Cultural_Diversity

Outline • Introduction • Brief summary of cultural diversity at work • Challenges to cultural diversity at work • Benefits of cultural diversity at work • Managing cultural diversity • Conclusion Cultural diversity in workplaces Introduction One of the things that make human life intriguing and to some extent captivating is the diversity and variation exhibited by various people as a result of their differing cultures, personalities and physical appearance. Through the years, different groups of people have come up with cultures which help them develop spiritually, morally and mentally. As such these cultures have become building blocks in their lives and work places. This paper shall focus on cultural diversity in work places. A detailed discussion shall be presented on how this diversity may affect an organization either positively or negatively. Solutions and recommendations shall also be made as to how best this diversity can be balanced. Brief summary on cultural diversity Globalization has led to a status quo where organizations are constantly being forced to interact and in some instances merger with each other so as to fully utilize scarce resources so as to ensure their profitability and hence future continuity. To best achieve their goals, organizations at times find themselves forging alliances with individuals from different nations around the globe in order to tap into the best talents for the various jobs. Hankin (2008) asserts that cultural diversity is about respecting and acknowledging differences among people in relation to their age, sex, ethnicity, abilities and beliefs. If employees do not oversee such differences and work as a unit, then the working environment and the output would end up in turmoil. Challenges facing cultural diversity at work places Discrimination is the core factor hindering cultural diversity in work places. This comes in different cloaks such as sex, age social class and ethnicity. Many companies have over the years been known to reject job applications from women, aged people and worse of all individuals with accents despite their qualification levels for the particular job (Collins,2002). These differences should be seen as opportunities rather than a threat. For example, an accent indicates multilingual capabilities which may come in handy while marketing in the global scene, women are known for their persuasive nature and older individuals are rich in experience which they can pass down to the younger and less experienced employees. Benefits of cultural diversity in work places Despite the challenges there are benefits that can be accrued from cultural diversity. For starters, it presents employees with adequate avenues through which they can learn key aspects of different cultures from each other (Reisinger, 2009). The knowledge acquired from this can then be applied while dealing with both international and local clients. In addition to this, it eases the marketing process when it comes to launching new products, discussing merges with foreign clients and other aspects of international business. Trompenaars contends that diversity offers great understanding to how different people perceive thing leading to a better understanding of the human race (2009). Managing cultural diversity In order to fully harness the full benefits that come with cultural diversity at work places, it is important that the managers and supervisors set rules safeguarding against discrimination during employment, promotions and layoffs. In addition to this, training sessions by professionals should be included in the work places so that workers can learn how to cope and work together towards a common goal despite their differences. Another effective way of managing cultural diversity is by using a neutral third party during conflict resolutions. According to Adamopoulos provides the individuals involved with a sense of fairness as well as a chance to air their thought fully (1999). Conclusion As the world is slowly turning into a global community, it is important that humans brace themselves for the changes that come with this transition. One of the ways through which this can be done is through equipping ourselves with ample knowledge on how to interact and cope with each other not only for our own benefit but also for further development of the generations to come. This can only be done if we set our differences aside and work as a unit all the while learning from each other. References Adamopoulos, J & Kashima, Y (1999). Social psychology and cultural context. SAGE The book presents the reader with a psychological approach to cultural diversity. The authors offer helpful suggestions as to the way cultural issues in work places can be amicably resolves. In addition to this, the book offers various means of solving cultural diversity at work without making the situation worse. Collins, J. (2002). The Challenges and Opportunities of Cultural Diversity .Retrieved 07 Feb from: In this article, the challenges and opportunities that come with cultural diversity are highlighted. The author urges the readers to embrace cultural diversity as a tool to success. The article contains a lot of information about the benefits that can be accrued from cultural diversity as well as the predominant challenges that hinder its success at workplaces. Hankin, H. (2005). The new workforce: Five sweeping trends that will shape your company's future. AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn The book offers insight in to the new trends in diversity and how managers can harness the knowledge of this trends for the betterment of their organizations. It also sheds light on how people are coping with diversity at home and in work places. This book helps readers understand diversity all the while providing them with strategies that could be implemented in order to cope with diversity. Reisinger, Y. (2009). International Tourism: Cultures and Behavior. Butterworth-Heinemann In this book, focus is given to the effects of different cultures in marketing and other fields. It explains the importance of learning different cultures in relation to customer service. It is a beneficial book especially in relation to the importance of cultural differences in the business world. Trompenaars, A & Hampden Turner, C. (1998). Riding the waves of culture: understanding cultural diversity in global business. McGraw Hill The book provides a detailed guideline to managers who may have investment interests in foreign countries. The theme is perception and how individual differences affect how we handle issues. From this book, the issues of cultural diversity on an international platform are addressed thereby enabling one to learn how to behave and cope while in new territories. [pic]