Workforce Diversity: Enhancing Productivity and Competitiveness

This report critically analyzes the significance of workforce diversity in enhancing employee productivity and organizational success. It emphasizes the role of diversity in strengthening interpersonal relationships among staff, leading to a collaborative workforce. The report defines workforce diversity as encompassing differences in socio-cultural backgrounds, age, gender, race, religion, and sexual orientation, highlighting how a heterogeneous organization can better satisfy diverse customer bases. It supports its arguments with facts on how managing diversity fosters creativity, innovation, and a competitive advantage, aligning employees from different backgrounds. The report also touches upon diversity management, interpersonal relationships, and the benefits of a heterogeneous workforce, including increased productivity and the ability to address global market demands. The author reflects on the importance of implementing diversity strategies and avoiding discrimination, advocating for training programs to facilitate effective communication among employees from different backgrounds.

Running head: WORKFORCE DIVERSITY
Workforce diversity
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

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Saxena, A., 2014. Workforce diversity: A key to improve productivity. Procedia
Economics and Finance, 11, pp.76-85.
Main Theme
The fundamental aim of this journal article is to assess the significance of workforce
diversity on improving the productivity of staffs. In the journal, the author has shaded light on
the role of diversity in workplace in strengthening the interpersonal relationship among the
staffs, which is the key of attaining a collaborative workforce. Guillaume et al., (2017)
commented that workforce diversity is basically the resemblances along with variances among
the employees in terms of their socio-cultural background, age, gender, race, religion along with
sexual orientation. As different people holds different psychological characteristics, initiating
diversity paved the way of attaining heterogeneous organization, which is very much needed for
the sake of satisfying multiple base of customers. In the article, the author has made critical
analysis regarding workforce diversity and its impact on strengthening the degree of productivity
of the employees and thereby make them more competent towards challenging professional
difficulties. According to Madsen & Nielsen (2017) in the contemporary business scenario,
integrating diversity in in the workforce has become one of the biggest challenges among the
management. Finally, the paper will also shade light on the role of workforce diversity in
ensuring success and competitiveness and success of an organization.
Supporting Facts
Managing diversity in the workplace is one of the key aspect of attaining creativity and
innovation, which is the key of sustaining in the extreme uncertain global market. This is one of
the most valuable assets in an organization, which is the key of attaining competitive advantage.

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Ozgen, Nijkamp & Poot (2017) observed that this is the way of aligning all the employees
irrespective of their background, gender and age within a single platform and thus ensuring a
collaborative workforce. The fundamental aim of workplace diversity is to mix people,
belonging from different race, age, culture and linguistic background and this enable them to
work together. This is the way of attaining high level of productivity. As discussed by McCann,
Sparks & Kohntopp (2017) employees from different background hold unique skill and level of
expertise. Therefore, when they work together, they can introduce innovative solution to any
critical problem and thus remove any kind of obstacles from the business process.
In addition to that, managing diversity in the workforce also results in increased creativity
in the workforce, due to the fact that diversity enables an organization to be heterogeneous.
Employees coming from different background can execute varied and brainstorming ideas,
which is very much needed in terms of solving any kind of business related issue in a timely and
cost effective manner (Bamel, Paul & Bamel, 2018). It is worthy to mention in this context that
workforce diversity stimulates both creativity and innovation, which is one of the major ways of
creating superior organizational culture. Such culture can pave the way for firms to face the
global competition, which is increasing in a rapid manner. At the same time, Werth & Brownlow
(2018) observed that multicultural organization holds the ability to grab attention of multiple
base of customers, which is the key of dealing with globalization, which is increasing in a rapid
manner. Diversity makes it easy for an organization to assess both the cultural and political as
well as economic environment of foreign country and frame their business strategy accordingly
to get a strong position in the nation.
Therefore, it is the prime responsibility of the employers to design a comprehensive
organizational structure that can help in align all the employees in different hierarchies.

