Analysis of Leadership and Communication in a Diverse Workplace

This report examines the challenges of leadership and communication in a diverse workplace, specifically focusing on the Australian conglomerate Wesfarmers. It identifies issues such as stereotypical attitudes, discrimination, and a lack of effective conflict management skills among leaders, which negatively impact the inclusion and experience of Aboriginal employees. The report recommends strategies to improve the situation, including enhancing communication between leaders and employees, promoting equality, and developing cross-cultural communication skills. It emphasizes the importance of emotional intelligence and inclusive practices to foster a more equitable and productive work environment. The report concludes that effective leadership and communication are crucial for managing diversity and achieving organizational goals in a cross-cultural context.

Running head: LEADERSHIP AND COMMUNICATION IN DIVERSITY
LEADERSHIP AND COMMUNICATION IN DIVERSITY
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Introduction to the organization, Wesfarmers
The concerned organization, Wesfarmers, is an Australian conglomerate which is headquartered in
Perth since its inception in the year 1914 (Wesfarmers.com.au 2020). The organization operates in Australia
and NZ markets while selling chemicals, fertilizers and safety products that might be required for industrial
activities. The different propositions that are made by the organization enabled the same in acquiring a
competitive vantage over the existing retail chains in the market. Another striking aspect of the organization
is that the business aims at recruiting the Aboriginal and the Torres Strait Islander communities under their
Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) since 2009 (Wesfarmers.com.au 2020). The step of the organization
enabled the businesses in creating different opportunities for growth of the backward communities. However,
the organization has been facing significant challenges in managing the diversity of the workforce due to
incompetent leadership skills or inter-cultural communicational abilities of the management personnel.
Therefore, the report will identify the disability and thereby suggest strategies for improving the situation.
Concerns that are encountered
Inclusion might be considered as one of the major aspects of a diverse workforce. In this connection,
the organization focused towards including the aboriginals into their workplace with the intention of
addressing the diversity related or correlating to the Equal Employment Opportunity related legislation.
However, it has been observed that stereotypical activities have affected the interests of the aboriginals while
creating a situation of exclusion from the workforce. According to Hopkins et al. (2016), leaders play an
important role in maintaining the authenticity of inclusionary activities of a diverse workforce. Moreover,
Gotsis and Grimani (2017) opined that the leadership approach and outlook towards resolving concerns are
major factors that enables an organization in cross- cultural conflicts. In the situation of Wesfarmers, the
leaders reflected a stereotypical attitude towards the aboriginals while providing the same with designations
irrespective of their skills and approach. The discrimination strategy of the leaders affected the interests of
the aboriginals, leading to turnovers. Moreover, the non-aboriginal members of the workforce bullied and
harassed the aboriginals which again affected their job experience with Wesfarmers. The absence of effective

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conflict management skills of the leaders specifically incapacitated of the same in resolving the different
concerns related to cross cultural clashes. Shore, Cleveland and Sanchez (2018) opined that the effectiveness
of cross- cultural communication, in an organizational setting, supports a business leader in improving the
rate of business operations while functioningcorrelating to the sustainable objectives of the venture. It has
been observed that the tendency of the managers in showing the aboriginals that they were unworthy of the
opportunity affected the interests of the employees. According to Kelly and MacDonald (2019), in a diverse
workplace manager and business leaders must take the initiative of promoting equality among the staff
members. The equality among the staff members of the organization would allow the business in retaining
the commitment of every employee. However, the absence of equality and non-discrimination related
practices have affected the job experience of the aboriginals drastically, creating utmost dissatisfaction and
unwillingness to work for the organization. According to Bakar and Omillion-Hodges (2019), unequal
treatments to the diverse workforce affects the capabilities of the organizational leaders in retaining the
commitment of the workforce while functioningcorrelating to the common sustenance related goals of the
venture. Therefore, the leadership role and the absence of communication has incapacitated of the
organization in developing inclusiveness in diverse workforce.
Recommended activities organizational
Communication plays an important role in improving the capability of the organizational leaders in
resolving conflicts in workforce. According to Maeso (2017), communication acts as a link between the
workforce and the leaders while making the latter aware of the different concerns for resolving the
challenges. Moreover, Bakar and McCann (2018) observed that communication plays a major role in
improving the capability of the organizational leaders in improving inclusiveness in terms of a diverse
workforce. In the case of the organization, the managers and business leaders of the organization might take
the initiative of improving the rate of communication with all the employees, irrespective of their cultural
background. It would allow the business leaders and managers in promoting a sense of equality among the
workforce.

