The world’s increasing globalization requires more interaction among people from diverse backgrounds. People no longer live and work in an insular environment, they are now part of a worldwide economy competing within a global framework. For this reason organizations need to become more diversified to remain competitive. Maximizing and capitalizing on workplace diversity is an important issue for management.
Diversity can generally be defined as
recognising, understanding and accepting individual differences irrespective of
their race, gender, age, class, ethnicity, physical ability, race. Sexual
orientation, spiritual practice and so on. Grobler (2002) also supports this
view by adding that each individual is unique but also share any number of
environmental or biological characteristics.
Diversity can be classified into two
dimensions. The primary dimension such as age, gender, sexual
orientation and exhibits the main differences between
various individuals. These primary differences also has the most impact on
initial encounters and can be easily noticed and serve as filters through which
people view the world.
The secondary dimensions such as
religion, education, geographical location, income etc, are those qualities
that are not noticeable in the first encounter and can even change throughout
different encounters. These qualities are only noticed after some interactions
occur between individuals (Ashton 2010).
Diversity is beneficial to both
associates and employers. Although associates are interdependent in the
workplace, respecting individual differences can increase productivity.
Diversity in the workplace can reduce lawsuits and increase marketing
opportunities, recruitment, creativity, and business image (Esty et al. 1995).
In an era when flexibility and creativity are keys to competitiveness,
diversity is critical for an organization’s success.
A study done by The university of Huston,
USA, on Diversity in the Workplace says Increased adaptability Organizations
employing a diverse workforce can supply a greater variety of solutions to
problems in service, sourcing, and allocation of resources.
Employees from diverse backgrounds
bring individual talents and experiences in suggesting ideas that are flexible
in adapting to fluctuating markets and customer demands. Broader
service range. A diverse collection of skills and experiences (e.g. languages,
cultural understanding) allows a company to provide service to customers on a
global basis.
References
Ashton 2010, the dimensions of diversity.
18 May 2010. Ashton Fourie: Blog.
Esty, K., R. Griffin, and M.
Schorr-Hirsh. 1995. Workplace diversity. A manager’s guide to solving problems
and turning diversity into a competitive advantage. Avon, MA: Adams Media
Corporation.
Grobler PA. 2002. Human Resource
Management in South Africa. London: Thomson Learning.
http://ashtonfourie.com/blog1/2010/05/18/the-dimensions-of-diversity/
(Accessed on 5 November 2021)
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