Managing Diversity

Managing Diversity Research Paper Proposal
Tim Grant
University of Phoenix

Managing Diversity Research Paper Proposal Workplaces today are become increasingly diverse with employees of different genders, races, cultures, ethnic origins, and lifestyles. Changes in the cultural make-up of organizations have been so vast that it has become imperative for leaders and supervisors to understand cultural diversity and how it can affect their organization. By understanding how this diversity can affect their organization, leaders are taking steps to assure a conflict-free environment and are helping promote positive outcomes for the business, as well as its employees. “Diversity today is being viewed as a key means to strengthen the human capital of an organization and improve overall performance” (Bowes, 2007/2008). Studies have shown that diverse workforces can positively affect and strengthen the organization, but what can organizations do to assure this type of environment? What programs or tools do leaders need to implement when looking to improve their ability to manage this diversity?
The main purpose of this research paper will be to explore what methods organizations and leaders can use to successfully manage increased cultural diversity within the workforce. This research will reflect not only why it is important for organizations to embrace the differences in a diverse workplace, but will discuss the consequences that may occur if they do not incorporate effective methods for addressing a multicultural population. A clear discussion of the educational tools used in this project will follow. In addition, the discussion will include the benefits of organizations with a healthy diversity program with a focus on retention rates, increased employee productivity, increased employee satisfaction, access to wider customer base, supply chain management, creativity on production and fiscal resources.
Through this research presentation, Team C intends to answer the following research questions:
1. How does diversity affect organizational performance?
2. What are the advantages to having a diverse workforce?
3. What are the disadvantages to having a diverse workforce?
4. What steps are these organizations taking to minimize conflict to ensure mutually beneficial outcomes for the business and diverse workforce?
5. Is there an ideal method or tool organizations can implement to promote a positive and healthy work environment in business that has multicultural diversity? Team C has delineated our objectives for this project and will conduct our research accordingly. We will utilize the references established to address the problem statement and research questions related to our subject. The supportive data will be collected, organized, analyzed, and presented in proper APA format. The team will review the research paper to ensure we are answering the questions presented. A minimum of five sources are to be used, with three of them from the University of Phoenix Online Library collection. Team members will assure the accuracy and validity of the data used to ensure a thoughtful and informative paper.

“Walk into almost any U.S. workplace and you can see it in people’s faces: diversity. Demographers forecast even more changes to come. The old business fix – adding a new HR policy in the employee manual – won’t be enough to handle the workplace sea change.” (Anonymous, 2008). A diverse workforce can strengthen overall corporate culture, enhance corporate reputations, act as a recruitment and retention tool, enhance service levels, reduce turnover, lower absenteeism rates and improve a company’s global management capacity (Bowes, 2008).
Affects of Diversity
Globalization is not just about the world market. It also means creating a local and national workforce by welcoming new employees from various countries into the workplace. It is about more than immigration. It is about inclusion. Embracing and reaping the benefits of the employees with different genders, ages, physical abilities, ethnicities, sexual orientation, educational background, religious beliefs, work style and work experience, all to benefit the organization (Bowes, 2008).
Creating a dynamic, diverse workforce is a priority for business. Gone are the days when companies embraced equality or workplace diversity purely because of a sense of social responsibility. Workplace diversity is a good business practice and gives a company a competitive edge. The case for diversity in business is strong. Adequately serving the area’s diverse population means creating a workforce that mirrors that diversity. Companies must be in the best possible position to meet the demands of the market, respond to customers and to draw in a broader client base. (Hendricks, 2005).
There have been so many changes in the cultural make-up of organizations that it has become imperative for leaders to understand cultural diversity and how it can affect or impact their organization. The effects are complex and very powerful.” (Edewor, et al, 2007).
One area of cultural difference is the contrast between individualism and collectivism. Collectivist cultures emphasize the needs of the group, social norms, shared beliefs and cooperation with group members. People from cultures that view relationships in terms of hierarchy prefer highly structured teams. Those from cultures that see relationships in terms of groups want teamwork to be the norm, while those from cultures that emphasize the individual, feel most comfortable with voluntary and informal teams. Mixing these culture types will have significant impact on an organization (Edwor, et al, 2007).
There are direct effects of diversity on organizations. Processes such as problem solving, creativity and communications will be affected by diversity. These processes are critical to any organization and diversity can either compliment these processes or provide challenges to overcome. Problem solving in a diverse group will provide different perspectives and more critical analyses of the alternatives. It is necessary for the group to understand the differences of the other members of the group. Otherwise, the group may have conflicts in trying to solve problems. Creativity is enhanced by a diverse group. The contributions of all members must be recognized so that individuals will want to share their creative ideas with the group. Communication can pose an obstacle to a diverse group. Communication differences related to culture may become the source of misunderstanding and ultimately lower workgroup effectiveness. (Edwor, et al, 2007).

