Diversity: Challenges and Opportunities in Workplace Management

DIVERSITY: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES 1
DIVERSITY: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
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DIVERSITY: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES 2
Part One
Introduction
In any workplace, people have different cultures, backgrounds, values, as well as beliefs.
Thus, diversity is defined as the aspect by which workers poses different skills, experiences, as
well as cultural backgrounds. This is a managerial and organizational aspect that needs to be
handled well to increase the effectiveness of an organization. Diversity is all over where people
are interacting with work or any other activity. Due to the current trends in business formations
and management, there is a likelihood of people working in multicultural environments. Thus,
there should be management recognition that an organization is based on a diverse workforce.
Each of the different cultures and people needs to be accorded respect. Through this
process, corporation increases and an organization manages to achieve its objectives quickly
(Angi, 2007, 44). Organizational culture is established from diverse environments and people
with different cultures. Thus, there is a need to understand some of the opportunities and
challenges for any individual and businesses as a result of diversity. The negative effects of
diversity should be managed to avoid possible conflicts within an organization. As managers,
there is a need to consider and invest in some of the benefits that diversity bring in the
workplace.
Diversity management
Diversity management is a process which includes several managerial and personal
approaches to help eliminate differences. Thus, in the process of diversity awareness, employees
learn how people get shaped by their cultures. A diversity plan is created by the use of an action
plan in any organization (Sutton, 2003, 88). A cultural intelligence strategy is needed by

DIVERSITY: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES 3
organizations in managing differences among the employees. However, the management should
be innovative in the way it deals with diversity issues. In any organization, social audits are
conducted to help the administration understand the level of compliance to some of the
intelligence concerns. Any company enjoying the benefits of cultural intelligence has a
competitive advantage. It easily competes with other forms in the same industry, both locally and
internationally. Any company should prove its ability to adhere to moral, ethical, as well as legal
obligations aimed at creating equity in the workplace.
Managing diversity implies an inclusive approach used to execute day-to-day business
functions. This approach has been used as a strategy to unman the management of human
resources. These issues of diversity are witnesses during the hiring, recruitment, mentoring, as
well as employee retention. Also, the process of talent management is a demonstration of
accommodating the diverse skills and experiences among the employees (Earley and
Mosakowski, 2004, 77). Some groups have been referred to the minority due to the amount of
attention given to them. Some of these groups include women, people with disability, and people
from the specific ethnic background, the ages, and the youth. These are those people who have
been associated with discriminative a practice that affects their ability to work like other people.
Part Two
This training will be based on equipping the participants with all the necessary
information in managing diversity challenges and opportunities. It highlights some of the ways
through which organizations and managers can identify and solve diversity challenged. At the
end of this training, the participants need to have achieved the following objectives;
Training objectives

DIVERSITY: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES 4
1. Understanding diversity
2. Examining different types of diversity
3. Identify challenges of diversity
4. Assess the opportunities of diversity to individuals and organization
5. Examine some benefits associated with workplace diversity
Workshop Activities
1. Identifying diversity in groups
2. Selecting organization, internal, and external diversity dimensions
3. Explaining cultural diversity
4. Identifying deep and surface-level diversity
5. Explaining how employees and managers deal with diversity
6. Examining global challenges of diversity
7. Identifying diversity opportunities
8. Assessing what is inherent diversity
Defining diversity
Many companies are expanding their operations by opening more outlets and overseas
branches. As a result, different people from all walks of life are likely to join these businesses.
This concept brings up the idea of diversity in a workplace (Earley and Peterson, 2004, 372).
People will, therefore, come with different skills and values and this will offer an organization a
competitive advantage. Thus, diversity exists when people from different cultures or
backgrounds are represented in a workplace or any social interaction. People express their
diversity traits in many ways.