Diversity at Walmart - Essay Example

Diversity at Walmart The objective of the essay is to research the performance management system of Walmart. Likewise, critical areas of performance appraisal instruments would be identified and analyzed in the light of either enhancing or diminishing the potential of ethnic minorities, cultural minorities, or gender and sexual minorities to be effective in the workplace.Diversity at Walmart Walmart was founded by Sam Walton in 1962 as a discount store at Rogers, Arkansas. It is the largest and most successful retailer in the US today with “8,446 stores and club locations in 15 countries employ more than 2.

1 million associates, serving more than 176 million customers a year” (Walmart: History, 2010, par. 5). Diversity at Walmart “becomes the foundation for an inclusive, sustainable business that embraces and respects differences, develops our associates, serves our customers, partners with our communities, and builds upon an inclusive supplier base” (Walmart: Diversity, 2010, par. 1).Performance Management System In a study conducted by Pottabathni (2009, par. 5), “human resource is the key to development and Wal-Mart efficiently manages its sources.

Wal-Mart terms its employees as associates. Manager compensation is linked to the profit of store operated by him, within promotions, compensation offered to associates depending on companys profits and also offered some incentives on their performances. The workforce at Wal-Mart is not unionized as the company takes all the measures of their benefits and provides them training on related issues.” Further, their official website avers that their organization continues to “implement initiatives to attract and retain a diverse workforce, including recruiting from colleges and universities with large multicultural populations.

We also provide associates with on-the-job training, leadership seminars, and direct access to job opportunities through our Career Preference System” (Walmart: Diversity, par. 2). As such, statistics of the work force at Walmart boasts of a composition from diverse cultural orientations and gender with the following breakdown, to wit: “more than 850,000 of our associates are female and make up 59 percent of our U.S. workforce. 35 percent of our associates are minority: 249,000 African Americans, 171,000 Hispanics, 42,000 Asian Americans, 6,000 Pacific Islander Americans, 15,000 American Indian and Alaska Natives, and 430,000 associates 50 and over.

AnalysisIn a research by Green, Lopez, Wysocki & Kepner (2009), the authors provided a definition of diversity as “acknowledging, understanding, accepting, valuing, and celebrating differences among people with respect to age, class, ethnicity, gender, physical and mental ability, race, sexual orientation, spiritual practice, and public assistance status (Esty, et al., 1995)” (par. 4). Diversity has also been closely linked to the concept of pluralism. By pluralism, it is defined as “an organizational culture that incorporates mutual respect, acceptance, teamwork, and productivity among people who are diverse in the dimensions of human diversity” (Maurice, n.d.).

The performance management system of Walmart focusing on the development of human resources encompass critical functions of training, motivation, and developing career paths through a diverse work force. Through diversity, individual workers are given the opportunity to learn from experiences of various cultures. They are exposed to diverse sources of creativity in problem solving. Further, challenges posed by diversity create positive environments for individual competition in terms of improving one’s skills and advancing competencies.

These values enhance the accomplishment of organizational goals.Training, development and performance evaluation methods should continue to work with diverse programs and audiences. A motivational system based on incentives and rewards should be placed to acknowledge personnel who provide affective educational programs for diverse audiences. Mentoring programs should be installed and implemented to orient current staff of supporting a diverse culture. (Maurice, nod.) The policies and procedures should emphasize the value of diversity and pluralism.

According to Davis & Bryant (2008), “diverse environments also yield more effective collaboration and teamwork than homogenous teams. There are a variety of ways to solve a problem; leveraging the input of a diverse staff population helps organizations arrive at better decisions. You can’t underestimate the value of the creativity and ingenuity elicited from a team of varying experience, knowledge, and background.” In addition, by encouraging diversity, organizations were found to attract and retain top talents since it promotes training and development of diverse potentials to contribute to a unified goal.

ConclusionContemporary issues on managing diversity in the workplace must be continually reviewed and evaluated in the light of changes, both in the internal and external environment, with interests of the stakeholders at heart. Society is becoming more aware and demanding of the significance of business ethics in global organizations’ operations. Those firms who are perceived to operate under high standards of ethical and cultural values have the capacity to increase profits. Organizations like Walmart who are committed to incorporate policies on diversity in the workplace have been proven to be successful in their endeavors.

ReferencesDavis, A. & Bryant, P., 2008. Thrive Through Diversity: Diverse Teams Outperform Homogenous Teams — Every Time. Retrieved 15 August 2010. Green, K.A., Lopez, M., Wysocki, A., & Kepner, K. (2009). Diversity in the Workplace: Benefits, Challenges, and the Required Managerial Tools. Retrieved 14August 2010. Maurice, V., undated. How to Recruit and Hire a Diverse Workforce. Retrieved 14 August 2010. Pottabathni, G. (2009). Strategy Management: A Case Study of Walmart. Retrieved 15 August 2010.

< http://www.articlesbase.com/strategic-planning-articles/strategic-management-a-case-study-of-walmart-inc-945260.html> Walmart Corporate. (2010). History. Retrieved 15 August 2010. < http://walmartstores.com/AboutUs/297.aspx> -----------------------. (2010). Diversity. Retrieved 15 August 2010. < http://walmartstores.com/Diversity/>