Diversity In Public Administration Essay

1452 Words3 Pages

Introduction Employers in the public sector are obliged to meet the requirements of equal opportunity laws and regulations that prohibit discrimination and harassment of employees, and encourage diversity within the workplace. Leaders within the field of public administration have approached the subject of diversity not only as a legal obligation, but as an appreciation of individual differences among employees. In order to explore the role that diversity plays in the field of public administration, this paper will firstly explain and evaluate the concept of diversity. Secondly, individual, cultural, and stakeholder diversity will be explored to determine their impact on what occurs in public agencies. Thirdly, the role of diversity in the administrative process will be discussed. Lastly, the role of diversity will also be examined in relation to Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) in order to identify ways that FDOT’s leaders can apply principles of leadership to improve governance within the organization. Diversity Diversity within the context of public administration refers to the differences and similarities that exist among an agency’s employees, potential employees, customers and other stakeholders. The differences and similarities include groups that are legally defined by equal opportunity laws and regulations which includes (but is not limited to) ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender and age. Public leaders are tasked with ensuring that agencies follow best practice standards to ensure equal opportunities for employees of each of these groups. In order to do so, public leaders must value the complexity of diversity in order to understand that few employees will be defined as belonging to a particular group (N... ... middle of paper ... ... will improve FDOT’s overall governance, decision making and policy making, and ensure an equal environment for all. Conclusion The issue of diversity in the public sector goes beyond noticeably visible differences, and expands to areas such as culture and population changes. Public leaders manage diversity not only to meet legal obligations, but as a method to improve governance, decision making, efficiency and performance. The role of diversity in public administration is to aid leaders in providing equal opportunities to all employees and stakeholders with in the public sector. Demographic changes are inevitable therefore public agencies can benefit from implementing a diverse workforce by drawing on talent from the widest possible pool. Likewise, by placing diversity at the forefront of policy making, public leaders can attract a diverse array of stakeholders.

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