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Communication of the leaders with the aboriginals would allow the prior in developing conception
on the concerns that are being enlivened by the latter while functioningin their respective job roles.
Efficiency of the business leaders in developing qualities of cross- cultural communication and learning
practices would allow the same in ratifying the different concerns that might be enlivened by the aboriginals
while functioningin the organization. On the other hand, the leadership roles, emotional intelligence and the
cross- cultural knowlvantage of the managers and the leaders would support an organization in increasing
the favourability of the diverse workforce. According to Quintanilla and Wahl (2018), the leadership roles
play an important role in inducing inclusive practices in diverse workplaces. In this connection, the
organizational leaders of Wesfarmers might take the initiative of improving the rate of operations of the
venture while functioningcorrelating to the sustainable objectives of the venture.
The stereotyping activities and biased approach towards the favoured culture might create conflicts in
a cross- cultural or diverse workplace. Therefore, the business leaders or managers take the initiative of
upholding equal treatments to all the workforce with the purpose of improving the operations in a cross
cultural context. Again, Gotsis and Grimani (2016) opined that effective links of communication between the
workforce and the hierarchy of management applies to the different levels of changes in the organizational
operations while functioningas per the sustainable objectives of the venture. The leadership roles and the
value of their approach are specifically based on the demand of the workforce. It has been observed that most
of the organizational leaders hold a negative stereotyping for creating discrimination among the workforce on
the basis of culture. In this connection, the biased activity or discrimination based activity of the leaders
would specifically affect the workforce.
On the other hand, Chin, Desormeaux and Sawyer (2016) opined that the lack of adequate
communication between the workforce and the leaders would affect the capability of the managers and the
administrators in identifying the cross- cultural concerns in the workforce and mitigate the same. In this
connection, the concerned organization also enlivened significant challenge in maintaining the uniformity of
different provisions in the context of diversity in the workplace. The different modifications in the

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organizational operations are based on the effectiveness of the business operations while
functioningcorrelating to the sustainable objectives of the business.
Quintanilla and Wahl (2018) opined that the emotional intelligence of a leader supports in identifying
the concerns that are being enlivened by the employees. In this connection, the leaders might take the
initiative of applying the aspects of emotional intelligence or empathy with the purpose of significantly
identifying the concerns that are restricting the organizational workforce in making significant performance.
On the other hand, Shore, Cleveland and Sanchez (2018) opined that cross cultural communication is an
important consideration that might be made by the organizational leaders with the purpose of improving the
LMX factor (Leader Member Exchange). The increased efficacy of the interaction between the leaders and
the workforce would allow in maintaining clarity in a diverse workplace. Therefore, the different changes in
the leadership roles and communicational aspects would allow inn improving operations in diversity or cross-
cultural contexts.
Conclusion
Therefore, from the above assessment it might be stated that effective leadership roles and
communicational aspects in an organization empowers cross- cultural or diversity based workplace practices.
In this connection, the research aimed at recognizing the different aspects that might be considered by the
leaders orr the managers in the diverse workplace related context of Wesfarmers. The report made an
assessment of the different concerns in the diverse workplace of the organization and the manner in which
the leadership and communicational aspects might be considered for inducing inclusion in the operational
context.

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