Benefits of Diversity
Many benefits can be found in having a diverse workforce. Diversity can encourage a more balanced view of problems and an increased richness of decision making through consideration of different viewpoints and perspectives. Diversity has been shown to strengthen the overall corporate culture, enhance corporate reputations, act as a recruitment and retention tool, enhance service levels, reduce turnover, lower absenteeism rates and improve a company’s global management capacity. Diversity creates a sense of worldliness that is otherwise not possible (Bowes, 2008).
“A focus on diversity creates more that intangible benefits. In fact, there are plenty of examples of significant and positive impact on a company’s bottom line. For instance, it has been reported that, when DuPont Merck’s applied Spanish instead of English only drug labels, their sales increased dramatically. After this quick lesson in bottom line success, it was probably an easy decision to begin offering their pharmaceutical instructions in over 15 languages” (Bowes, 2008) in addition to having English labels.
Disadvantages of Diversity
While there are many benefits of diversity there are also many challenges. Diversity is a long -term investment of time, energy and money. Board approved strategic direction and the sustained involvement of key leaders who are accountable for the success is needed (Bowes, 2008). Employees from different genders, ages, physical abilities, ethnicities, sexual orientation, educational background, religious beliefs, work style and work experience can cause friction between the employees. Change is not always embraced. Established employees may leave because they are unable to keep up with the changes of the diverse workforce. Having a wider client base may cause stress on the organization to meet the demands of the new clients. Having multiple new ideas at the same time may slow the progress towards developing a new product. Keeping the group focused is difficult.
Managing Conflicts Managing a diverse or multicultural organization is abroad and complex issue. Leaders face formidable challenges in building a multicultural organization that truly values diversity. This is because not all people in organizations value diversity. As a rule, people are most comfortable with those like themselves and emphasizing diversity may undermine that comfort level. Diversity tends to breed new approaches to old practices and long-standing problems. Individuals in organizations may find such change troubling. Moreover, individuals with strong prejudices against certain groups may find rapidly changing demographics in the workforce threatening because either they find change itself disquieting or because the hold a position they might not be able to maintain if groups historically excluded from their work place are allowed to compete in an unhindered way for their positions (Edwor, et al, 2007).
Tools to Manage Diversity
Although no one organizational tool is recommended to manage diversity. Experts indicate that business owners and managers who hope to create and manage an effective, harmonious multicultural workforce should remember the following:
1. Set a good example:
2. Communicate in writing
3. Training programs
4. Recognize individual differences
5. Actively seek input from minority groups
6. Revamp reward systems
7. Make room for social events
8. Flexible work environment
9. Continuous monitoring
(Edewor, et al, 2007).
Organizations need to go beyond simple recognition of cultural diversity to active diversity management. Managing diversity is a comprehensive managerial process for developing an environment that works for all employees. Diversity management is an inclusive process since all employees belong to a culture, including those from the organizations’ traditionally dominant cultural group. (Edewor, et al, 2007). The ability to compete successfully in the global economy depends on the ability to tap the skills and insights of an increasingly diverse workforce all over the world, organizations must, therefore, be involved. Owing to mergers and international cooperation as well as migration flows which lead to multicultural societies, companies and institutions will increasingly have to take into account the foreign personnel, foreign laws and foreign market parties. They must recognize that diverse employees possess cultural competencies, for example, language skills and cross-cultural expertise that represent a sustainable source of competitive advantage (Edewor, et al, 2007).

