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Importance of managing diversity in a work place
Importance of managing diversity in a work place
Workforce diversity literature review
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In the Diversity perception scale self-assessment it was great to see questions that I have thought about when applying to different job, even at my current job now. I didn’t quite understand the scoring system, but I do support diversity in any organization. “Systems should be aligned to support diversity goals” (Hackman & Johnson, 2013, p.318). As an employee working for the military, I am committed to the process of understanding how diversity impacts my role; I participate in my employer surveys and respond honestly. In fact, I do understand the diversity element I personally bring to my own organization. Outside of my own culture, I participate and like listening to my colleague’s customs and practices. For instance Hackman and Johnson
Self proclaimed philosopher, english writer, and novelist Aldous Huxley wrote the book Brave New World. One of the issues in the novel is how uniform the society is. There is no diversity in the in Brave New World. Huxley carefully examined on why society is the way it is. He wants the audience to understand the philosophy of a unique society different from a normal society.
Diversity has many definitions but only one true meaning. This concept Analysis is dedicated to exploring the broadened sense of diversity through active concepts with respect to term usage, and current literature research to support the understanding and relevance of the term itself.
From this paper one can see that diversity is much more than just cultural differences. Occupation, differences in skills and abilities, personality traits, and values and attitudes are just a few of the types of diversity that impact individual behavior.
... cultural and personal differences among the people who work there and the customers who do business there (Williams, 2014.) This statement alone is representative of the majority of businesses operating today. With that in mind, organizations should welcome and encourage the benefits of diversity because not only is it the legal thing to do, it is also the ethical thing to do.
“Without awareness and knowledge of gender, race, culture, and ethnicity, therapists and other helping professionals could unwittingly engage in cultural oppression (A. Dunklin, Ph.D., personal communication, October, 2009). Dr. Dunklin is accurate in his statement. After surviving the destruction of the Third Reich, the civil rights’ movement of the 1960s and the women’s movement of the 1970s, it is hard to understand why the need for diversity still has to be discussed except that as a society, we are infants when dealing with diversity issues. There have been but one or two generations since World War II and the outlawing of segregation in the 1960s (Sciame-Giesecke, Roden, & Parkison, 2009). During this time, society has dealt with tremendous heartache and pain in the past seven decades because of discrimination due to a person’s religion, hair color, sex, disability, body weight, color of skin (or lack of color), sexual preferences, ethnic heritage, and so forth. These issues continue as obstacles to achieving cohesive communities. Neighborhoods, schools, churches, and the worlds of science and psychology provide examples of how much discrimination still remains. It is impossible to not engage in cultural oppression to some degree. Working in a cross culture situation could be likened to working in a cross language situation; unintended oppression approaches zero as “fluency” is obtained in the other language or culture (Dr. K. Seaman, personal communication, October 16, 2009). What is crucial to the success of obtaining “fluency” in diversity is to constantly submit ourselves to self-examination to improve our interactions with everyone we come in to contact with, in order to reduce ...
According to Kinicki, diversity represents the multitude of individual’s differences and similarities that exist among people. When developing a cultural diversity training program, one has to manage diversity with a new approach of inclusion and recognition. Managing diversity enables people to perform up to their maximum potential (Kinicki p. 111). As we analyze diversity, we will evaluate some common barriers and challenges in managing diversity. In developing a diversity program, we will analyze methods and procedures that will be apart of the program. Kinicki (p.*) says an important first step in overcoming these obstacles is for leaders to convey to their employees why the organization values diversity.
