Diversit_in_the_Work_Place

Diversity In The Workplace In the global economy today, diversity in the workplace is, and has become one of the most popular topics and a serious objective for many organizations. In today’s workforce many organizations say they value diversity, but have developed human resource programs that focus mainly on how similar we are. In this paper, I will provide different aspects of the meaning of diversity as well as touch on diversity management, diversity training and breaking the glass ceiling. The U.S. Workforce will experience a huge change in its composition within the next decade. In R. Roosevelt Thomas, Jr.’s article, “Organizational Development: Redefining Diversity”, he states that diversity programs only focus on differences amongst people. He says diversity takes on a symbolic meaning and after much thought no one actually knows the true meaning so it then comes with people’s individual perceptions and biases. Thomas redefines diversity as something that should “apply not only to a company’s peoples concern, but to other critical areas as well.” He says, “It means that when making managerial decisions, you no longer have the option of dealing only with the differences or similarities present in the situation, instead, you must deal with both simultaneously.” To understand his point you must first define diversity. Diversity is different things to different people; where some may consider diversity as a problem, or challenge, that hampers organizational effectiveness; others may define diversity as an opportunity to expand valuable perspectives and ideas, thus enhancing organizational effectiveness. It may suggest images of alienation of organizational constituencies from one another, it may suggest images of isolated individuals based on some defining characteristics, or it may suggest images of a colorful and interesting environment. Some people see diversity as all the ways in which people are different. They see this as the basic definition, but more deeply define it as the most powerful differences: age, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and physical ability. Diversity can be considered any dimension that differentiates a person from another. The Hudson Institute’s Workforce 2000 reported major changes in the demography of the U.S. Labor Force. The workforce has a declining growth rate. In 2000, the workforce consisted of larger amounts of older workers, women, minorities and immigrants than ever previously recorded. Because of the changes in the workforce demographic projections cultural diversity is becoming an important issue in the management of businesses. Diversity training is a long-term process, not a quick fix and when managed effectively, it can be a long-term project. Managing diversity requires managers to put policies and procedures in place to meet these diverse needs of the employees. For example, the Martin Luther, King Jr. Holiday is not a day honored by the company as a company holiday. If an employee wants this day off because of personal beliefs, this is where a manager should put into understanding the issue of flexible holiday schedules. This way it wouldn’t seem like the company honors policies with cultural restrictions. Workforce 2000 tells us that there is a business rationale behind managing human resources needs. So why have diversity management' Easy answer, so your business can survive. Diversity management is a form of management designed to regulate not only a multiracial workforce but to recognize and adapt to a multicultural management structure. The operational differences and conflicts in the workforce may not always be racial, but they will be multiracial/ethnic. Adaptation is a two-way street; this should be a mutual process and agreement between the individual and the company. Managers are encouraged to implement diversity training programs in order to make some type of effort to know the needs and concerns of the different types of groups in our society. These programs should make everyone aware of their cultural differences and show appreciation for these differences. In order to do this, managers must fully develop their communication skills. In doing this, they should verbalize their concerns and discourage the stereotyping of any ethnic group in the workplace. These groups should always be apart of the decision making process and help to create the companies organizational procedures. Another important factor for managers to know is, there is no one solution for addressing the issue of diversity in the workplace. The first woman who made history by being named by the U.S. Supreme Court as the first woman to break the “glass ceiling” was Sandra Day O’ Connor. While her husband was on military duty in Europe, she was unable to find a job with a law firm in Arizona because of her gender. She established her own successful law firm, and in 1965 she was named assistant attorney general for the state of Arizona. In 1969, she was named to fill a vacancy in the Arizona State Senate and was re-elected for two years. In 1975, she was elected to the Maricopa County Superior Court and in 1979 to the Arizona Court of Appeals. In Linda Wirth’s book, “Breaking Through The Glass Ceiling: Women in Management, she defines the “glass ceiling” as gender inequalities that exist in employment status and the quality of jobs held by women. She says women face problems in rising through the ranks and securing top positions in senior management. Because of family responsibility, women are more frequently found in part-time positions. Women also perform different jobs from men and these jobs are on lower pay scales. In the workforce today, women make up 40%, but those who are actually in management positions do not exceed 20%. The author suggests obstacles that need to be taken in order to break through the glass ceiling. She feels that greater attention must be given to more objective, fair and gender-neutral recruitment and promotion methods in order to speed up women’s movement to the top. She says a person’s educational level and achievement should be highly recognized simply because the number of women reaching higher levels of education is approaching and exceeding that of men, and this should allow women more access to management jobs. She stresses the need for equal access for women and men to education, vocational training, and on-the-job training as an essential prerequisite for women to obtain more highly skilled and better paying jobs. Wirth gave three theories to help explain why women are not represented well in senior management positions. The first theory says that the feminine characteristics handicap women in this male corporate environment. Second, women are blocked because of the prejudices and stereotypes that men have of women. Thirdly, women are often denied access to the kinds of challenging assignments that are important for career development and promotion. In the world today it doesn’t matter where we are from or where we live, everyone belongs to a group that is defined by some type of social status. The customs and rules we abide by today are inherited from the people we live with and shaped by the world around us. Cultural diversity is slowing disappearing, because people are calling for change. The newer generations are rejecting traditional lifestyles and getting away from customs and rules that were originally made centuries ago. Diversity in the workforce is an issue that has arose in many urban areas around the country. In order for it to work, human resource systems must be willing to face this issue and facilitate its achievement. In order for managers to understand the cultural markets of today, they must be able to communicate with their customers and the ever-changing workforce of today by implementing diversity programs. Diversity training can introduce new ways of thinking and working and it can also lead to confusion, hostility and disorder in the workforce. We must make it work by being cautious, realistic and aim for long-term positive results. References Gevers, A. Breaking Through the Glass Ceiling: Women in Management. Labour & Industry, Dec 2001 v13 i2 p119(3). Johnston, W.B., Packer, A.H. Workforce 2000: Work and Workers in the 21st Century. Hudson Institute 1987. Noe, R., Hollenbeck, J., Gerhart, B., Wright, P. Human Resource Management: Gaining a Competitive Advantage. Thomas Jr., R Roosevelt. From affirmative action to affirming diversity. Harvard Business Review 2 March-April 1990 p 107-17. www.breaktheglassceiling.com