MAN6714: Workplace Conflicts Arising from Diversity and Inclusion

This assignment delves into the complexities of diversity and inclusion within the workplace, identifying potential conflicts arising from differing spiritual, cultural, and political beliefs. It examines the negative impacts on employee relations and organizational productivity, highlighting the importance of mutual respect and acceptance. The assignment explores the problem's effects on employees and the organization, investigating the perspectives of key researchers like Catalyst, Ali, Metz & Kulik, and Sabharwal. The methodology involves a survey questionnaire targeting employees with diverse backgrounds and team leaders. The assignment uses Adam's Equity Theory to analyze the data, focusing on fair distribution of responsibilities to mitigate conflicts. The research emphasizes the significance of addressing diversity and inclusion issues for maintaining organizational performance and outlines the impact on HRM functions like recruitment and selection. The assignment also details the approach for data analysis, focusing on how diverse employees have faced conflicts due to their origin and physical ability, and how they overcame these issues.

MAN6714 ISSUES AND TRENDS ACTIVITY DUE date: 4th/March/2019
WEEK 1
SELECT A TOPIC:
Describe a Problem within this topic (What is it?)
With more diversity and inclusion, more issues arise in the workplace that the HRMs have
to resolve. Diversity and inclusion brings various spiritual, cultural and political beliefs which are
more likely cause conflicts within the workplace despite the fact that most of the previous
reaserches focus on the benefits that diversity and inclusion provide.
Why is it a problem?
When employees fail to accept the diffrences amongst them, they fail to collaborate
effectively and teamwork is affected during these conflicts. Mutual respect is essential along with
acceptance in a diverse workplace that supports inclusion so that the productivity of the
organization is maintained. Although Diversity and Inclusion is implemented with honest
intentions, yet it creates conflicts within the organization. The impact of diversity and inclusion is
not always positive.
Who is affected by the problem? How does the problem affect an organization/industry (i.e.
problem, its affects and what does solving it look like)?
The issues that is emerged from diversity and inclusion affects employees, employee
relations and in an over view, this is also a factor that imposes a negative impact on the
productivity of the organization. A distorted relationship within employees of diverse workplace
will not be able to work together as a team to push the organization towards achievinng its goals.

Who has researched this problem before?(Key researchers)
There have been a lot of researches on the issue of ddiversity and inclusion; in the year
2013 Catalyst researched on this topic to figure out why diversity is important. Ali, Metz & Kulik
(2015) have researched on the impact of diversity on organizations and have found that diversity
makes an orgganization more successful , when it is managed properly. Sabharwal (2014) has
also researched on the impact of inclusivity on productivity. However, there are few researchers
who pointed out the problem that arises due to these factors.
Who would be part of your sample and why?
For finding the negative impact that diversity and inclusion might impose on an
organization or a team, the sample size for conducting the primary research would include the
workers with diverse background along with team leaders. Only workers would be able to share
the challenges that they have to face for belonging to a diverse bbackground and whether or not
they feel included. Leaders would have the notion of the kind of conflict that arises due to this
differences.
Which theories have been used by researchers to review the problem?
The empirical documents show that in order to review the problem regarding diversity and
inclusion, the researchers have used the Maslow’s theory, the hierarchy of needs most of the time.
However, these researchers have emphasised on the positive points that an organization would
achieve if its diverse and inclusive.
What theory will you use and why?
Since I am intending to show the problem that arises from diversity and inclusion, Maslow’s

theory on motivation or his Hiearchy of Needs is not applicable. I would use Adam’s Equity
Theory that will prove how a fair balance is required for every employee’s inputs, irrespective of
their diverse background or disability; it will help in reducing conflicts when responsibilities will
be delegated in a fair manner to everyone.

Why would anyone in the organization/industry care about this issue?
Any organization when it realizes the impact diversity and inclusion imposes on their
productivity, will be alarmed and try to figure out for methods that will help them to retain their
performance but at the same time execute diversity and inclusion in their premises.
How does this matter affect HRM function? (e.g. recruitment and selection, job design,
SHRM)
HRM employees have to respect diversity and inclusion in the candidates who come seeking for
jobs. They cannot reject their abilities on the basis of their diverse nature; hence they have to
recruit following diversity and inclusion along with that they also have to implement methods to
reduce conflicts due to lack of acceptance and respect.
How are you going to investigate the problem (methodology)?
• Quantitative or qualitative methods
• Survey questionnaire
• Key informants (interviews)
How will you analyse the data?
The survey will be analysed in terms of how the diverse employees and the disabled
employees have faced conflicts due to their origin and physical ability and how they overcame
these issues.

References:
Ali, M., Metz, I., & Kulik, C. T. (2015). Retaining a diverse workforce: the impact of gender‐
focused human resource management. Human Resource Management Journal, 25(4), 580-
599.
Sabharwal, M. (2014). Is diversity management sufficient? Organizational inclusion to further
performance. Public Personnel Management, 43(2), 197-217.