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Literature review on diversity management
Literature review on diversity management
Examples of diversity-conscious leadership
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Recommended: Literature review on diversity management
For our module three assignment “Research and Inclusiveness” we were tasked with finding a full-text article on issues of diversity and their impact on leadership effectiveness. After two days of research, several searches with varying degrees of search parameters, and scanning multiple articles, I narrowed my search down to the article “Diversity as Strategy” (September 2004) by David A. Thomas, who is a professor of organizational behavior and human resources management at Harvard Business School in Boston. I chose this article because I thought it best reflected the assignment out of all the articles I was able to find, and it captured my interest.
The article describes the story of Lou Gerstner, former IBM CEO, who in 1995 created a diversity task force to build upon the already existing IBM equal opportunity policies. Gerstner was of the opinion that the company was not diversified enough, especially at the management level, and that increasing
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Gerstner realized that diversity is not just about handing out a pamphlet about Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity. He understood that he had to include the entire work force from the bottom up and inter-mix them, so they could gain a better understanding of each other. Gerstner made it clear that fostering, teaching, and managing diversity is an on-going process. However, without being given the proper tools a lot of managers may be doomed to be inefficient as they themselves can sometimes hold on to certain misgivings, as Thomas (2004) indicates, “Executive’s beliefs are frequently inconsistent with their behavior,…” (p. 104). A good example would be a former co-worker of mine. He was in middle management and of Indian decent. His group consisted of employees of various backgrounds, ages, lifestyles, etc. He was ineffective in managing diversity, as he himself discriminated against some of his team
Diversity is the piece that makes the modern workforce so amazingly unique and challenging at the same time. Valuing diversity means creating a work environment that respects and includes differences, recognizing the unique contributions these differences can bring, and maximizing the potential of all employees and the company. In The Loudest Duck, the author describes what often happens when diverse individuals enter the modern diverse workplace. Liswood gives great examples, analogies and shares simple insights into the hardships of bringing people from diverse backgrounds together to accomplish goals. The main emphasis is put on recognizing that diversity strictly by statistics of different races and/or genders present is insufficient.
Stoner, C., & Russell-Chapin, L (1997). Creating a culture of diversity management: moving from awareness to action. University of California. Retrieved April 8, 2005 from University of Phoenix, InfoTrac
Gender, racial, and ethnic diversity means different things to different people. Some believe that diversity is about quotas, and affirmative action. Others believe that diversity is something that will happen on its own with out intervention. Some experts who study diversity, however, believe that diversity is not something that should be left up to chance. It is important, therefore, for organizations to take action to encourage and foster diversity in the workplace (Clarke, 1995, p. 13).
Diversity management efforts are based on a voluntary commitment to accept each individual’s uniqueness and to respect and learn from individual differences. In fact, diversity management efforts require a great deal of commitment particularly since it includes more than just image based differences (Cole, Salimath). Because it includes all differences and actively works to change prejudicial attitudes and beliefs, diversity management is the perfect complement to affirmative action. Together they can create an inclusive society that is race- and gender-conscious. Being race- and gender-conscious will highlight each individual difference which will facilitate acceptance without judgment and insensitivity.
This document will explore what a company can do to foster diversity in the workplace. The business case highlights the development and implementation of organizational initiatives that could:
The foundation for developing an effective diversity management program relies on leadership commitment and the CEO should communicate the organization’s position on diversity management and his or her sincere belief in the importance of diversity (Cañas & Sondak, 2010). Indra Nooyi, the current Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo, is a leader who demonstrates a strong passion for managing diversity. In this paper I will be discussing Indra Nooyi’s personal and professional background, the status of diversity within PepsiCo before her role as CEO, the leadership philosophy on managing diversity Indra Nooyi has taken, the strategies she has used to implement diversity management, and her diversity related goals. I will conclude with a discussion on the current status of PepsiCo in terms of diversity, their future diversity goals and how Nooyi’s diversity management efforts have affected the overall success of the company as a whole.
Diversity is a highly important issue in today’s business, especially in a globalized company. Workplace diversity helps to get better solutions to business problems (Schawbel, 2012). When you have a group of individ...
While the semester is over and the deadline has expired, I thought I would write this to express my true intended thoughts.
Barak, M. E. (2005). Managing diversity: toward a globally inclusive workplace. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications.
The impact of diversity in the workplace is contingent upon several factors. Across companies diversified workforces are becoming increasingly common. To successfully manage a diverse workforce, organizations are ensuring that employees understand how their values and stereotypes influence their behavior toward others of different gender, ethnic, racial, or religious backgrounds; are gaining an appreciation of cultural differences among themselves; and behaviors that isolate or intimidate minorities are being improved (Noe et al., 2010, pg. 302).
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.
Critical thinking is a significant and essential topic in recent education. The strategy of critical thinking skills helps identify areas in one's courses as the suitable place to highlight, expand and use some problems in exams that test students' critical thinking skills.
In the future diversity in the workplace may be required for companies that want to be competitive, because diverse ideas help create new solutions to help overcome obstacles. To take advantage of the synergy that diversity brings to the workplace, companies must develop long term goals and strategies. A long term strategy acknowledges differences and embraces them to encourage free thinking among employees. By incorporating diversity as an asset, companies can better prepare themselves to face the future. As their customers become more diverse, so should their workforce.
Therefore, it is imperative for employers to put in place a deliberate training program that explains in detail the benefits and positive outcomes of a diverse climate in the workplace. Employers must communicate the effects of diversity in the workplace to ensure that the employees understand and embrace the climate. The most common practice to unleash diversity is through continuous training and mentoring. A continuous learning environment promotes understanding, improvement, and develops interpersonal skills. Employees must understand that diversity is an organizational attribute and not just a policy. When that understanding is achieved, the organization’s workforce is united and has a better chance of success in their mission. Therefore, organizations must adopt a diversity management practice that retains talent, improves satisfaction, and augment the organization’s
Knowledge is generated through critical and creative thinking. Creative thinking is something new or original that is created with value. Critical thinking is a type of thinking that questions assumptions and validates or invalidates a current belief or something that is said to be previously true. Knowledge is created through the culmination of generally accepted assumptions and creativity. How do you separate general assumptions and creativity? These two types of thinking can be easily separated in regards to concrete or realistic ideas compared to abstract or original ideas however to generate new, acceptable knowledge critical and creative thinking must interact together. The questioning of established beliefs with the creation of unorthodox new ideas will expose the most beneficial knowledge for the world.