Royal Docks School Report: Equality and Diversity in the Workplace

This report delves into the critical aspects of equality and diversity within the modern workplace, examining the impact of globalization on multinational companies and the increasing importance of managing a diverse workforce. It analyzes the role of leadership in fostering an inclusive environment, highlighting the need for awareness and commitment from both top-level and line managers. The report explores organizational diversity, including gender, ethnic, and age factors, and discusses the challenges and opportunities associated with managing diversity, with a focus on gender identity and the capabilities approach. It emphasizes the importance of creating social, collective, and organizational values that attract a diverse group of individuals, ultimately aiming to provide insights for future organizations to leverage the benefits of managing and valuing diversity. The report draws on various academic sources and provides a detailed analysis of the key factors related to equality and diversity in the workplace in the 21st century.

Running head: EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY IN THE WORKPLACE
EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY IN THE WORKPLACE
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EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY IN THE WORKPLACE
Abstract
Globalisation has led the multinational companies to address diversity as well as equality
matters not only to endure and rather accomplish a competitive advantage. The employee
base of every organisation has been becoming increasingly diverse whereby organizations are
confronted with managing diversity issues from the perspective of human resources and
organisational angle. At the organizational level, gender diversity has a constructive impact
on enactments when staffs functioned for lengthier periods together. The capabilities
approach to managing diversity and equality has supported to shed light on the issue of
gender equality. Workplaces which are prepared to establish social, collective, distinct as
well as organizational values with the sustenance from their management advance the
competencies. These competencies will improve organizational conditions that will in due
course be capable of magnetizing diverse group of individuals. The following report has
analysed the underlying factors associated with equality in diversity in workplaces in the 21st
century. In addition to this, it has focused on the role of leadership to accommodate equality
and diversity within organisations to gain competitive advantage.

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Introduction
Globalisation has led the multinational companies to address diversity as well as
equality issues not only to survive and rather attain a competitive advantage. The employee
base of every organisation has been becoming gradually diverse whereby organizations are
confronted with managing diversity issues from the viewpoint of human resources and
organisational perspective (Sharma 2016). Furthermore globalisation has rapidly amplified
the level of interaction people from various parts of the world. This has given rise to
substantial level of mobility in workforce across the world with competition increasing at
global level (Peruginni, Laura and Castro Solano 2015). Because of globalisation, companies
have been witnessing diversification of their performance and activities as a competitive
advantage. Increasing and benefiting from workplace diversity is an imperative concern for
management in recent times. As a result, organisations and their management require
adapting their employees according to the change and development of the workplace. In the
opinion of Sharma (2016), managing diversity and equality is an essential organisational
encounter, to which human resource executives must adapt to incorporate a multicultural
workforce. The following report will analyse the underlying factors associated with equality
in diversity in workplaces in the 21st century. In addition to this focus on the role of
leadership to accommodate equality as well as diversity within organisations to gain
competitive advantage.
Discussion
Leadership role in managing equality and diversity in workforce
Globalisation has given rise to an increasingly diverse workforce. However
organisations have been encountering challenges in managing diversity from human resource

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perspective or organisation view point. However if effectively managed from an
organisational perspective it can result in affirmative and constructive approach towards
managing a diverse employee base which subsequently will benefit the organisation.
According to Ravazzani (2016), the top leadership commitment towards managing diverse
workforce is vital but not adequate. Line managers’ positions in lower organisational
hierarchy also require shedding light on this issue. Even though majority of the organisations
handle this problem by accepting leadership needs by developing advisory commitment on
diversity or employee base typically directed by senior managers. Sharma (2016) has argued
that leaders must gain utmost awareness about the impacts of diversity on organisation in
order to implement changes through individualistic as well as organisational action. Thus,
according to Sharma (2016), there is a critical association between managers’ values and
perceptions with the organisations commitment towards equality and diversity. On the other
hand, it has been noted that global leaders change to experience challenges in which ways to
leverage culture as well as diversity in organisations across the world. According to Sarala et
al. (2106), it is only the experience and knowledgeable global leaders who have cultural
influences on their characteristics change to motivate and value their multicultural associates.
Ravazzani (2016) has drawn insights of previous scholars and have claimed that
organisations which have their headquarters in the United States and Canada are found to
adopt global approaches towards generating their business strategy. Furthermore, previous
studies have found 75%of fortune 500 organisations to introduce formal diversity initiatives
as they take into consideration diversity knowledge and educational programs as a significant
part of global leader initiative. Thus, Peruginni, Laura and Castro Solano (2015) have been
indicating on managing diversity and shedding light on equality issues to be essentially
addressed by global managers as well as majority of organisations to include this topic in
their strategic plan. Moreover, without the support of hierarchical leadership for diversity,

