MANAGING DIVERSITY

 ORGANIZATIONAL DIVERSITY

Diversity:

The variation of social and cultural identities among people existing together in a defined employment or market setting

The concept of diversity encompasses acceptance and respect. It means understanding that each individual is unique, and recognizing our individual differences.  These can be along the dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs, political beliefs, or other ideologies.  It is the exploration of these differences in a safe, positive, and nurturing environment. It is about understanding each other and moving beyond simple tolerance to embracing and celebrating the rich dimensions of diversity contained within each individual.

Give value to the differences means recognizing and appreciating that individuals are different, that diversity is an advantage if it is valued and well managed, and that diversity is not to be simply tolerated but encouraged, supported and cultivated

Diversity management:

A way of creating an environment that will enable all people to use full potential to accomplish the mission.

Misunderstandings based upon diversity:

• Communication style

• Nonverbal communication

• Trust

• Accents

• Regional jargon

• Stereotypes

• Lack of common experiences

• Values and beliefs

Since diversity is a source of competitive advantage, what could be the recruitment strategies to effectively target to diverse groups? What would be the consequences of ignoring diversity?

Specify the need for skills to work effectively in a diverse environment in the job, make sure that good faith efforts are made to recruit a diverse applicant pool, focus on the job requirements, and use a panel interview format. Ensure that the committee is diverse, unit affiliation, job classification, length of service, variety of life experiences, etc. to represent different perspectives and to eliminate bias from the selection process. Ensure that appropriate accommodations are made for disabled applicants.

Ignoring diversity issues costs time, money, and efficiency. Some of the consequences can include unhealthy tensions; loss of productivity because of increased conflict; inability to attract and retain talented people of all kinds; complaints and legal actions; and inability to retain valuable employees, resulting in lost investments in recruitment and training.

References:

gladstone. (s.f.). Recuperado el 05 de 05 de 2011, de http://gladstone.uoregon.edu/~asuomca/diversityinit/definition.html

university of california an francisco. (s.f.). Recuperado el 05 de 2011, de managing diversity in the workplace: http://ucsfhr.ucsf.edu/index.php/pubs/hrguidearticle/chapter-12-managing-diversity-in-the-workplace/

Cox Jr., T. (2001) Creating the multicultural organization. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Ely, R. and Thomas, D. (2001) “Cultural Diversity at Work: The Effects of Diversity Perspectives on Work Group Processes and Outcomes,” Administrative Science Quarterly, Vol. 46, No. 2, 2001, pp. 229–273.

Jamieson, D. and O’Mara, J. (1991) Managing workforce 2000: Gaining the diversity advantage