Exploring Workforce Diversity: Benefits and Challenges in Business

This essay examines the multifaceted aspects of organizational diversity, highlighting both the advantages and disadvantages that a diverse workforce brings to a business. It defines workplace diversity as the inclusion of employees from various cultural backgrounds, perspectives, and viewpoints, emphasizing its increasing importance in today's globalized business environment. The essay delves into the benefits of diversity, such as fostering core competencies through varied expertise, enhancing business adaptability with diverse problem-solving approaches, broadening service ranges by leveraging diverse skills, improving business mechanisms through high-ability employees, promoting innovation with adaptable strategies, and facilitating team building by leveraging diverse perspectives. However, it also addresses the challenges, including communication barriers arising from differing perceptions and languages, resistance to change due to discomfort with new approaches, difficulties in implementing diversity policies that may impact employee assessment, complexities in managing diversity programs effectively, and potential loss of productivity due to increased employee conflict. The essay concludes by recommending steps for organizations to mitigate diversity-related issues, such as assessing diversity, setting re-assessment programs, promoting diversity plans, and customizing business policies to foster an inclusive environment.

Running Head: Organizational diversity
Organizational diversity
10/30/2018

Organizational diversity
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................................3
Workplace diversity.....................................................................................................................................3
Benefits of the workplace diversity.............................................................................................................3
Challenges and issues faced by organization due to the diversified in the workplace................................5
Recommended steps that have been proven successful in world-class organizations are:.........................6
Conclusion...................................................................................................................................................8
References...................................................................................................................................................9
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Organizational diversity
INTRODUCTION
With the ramified economic changes and changing business structure, every organization
may face issues related to diverse workforce in the business organization. This report will reveal
the benefits and challenges associated with the diverse workforce in organization which might
positively and negatively impact the business functioning of organization. The conventional
wisdom in organization focuses on implementing the strategies and work on the basis of general
belief and set theories. Workplace diversity is defined as employees working in organization are
from different culture, views, and perceptions (Mencl, and Lester, 2014).
Workplace diversity
It is the statement divulging the fact that employees working in the value chain activities
are from different culture, views, and perceptions and work together to achieve the set objectives
and goals. Many big organizations have benefited their work program by using the workplace
diversity G. E. capital, Wesfarmers and JB Hi-Fi Company have created core competency by
promoting the innovation and efficient work program based on the diversified work program.
The workplace diversity is very much required in this ramified business world. It helps company
to come up with the newly defined work program and also promote the employee intervention in
the business growth and development (Mencl, and Lester, 2014).
Benefits of the workplace diversity
It is analyzed that organization’s success and competitiveness is dependent upon the
ability to embrace diversity, realization of benefits and other possible outcomes which company
could have from the undertaken work. There are several benefits which company could have
from the workplace diversity in its value chain activities.
Creation of the core competency
With the experienced diversified expert employees in the value chain activities, company
could easily develop core competency in product differentiation and product leadership skills
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Organizational diversity
from its undertaken work. It might be helpful for the organization to lower down the cost of its
production and promote the innovation and creation in its business process program (Mencl, and
Lester, 2014).
Increased business adaptability
It is considered that employing diverse workforce could be used to supply greater variety of the
problem solving methods. It will help in team building, promoting the matrix project team and
efficiently allocation of the resources in different teams.
Broader service range
It is analyzed that diversity in the employee skills and experience will help company to
strengthen its employee development program and also assist in customizing its offered products
and services on international level.
More effective business mechanism
Companies which are indulged in promoting the diversity in the workplace always have efficient
employees who have highest ability in their field of working. It could be used by company to
widen their strategic views and strengthen the productivity, profit and return on capital employed
(Downey, et al. 2015).
Promotional of the innovation
It is found that convention wisdom could only help company to sustain its business in long run
but by using the workplace diversity, Company could easily strengthen its business program and
also promote the innovation and creation with the adaptable business program. The diverse
workforce employees are always inclined towards achieving the success by using the advance
technologies and innovative strategic plans.
Team building approach
By using the diversified employee workforce in organization, management could easily bifurcate
the team in different groups and it would be useful to take key ideas from this team. It will be
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beneficial for the Organizaiton to estimate the future risk and losses by strengthen the team
building through diversified workforce program (Barak, 2016).
Challenges and issues faced by organization due to the diversified in the
workplace
Every single act and strategy in the business has its own demerits and taking full advantage of
the undertaken benefits of the diversity in the workface is not without its identified challenges.
Many organizations such as G. E. capital, Wesfarmers and JB Hi-Fi Company have benefited
their work program by using the workplace diversity but they have also faced several challenges.
Communication
