Introduction
The workforce has become more diverse as women and racial/ethnic minority groups increasingly become a majority in the workplace. Organizations today bring together people of different ethnic/racial backgrounds, religions, ages, genders, income, nationalities, relationship status, work experience, educational achievement, and cultural beliefs and values, among other dimensions of diversity (Begeç, 2013).
A diverse team might be plagued with serious problems if staff members are not equipped with the knowledge and skills required to communicate effectively with others, regardless of their personal and cultural differences (Hunt, Layton, and Prince, 2015). An organization must understand and embrace these differences in their workforce, policies, procedures, and brands to meet the growing needs of the multifaceted marketplace (Joubert, 2017).
Both managers and employees must recognize and respect different cultures, ideas and philosophies to create a workplace where everyone feels comfortable and valued.
In this presentation, I reflect on my experience during a staff orientation at my former organization which was facilitated by the HR manager. The presentation describes the situation background and outcome in a story format, integrating relevant concerns which were covered in the Management Skills course.
Diversity Sensitive Orientation
The HR manager executed his role by supporting and celebrating each new recruit during the onboarding process and uniting them around the HR and organizational goals and strategies. He treated employee on an individual basis and judged their qualification, experience, and abilities based on their merit rather than their personal and cultural characteristics. He managed diversity effectively by demonstrating a good understanding of his background and how his values, beliefs, and behavior can affect his decision-making when dealing with a diverse team. Research shows that this level of awareness helps to overcome potential personal and cultural conflicts and work effectively across personal, cultural, and national boundaries (Hunt, Layton, and Prince, 2015; Begeç, 2013).
Furthermore, he was objective in his approach by applying standard rules to employment actions, including recruitment, selection and orientation, for all the new workers regardless of their background. He remained open-minded and involved everyone in decision-making. In light of Herzberg’s two factor theory, such personal recognition enhanced our motivation and job satisfaction (Osemeke and Adegboyega, 2017). These considerations helped the manager to create an inclusive and culturally diverse workplace.
He kept his communication in check to overcome potential language and cultural barriers. Begec (2013) explains that language barriers constitute a common challenge when dealing with diverse teams so members have to work on new and better ways to understand one another. The manager made effort to bridge communication gaps by using plain language and being respectful to the recruits. He also encouraged staff members to work in diverse teams during the socialization process.
This strategy allowed us to understand and appreciate one another on an individual basis and break down preconceived misconceptions, personal prejudice, and cultural misunderstandings which breed conflicts in a diverse environment (Joubert, 2017). Consistent with Maslow’s and McClelland’s motivation theories, team-working helped us to fulfill the need for belonging and affiliation (Osemeke and Adegboyega, 2017). These considerations demonstrated the HR manager’s commitment to fostering inclusion in the workplace.
Outcome
Effective diversity management benefited both individual employees and the organization. Extant research shows that promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace is essential for the well-being of staff members and the business itself (Joubert, 2017). Notably, the diversity of skills, perspectives, and opinions enhanced trust, decision-making, innovation, engagement, and conflict management among employees during and after the onboarding process (Hunt, Layton, and Prince, 2015). Individuals from different backgrounds bring varying perspectives to teams and thus, their contributions allow problems and issues to be analyzed from all angles Amedeo, 2020).
Begeç (2013) agrees that the ideas and solutions which emerge from such tams are often innovative. Also, team working led to the improved cultural insights as the new recruits exhibited greater understanding and tolerance to personal and cultural differences. These outcomes translated to increased productivity, improved organizational reputation, reduced employee turnover, better customer service, and higher profits (Hunt, Layton, and Prince, 2015). Therefore, encouraging diversity and inclusion allows organizations to realize many positive outcomes.
Recommendations
Stereotypes, misconceptions, and personal biases are detrimental to communication and other processes in the workplace. Joubert (2017) and Begeç (2013) believe that many people only perceive various dimensions of diversity (such as racial/ethnic background, gender, age, and sexual orientations) to be negative rather than positive. Managers and employees should not tolerate such misconceptions in the workplace. It is imperative to develop inclusive teams and create a diverse work environment, and putting more emphasis on the above recommendations can help organizations to achieve this goal.
Conclusion
Organizations that embrace and encourage diversity and inclusion can reap many benefits. However, creating a diverse and inclusive workplace can be a daunting task due to the multiplicity of cultural values and beliefs, perspectives, and orientations. For a company to realize these benefits, it has to value and ingrain the understanding, recognition, and appreciation of personal and cultural difference in the organizational culture. An effectively managed, diverse workforce generates competitive advantages for firms striving to succeed in the equally increasing diverse market.
Reference List
Amadeo, K. (2020). Cultural Diversity in the Workplace. Web.
Begeç, S. (2013). “Effective diversity management initiatives”, International Review of Management and marketing, 3(2), p.63.
Hunt, V., Layton, D. and Prince, S., 2015. Diversity matters. Web.
Joubert, Y.T., 2017. “Workplace diversity in South Africa: Its qualities and management”, Journal of Psychology in Africa, 27(4), pp. 367-371.
Osemeke, M. and Adegboyega, S., 2017. Critical review and comparism between Maslow, Herzberg and McClellands theory of needs. Business anf finance, 1(1), pp. 161-173.