Social Culture and Diversity in the Workplace - Research Paper Example

Social Culture and Diversity in the Workplace Introduction Workplace diversity refers to the creation of an all-inclusive environment that brings together all people of different origins and embraces their individual differences as well as providing opportunities equitably to all to promote and help achieve their full potential. An organization that promotes this kind of a working environment benefits from a happier and more productive work force as staff are encouragedto give their best as they specialize in their areas of strength and capability. The workforce is more likely to continue working for the organization because they feel appreciated and valued, thus significantly reducing the problem of turnover that is a threat to business continuity in most institutions. An organization that values diversity acknowledges differences among staffs through action by emphasizing on the rightful environment necessary to create flexibility and responsiveness where staff potential is recognized harnessed and developed. This paper will discuss the aspect of social culture and diversity in the workplace and explore the description of the subject matter in terms of social and cultural differences, managing cultural diversity, benefits accruing to a culturally diverse organization, potential impact, challenges and possible solutions for organizations that have embraced or are looking to achieve social and cultural diversity. The Scope of Diversity at the Workplace Social and cultural diversity may be described to include a population that is culturally diverse made up of people from different parts of the globe meaning that organizations end up with a mix of multi-racial and multi-cultural employees. Demographics in any population of people are dynamic and this phenomenon trickles down to organizations where these people work. There are social and cultural differences in terms of races, national origins, ethnic backgrounds and religion. These differences in demographics among the working population bring valuable skills, knowledge and experiences which the organization can utilize to create a hybrid of human resources and capacity to develop its growth agenda and business success. As immigrants and expatriates from different national origins get employment in an organization, they come with many skills and abilities, as well as differences. Ethnic Backgrounds also comprise of diversity characteristics in an organization. Individuals are born and raised in different environments with rich cultural heritages from their parents and forefathers. These individuals bring with them different insights, ways of perceiving and understandings situations and circumstances, as well as perspectives shaped by the ethnic orientations and cultures of their families and rearing. As a way of embracing diversity with an aim to promoting a level playing field, harmony and performance, the leadership in the organization should respect identities in individual staff members and endeavor to comfortablylive with these differences. Religious differences on the other hand constitute another set of characteristics that build richness in people diversity in an organization. People have different religious beliefs and affiliations and most jurisdictions do not encourage discrimination even in terms of employment and/or dismissals on the basis of religion. Some of the many religions include Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Wiccans, Jews, Hindus, BahaI and Taoists among many others. Management should encourage a workplaceenvironment where employees feel comfortable and valued regardless of their religious affiliation. Management of social and Cultural Diversity at the Workplace Benefits of a Culturally Diverse Workplace A workplace that has embraced cultural diversity enjoys a number of benefits and promotes equity as well enhancing skills among its employees for the success of the organization. Some of the benefits enjoyed by such organizations include improved customer care, increased skills among workers hence responsive service delivery, easy access to other markets, a happier, motivated and productive work force and significant reduction in staff turnovers in the organization as the working environment gets more conducive for everyone. Effective delivery of customer care is achieved as staffs make use of different language skills and cultural competences to reach out to customers and the general clientele. This enhances business growth as the organization creates a constant attachment with the community it operates in with the latter establishing a mutual relationship with the organization, identifying and relating with it. Another benefit identified above is responsive service delivery and enhanced staff skills, which is achieved when staffs are allowed to get exposure to new ideas and different ways of working as well as arriving at decisions. Skills and knowledge of issues are achieved when staffs are encouraged to learn from one another. Embracing social and cultural diversity increases possibility of retaining staff for a longer period hence help reduce skill shortages as the organization develops a pool of talent and experience. In an effort to expand clientele and market share, many organizations employ socially and culturally diverse workforce to make use of language, varied expertise from an international context and cultural diversity in identifying and reaching out to successful export opportunities available overseas. Another key benefit of social and cultural diversity to an entity is productive diversity which is associated with potential economic benefits that the organization gains from different experiences, perspectives and skills. This also encompasses cross-transfers and integration of these factors into the organization at the micro level and the industry or the local economy at the macro level. Embracing employee diversity improves opportunities to grow the global business of the organization, improve ability to understand, as well as operate in a multicultural world in both contexts of the workplace and the marketplace. This increases ability and capacity to achieve long-term sustainability andmeet the organization’s vision. Diverse workforce works diligently to advance and build practices on the basis of their diversity, enhance inclusion and build fairness.A classic example where diversity has played a key role in business growth and development is the Coca-Cola Company which tookdeliberate actions to strategically advance its partnership with stakeholders across board in 2010 and 2011. The Company acquired its Coca Cola Enterprises in the entire North American business where Coca-Cola Refreshments (CCR) was born by putting together all of the operations of Coca-Cola Enterprises in North America. Challenges of social and cultural diversity Employers or organizations sometimes experience gaps in culture and language among staffs which may affect performance and achievement of business objectives. The differentials are varied and touch on styles of social behavior and communication as well as on the ways of thinking or perceptions. These gaps require to be addressed to find amicable solutions to bring commonality and harmony and improve work environment for the better. Usually, the employee, managers and co-workers all play a role in addressing these challenges in order to ensure overall business success.Some religious groups in the organization may compromise the official dress code by wearing certain articles of clothing that complies with their religious provisions and demandswhile some others will require to be given time offs for their respective religious holidays. These aspects of religion compromise on business objectives and affect performance in one way or the other, particularly if a good percentage of the employees are proclaim different religions with different rules that affect work performance. Solutions to Negative Diversity Some of the solutions to challenges of workforce diversity that have been given include but not limited to embracement of inclusion to solve cases of resistance, encourage an attitude of openness among employees as well as promote diversity in leadership positions. Additionally, organizations are encouraged to make use of diversity training to boost awareness about benefits and challenges of working harmoniously as a team. A customizable employee satisfaction survey with comprehensive reporting mechanisms is also a key solution to managing challenges that come with diversity within the organization. Any organization that intends to leverage on the diversity of its people and make positive impact to the realization of its goals should promote sensitization about staff diversity through diversity education programs and resolution programs. It should also seek to receive feedback from its clientele through formal surveys as well as informally, through customer participation in our business resource groups. Employers who are smart such as the Coca-cola Company take advantage of a diverse workforce such that multilingual employees or team members with knowledge of different languages become an asset of the organization. They catapult the business of the company to an international level and also locally by communicating and effectively selling the company ideals to customers with different language, social and cultural orientations. Rich ideas about products, marketing approaches and services offered by the organization come from culturally diverse employees. These attributes come in handy as they appeal to the people who belong to cultural backgrounds similar to those of the employees and who form part of the customer base. Each individual staff brings a new approach and perspective of things that is useful in sifting out work flaws, creating innovation and creativity, streamlining systems and adding value to decision making within the organization. Organizations that are keen to growth and success of their strategies and aims embrace diversity is at the heart of their business. Through this powerful tool, they create a work environment with equal access to information, opportunities and development for all their associates. An important input to building an inclusive workplace environment is influencing their teams of associates across the globe in the use of richness in the diversity of their people in terms of talent and ideas. Diversity is more than just policies and practices and forms an integral part of brands they build, how they operate and how they look forward to achieve their missions and visions for the future. Conclusion References Read More