Diversity is the key to growth in today’s aggressively competitive global marketplace. Leaders can no longer hide behind their lack of cultural intelligence, but embrace diversity. To enjoy its benefits. Cultural diversity refers to the varieties of human cultures and the cultural difference that exist in the organization, society or the world as a whole (Amadeo, K., 2014). The characteristics of diversity include race, language, ethnicity, religion, value system, education, nationality, social structure, beliefs, sex, and physical appearances. Cultural diversity is increasingly growing in the United State workforce. A report shows a projection of decline in white working age from 83 percent to 63 percent and an increase in the minority group from 18 percent to 37 percent by 2020 (NCPPHD, 2005). The cultural diversity has contributed substantially to the social and economic growth of the country. Leaders in an organization should not ignore the substantial benefits of cultural diversity in the workplace, but maintained and value it to increase the organization’s reputation and productivity.
One of the best definitions for diversity I have come across says, “Diversity is the mosaic of people who bring a variety of backgrounds, styles, perspectives, values, and beliefs as assets to the groups and organizations with which they interact ” (Rasmussen, 1996, p. 274). This definition has three noteworthy points. First, it describes diversity as a mosaic, which is different form the traditional label of a melting pot. A mosaic enables people to retain their individuality while contributing collectively to the bigger picture. Second, this definition of diversity applies to and includes everyone; it does not rule out anyone. According to this definition, we are all diverse. Finally, this definition describes diversity as an asset, as something desirable and beneficial! When viewed from this perspective valuing diversity is openness, fun, and can even be a cause for celebrating in discovering how we can join together to create more as a united team than any one of us can on our own. It is vital to business survival that the workplaces strive to attain this ideal collaboration.
The first group that I have noticed I stereotype more than others are what I
Traditionally, diversity refers to an assortment of races, ethnicities, genders, ages, disabilities and perhaps sexual orientations. A definition of diversity, however, should not be constrained by traditional categories such as these. Such a definition should also include categories such as religion, educational level, life experience, geographic location, socio-economic background, marital status and work experience. Indeed, each person employed by a company possesses unique qualities that encompass many factors.
The article “Diversity: Attitudes” lists three different cultures viewpoints on disabilities and how understanding these perceptions could better help their home to school interactions. Most Americans in the education system understand that each individual student with a disability needs a bit more care and patients in order to receive an opportunity for equal education. American culture is taught a scientific approach to explain why some individuals are born with certain disabilities. A common example would be Down’s syndrome which is caused by an extra copy of chromosome 21 and not because of some bad karma like the Pacific Islanders and Philippine would like to believe. Just like any culture there several different viewpoints on any subject
Managing workplace diversity well requires the creation of an wide-ranging environment that values and utilizes the contribution of people of different backgrounds, experiences and perspective. All organizations policies, practices and processes that impact on the lives of employees need to recognize the potential benefits that can be derived from having access to range of perspectives and to take account of these differences in managing the workplace. Work systems, organizational structures, performance appraisal measurements, recruitment and selection practices and career development opportunities all have impact on the organizational behavior upon the management of diversity.
Diversity and inclusion should also apply to humans; by bringing people together who are different, it can create a whole that is enhanced by the uniqueness of each individual. What are the dimensions of cultural diversity? In this week’s readings, the subject of dimensions of cultural diversity were covered comprehensively in both books. Understanding and Managing Diversity presented a nicely laid out illustration. Primary Dimensions Secondary Dimensions Age Geographic Location Gender Military & Work Experience.
Today’s management in the workforce is composed of all types of people verses thirty years ago when white males held a majority of upper-management positions in companies. These positions are now held by a mixture of ethnic back grounds and women who hold just as many if not more management positions then men. Just by looking at the changes in management demographics shows how important it is for people to understand cultural competency in the workplace. Dr. Roosevelt Thomas Jr. (1999) stated, “Diversity is the collective mixture of whomever we have in our workforce characterized by their differences and similarities” (p.11). Managers and supervisors must understand the characteristics of a diversity mature individual; they also need to be able to articulate the differences between affirmative action, managing diversity, understanding and valuing diversity to build skills that transforms awareness into productive and supportive workplace behaviors.
When most people think “Diversity” they think of the most communal characteristics: such as: Age, race, gender, sexual orientation, body type, ethnicity, and a person’s