Diversity the Impact of Diversity on Our

Diversity

The Impact of Diversity on our Current Society

The workforce and the society in general, in the United States will continue to diversify among racial groups. Although many organizations are fully aware of the trend, there have been some gaps among this trend and the preparations that need to be done to manage a more diverse workforce and nation. It has been estimated that roughly two thirds of U.S. companies have some sort of diversity training. However, these programs are implemented with a varying effectiveness. This paper will provide a brief background on many of the minority movements that have gotten us to this point as well as make some predictions and recommendations about what can be done in the future to effectively deal with the upcoming issues of diversity

Background on Diversity & Civil Liberties

There has been a long and sometimes bloody struggle for minorities in the U.S. To gain. After the late nineteenth century when the war was over and when the U.S. began a period of reconstruction was the first major milestone in this struggle. The Thirteenth Amendment outlawed slavery, the Fourteenth Amendment guaranteed equal rights for all and citizenship for blacks, and the Fifteenth Amendment prevented race from being used to disfranchise men (Curtis, 2000). Despite finally equality finally gaining some traction through legislation, the culture for many minorities did not change at all. However, the amendments to the constitution set a major precedent that allowed progress to be made.

The movements progressed to include other groups other than simply minorities. First it was women's suffrage then gay rights and all of the contemporary events that are unfolding today. However, in 1920 was the first year in which American women were allowed to vote in the democratic United States which was another major milestone. This was followed by the civil rights movement and the ending of segregation in the South. Despite all the various achievements towards equality that have been won over the centuries, there are still battles being fought today by many groups. Each new group that emerges, such as the gay and secular movements, follow the footsteps of those who have fought battles for civil rights before them.

Globalization and Diversity

In the last decade or so, some international corporations have reached such huge and international sizes that there revenues are greater than many of the smaller companies. When international corporations expand through international growth they gain access to foreign resources and labor which can fuel their continued growth after they have maximized their domestic market share. In some cases this can also help the developing nations by providing jobs to individuals who were unlikely to find employment before the local region became globalized. However, this mixes workforces with the parent company sending some of its employees with the local labor pool. The same kind of thing also happens in the domestic market. Companies will send some of their best international employees to work in the home office in the U.S. On work visas. Thus diversity is not only an international trend but it is a national one as well.

One commonly used intervention techniques to combat the increasing diversity in the workforce is diversity training. It has been estimated that approximately two-thirds of U.S. organizations have implemented some type of diversity training program and despite the abundance of diversity training in practice, relatively little empirical research has been conducted to evaluate such programs or to examine their effectiveness from a theoretical perspective (Chrobot-Mason, 2012). Therefore, even though diversity training is in place, there is no assurance that it is effective in promoting multiculturalism in the workplace.

Another factor that can affect an organization's ability to embrace diversity can be how knowledge transfers through business function or teams in an organization. If there are barriers to sharing knowledge, such as a lack of diversity appreciation, then organizations can be at a competitive disadvantage. If people cannot communicate because of cultural barriers then knowledge of business processes and critical information can be lost. One study has identified that the absorptive capacity of knowledge transfer is correlated with the employees' abilities and willingness to learn (Minbaeva, et al., 2003). Employees that are more willing to learn are likely more apt to be able to overcome barriers of cultural diversity.