With the increasing business workplace diversity, many employees and management might face
issue of the communication. It is analyzed that different perception, language barriers and other
issues of the business may be one of the hurdle while setting up the strengthen communication in
the business work program. It is found that ineffective communication may lead to destruction of
the business and failure to achieve the certain goals and objectives (Hsiao, Auld, and Ma, 2015).
Resistance to chance
The workplace diversity leads to complication in the business and many employees face issues
related coordinated work program. There are several employees who will refuse to accept the
particular decision and those changes which will bring to change in their traditional work
approach (Markey, et al. 2018).
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Implementation of the diversity in the workplace policies and rules
It could be the overriding challenges and issues to the diversity advocates. It is analyzed that
when company wants to implement the workplace rules and policies in its business then it may
result to changes in the employee assessment program and also negatively implements the
strategic approach of organization. It is analyzed that it may negatively impact the customized
strategic view point of the management if the implemented policies and strategies found against
the employee diversity workplace program (Riccucci, 2018).
Management of the diversity in the workplace program
It is analyzed that diversity training program along cannot be sufficient for the business diversity
management plan of the organization. The main issue arises when company fails to set up
coordination in the set work program and undertaken diversity workplace. It may also be hard for
the organization to implement the effective communication in the business which may negatively
impact the business growth and negatively impact the business outcomes (Guillaume, et al.
2017).
Company must set up strong creative and innovative strategic work program to create culture of
the diversity that permits diversity in workplace in every department (Harrison, and Klein, 2007).
Loss of business productivity due to increased conflict in employees
It is analyzed that when employees are facing diversified issues in its business then it might
negatively impact the business growth in long run. It is analyzed that due to the increased
employee conflict in organization based on the different perception, ideas, values and thoughts, it
might negatively impact the business growth and also negatively impact the sustainability of the
organization.
Recommended steps that have been proven successful in world-class
organizations are:
There are several steps which could be used by organisation to lower down the employee
diversity issues in the business program.
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Assessment of diversity in the workplace –
It is required to asses and evaluates the diversity process as an integral part of the management
system. Company could adapt towards the orgnaizational structured work program by
implementing the standards code of conduct and work structure program for employees to
eliminate these risks. It will help management of company to justify single act of other
employees and force them all to undertake particular acts on the set objectives and goals
(Jackson, and Joshi, 2014).
Setting re-assessment program for mitigating the identified issues and challenges
If company faces issues in its business then it might negatively impact the business problems and
may also negatively impact the business growth. Employees might face issues due to the
different diversity and work issues. Therefore, by implementing the proper re-assessment
program, management could easily identify where employees are facing diversity issues.
Promoting diversity in the workplace plan
It is analyzed that company should focus on comprehensive reporting program and team work
appraisal to eliminate the diversity issues in workplace.
Customized business policies and program
It is analyzed that personal commitment of the executive and managerial teams must be
promoted to strengthen the diversity policies and organizational objectives. If all the employees
are treated equal then it will promote them to strengthen their work program with the innovation
and creation (Kossek, Lobel, and Brown, 2016).
It is considered that when organization actively assess their handling of the workplace, diversity
issues and develop business plan then multiple benefits are reported to strengthen the business
outcomes and lower down the diversity issues in organization.
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Conclusion
Diversity may be encompasses race, gender, ethics groups, age personality and cognitive
style. It does not only involve how employees will perceive themselves but how they are going
to react while working with each other. Nonetheless, organizational policies, external factors and
organizational culture also have high level of impact on the organizational employee diversity
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References
Barak, M. E. M. (2016). Managing diversity: Toward a globally inclusive workplace. Sage
Publications.
Downey, S. N., van der Werff, L., Thomas, K. M., and Plaut, V. C. (2015). The role of diversity
practices and inclusion in promoting trust and employee engagement. Journal of Applied Social
Psychology, 45(1), 35-44.
Guillaume, Y. R., Dawson, J. F., Otaye‐Ebede, L., Woods, S. A., and West, M. A. (2017).
Harnessing demographic differences in organizations: What moderates the effects of workplace
diversity?. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 38(2), 276-303.
Harrison, D. A., and Klein, K. J. (2007). What's the difference? Diversity constructs as
separation, variety, or disparity in organizations. Academy of management review, 32(4), 1199-
1228.
Hsiao, A., Auld, C., and Ma, E. (2015). Perceived organizational diversity and employee
behavior. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 48, 102-112.
Jackson, S. E., and Joshi, A. (2014). Diversity in social context: a multi‐attribute, multilevel
analysis of team diversity and sales performance. Journal of Organizational Behavior: The
International Journal of Industrial, Occupational and Organizational Psychology and
Behavior, 25(6), 675-702.
Kossek, E. E., Lobel, S. A., and Brown, J. (2016). Human resource strategies to manage
workforce diversity. Handbook of workplace diversity, 53-74.
Markey, R., Gollan, P., Hodkinson, A., Chouraqui, A., and Veersma, U. (Eds.). (2018). Models
of Employee Participation in a Changing Global Environment: Diversity and Interaction:
Diversity and Interaction. Routledge.
Mencl, J., and Lester, S. W. (2014). More alike than different: What generations value and how
the values affect employee workplace perceptions. Journal of Leadership and Organizational
Studies, 21(3), 257-272.
Riccucci, N. (2018). Managing Diversity In Public Sector Workforces: Essentials Of Public
Policy And Administration Series. Routledge.
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