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Additionally, the employees must also implement strong diversity strategy in terms of designing
strong organization. Practicing quality in recruitment and selection process is also a great way of
attaining workforce diversity.
Special Terms
Diversity
Management
Diversity management is the process of supporting and addressing the
requirements from different background and thus make them more
proficient towards satisfying organizational goals and objectives. This is
the way of embracing different types of employees and align them in a
single platform. Diversity management is the greatest way of fostering
innovation in the workplace which is the key of sustaining in the volatile
business environment. Additionally, Cletus et al., (2018) opined that
diversity management is also a great way of keeping the staffs happy and
productive.
Interpersonal
Relationship
Workplace diversity is the most imperative way of amplifying
interpersonal communication among the staffs. When employees from
different background work together, they have to learn to speak in
different language. This is the way, through which the staffs perceive the
significance of business communication, which is the very much needed
to attain a collaborative workforce. Riccucci (2018) highlighted the fact
that Such cordial relationship among the staffs plays a major role in
ensuring smooth functioning. This is the way, through which the higher
authority of an organization can design a strong network of people, who
can perform the internal functionality in a collaborative manner.
Heterogeneous
workforce
This means that kind of workforce, which comprises of employees from
different background. This is the way, through which productivity of a
firm is being increased. With the assistance of heterogeneous workforce,
multiple skill can be aligned in a single platform.
Liberalization This is one of the major policies, which the organizations must
implement to keep the staffs committed. This is the way of ensuring

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flexibility while dealing with the employees. Equality is a key factor of
globalization, through which the staffs can avoid discriminating the staffs
on the basis of race, gender and sexual orientation.
Diversified
workforce
Diversified workforce means mixing up both generation X and
generation Y employees, which is the key of grabbing attention if
multiple base of customer.
Gender
discrimination
This is the practice of discriminating staffs on the basis of their gender.
Policies related to equality needs to be maintained in terms of offering
the female employees with equal opportunity to promote their career.
Enhanced
productivity
Productivity deals with the extent to which, an organization is running
their internal functionality in an efficient manner.
Globalized
market
Rapid development of globalization is acting as a driving force behind
the firms to hire expatriate employees to operate business in multiple
nations.
Creative ideas Managing diversified workforce is the key of generating creating ideas
ad align them in a comprehensive manner in order to get desired
outcome.
Mergers and
acquisitions
As the competition in the market is increasing in a rapid manner, the
firms are aiming to marge their business. For the case of merger also,
diversity management is highly required as two organizations hold
employees from different employees.
Reflection
It is my opinion that, workforce diversity is the greatest way of making the staffs more
efficient. Therefore, I perceived the fact that, it is the prime responsibility of the management of
corporate entities to implement diversity strategy. This is the key of aligning the staffs from
different background, within a single platform. I have gained insight regarding the fact that
successful implementation of diversity strategy is the key of coordinating brainstorming ideas

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within the normal business process. This is the mode of dragging a large pool of ideas. Thus, it is
my belief that workforce diversity is the fundamental factor of collecting wide range of skills and
experience. This can allow the companies to satisfy the requirements of multiple base customers,
which is the key of gaining global recognition.
Still, I think that, the management must be committed towards executing equal practices.
Discrimination on the basis of race, gender, age and religious ideology must be avoided. As
organization comprises of employees from different background, the HR department should
provide training to staffs and thereby enable them to speak in certain language. This is the way,
through which the employees can coordinate with each other and thus run the internal
functionality of the firm in a collaborative manner.

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References:
Bamel, U. K., Paul, H., & Bamel, N. (2018). Managing workplace diversity through
organizational climate. In Flexibility in Resource Management, 9(2), pp. 87-9.
Cletus, H. E., Mahmood, N. A., Umar, A., & Ibrahim, A. D. (2018). Prospects and Challenges of
Workplace Diversity in Modern Day Organizations: A Critical Review. HOLISTICA–
Journal of Business and Public Administration, 9(2), 35-52.
Guillaume, Y. R., Dawson, J. F., Otaye‐Ebede, L., Woods, S. A., & West, M. A. (2017).
Harnessing demographic differences in organizations: What moderates the effects of
workplace diversity? Journal of Organizational Behavior, 38(2), 276-303.
Madsen, M. B., & Nielsen, V. L. (2017). Does Gender Diversity in the Workplace Affect Job
Satisfaction and Turnover Intentions? International Public Management Review, 1(18),
77-115.
McCann, J. T., Sparks, B. H., & Kohntopp, T. F. (2017). Leadership Integrity and Diversity in
the Workplace. Research in Economics and Management, 2(5), 177-190.
Ozgen, C., Nijkamp, P., & Poot, J. (2017). The elusive effects of workplace diversity on
innovation. Papers in Regional Science, 96, S29-S49.
Riccucci, N. (2018). Managing Diversity In Public Sector Workforces: Essentials Of Public
Policy And Administration Series. Routledge.
Werth, S., & Brownlow, C. (Eds.). (2018). Work and identity: contemporary perspectives on
workplace diversity. Springer.