Human Resources
Smith, Miller, Archer, and Hague (Working with diverse cultures) explain that human resource activities of managing cultural diversity are in themselves a diverse set of activities that include:
Recruitment- Include culturally diverse people or organizations
Diversity Training- Understand all diversity dimensions and seek the commitment of those involved to nurture cultural diversity. Address the myths, stereotypes and cultural differences that interfere with the full contribution of members.
Communications - Remove the major barriers that interfere with people from diverse cultures working together.
Creating Appreciation and Acceptance - Understand both commonalities and differences to build effective working relationships.
Demonstrating Commitment- State publicly that having a diverse workforce is a top priority. Address the awareness, understanding, communication and nurturing of a culturally-diverse organization.
Providing Strong Leadership-
Articulate pluralistic vision and values for the organization; show ways in which they are an integral part of the organization's mission and vision.
Encourage and support discussion among people throughout the organization about the meaning of diversity and pluralism; show how to implement programs that can accomplish those goals.
Demonstrate ethical commitment to fairness and to the elimination of discrimination
Understand the dimensions of diversity, use inclusive and valuing language, quote diverse sources, readily adapt to differences in communication styles of diverse people, display respect for human differences and deal with diverse issues.
Value ongoing personal learning and change, solicit views and opinions of diverse people, invite feedback about personal behavior and blindspots and be open to belief modifications and actions based on feedback.
Mentor and empower diverse individuals and encourage others to do so as well.
Still, despite the effort, the opportunities for substantial competitive advantage are substantial. Potential benefits include (Veeneva):
Cost effectiveness by attracting the most skilled employees
The promotion of minority friendly reputation among prospective employees
The ability to attract better customers with a variety of people
More creative and efficient problem solving as compared to homogenous group
Increased adaptability and flexibility of an organization to environmental changes.
Bibliography
Smith, B., Miller, a.W., Archer, T. And Hague, C. Working with diverse cultures. Ohio State University Fact Sheet. CDFS-14. http://ohioline.osu.edu/bc-fact/0014.html
Veneeva, V. Managing cultural diversity - a key to organizational success. http://ezinearticles.com/?Managing-Cultural-Diversity-a-Key-to-Organizational-Success&id=230239
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