diversity in the workplace

1. PREPARED BY: AUSTRIA, JORICK H.

2. Introductory thought
In the 1970’s mosaics were a very
popular art form.
Artist would combine squares, triangles,
and pieces cut in many shapes and
colors, to create beautiful images and
tell visual stories.
Workplace diversity is much like mosaic
art

3. Diversity
It is about learning from others who are
not the same, about dignity and respect
for all, and about creating environments
and practices that encourages learning
from others and capture the advantage
of the diverse prospective.
 “ diversity includes all characteristics
and experiences that define each of us
individual.”

4. Diversity
the condition of having or being composed of
differing elements.
-Merriam Webster
 “ diversity is a concept, encompasses
acceptance and respect. It means understanding
that each individual is unique, and recognizing
our individual differences. 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”

5. Diversity
“The fact of recognizing, appreciating, valuing
and utilizing the unique talents, characteristics,
and contribution of all individuals in a respectful
manner .

6. WHAT MAKES US
DIVERSIFIED

7. Dimensions of Diversity

8. Challenges in Managing
Employee Diversity
 Individual versus Group Fairness: This
issue is closely related to the “difference in
troublesome versus better” i.e. how far
management should go in adapting HR
programs to diverse employee groups
Resistance to Change: Long established
corporate culture is very resistant to
change and this resistance is a major
roadblock for women and minorities
seeking to survive and prosper in corporate
setting.

9. Group Cohesiveness and Interpersonal
Conflict: Although employee diversity can
lead to greater creativity and better
problem solving; it can also lead to open
conflict and chaos if there is mistrust and
lack of respect among groups. This means
that as organizations become more diverse,
they face greater risks that employees will
not work together effectively. Interpersonal
friction rather than cooperation may
become the norm
Segmented Communication Networks: It
has been seen that most communication in
the organization occurs between people
with some similarities either by way of
gender or by way of same place

10. Retention: The job satisfaction levels of
women and minorities are often lower than
those of majorities. Therefore it becomes
difficult to retain such people in an
organization.
Competition for Opportunities: Already,
there are rising tensions among the
disadvantaged groups jockeying for
advancement. Employers are being put into
the uncomfortable position of having to
decide which disadvantaged group is most
deserving.

11. Diversity as an Asset
New Products and Services: Diversity
generates ideas in geometric
progression fuelling greater creativity
and innovation. This results in flurry of
new products and services to meet the
customer's expectation and needs

12. Better teamwork: Organizations are
operating in such a fashion that it is
impossible to function without
teamwork. Interacting with diverse
workforce is leading to better ideas and
enhancing the morale and motivation in
the organization
Better Image: Companies that have
diverse workforce are having better
image, reputation and patronage than
those who do not encourage diversity.
This has huge impact on expansion of
business as it can reduce the talent
crunch by targeting the diverse groups.

13.  expansion of Markets: Globalization
has brought together heterogeneous
teams to enhance the problem solving
capabilities and produce creative
solutions leading to expansion of
business landscape.

14. How to Manage Diversity in
an Organization?
Embrace Diversity: Successfully valuing
diversity starts with accepting the
principle of multiculturalism. Accept the
value of diversity for its own sake not
simply because you have to. The
acceptance must be reflected in actions
and words.

15. Recruit Broadly: When you have job openings,
work to get a diverse applicant pool. Avoid relying
on referrals from current employees, since this
tends to produce candidates similar to existing
work force. An exception is that if the present
workforce is fairly diversified then there is no harm
in accepting referrals from current employees
Select Fairly: Make sure your selection process
does not discriminate. Particularly ensure that
selection tests are job related.
Provide Orientation and Training: Making the
transition from outsider to insider can be
particularly difficult for non-traditional employees.

16. Sensitize all Employees: Encourage all
employees to embrace diversity.
Provide diversity training to help all
employees see the value in diversity.
Strive to be Flexible: Part of valuing
diversity is recognizing that different
groups have different needs and
values. Be flexible in accommodating
employee requests.

17. Conclusion
A diverse workforce is a reflection of a changing
world and marketplace. Diverse work teams bring
high value to organizations, especially most
workplaces are made up of diverse cultures, so
organizations need to learn how to adapt to this
successful practices. Diversity, if positively
managed, can increase creativity and innovation
in organization as well as improve decision
making by providing different perspectives on
problems, when diversity is not managed properly,
there is a potential for higher turnover, more
difficult-communication, and more interpersonal
conflicts.

18. “Accomplishments have no color”
“Every individual can achieve their goals
on their own different ways. Race, age,
culture or what ever characteristics an
individual have will never define his
success.”