Diversity in the Workplace

Question: Whyhasdiversityintheworkplacebeengivensomuchattentionlately? Answer: Introduction Diversity in places of work encompasses racial, sexual and religious differences by the employees of an organization. Moreover, a diverse organization should have people of different age groups, disabled workers, people whose lifestyles differ and even those with different physical traits (Fassinger, 2008). Initially, several organizations did not see the need to have a diverse human resource. Most only employed people from various backgrounds so that they may seem equitable( Rice, 2015). Interestingly, it has been discovered that a diverse human resource is more beneficial than a nearly homogenous one. As a result, several corporations give a lot of attention to this area. A diverse workplace can be described as a mosaic, meaning that individuals within that environment retain their individuality as they contribute to the goals of the organization (Canas, and Sondak, 2013). A look at some of the advantages of such working places can give us insights on how why most organizations are keen on having a diverse workforce. Discussion Organizations that are keen to adapt to fluctuations in the markets have to ensure that their workers are from different backgrounds. This is because the employees bring a variety of solutions to a particular problem (Barak,2016). The ideas generated by the employees during sourcing, allocation of resources, or while in service are from several perspectives meaning that the best solution to the problem will be found. Besides, the ideas generated most of the time target particular groups in the market who are well known by a given section of the employees (Barak,2016). The change in the consumer tastes hence can be noticed very fast and the appropriate action taken so that the grip on the market is not lost. As a result, it is a good idea to make sure there are people from different places in an organization. There is also better service provision, meaning that companies having a diverse human resource tend to have more satisfied customers. This has also contributed to the keenness of businesses on the issue of diversity (Herring,2009). A client who is able to, for example, relate to an individual in the organization or feel that he or she has something in common with a person within the organization will trust it. He or she might feel free to consult those they feel linked to for any clarification or advice in case the need arises (Roberge and van Dick,2010). They, as a result, get satisfied by the devices of the organization and may even influence others to transact with the organization. People from different groups do not share a similar organizational culture. Hence, they define their experiences within their set of cultural systems. The various groups present in a diverse organization identify or define their experience uniquely (Pitts, and Recascino Wise, 2010). Most of the time, females hold lower positions and thus view the organization from a perspective different from their male counterparts at the top who are usually more salaried (Nishii, 2013). In addition, other minorities in any organization interpret occurrences differently from the majority. As a result, they tend to execute they perform better since some problems may be opportunities to other groups. Moreover, those from the minority may are able to perform their duties better due to the cohesion and understanding between themselves. This results in companies that produce faster. Diversity also makes companies find talented or gifted people very easily. Sometimes there may be a need for certain skills such as mathematical ability or analytical competencies in an organization. The identification of individuals with the skills required would require the organization to search far and wide, and at times train those whom they find to meet their objective. This would be time-consuming and costly. A diverse organization raises the chances of having uniquely gifted individuals. Moreover, they are easy to identify when they work for the organization. Managers will only need to make inquiries about the background of the people whom they suspect of being gifted in certain fields based on the traits of the people from their country or background. If for example he or she comes from a region where most of the population are astute business persons it would be safe to assume that due to the influence of others the person in question is probably good in that sector. Hence , companies need a diverse workforce. The amount of revenue that organizations receive as a result of having employees from different backgrounds is also higher than those from homogeneous organizations. This is the reason why several companies, notably Solectron, based in the Silicon Valley are keen on implementing and improving diversity programs. The revenues of the firm at some point tripled after it launched a cultural awareness program for its employees, making them win the Baldridge Prize. The success of the company can be attributed to the efficiency of the different groups that work for the organization (Brown, 2007). Another company that managed to increase its revenue significantly is Voice Processing Corp, which has people from different countries. The marketing of their product has been successful because of the number of markets that they are able to penetrate as a result of a workforce composed of people from different nationalities. This proves that diversity increases access to markets, and has the poten tial of making company operations global. Consequently, several companies are now keen on making their human resource as diverse as possible. Another reason why companies are keen to embrace diversity is that of the lower cost of labor in a diverse organization. This scenario is evident in countries that accept a lot of immigrants every year. Most of these people move to their new localities with the aim of finding greener pastures, meaning that they can settle for less when it comes to the wages they receive. Natives on the other hand, due to the presence of institutions such as labor unions rarely accept low payment. Hiring for the purpose of cheaper skilled labor may be seen as manipulation by some people, even though it is a clever business strategy. However, countries that have organizations whose workforce demand too much money as salary are keen on diversifying so that they may make a good profit. Diversity Challenges and opportunities Workplaces consisting of people from different ethnic groups, age gaps, lifestyles or