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Effects of workforce diversity on performance
Reflection on workforce diversity
The impact of workplace diversity in an organization
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I found many of Ms. Beattie’s ideas and concepts to be particularly interesting, as well as, informative given the current state of change throughout organizational development. The top three ideas in which, I will be identifying and describing, are found throughout the concepts of Inclusive Organizational Culture, Diversified Collaboration, and Leadership Development Paradigm. I have chosen these three key ideas based on my personal experiences and supportive research from the modern organizational setting.
Initially, I find that the concepts of, the diversified workforce and an inclusive organizational culture, to have many of the same organizational objectives. The diversified workforce movement is a direct reaction to a diversified populace
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I chose this particular concept due to the need for effective leadership in today’s workforce as it pertains to employee development. In most cases, many businesses have ineffective leadership development programs that are designed to tear down employees rather than build them up. I have experienced such a lack of leadership through past employment experiences, however, those experiences have afforded me the ability to recognize and prevent those issues from occurring today. I have noticed a lack of focus on behalf of organizations where employee turnaround is the highest. There is nothing more stressful than an organization that is continually trying to see you fail added in with the daily problems of an adult life. The importance of leadership development is found in the constant need for strong and intuitive leadership throughout today’s modern organizations (Rowland, 2016). Organizations of the modern setting will need to explore alternative and innovative avenues to implement effective leadership skills as it pertains to specific industry cultures and or competition. I personally believe that the diversification of today’s workforce has promoted a positive change in how employees are treated and how organizations operate competitively in today’s business
Leadership is defined as the action of guiding an individual or group of people. Effective leaders shape the behavior and thought process of the individuals around them. As a result, the success of an organization is often impacted by the leadership style and approach of its leaders. Even when engaging with multiple people, impactful leaders maintain their own style of leadership but occasionally change their approach based on the motivational needs of each individual. However, regardless of the style, leadership within an organization is designed to drive the performance of their employees and it is done through proficient communication. This guidance influences the culture of an organization, which subsequently, helps to shape its leaders.
Leadership is a communication process of a leader and individuals in which the leaders behavior or attitude directs individuals towards any goal effectively. It is widely believed that leadership creates the vital link between organizational effectiveness and people’s performance at an organizational level (Avolio, 1999; McGrath and MacMillan, 2000). The effectiveness of an organization depends upon the leader having an effective leadership style in order to effectively reach the goal of the organization; with it being one of the key driving forces for improving a firm’s performance. Scholars suggest that effective leadership behaviors can facilitate the improvement of performance when organizations face problems (McGrath and MacMillan, 2000). To effectively achieve leadership of individuals and organizational outcomes, four theories can be used; Fiedler’s Contingency Model, Hersey and Blanchard’s Situational Leadership Model, Vroom & Yetton Participative Leadership Model, and House & Dessler Path-Goal Theory.
Being successful at managing workforce diversity involves attracting and retaining the highest quality individuals in the talent pool. For managers it means learning how to manage human potential sensitively. It requires an ever-increasing awareness of how people from different backgrounds deal with authority, communication, overall business etiquette, and relate to their communities of affiliation. Successful management of workforce diversity is a process that takes place in many stages and on many levels. It requires managers to first recruit a competent and qualified staff, then to accommodate individual needs within the context of the work team and the organization.
In taking a further look into the article Ten Traits of effective leaders, leaders are often taught skills to help create a successful leadership style. An effective leadership style is supportive in addition to directive. As a leader it’s not enough to have leadership sense. You must understand your employees. Once you have established a connection as a leader you gain a strong logic of what employees are looking for in a company. For exa...
Merriam-Webster defines diversity as “the condition of having or being composed of differing elements; especially the inclusion of different types of people (as people of different races or cultures) in a group or organization” (Merriam-Webster, 2016). With diversity including many different elements, the concept of workplace diversity also covers a broad spectrum of topics, and continues to evolve as many companies look to expand globally. This subject has become increasingly important among managers over the last couple of decades, and has helped to reinforce other concepts such as affirmative action and equal opportunity employment. While most people believe that everyone should have the same opportunities available to them, and that we
that today’s workforce needs to get away fro the CEO tradition and move towards more group oriented styles of leadership. This way the group comes together and decides on
As companies began to offer workplace principles of independence, out of the box thinking and open-door policies; wouldn't it be even more important to have a cultured workplace. Workplace diversity is the here & now and also the wave of the future as markets expand into global territories. Setting the legal obligations asides a company should want to maximize its potential by reaching out beyond its current marketable persons and into other bodies of people. The cause of having such a diverse foundation shows growth and understanding to support the "changing of the times" of the modern workforce. The effects are how diversity impacts the company's personnel, economy, and global markets.
