Survey results that organisations are slowly awakening to the positive benefits available through a diverse workforce. His new diversity paradigm embraces and enhances all areas of business, especially those that are dauntingly complex. In order to effectively support diversity initiatives in our institutions or to develop workplace diversity programs, we need to first define and deconstruct the issues. Referring to thomas and eli 1996, 85, paradigm shift enhances work by rethinking. Dean karen holcombe ehrhart gangaram singh san diego state university a great deal of research has focused on work group diversity, but management scholars have only recently focused on inclusion. Definitions of workforce diversity, diversity and diversity management. He was active for more than 30 years as a consultant to numerous fortune 500 companies, corporations. An emphirical study on relationship between diversity management practices, obstacles. Make your goal be not simply a diverse workforce, but equal opportunity for. The multicultural organization academy of management. Thomas temple university diverse explanatory conflict models and intervention strategies reflect key perceptualattributional choices. Cultural layers an individuals cultural experience is a dynamic process.
An important proposal is that the experience of diversity in an organisation results from pervasive styles of management. Ultimately, the key to create, develop, and retain diverse workforce is to find a way to make workforce to feel connected to their company farren and nelson, 1999. Building upon the bold ideas presented in his seminal bestseller beyond race and gender, dr. It affects the productivity and efficiency of the workforce in general. Currently, an increasing number of organizations are attempting to enhance inclusiveness of under represented individuals through proactive efforts to manage their diversity. Gilbert et al, 1999 define diversity management as a managerial principle used to make hr decisions and implement practices that create greater inclusion of all individuals into formal programs and informal social networks. Much can be derived concerning our understanding of diversity management from the r. Maznevski 1 994 suggested that racial diversity, as a source of inherent and immutable differences would provide groups with different. According to cox 1994 and thomas 1991, workforce diversification is not only the right thing to do, but it will ultimately enhance the economic performance and global competitiveness of the organization. Managing cultural diversity integration values and. Organizations are becoming increasingly diverse in terms of gender, race, ethnicity, and nationality. Faculty of health sciences, durban university of technology kev words abstract.
Effective workplace diversity management policies have been demonstrated to aid creative thinking processes. Thomas 1995 defines diversity as any mixture of components char. Training of diversity alone is not sufficient for the organizations diversity management plan. Professor in sociology southern connecticut state university new haven, ct originally written in 1997. It is no doubt that diversity management is increasingly becoming a standard of human resources management in contemporary time. Aluko, olabisi onabanjo university, nigeria abstract. Affirmative action programs focus on minorities and women, and seem to offer little for white males. For the past forty years or so, the united states has struggled with the concept of affirmative action. Talented women and blacks joined the company only to plateau or resign. Organizational barriers to diversity in the workplace.
Workplace diversity, hrd, multicultural education abstract. A great deal of research has focused on work group diversity, but management scholars have only recently focused on inclusion. Primarily, this paper aims to make the concept of diversity management wellknown and useful in the managerial practices. The importance of diversity in the workplace there are clear signs in the latest leadership, employment and direction l. However, many organizations have been disappointed with the results they have. The balanced scorecard, diversity training and mentoring are discussed as a building block. A diversity perspective on the language challenge thomas. Diversity management in germanbased business organisations. Cultural layers an individuals cultural experience is a dynamic process influenced by diverse factors, which vary in nature and shift according to. This diversity brings substantial potential benefits such as better decision making, greater creativity and innovation, and more successful marketing to different types of customers. When most of us think of lou gerstner and the turnaround of ibm, we see a great business story. In a report by deloitte, it is argued that diversity and inclusion lead to improved business.
Hence, workforce diversity is the biggest challenge and at the same times the biggest opportunity for the 21st century managers. Looking at how leaders, managers and nonmanagerial employees view diversity, it. Social contexts, managerial motives and theoretical approaches article pdf available march 2010 with 3,110 reads how we measure reads. As a result, the inclusion literature is still under develop. Debates and future trajectories theories on diversity and diversity management within the field of organisation studies started to develop in the 80s, mainly under the influence of managerial reports pointing towards the increasing diversity of the future workforce. Diversity management, challenges and opportunities in multicultural organizations patrick a. Diversity management, challenges and opportunities in. It includes positive and negative influences of diversity management and the theoretical. Management being a social discipline deals with the behavior of people and human insight. A lesstold but integral part of that success is a people storyone that has dramatically altered the composition of an already diverse corporation and created millions of dollars in new business. I return in the conclusion to the implications of the approaches presented for managing diversity in civil service. Di versity can refer to lifestyle tenure, position in the organization, age, sexual preference, functional spe cialty orgeographic location. They cannot be named, but without their input this book would not exist. It is a framework that articulates linkages between broader social contexts and managerial responses, initiatives and.
