3. When conflict happens the individual must understand what is need to resolve the conflict. (p. 108).

The manager must be aware on a consistent basis because conflict can arise because people do not understand each others culture or way of being involved in work. If the manager does not understand then it means that their team will have problems. Salopek (2006) suggests that the workplace is also comprised of several different generations that need to be taken into consideration as teams come together. She suggests that managers must learn to "harness the potential" of the various age groups in order to bring them together as a team.

The older generation will need to understand the younger generations and vice versa because they all have something to contribute to the team as a whole. Each group will bring something different to the organization and it is an important way for managers to create a stronger workplace: It is crucial for leaders to understand each generations characteristics, values and motivations; to adopt new competencies to harness the best of each; to facilitate cooperation; and to explore new ways of thinking that incorporate the critical differences among generations (Salopek, p. 22). It is most important today to bring these groups together because the older generations will understand the beginnings of any process they are working on and the younger generations will be able to take the company into the future; however, they may fluctuate back and forth in their knowledge.

Lopez (2009) suggests that managers must learn to emotionally connect with the people under their supervision. This suggests that in a diverse workplace the supervisor must understand their teams on more than one level. According to Lopez there are three insights that lead towards a leader "branding themselves" with a strong workforce: 1. Be curious and think about others needs. 2. Be receptive and yield. 3. Be real and serve. (p. 4). Each insight creates a more rounded manager who will understand the benefits of bringing their team together and helping them to care about each other.

Mehrtens (1993) suggests that dealing with diversity means that a manager must have a shift in their values and in their perspectives about the goals, performance and customers that they serve so they can help this information get out to a wider audience (p. 14). He also suggests that as the company goes more global the new cultures values, attitudes and work ethic must be understood in order to work with them competently. MANAGING DIVERSITY WITH TRAINING There have been many heated debates across the world about working with people who are "different" than the majority of people in an organization.

Whether it is women, gays/lesbians/transgendered people, "foreigners" including people who are from many different parts of the world and those who are disabled. Many people carry certain attitudes towards others who are different and bringing teams together in order to strengthen them is imperative to everyone working together. Hunt (2007) studied the need for education in these situations and found that "education and training are important aspects of the growth and development of both individuals and organizations" (p.

2253-2254). The challenge they found is that in some training there are "hidden agendas" that translate into a cultural ideology. In other words, some training will reinforce stereotypes about certain groups without knowing they are doing it. This can happen through promoting "the values, behavior, existing hierarchies, expectations and accepted knowledge, [and] particularly in relation to the materials, texts and tone of the language used" (p. 2255). This can create a larger gap between people.

A manager who wants to encourage people to come together will take into consideration that these different "groups" may have little or no understanding of each other so some of the training should be to educate employees to a more diverse understanding of the world; this helps them see the bigger picture. There are traditional ways of bringing people into a "culturally sensitive" space where training speaks about specific individuals. The better way to help this happen is through allowing time and space for people to talk about their differences and the opportunities they bring to the workplace.

Concevitch, Dardis, Hendrix, and Ramelli (2007) suggest that: Effective leaders know how to deal with individual differences in a positive way. They know how to build trust. They know how to listen. They know the right approaches to individual development and how to assume each persons contribution (p. 65). CONCLUSION The workforce is different today because it is comprised of hundreds of different people who have a variety of skills, abilities, talents and differences that can make or break an organization.

In order to create a strong workforce the managers must learn how to build relationships with their employees as well as their customers. Managers must bring this information back to their employees so that they can help them evolve into effective teams. The more people understand that their differences do not have to build walls between them, the better they will be able to work together as a unit. References Concevitch, B.B., Dardis, G., Hendrix, K. and Ramelli, D. (2007). Tips from the top. T+D. 2007, 61 (3).

Retrieved August 8, 2009 from EBSCOhost Academic Search Premier Database. (AN: 24332959). Hunt, B. (2007). Managing equality and cultural diversity in the health workforce. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 16 (12). , p. 2252-2259. Retrieved August 8, 2009 from EBSCOhost Academic Search Premier Database. (AN: 27550445). Lopez, L. (2009). The leader in you. Leadership Excellence 26 (7). p. 4. Retrieved August 6, 2009 from EBSCOhost Business Source Premier database (AN: 43156679). Malloch, K.

and Porter O-Grady, M. (2009). The quantum leader: Applications for the new world of work. 2nd Edition. MA: Jones and Bartlett. Mehrtens, M. and Mehrtens, S. (1993). The fourth wave: Business in the 21st Century. CA: Barrett-Koehler Publishers. Salopek, J. J. (2006). Leadership for a new age. American Society for Training and Development, 60 (6) p. 22-23. Retrieved August 6, 2009 from EBSCOhost Academic Search Premier Database. (AN: 21042629).