Workforce Diversity: Challenges and Opportunities for Managers in the 21st Century

This article discusses the importance of diversity in the workplace and why it has gained so much attention lately. It also explores the challenges and opportunities that managers face in managing a diverse workforce in the 21st century. The article highlights the benefits of diversity, such as fostering creativity and solving problems, and provides insights into how managers can effectively manage diversity in the workplace.

WORKFORCE DIVERSITY
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Why has diversity in the workplace been given so much attention lately?
Diverse workforce in organisations encompasses work among employees who belong
to varied cultures, backgrounds and viewpoints. Ones those are capable of creating
inclusiveness in workplace outperforms their competitors (BDC, n.d.). Diversity in workplace
allows employers to engage themselves in getting best possible sequential search whether it is
of men, women or minorities. There had been lot of pressure seen between diversity and job
security that encourages companies hiring diverse workforce. By hiring more women and
other minority groups in this male dominated industry, significant attention can be provided
in workplace while recognising values of diversity. Although there are many companies who
have taken initiatives to improve workplace environment, still obstacles or ‘glass ceilings’ to
accomplish their personal and career province remain prominent. Here ‘glass ceilings’ is a
phrase, can also be called metaphor, which was introduced in the year 1980. It represents
artificial and invisible barrier that blocks minority groups and women from advancing up in
the corporate ranking and managerial positions (Shaw, 1993).
Organisations and employers have responded in various ways to the market and institutional
modification in last twenty years in which they have tried to reduce labour costs by reducing
operational costs or moving to countries with low wage. Some have followed a pattern of
reorganising workplace by adopting various change policies to reduce cost and bring
optimisation. Others who have restricted themselves in fixed guidelines had to suffer low
profits. Diversification is essential to increase flexibility and modernisation which can be
made by adopting new technology and diversity in work culture (RECRUITER.COM, 2018).
According to Max Weber, Bureaucratic organisations are always based on logic, legitimate
authority and order. His theory has always prioritized efficiency without creating
discrimination in work place. Weber has mentioned that hiring of employees shall be on
efficiency basis rather than caste or sexual discrimination (Caramela, 2018). Flexibility and
diversity comes in alignment as both of them require workers who are highly trained to
perform variety of tasks and be a part of self managed team. Today’s technological
innovations demands lesser workers than before and thus maintaining quality among them
becomes important.
Working women has been an important topic lately for over last two-three decades. Big
corporations are taking decisions regarding improvement of work experience for women and
minority groups by making strategies which break through the ‘glass ceiling’. Glass ceilings

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have always limited advancement of women and minority groups where white males have
been dominating and holding top position in corporate. Minority groups are always
distributed in low level groups while very few are allowed with promotions (Cotter, 2001).
However, many organisations have felt that women should be encouraged to remain in their
career for longer time as their participation has many times proven successful for the
companies. Many others believe that needs of women have lead themselves in creation of self
imposed glass ceiling by not believing in themselves. Earlier, women favoured for family
and children and brought absenteeism in industries but nowadays many women are able to
manage both work and family. Successful women entrepreneurs in today’s corporate industry
like Sara Blakely (founder of Spanx), Weili Dai (Cofounder Marvel Technology) and Yang
Lan (Cofounder SunMedia) are few among many others who have proven their managerial
power over men (Forbes, 2018).
Initiatives taken by many companies to build team work had allowed minorities and women
take part equally in decision making processes. Famous experiment made by Hawthrone and
Elton Mayo have also proved that success of the organisations depends largely upon the work
environment and joint endeavour. According to the experiment, organisations where people
were judged on the basis of caste and gender showed less improvement and brought
resistance among co worker (The Economist, 2008). Mismatch in communication between
minority job candidates and employers troubles workplace diversity which is the reason many
organisations have globalised their business environment to survive in this competitive
market. In this 21st century, entrepreneurs have adopted more logical way of hiring
employees which restricts caste discrimination and gender criticism as well as has been able
to eliminate ‘glass ceilings’ (Johns, 2013). Therefore it can be said that in order to sustain in
global market and bring more scientific approach towards employment, workplace diversity
have been given so much attention lately.
What are the workforce diversity challenges and opportunities confronting new managers in
The 21st century?
Increase of globalisation in this 21st century among people from different castes,
culture and beliefs have been seen like never before. People nowadays do not prefer working

