The document discusses the concept of diversity, emphasizing its various dimensions including race, ethnicity, and other personal characteristics. It outlines the importance of managing diversity in the workplace to enhance communication, creativity, and problem-solving, while also highlighting the consequences of ignoring diversity. Each individual has a role in promoting an organizational culture that respects and values diversity, which entails self-awareness and challenging existing biases.

1. November 5, 2011

2.  What is Diversity?
 Negative issues of Diversity
 Managing Diversity
 Benefits & Risks
 Your role….

3.  Diversity - The variety of
experiences and perspectives
which arise from differences
in race, culture, religion,
mental or physical abilities,
heritage, age, gender, sexual
orientation, gender identity
and other characteristics.
 Diversity also includes a wide
variety of other differences,
including class, work
experience, parental status,
educational background,
geographic location,
language, citizenship and
much more.

4.  Prejudice An attitude of dislike or
hostility towards individuals on the
basis of their membership in particular
groups
 Stereotype A one-sided exaggerated
and normally prejudicial view of a
group, or class of people. Stereotypes
are often resistant to change.
 Bias The appreciation or devaluation
of another individual, group,
characteristic, viewpoint or behavior
based on one’s personal world view,
beliefs and experiences. It can affect
our ability to effectively assess or
process information that represents an
alternative viewpoint.

5.  Race In common sense terms, race refers to people’s visible and inherited physical
characteristics and differences. Race is a socially constructed category that is used
primarily to determine people’s access to social resources
 Ethnicity
• Similarity of cultural patterns
• The need to act to preserve the group
• Informs identity
• Can be related to a group, clan, family
• Is not necessarily race based
• There can be multiple ethnic groups
within a particular ‘race’
 Discrimination The denial of equal
treatment or opportunities to social
groups. It is also about having the
structural power to limit the advantages
and opportunities of minoritized groups

6. *Internal Dimensions and External Dimensions are adapted from Loden M and Rosener J: Workforce America! 1991

7. Managing Diversity involves….
1. Creating a workplace environment that values and
utilizes the contributions of people with different
backgrounds, experiences and perspectives
2. Recognizing the contribution that diversity of
perspectives makes to generating new ideas and
ways of doing things
3. Embracing the range of individual skills, educational
qualifications, work experience background,
languages, etc. that can improve the organization
4. Changing workforce practices to accommodate
diverse individual realities eg. parental status, sexual
orientation, religion etc

8. Benefits of Managing & Including Diversity
 Improves personal/interpersonal
communications
 Improves team functioning and
performance
 Increases creativity and innovation
 Increases the capacity for problem
solving
 Provides a broader range of ideas
and insights
to draw on in decision making and
policy development
 Enhances availability of
opportunities
 Improves staff health and well
being

9. Benefits of Managing & Including Diversity
 Reduces absenteeism
 Improves staff morale
 Includes a more varied talent
pool
 Increases ability to attract
and retain valued employees
 Improves quality of service
and client satisfaction
 Can lead to an enhanced
community image
 Can lead to savings in
recruitment and training
costs

10. Cost of Ignoring Diversity
• Time
• Money
• Efficiency, loss of
productivity
• Unhealthy tensions
• Increased conflict
• Inability to attract and
retain talented people
• Complaints and legal
actions
• Inability to retain valuable
employees
• Lost investments in
recruitment and training.

11. Your Role….
 Each person plays a key role in transforming the organizational culture
to respect diversity. Some of the skills needed are:
 Develop an understanding and acceptance of diversity
 Recognition that diversity should be represented in every aspect of the
organization
 Develop self-awareness, in terms of understanding your own culture,
identity, biases, prejudices, and stereotypes
 Challenge and change institutional practices that present barriers to
different groups

12.  Show respect
 Avoid embarrassment
 Enhance understanding
 Avoid weakened negotiating position

13. Latin American:
• Business based on friendship
• Relaxed atmosphere
European:
• Belgian—conservative, efficient, impersonal
• German—direct, factual
• Dutch—little room for debate
• French—intellectual approach
• Greek—government contacts
• Italian—confident, shrewd, competent
• British—proper; neither imposing nor offensive
Japanese:
• Indirect
• Rely on trusted go-betweens
• Build relationships
• Try various strategies
• Honor oral commitments

14. Jamshedji Tata was refused entry to this Watson Hotel
as 'Indians and Dogs were not allowed‘. And thanks to
that, today we have the world famous Taj Mahal Hotel
at Gateway of India, which was built to spite the
Britishers.

16. Thank you

17.  Time
 Cultural thought patterns
 Communication
 Personal space and touch
 Material possessions
 Family roles and relationships
 Religion
 Personal achievement
 Competitiveness and individuality