According to McCormick (2007), the first form of workplace diversity happened in 1948, when President Truman approved Executive Order 9981 whose main purpose was to advance equal treatment and opportuities in the armed forces. Therefore, scholars cite it as the origin of workplace diversity because President Truman the committee tasked to implement the executive order, used it to pursue desegregation in the armed forces. In the business world, many companies long held the belief that the assimiltion of new recruits in an organization required their socialization to adapt to the organization’s existent culture. However, over the last few decades, business organizations have realized that because of various reasons, the orgnizational culture must conform if it must attract and maintain a competitive workforce. This change has been steered by variety of workplace diversity initiatives. Despite the proliferation of such initiatives, the term “workplace diversity” is virtually never defined. Many attempts at defining the term are often in a circular or conclusory manner that does little to strengthen a collective understanding of this term.
Although there are many outstanding, albeit necessary qualities of a good leader, it is the leader’s beliefs in which greatness is given its first breath, fostered by action, and spread throughout the institution. A great leader believes in encouraging, not destroying; in setting the precedence instead of yielding to prominence ; in collaboration, not division; in giving, not taking; and in having high standards and volunteering to be the first of many to be held to them. A great leader does not take advantage of the people being lead, but instead, creates an advantage for the people by giving them the opportunities to lead. Only when people take ownership of an institution will passion be cultivated, action be taken, and greatness be achieved.
As stated earlier, leadership is an ever-evolving practice that one is subject to throughout the course of a lifetime. Leadership has countless working parts and theories that many human beings can only grasp through formal classroom training. There are leaders however, without formal education and training who are extremely successful in all aspects of their roles. These leaders focus and thrive on employee relations. These dynamic leaders utilize a plethora of styles and theories which helps to faci...
The term diversity in the past has been characteristically talked about in the context of women and minorities, but today organizations are starting to officially recognize disable people, gay people and lesbian groups (society of Human Resource Management, 2011). Organizations that are diversifying their cultures this way could be striving for a competitive advantage along with observing the EEOC rules and policy as it refers to discrimination and the fairness perspective. Leaders and managers in the organization must incorporate diversity polices in every aspect of the business’s function and purpose. When one thinks in terms of diversity the question becomes how do we get employees to share core values and agree to the way things should be done within the organization? The issues of racial, social and gender distinctions that is forever dividing us should not hinder a person from coming into an organization to share its core values. All people equally can become an asset to an organization and contribute to its success. The knowledge that have been gather about diversity has led me to believe that competition for talent is growing, and it is dependent on attracting and retaining qualified employees who offer different
Management in organizations today are trying to capture both quality and productivity (bottom line results) from their employees, and are spending millions of dollars in time, capital, and human resources. However, without the proper paradigm shift in leadership roles, which must include a new appreciation on the importance of principled centered leadership that recognizes that people are the highest value in any organization, the investment no matter how great will not accomplish their goals. Managers today have to become more effective in leading and managing their employees. They have to start with a new mind set, change their frame of reference, change how they see the world, how they think about people, and how they view management and leadership. This will bring about quantum improvements in their organization. (Covey) Today's authoritarian style puts managers at a higher level of importance than that of his employees, he makes the decision, gives the commands, and workers conform and cooperate, perform and contribute as requested to receive the rewards of pay and other benefits. When managers accept that the "old way" of doing things is not fundamentally the right way, and they shift to a new style that puts principle-centered leadership first, a unique relationship will develop. They will see that people have more creative energy, resourcefulness, and initiative to contribute when they feel valued and their accomplishments are valued. When managers begin to work with the whole person and embrace principles of fairness and kindness and make better use of their talents, than people have a sense of doing something that matters, something with meaning.
Matthew R. Fairholm states, “Our leadership perspective defines what we mean when we say "leadership" and shapes how we view successful leadership in ourselves and others.” (Pg. )Therefore, change and modifications of desired behaviors must first stem from leadership, in order to achieve success. Follett does consider the challenges for “old-fashioned employers,” they have a difficult time transitioning and comprehending that training and employee is much different from providing orders. Therefore, these types of employers express their frustration with employees who are unable to complete tasks, when in actuality the employee is at a disadvantaged as they are not trained and new habits were not created and reinforced. Follett affirms that lack of training, is a deficiency in education. Therefore, it is crucial for leaders and employers to develop and plan ahead for modeled behaviors to gain the desired responses. Follett asserts psychology has a significant involvement because depending on the delivery of the order and how it is elicited can be the control of how responses are given
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary (n.d.) defines diversity as “the condition of having or being composed of differing elements; especially, the inclusion of different types of people (as people of different races or cultures) in a group or organization”. In general, diversity is often only related with differences in race and gender. In actuality, numerous elements can determine diversification in the workplace. Elements such as skills, abilities, experience, values, age, and education could be part of a diverse footprint in an organization. Other important attributes related to diversity include disabilities, religion, sexual orientation, and marital status (Guillame et al., 2013). The adoption of diversity in the workplace has the potential to increase organizational effectiveness in many ways. Organizations that practice diversity tend to increase their capacity to innovate and make better decisions.
Companies need to focus on diversity and look for ways to become totally inclusive organizations because diversity has the potential of harvesting greater productivity and competitive advantages. Managing and valuing diversity is a key component of effective human resource management, which can improve workplace productivity.