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in a narrow-minded marketplace and want themselves to be a part of global economy while
competing in every continent (Mangan, 2017). Therefore people belonging to both
profiteering and non profiteering organisations are adopting diversity in workforce to bring in
more creativity and modernisation. Workforce diversity corresponds to both challenge and
opportunity for new managers and ensuring optimum utilization of human resource has
become core objective of companies (CHOUDHARY, 2012).
Capitalizing on workforce multiplicity has been a significant issue faced by the managements
since this process eliminates distinction between people irrespective of age, caste, gender or
race. In order to enable efficient diversity in workforce, many theoretical concepts have been
laid by researchers that can bring effectiveness in organisations. Leadership quality and open
communication is one of the important factors that are stressed upon and managers are forced
to make bias decisions without making any discrimination (Kuusela, 2013). Although many
challenges facing diversity could be recognised in today’ work environment like
interpersonal conflicts, lack of unity among team members and believing in male supremacy.
Mangers have to face these kinds of issues wherein they also have to suffer job security and
personal rivalry. Taking decisions in diverse work environment is another challenge which
managers have to face every day in the form of language or work incapability among
employees. Intervening team members individually makes others feel biased attitude in their
leader (Shaban, 2016).
While managing diversity, managers has to be affirmative in his commands and actions while
hiring women and minority groups for which they face team member’s conflicts. In order to
give value to diversity, many organisations have adapted equal assortment of work among
employees and have taken steps by introducing programmes and regular consultancy so that
more people are educated with scientific approach of managing workforce (Bruitien, 2017).
According to Fiedler’s Contingency Trait Theory, managers or leaders must identify a
management style that can help gaining organisational effectiveness. His theory indirectly
supported diversity in work nature so that managers are able to bring out best from their
human resources irrespective of gender and caste (FLINSCH, 2017).
After making research on the topic, diversity in workforce shows many opportunities for
today’s managers as diversity will not only foster employee creativity but also solve
problems between them. Preparing of 21st century workforce acknowledges valuing diversity
and bringing in diversity trend. That means totalling of individuals and groups efforts will

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bring a cultural transformation in every workplace. Although this transformation requires
managers undertaking interaction with major key factors like empowerment, leadership and
institutionalization. Organisations with complex issues require multifaceted approach and
initiative to bring in diversity that needs to be in parallel to organisational mission (Bedi,
n.d.). For example, in a rescue team or security companies, selection can be done on the basis
of physique and intellect rather than ignoring age and mental condition. Here classism can be
avoided as both the requirements have nothing to do with caste or sex.
Companies that manage cultural diversity while hiring people will always gain advantages
over the others. These organisations get an insight into the present market needs which
consists of women and other minority groups. People with diverse backgrounds can be more
creative than groups with homogeneous backgrounds and thus heterogeneous groups are
likely to perform in better ways (Madhusudan, 2017). Since wider range of people
perspective and thoughts are reviewed before analysing any issue, fair and effective results
can be recognised by organisations. Responding environmental and workforce change
provides competitive advantage also as it helps in providing customers with high quality
service. Labelling women and minority groups along with immigrants differently from the
majority dissimilate them from organisational objectives which lead to an unhealthy work
environment. But today’s managers have given much emphasis on understanding their
qualities which have some extent helped in developing multicultural and multinational
organisations. By protecting cultural values and skills, ethical status of the companies also
perceive respect from nation while gaining respect from their peers (Ewoh, 2013).
Manager’s who excels in managing diverse workforce are the ones who eliminates cultural
and language barriers by organising workforce in systematic and thought out manner. In
addition, the complexity in workforce in multinational organisation have given a new
approach to the mangers for involving diversity in their work nature by involving local public
to their organisations (Sharma, 2010). This not only helps in promoting their brand in other
country but makes employees feel themselves as a part of their organisation. Therefore it can
be said that workforce diversity is one of the best tools for today’s mangers to bring in
change in their companies according to the current market demand and break through the
‘glass ceilings’ (Mollel, 2015). To bring large scale work transformation and enable quality
management, workforce diversity has to be incorporated.

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