Diversity of Business Skills - Assignment Example

The Value of Diversity number Introduction Diversity in today’s business world has become very important. Diversityin the workplace is the practice of appreciating the difference in culture, education, race, ethnicity, and other different dimensions in the workplace. It is argued that since the world has become global, a diverse workforce is necessary for the growth of the business (Gröschl, 2012). Diversity has its advantages and disadvantages some of which will be described, but the problem is lack of recognition of its value to the organization. Irrespective of the advantages, some business executives still argue that diversity has no tangible growth in the business. It is indicated that diversity increases an organization’s growth. It is also indicated that diversity decreases turnover, and improves workforce quality (Gröschl, 2012). These effects are not important to the executives who still claim that diversity has no tangible growth to the organization. The aim of this research is to show how diversity contributes to tangible growth of an organization. Literature Review Diversity Diversity means recognizing people’s differences, and understanding that people are different and unique in their own ways. It is a concept that requires respect and acceptance. People’s differences can be along dimensions of ethnicity, race, sexual orientation, physical abilities, socio economic status, political beliefs, age, religious beliefs, gender, and other ideologies. Diversity means exploring these differences in a positive, safe, and fostering environment (Patrick & Kumar, 2012). For an organization to achieve such an environment, it needs to employ a set of practices that will ensure appreciation, and understanding of interdependence of cultures, humanity, and the natural environment. It should ensure mutual respect for experiences, and qualities are practiced. Diversity has its benefits to the organization (Gröschl, 2012). Some are described below. Benefits of Diversity Explaining the benefits of diversity needs a description of how it is linked to the performance of the company. An organization’s performance is always linked to its ability to recruit the right people, and maximize their potential. People always want to work for companies that value diversity. For any company to attract the relevant skills, it has to implement what the job market demands. Diversity therefore, helps an organization achieve its aims. It will enable a company employ the right skill that work towards achievement of its objectives (Shakhray, 2009). It is indicated that the main reason for an organization to manage diversity is the benefit it gets from promoting, training, and recruiting the best people irrespective of their background, pronunciations, traditions, hair color, gender, or other differentiating characteristics. If an organization decides to rely on a homogeneous workforce, it will lose the opportunity to gain precious potential from other people, therefore, lose one of the important competing features in the market. The organization’s competitors will have an upper hand because of the precious skill, which may place it in a higher competitive position. Diversity can therefore, be used as a competitive advantage strategy, and since the business world is changing and becoming more global, a diverse workforce will help the organization in various ways. The business organization’s reputation may be improved because of its ability to effectively manage a diverse workforce. Employees and customers will see the organization values as appreciative, and this will help in building the company’s brands. Diversity in the workplace creates an inclusive environment which encourages creativity and innovation, motivates the employees, and improves relationships among employees. These in turn lead to positive benefits on organizational efficiency and productivity (Shakhray, 2009). Irrespective of these advantages, some organization executives still do not believe in the value of diversity. They argue against diversity based on its disadvantages, and the belief that it does not bring any tangible growth to the company. In order to prove to such executives that diversity brings growth to the organization, this research will provide information on the value of diversity, showing the link between diversity and organizational growth. It is important to find out what the concept of tangible growth means according to these executives and provide a clear understanding of the concept. Llopsis (2011) indicates that in today’s global market, the key to growth is effective diversity management. Diversity is needed to establish the authenticity of the organization. Authenticity plays a role in defining the leadership of the organization, which cannot afford be questionable among employees, customers and stakeholders. Managerial Problems: There are various sub disciplines of diversity, for example cultural diversity, all which need to be managed; diversity is complex Irrespective of the proven positive effects of diversity, some business executives still believe that it has no tangible growth on business Diversity in the workplace is costly, yet some do not see its valuable contribution Research objectives: To find out the value of diversity to an organization through: Describing the benefits of diversity to an organization Describing the disadvantages of diversity to an organization To explain the effects of not implementing a diverse workforce Research Design Case Study: Comparative Analysis This will be a qualitative study that will utilize secondary information from books, journals, and other sources to illustrate the value of diversity to an organization. It will use two case studies to illustrate the importance of diversity; selecting an organization in which diversity has been implemented, and that which diversity has not been implemented (Mitchell & Jolley, 2012). The research will then analyze the impact of diversity on the organization by assessing the employees’ productivity, company performance, company’s competitive advantage, the company’s culture, the relationship with customers, impact on management of employees, and the resulting effect on productivity, and overall performance. Data needed to conduct the research Secondary data from books, articles, magazines and relevant academic sources Anticipated Outcomes It is expected that the research will provide a detailed description of the contribution of diversity to the organization. This will include the indirect link between diversity and organizational growth features such as improved productivity of the employees, good reputation, and improved communication among others. With effective diversity management, there is reduced turnover. This means that the company retains its employees, and is able to attract even more. The company is therefore, capable of getting the best skills in the job market. Schedule Chart This research is expected to take one month Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Conduct a thorough literature review about the topic Research on appropriate organizations and compile relevant information about the organizations. Do more research on the grounds of analysis of the two organizations Compare the two organizations Find out the difference Deduce the value of diversity from the analysis Compile a report. References Gröschl, S., 2012, Diversity in the workplace: multi-disciplinary and international perspectives, Burlington: Gower Publishing, Ltd. Llopsis, G., 2011, Diversity Management Is the Key to Growth: Make It Authentic, Forbes. Retrieved from: http://www.forbes.com/sites/glennllopis/2011/06/13/diversity-management-is-the-key-to-growth-make-it-authentic/ Mitchell, M & Jolley, J., 2012, Research design explained, 8th Ed., Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning. Patrick, H. A & Kumar, V. R., 2012, Managing workplace diversity: Issues and challenges, SAGE Journals. Retrieved from: http://sgo.sagepub.com/content/early/2012/04/19/2158244012444615 Shakhray, I., 2009, Managing diversity in the workplace, Norderstedt: BoD – Books on Demand. Read More