Essay Example: How Diversity Affects a Workplace

In a workplace, diversity involves the creation of a working custom where people from different gender, nationality, and even races can blend and work in a harmonized environment (Certo, 2015, 43). For a company to successfully diversify it needs to manage its diversification correctly, this gives it a solid advantage over those businesses that doesn't readily incorporate diversification.

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Diversity management brings about some benefits to the workplace; first it brings about an increased adaptability, the customer always demands vary, and markets keep on fluctuating thus flexible ideas can well adapt to this situation. Having employees from diverse backgrounds incorporates different individual talent and experiences that help in suggesting ideas adaptable to market and demand. Diversity also creates for a company a broader range of services. Through a diverse collection of experiences and personal skills, for example, cultural understanding, a company, is capable of providing services not only where it is based but on a global basis too.

A larger pool of ideas is achieved by a diversified workforce whereby; they communicate their varying points of view creating a broad range of ideas. From this pool of ideas, the organization can draw an effective business strategy to serve its customers efficiently. A company that encourages diversity in its workforce carries with it greater chances to higher productivity transforming to higher profits and return on investment (Certo, 2015).

Diversity also brings with it a couple of challenges and a company that diversifies should take into consideration having various means of dealing with them. Some of these challenges include; communication, diversification can lead to the ineffective communication of primary objectives, lack of morale and teamwork. Language and perceptual barriers thus need to be overcome. Another challenge that diversification may face is resistance to change by some of the employees. There could be a mentality of weve always done it this way that significantly hinders progress.

Implementing diversity can also be a challenge if diversity agents did not carry out extensive employee assessment and research to determine how efficient diversification can be. A customized strategy should be put in place to maximize the effects of diversity in a workplace. A successful diversity management is not only achieved through diversity training, but there must also be a strategized culture that allows for diversity in every department of the organization.

Several steps are recommended for adequate diversification in organizations. First, the workplace should be assessed. Assessing and evaluating a diversity process should e an integral part of any management system of an organization. Employee survey on their satisfaction should be carried out as it helps the firm familiarize with obstacles and challenges brought about by diversification and work on how to eliminate them.

Secondly, there should be diversity development in the workplace plan; a survey provider should be chosen to provide reports on critical decisions. The plan should be attainable measurable and comprehensively presented, it should outline the structure of diversity in the workplace plan. An organization is supposed to make timely changes if the need arises.

Finally is the implementation of the diversity in the workplace plan. Executive and managerial commitments are a must; they should incorporate diversity policies into the aspect of the organization's purpose for the success of the program.

References

Certo, S. C., & Certo, S. T. (4th edition, 2015). Modern Management: Concept and skills: Concepts and skills. Harlow: Pearson Education Ltd.

Iguisi, O. V., & the University of Stirling. (2009). Cultural Dynamics of African Management Practice. The University of Stirling.