References
Anonymous. (2008, June 23). Workplace Answers Continues Pioneer Role in Comprehensive Diversity and Inclusion Training. Business Wire. Retrieved July 10, 2008, from http://proquest.umi.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/?did=1499336071&sid=1&Fmt=7&clientId=13118&RQT=309&VName=PQD
Bowes, B. J. (2007, December). The Business Case for Workplace diversity. CMA Management, 81(8), 14. Retrieved July 10, 2008, from http://proquest.umi.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/?did=1430001721&sid=2&Fmt=3&clientId=13118&RQT=309&VName=PQD
Edewor, P., & Aluko, Y. (2007, May). Diversity Management, Challenges and Opportunities in Multicultural Organization. International Journal of Diversity in Organisations, Communities & Nations, 6(6), 7. Retrieved July 8, 2008, from http://search.ebscohost.com/.aspx?direct=true&db=sih&AN=28652558&site=ehost-live
Finkelman, J. M. (2007, Winter). Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation : The Dysfunctional Side of Diversity. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice & Research, 59(64). Retrieved July 10, 2007, from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com//?vid=4&hid=3&sid=9c32f68b-9f03-4e95-a60e-b69b92b0fd17%40sessionmgr8
Hasan, B. W., Ph.D. (2007). Nursing diversity: The Knowledge of cultural diversity and its impact on the interaction level within the nursing workforce. Dissertation Abstracts, DAI-B 67/12, Jun 2007 (AAT 3246919), Abstract. Retrieved July 10, 2007, from http://proquest.umi.com/?did=1253511131&sid=1&Fmt=2&clientId=13118&RQ
Hendricks, E. (2005, November 6). It’s Good for Business: Diversity: helps companies better serve customers. The Provience, p. A.42. Retrieved July 7, 2008, from http://proquest.umi.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/?did=923079241&sid=3&Fmt=3&clientId=13118&RQT=309&VName=PQD
Spiers, C. (2008, Summer). The Business Benefits of Diversity. Management Services, 52(2), 26, 5pgs. Retrieved July 10, 2008, from http://proquest.umi.com/?did=1507581611&sid=1&Fmt=3&clientId=13118&RQT=309&Vname=PQD.
Walton, S. J., M.A. (1993, May). Cultural Diversity: An asset, Not a Liability. R & D Innovator, 2(5), 37. Retrieved July 10, 2008, from http://www.au.af.mil/////c.pdf

References: Anonymous. (2008, June 23). Workplace Answers Continues Pioneer Role in Comprehensive Diversity and Inclusion Training. Business Wire. Retrieved July 10, 2008, from http://proquest.umi.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/?did=1499336071&sid=1&Fmt=7&clientId=13118&RQT=309&VName=PQD Bowes, B. J. (2007, December). The Business Case for Workplace diversity. CMA Management, 81(8), 14. Retrieved July 10, 2008, from http://proquest.umi.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/?did=1430001721&sid=2&Fmt=3&clientId=13118&RQT=309&VName=PQD Edewor, P., & Aluko, Y. (2007, May). Diversity Management, Challenges and Opportunities in Multicultural Organization. International Journal of Diversity in Organisations, Communities & Nations, 6(6), 7. Retrieved July 8, 2008, from http://search.ebscohost.com/.aspx?direct=true&db=sih&AN=28652558&site=ehost-live Finkelman, J. M. (2007, Winter). Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation : The Dysfunctional Side of Diversity. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice & Research, 59(64). Retrieved July 10, 2007, from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com//?vid=4&hid=3&sid=9c32f68b-9f03-4e95-a60e-b69b92b0fd17%40sessionmgr8 Hasan, B. W., Ph.D. (2007). Nursing diversity: The Knowledge of cultural diversity and its impact on the interaction level within the nursing workforce. Dissertation Abstracts, DAI-B 67/12, Jun 2007 (AAT 3246919), Abstract. Retrieved July 10, 2007, from http://proquest.umi.com/?did=1253511131&sid=1&Fmt=2&clientId=13118&RQ Hendricks, E. (2005, November 6). It’s Good for Business: Diversity: helps companies better serve customers. The Provience, p. A.42. Retrieved July 7, 2008, from http://proquest.umi.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/?did=923079241&sid=3&Fmt=3&clientId=13118&RQT=309&VName=PQD Spiers, C. (2008, Summer). The Business Benefits of Diversity. Management Services, 52(2), 26, 5pgs. Retrieved July 10, 2008, from http://proquest.umi.com/?did=1507581611&sid=1&Fmt=3&clientId=13118&RQT=309&Vname=PQD. Walton, S. J., M.A. (1993, May). Cultural Diversity: An asset, Not a Liability. R & D Innovator, 2(5), 37. Retrieved July 10, 2008, from http://www.au.af.mil/////c.pdf