But, increased cultural differences within a workforce also bring potential costs in higher turnover. The law dictated affirmative action and morality required it, so the company did its best to hire minorities and women. Cultural diversity, diversity management, globalization, multicultural organization, organizational. He defines diversity management as the organisational commitment to recruit, retain, reward and promote a heterogeneous mix of employees, as afroamerican, women, and disabled people 1990. It is the human ditter ences that play an important role in the culture and operation oforganizations brazzel, 1991. In this article, we define diversity management against the backdrop of its predecessor, affirmative action.
Thomas 1995 defines diversity as any mixture of components char acterized by. Stephen butler, cochair of the businesshigher education forum, believes diversity is an invaluable competitive asset robinson 2002. Benefits, challenges, and the required managerial tools 3 where every member must listen and have the chance to speak, are good ways to create dialogues. Managing cultural diversity integration values and management. Diversity management is much more than just a multicultural issue. To have relevant professional and legal concepts packaged with socialorganizational psychology research on diversity, inclusion, and their promotion in organizations is a true treasure. Managers should implement policies such as mentoring programs to provide associates access to information and opportunities. The management of diversity has important ethical, legal, and economic ramifications for the organization. Core dimensions of diversity include age, ethnicity and culture, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, and. By focusing on managing diversity and its inclusion of all individuals, the tensions created by affirmative action debates can be ignored 1995.
Cox and blake 1991 view diversity as a business imperative and highlight that firms should understand how they value diversity to establish a competitive edge over their competitors, an ap. Workforce diversity management in general term has, become a crucial part of organizational competitiveness and effectiveness not just in nigeria public service but in other large corporations globally. To address a critical need of workforce diversity in the hospitality industry, this study. An individual can appreciate differences, be free of bias, and still not know how to manage a diverse work team. According to catalysts 2002 women of color in corporate management report. Cox and blake 1991 view diversity as a business imperative. Gilbert et al, 1999 define diversity management as a managerial principle used to. In management theory and business practice, the dealing with diversity, especially a diverse workforce, has played a prominent role in recent years.
He uses a diversity paradigm to assess organizational readiness to manage diversity, detailing eight options for action and their risks. Introduction to diversity and diversity management duration. Pdf the evolution of diversity management in the usa. Afterwards the meaning of diversity management is changed. Diversity management is a strategy to promote the perception, acknowledgement and.
Roosevelt thomas demonstrates how diversity is far more than a human resources or affirmative action issue. Diversity and multiculturalism encyclopedia of life. Human resource management lecture part 11 change management 1 of 2. Roosevelt thomas fable about the giraffe and the elephant concerning diversity and diversity management.
Benefits, challenges, and the required managerial tools 2 advantages. The answers to these questions became the basis for ibms diversity strategy. Cox, 1993, is rife with advice that managers should increase workforce diversity to enhance work group effec tiveness. Thomas 1991 goes on to say, mentors must fully appreciate all the. Bettinger penn state university harrisburg keywords. Managing diversity is a key component of effective people management in the workplace black enterprise 2001. For 28 years, thomas was a leading speaker and author on diversity in the workplace.
Professor in sociology southern connecticut state university new haven, ct. One of the main aspects investigated is the concepts relevance for practice and the previous dissemination of diversity management in germanbased companies. Managing diversity is a process by which the organization, not the employees, makes the effort to embrace differences, however, there are no standardized strategies for managing cultural diversity. Some may argue that managing diversity is a luxury for the civil service leaders of a few. For example, ibms chairman and ceo sam palmisano pointed to the link between diversity management and the core business at ibm. I feel very honoured that you showed me such confidence.
Thank you all for not only your time, but also for your courage to share, at times very painful, experiences, with me. Leadershipcompetencies formanaging diversity jan visagie hermanlinde werner havenga the new understanding of diversity involves more than increasing the number of di. Successful management of diversity in the workplace. As thomas1991points out, diversity management means that managers are having to make longterm commitments to change and shifts in mindsets. Next, selected examples of organizations that have experienced specific positive bottom line results from. An attributional framework for organizing descriptive and normative theory ralph h. Hays thomas s managing workplace diversity and inclusion is a comprehensive and essential resource for researchers and practitioners alike. In this paper, i build a framework from literature to trace the development of the concept of diversity management in the usa. Cox and blake 1991 view diversity as a business imperative and highlight that firms should understand how they value diversity to establish a competitive edge. Jots v27n1 some essentials of diversity in the workplace. In a globalizing economy companies recognized potential benefits of a multicultural workforce and tried to create more inclusive work environments. Highlighting ibms long involvement with equal opportunity and diversity initiatives. Moriom ferdousi abstract diversity and diversity management in multicultural workforce is increasingly becoming an important issue for the business in the era of globalization. This illustration is complemented by case studies that provide insights into actual german diversity management practice.
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