¶ … Diversity
Considerations Leaders Need to Take Into Account Regarding Diversity
As globalization and the influx of qualified job candidates moves with greater fluidity from one city to another, there has never been a more critical time for leaders to take into account how they will manage diversity. Hiring for skills, insight, intellect and talent is the new requirement; no one can afford to be so myopic as to hire purely on appearance or race alone. A leader must take into account an entire range of considerations when hiring an ethnically diverse workforce, and these include the following. First, there needs to be an understanding and respect of culturally appropriate ways of communicating, in addition to a realization that personal space is often part of how people communicate in cultures (Davidhizar & Giger 2000). In addition there needs to be a sensitivity to how the social organizations of the persons' culture varies from ones' own, and a striving for and sensitivity to cultural dependencies as well (Davidhizar & Giger 2000). What is most striking about initiating a diversity program is the radically different perception of time across cultures, which often drives differences in expectations and accountability as well Kouzes, J & Posner, B (2003).
Hiring a diverse workforce actually strengthens organizations by making them more adept at understanding both problems and opportunities from varying perspectives. Having a heterogeneous approach to problem solving by having a diverse workforce can actually strengthen an organization. There is also the added benefit of having experts from educational institutions and companies that may have developed entirely different skill sets the employees have as well. Diverse workplaces truly do make organizations more adept at dealing with change and responding with creative solutions to challenges and problems.
References
Ruth Davidhizar, Joyce Newman Giger. (2000). Cultural competency matters. Leadership in Health Services, 13(4), Viii. Retrieved January 11, 2008, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 116355093).
Kouzes, J & Posner, B (2003). The Leadership Challenge. Jossey-Bass; 3rd edition. New York, NY. August 7, 2003; pp. 35-91; Chapters 3 & 4
