The given organization is a fast-growing institution with a rapidly growing number of employees and faces challenges from the inadequate representation of its surrounding population and tension among some workers along racial lines. However, despite the positivity of diversity, rapidly growing organizations face difficulty adjusting to the changes (Cletus et al., 2018), as in the case study. While the organization faces some challenges in managing its diversity, compelling solution-based strategies with prompt implementation by the human resources personnel can improve diversity management.
The challenges of managing diversity within this particular organization are closely linked. First, the organization has experienced great changes in the internal population now has several new employees, which might call for changes in employee management and diversity management. Secondly, the realization that the organizational makeup does not sufficiently represent the surrounding population may negatively affect employee-customer relations, the general image of the organization, and diversity management. Finally, mounting tension among workers along racial lines is a sensitive aspect affecting productivity. The issues are related in that the organization’s rapid growth and increase in employees ought to have been inclusive of qualified residents of the surrounding area. Hence the inadequate representation of the surrounding area indicates a problem with the criteria that might have been used in recruitment procedures. Additionally, growing tension along racial lines is linked to the first two issues as they might have emerged from them. The mounting tension indicates an underlying crisis since tension might have occurred from a long time back.
Based on the case study, the organization faces a few challenges in its diversity management: the inability to timely identify sensitive areas of diversity, poor communication, and generational gaps. The organization’s failure to timely identify difficult areas allowed racial tension to emerge and mount. According to Cletus et al. (2018) diversity is a complex aspect of any organization as it denotes the differences among individuals. Hence by understanding the sensitivity of diversity, the human resource director can detect any signs of tension or discomfort among employees. Further, timeliness is important to prevent undesired outcomes, especially in racial matters. Moreover, the inability to identify recruitment and representation of the surrounding area as an important aspect of inclusivity contributed to the inadequate representation and mounting tension.
Communication issues among employees and employers are another possible challenge to managing diversity. Communication is an essential element within an organization for cohesion; hence lack of effective communication can lead to conflict and tension (Cletus et al., 2018). The mounting racial tension among employees might have come about due to the dominance of one race against another or the sensitivity of some employees towards possible prejudicial treatment by colleagues. Human resource personnel can guide employees into embracing racial diversity with good communication, thus preventing any discomfort or tension among workers. Further, generational gaps may have been a significant challenge for diversity management in the workplace and the surrounding environment. The problem of generational barriers is often magnified by poor communication, where younger employees may not communicate effectively with customers or fellow employees. Generational gaps can easily cause division among employees and a disconnect with the immediate surrounding. Thus, the organization should embrace diversity by training employees to connect with customers of every age group and adopt healthy communication practices.
Fulfilling most of the proposed solutions can be done by implementing the following strategies. First, the organizational leadership ought to take a clear commitment to inclusivity and diversity. Measures Organizations ought to understand diversity and actively embrace measures to properly manage variety. Inclusivity is among the aspects that make an organization more appealing to the public. However, some organizations may not be willing to make changes to accommodate current market expectations as it can be costly. Diversity recruitment is an expensive task, but for a fast-growing organization, it ought to be an objective as inclusivity has positive effects on the growth of an institution. Additionally, the organization ought to invest in diversity training for its employees. Given the reports about employee tension on racism, it is essential to provide diversity awareness training to create a tolerant and accepting workplace environment (Kollen, 2019). The organization ought to set strategies with the guidance of diversity managers to facilitate organizational efficiency, effectiveness, and creativity.
Secondly, the organization should use diversity recruitment to present diversity to its surrounding environment and eliminate racial tension among employees. Diversity recruitment is beneficial to the organization as it positively impacts the community. Additionally, diversity recruitment allows the organization to reach a diverse customer base regarding inclusivity (Kollen, 2019). Further, the organization could adopt diversity initiatives to address identified challenges within the institution. Diversity initiatives are major organizational change interventions that seek to introduce change within core administrative departments like human resources. One of the diversity initiatives that an organization can adopt is setting anti-discrimination standards. The setting of anti-discrimination measures within the workplace is an effective strategy for exploring diversity management.
Effective communication and quality team building are crucial strategies for managing diversity. Team building activities effectively allow employees to build better relationships and strengthen bonds with each other (Cletus et al., 2018). Moreover, team building provides an avenue for open communication among colleagues outside the workplace, thus improving work relations. Good communication within an organization can be considered an asset as it contributes positively to the growth and productivity of the organization. Through safe and open communication, employees that feel like the minority can feel heard and seen. Hence reduces prejudice and discrimination and could eliminate tension. With good communication, employees can present their concerns to the management in a timely manner to allow for timely solutions. Good communication also enables employees from all diverse backgrounds to connect and understand each other therefore reducing tension or employee reluctance to interact.
Human resource personnel have a crucial role in enhancing effective diversity management. It is upon the human resources managers to ensure the organization presents diversity and adequate representation. Human resource managers, through diversity management, can help the organization achieve this by hiring a diverse employee base (Ali et al., 2020). It is the role of the human resource managers to conduct diversity training of employees and review anti-discrimination standards within the organization (Ali et al., 2020). Moreover, human resource personnel should monitor and restrict employees’ reckless behavior or utterances to avoid triggers. Given a cross-cultural interaction brought about by inclusivity, some terms may be sensitive to a particular race, religion, or gender. For this reason, employees ought to be able to work well with others by avoiding some diplomatic terms or practices. Through practical diversity awareness training, employees can avoid reckless behavior or utterances that trigger tension.
Human resources are typically charged with handling diversity management; thus, it is the critical role of human resources, under the guidance of the director, to develop methods to address any diversity challenges. They ought to introduce amicable measures within the organization to enhance employee satisfaction. The involvement of human resources in diversity management contributes to organizational performance based on the level of commitment and creativity among human resource managers. Further, human resources should foster good communication among employees and customers for better networking. Human resource personnel can conduct environmental surveys to determine the degree of diversity and level of representation of the surrounding community. Through track keeping, human resources managers can effectively ensure that an organization fairly represents the surrounding population (Ali et al., 2020). Further, track keeping allows for the deciphering of any looming challenges within the organization thus can be addressed before it raises tension among employees.
While several challenges exist in managing diversity, multiple strategies can be implemented for effective organizational operations. For the given organization, strategies like encouraging open communication, diversity recruitment, and diversity awareness training are effective measures to solve challenges in diversity management. More importantly, the human resources that are the forefront effecters of diversity management ought to address existing challenges in a timely manner and implement the best strategies for achieving inclusivity and effective management of diversity.
References
Ali, M O., Tawfeg, A O., & Dler, S O. (2020). Relationship between diversity management and human resource management: Their effects on employee innovation in the organizations. Black sea journal of management and marketing, 1(2).
Cletus, H E., Mahmood, N A., Umar, A., & Ibrahim, A O. (2018). Prospects and challenges of workplace diversity in modern day organizations: A critical review. Histolica, 9(2), 35-52.
Kollen, S. (2019). Diversity management: A critical review and agenda for the future. Journal of management inquiry.