Diversity Challenges What Would You Do

In “Diversity Challenges-What Would You Do?” (Learning Communications, 2009), an organization interviewed prospective employee Felix. While Felix immediately hit it off with the human resources associate, it soon became apparent that he was not accustomed to the level of diversity in the organization. His overt shock and multicultural leadership in addition to his nonverbal response to various other diversity characteristics present in the workforce indicated that Felix had an issue with working for a company that embraced diversity as thoroughly as his potential employer. Despite his over qualification for the position, Felix's attitude towards diversity brought into question his fit for the organization. As an organization that values equality and inclusion, hiring someone who does not have the same values can pose serious challenges. Diversity-related issues, such as discrimination and prejudice, can cause “losses in personnel and work productivity…complaints and legal actions against the organization” (Devoe, 1999). Should the organization choose to hire Felix, they would need to identify these potential issues and develop possible solutions to help combat
As a manager, I would need to assess the potential of each candidate based on a number of different factors, from qualifications and education to their ability to work well in teams and enthusiasm for working in my organization (Zupek, 2011). While there is much to be said about the efficacy of diversity training programs, Felix’s consistent opposition to and snide remarks about the diverse staff leads me to believe that overcoming his personal bias would require a greater investment and may potentially cause more issues within the workforce than desirable. I would continue interviewing for the open position in hopes of finding a candidate more suitable for the culture of my