gender, do are also faced with some challenges because of the differences in beliefs, cultures or values of their workforce. These challenges may translate to poor relationships or seclusion of some groups within the organization. Communication between different groups in such a company may be difficult. There may be language barriers in such environments. Moreover, differences in accents can make the employees fail to understand one another within a short time hence making them fail to meet some objectives of the organization (Harvey and Allard, 2015). Besides, there are chances that failure to communicate effectively can lead to frustrations and thus strained relationships between the workers. The minority groups may also feel alienated when have to clarify themselves continually. It is hence important for organizations to ensure that they develop ways of avoiding problems in communication as a result of differences in the nationalities of their workers. Resistance to change is another issue that can face such organizations. There is always some level of competition between employees from different groups. When they manage to meet an objective successfully, chances are that they will try as much as possible to maintain their position as a successful lot. This would translate to rigidity. Other groups fail to adapt to new practices because they may feel that such changes would compromise their beliefs or culture (Jackson and Joshi, 2011). Failure to change would result in stagnation in specific departments. In addition, adapting to new market demands for the organization would be a bit difficult when a group chooses to remain rigid. Hence, managers need to be keen when dealing with people from diverse backgrounds. The management may also be faced with difficulty when trying to implement policies that encourage diversity. There may be discord between the majority and minority groups when they feel that minority are granted more freedom ( Ozbilgin and Tatli, 2008). Accommodation of different cultural values may take a lot of time as the management tries to find ways of not making some section of the human resource not feel that they are being sidelined. During the implementation of the developed policies, there are chances that some people may even quit working for these organizations because of suspicion that their working conditions may deteriorate as a result of the inclusion of people that they do not like. There is always prejudice or misplaced belief about people from various backgrounds meaning that policies that favor them can be viewed as a betrayal by other workers. Hence managers need to make sure that the policies that they intend to use for the purpose of creating an inclusive workf orce are carefully evaluated and in case they may cause discord, they need to be modified. Generation gap may also cause problems in organizations that have embraced diversity. Chances are that, due to the differences in the perspectives of these people, they may fail to work in unison. Moreover, their views may differ on several issues resulting in friction between them (Kapoor and Solomon, 2011). Cliques may be triggered thereby making teamwork difficult to achieve. Teenagers and young adults may also fail to understand their older counterparts or behave in ways that are considered inappropriate when they interact with themselves. (Jackson, and Joshi, 2011) Besides, the younger workers may consider their older counterparts as being backward at times or even have the notion that they are better suited for working for the organization due to their knowledge or ability to use the latest technology. Hence, managers need to make sure that there is no discord between people who belong to different generations. Organizations that have not implemented diversity programs need to do so because it is a powerful tool not only for increasing the production of the firms but also portraying the business as a friendly, inclusive corporation (Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner,2011). Several diversity programs serve to prevent harassment of specific groups such as women and those from other nations. A good reputation makes it easy gain global access to the markets. Managers also need to train on diversity management if they are to realize the benefits of having a workforce composed of different people (Wales, Gorman, and Hope, 2010). To sum up, diversity also brings the opportunity of accessing cheap labor since people from other nations or even gender tend not to demand high wages compared to the locals and the majority. As a result, organizations that feel their operation costs are high as a consequence of the wages spent on payment of their workers can turn to diversity as a way of making things bette r. Conclusion To sum up, when the benefits and challenges as a result of diversity are compared it is evident that firms need to have people from different backgrounds. It is also prudent for managers to try and foster equality in the workplace. Areas that are overlooked when promoting equality and diversity such as gender balance need to be keenly addressed. When organization take diversity seriously, chances are that they will prosper. Most organizations are of late keen on embracing diversity because they have realized that there are a lot of benefits that result from having a workforce which consists of people from different backgrounds, ethnicities or even races. They have discovered that productivity is increased when the workforce is not homogenous as initially assumed by most companies. Moreover, they are able to expand their market by opening branches in the countries that those who work for the organizations belong to. In addition, the companies tend to have more satisfied customers mean ing that their growth is inevitable since customers tend to recommend such places to friends or family. Diversifying the human resource in an organization also has some challenges. These include the resistance to change, or adapt by sections of the workers. Besides, it is also difficult to implement policies that promote equality among the workers. In addition, generation gap and prejudice can cause communication problems between the workers. However, companies need to make an attempt of being diverse. References Barak, M.E.M., 2016.Managing Diversity: Toward a Globally Inclusive workplace. Sage Publications. Brown, M.G., 2007.The pocket guide to the Baldrige award criteria. CRC Press. Canas, K. and Sondak, H., 2013.Opportunities and challenges of workplace diversity. 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