Managing Diversity in Organisations
Managing Diversity in
Organisations
Since diversity in work place has
become a rule rather than an expectation, managers have to understand the fast
changing complexion of the workforce and learn to manage the diversity
effectively. Management of diversity involves initiatives at two levels, viz.,
at the individuals and at organisational level.
Individual Strategies for
Dealing with Diversity
One important element of managing
diversity in an organization consists of those things that individuals at their
level can attend to such as: better understanding, empathy, tolerance, and
willingness to communicate. Understanding
Understanding the nature, meaning
and complexity of diversity constitutes the core of the whole issue. Some
managers take the basic concepts of equity and justice in employment
opportunities to an unnecessary extreme. They know that, by law, they cannot discriminate
against people on the basis of sex, race, and so forth. Thus in following this
mandate they come to believe that they must treat everyone the same. But this belief can cause
problems when translated into workplace behaviours among people after they have
been hired because people are not the same. Although people need to be treated
fairly and equitably, managers must understand that differences among people
do, in fact, exist. Thus any effort to treat everyone the same, without regard
to their fundamental human differences will only lead to problems. Managers
must understand that cultural factors cause people to behave in different ways
and that these differences should be accepted. Empathy
Related to understanding the
issues and problems from the other’s perspective is empathy. People in an
organization should try to understand the perspective of others. For example,
suppose a woman joins a group that has traditionally comprised men. Each man
may be a little self conscious as how to act towards the new member and may be
interested in making her feel comfortable and welcome. But they may be able to
do this even more effectively by empathizing with how she may feel. For
example, she may feel disappointed or elated about her new assignment; she may
be experienced or inexperienced in working with male colleagues. By learning
more about her feelings, the group members can further facilitate their ability
to work together effectively. Tolerance
A third related individual
approach to dealing with diversity is tolerance. Even though managers learn to
understand diversity and try to empathise with others, the fact remains that
they may still not accept or enjoy some aspect of others’ behaviour. The
intolerance for others increases where the economic and job opportunities are
fewer. The scramble for opportunities is the cause for any conflicts among
people. Willing to Communicate
A final individual approach to
dealing with diversity is communication. Problems often get magnified over
diversity issues because people are afraid or otherwise unwilling to openly
discuss issues related to diversity. For example, a young employee has a habit
of making jokes about the age of an elderly colleague. Perhaps the young
colleague means no harm and is just engaging in what she sees as good natured
kidding. But the older employee may find the jokes offensive. If the two do not communicate,
the jokes will continue and the resentment will grow. Eventually, what started
as a minor problem may erupt into a much bigger one! For communication to work, it
must be two way. If someone is offended by the behaviour of another person, he
or she should explain to the offending individual how the behaviour is
perceived and request that it be stopped. As long as such exchanges are
friendly, low key, and nonthreatening, they will generally have a positive
outcome. Of course, if the same message is presented in an overly combative
manner or if a person continues to engage in offensive behaviour after having
been asked to stop, problems will only escalate. At this point, third parties
within the organization may have to intervene. And in fact, most organizations
today have one or more systems in place to address questions and problems that
arise as a result of diversity. We now turn our attention to various ways that
organizations can indeed better manage diversity. Organizational Approaches
to Managing Diversity
Whereas individuals are important
in managing diversity, the organization itself must play a fundamental role.
Through its various policies and practices, People in the organization come to
understand what behaviours are and are not appropriate. Diversity training is
an even more direct method for managing diversity. Therefore, the organization’s
culture is the ultimate context from which diversity must be addressed. Organizational Policies
The starting point in managing
diversity is the policies that an organization adopts that directly or
indirectly affects how people are treated. Obviously, for instance, the extent
to which an organization embraces the premise of equity and justice in
employment opportunities will to a large extent determine the potential
diversity within an organization. But the organization that follows the law to
the letter and practices only passive discrimination differs from the
organization that actively seeks a diverse and varied workforce. Another aspect of organizational
policies that affects diversity is how the organization addresses and responds
to problems that arise from diversity. For example, consider the example of a
manager charged with sexual harassment. If the organization’s policies put an
excessive burden of proof on the individual being harassed and invoke only
minor sanctions against the guilty party, it is sending a clear signal as to
the importance of such matters. But the organization that has a balanced set of
policies for addressing questions like sexual harassment sends its employees a
message that diversity and individual rights and privileges are important.
Organizational Practices
Organizations can also help
manage diversity through a variety of ongoing practices and procedures. In
general, the idea is that because diversity is characterized by differences
among people, organizations can more effectively manage that diversity by
following practices and procedures that are based on flexibility rather than
rigidity. Benefits/incentives packages, for
example, can be structured to better accommodate individual situations. An
employee who is part of a dual career couple and who has no children may
require relatively flexitime arrangements compared to the couple with no kid.
The convenience in scheduling vacations also differs in both the cases.
Flexible working hours are therefore, a useful organizational practice to accommodate
diversity. Differences in family arrangements, religious holidays, cultural
events, and so forth may each warrant some sort of flexibility at the work
place. Organization can also facilitate diversity by making sure that its
important committees and executive teams are diverse. Diversity Training
Many organizations are finding
that diversity training is an effective means for managing diversity and
minimizing its associated conflicts. More specifically, diversity training
is training that is specifically designed to enable members of an organization
to function in a diverse workplace. This training can take a variety of forms.
For example, many organizations find it useful to help people learn more about
their similarities to and differences from others. Men and women can be taught
to work together more effectively and can gain insights into how their own
behaviours affect and are interpreted by others. In one organization, a
diversity training programme helped male managers gain insights into how
various remarks they make to one another could be interpreted by others as
being sexist. In the same organization, female managers learned how to point
out their discomfort with those remarks without appearing overly hostile. Organizational Culture
The ultimate test of an
organization’s commitment to managing diversity is its culture. Regardless of
what managers say or put in writing, unless there is a basic and fundamental
belief that diversity is valued, it cannot ever become truly an integral part
of an organization. An organization that really wants to promote diversity must
shape its culture so that it clearly underscores top management commitment to
and support diversity in all its forms throughout the organization. With top
management support, however, and reinforced with a clear and consistent set of
organizational policies and practices, diversity can become a basic and
fundamental part of an organization.
Tags : Management Concepts & Organisational Behaviour - MANAGING DIVERSITY
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