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some programs show the capacity of letting down due to individual departments’ lack of
resources to invest on major initiatives addressing diversityand equality related issues.
Organizational diversity
At the organizational level, gender diversity has a constructive impact on
performances when staffs worked for longer periods together. However, an unconstructive
impact for ethnic diversity as well as no impact for age diversity has been found at the
organizational level. Konrad, Yang and Maurer (2016) in light on former studies have noted
that the connection between TMT diversity in relation to strong inadequacy as well as
strategic novelty to be damagingly weakened by intersecting team tenure. Moreover, higher-
order collaboration effects tend to be existent here as well. By drawing relevance from other
scholars, it has been noted that exhibited that team tenancy weakened the influences of top
management team (TMT) diversity on firm presentation damagingly only while these
organizations have been executing their operations in hostile business environments
(Guillaume et al. 2017). Additionally, familiarity destructively weakened the effects of
practical diversity on argument of business problems but completely for output-oriented as
well as industry circumstantial diversity. However, in alignment with elevated levels of
involvement of cultural subgroups, worker authorization systems constructively moderated
the innovative relationship (Ruggs et al. 2015). Nevertheless, by drawing relevance to these
factors, conditions possibly will raise the development of natural social identity which
supports constructive intergroup associations and elucidates interactive conduct for self-
enhancement and ambiguity decrease.
Managing diversity with gender identity
To draw certainty, there are common issues which tend to exert impact on vocational
course of LGBT employees. Thus, observations which consider the subject in an overarching

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approach tend to make substantial contributions. In the opinion of Sharma, there remains to
be prejudice in employment of women in numerous nations of the world. By drawing insights
from former studies, it has been found that in Tanzania, women tend to experience extensive
level of marginalization from their male counterparts and have been restricted in working
outside. However, in the opinion of Ozturk and Tatli (2016), there has been an elevating
awareness that even within the LGBT community, transgender individuals tend to encounter
relegation and disempowerment, regardless of aiding from a sense of minority commonality.
However, rearranging the resolutions of diversity and equality in workplace in the 21st
century will possibly disregard the peculiar challenges as well as barriers encountered by
transgender employees. As a result, the diversity management frameworks are essential to
assimilate gender identity diversity as a fundamental aspect instead of positioning
reconsideration (Ashe and Nazroo 2017). Moreover, the agenda of diversity management for
assimilating gender identity diversity, there requires an essential shift in the way to which
difference can be conceptualised. Thus, taking into consideration and evaluating the
experiences of transgender employees necessitate a shift from etic as well as stagnant
conception of difference. In the view of Ashe and Nazroo (2017), although, it is imperative to
recognise the reasonable flexibility of the term, it is essential to conceptualise a working
paradigm that would possibly draw the diversity of individuals with gender non-conforming
individualities. Meanwhile, Ruggs et al. (2015) have claimed that irrespective of the laws and
regulations which defend transgender individuals in contrast to the arbitrary foundations of
discernment in the UK, circumvention of revelation previously, throughout or subsequently
transition might have imperative individual consequences.
Capabilities approach to handle diversity and equality at workplaces
The capabilities approach to management of diversity and equality has aided to shed
light on the issue of gender equality in association to remunerated work by offering a

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universal equality model that has been embedded in the identification of human diversity.
According to Sharma (2016), the idea of basic capabilities tends to vary from country to
country and thus workplaces are seeking to managing diversity and equality to gather greater
awareness. However, Barak, Findler and Wind (2016) by evaluating previous research has
argued that an effective way of accomplishing diversity and equality at workplace can be
successful through the participation of personnel in focus groups, assessments, consultations
in addition to several culture reviews or needs accomplishments. In the view of Rubery
(2015), equality action tends to be established at centres on human resourcing strategies,
equitable and distinct recruitment as well as selection significantly from the external labour
market by means of the concept of glass ceiling. As per studies, major attention must be
given on the welfare of employees which directed in order to ascertain improved treatment
for women against discriminatory conditions. However, a significant focus on `rights aimed
at the free agency of women’ must be acknowledged in the general aspiration to promoting
self-determination as well as capability-equality. In consequence, confirming welfare for
groups who have been experiencing discrimination must come at first. However, once it has
been reassured, disadvantaged groups can mutually as well as individually develop into
dynamic supporters of social transformations which can change their lives as well as the lives
of others (Ashe and Nazroo 2017).
Conclusion
Workplaces which are equipped to entrench social, collective, distinct as well as
organizational values with the sustenance from their management advance the competencies.
These competencies will improve organizational conditions that will in due course be capable
of magnetizing diverse group of individuals comprising of women as well as minorities.
Additionally, it has been noted that the significance of confirming that teams, groups as well
as departments are reinvigorated to construct an environment of equality in associations

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between team associates as well as to guarantee that leaders as well as authority accentuate
the importance of diversity, consideration in addition to mutual deference. Most importantly,
majority of the organizations must have to reorganize their diversity and equality ingenuities
with an aim of including employees at all levels of management. Future organizations must
foresee all organizations taking advantage of the welfares of managing as well as valuing
diversity.

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References
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