Management principles and practices

¶ … management of human resources and diversity. The writer explores the growing diverse populations in American workforces and provides researched methods by which to best manage that from a human resource standpoint.

The field of human resource management has always been a field that encouraged diversity. By its very nature the people that have an interest in working in the field generally have the type of personalities that enjoy diverse groups of people and diverse job duties. The globalization of the world has changed the face of society in ways that have never before been experienced. Today, the American workforce is more diverse than in the past and with that diversity comes differences in cultures, beliefs and traditions (Cox, 1991). Human resource management today includes the need to recruit and embrace diverse employees and the need to encourage the positive elements of that diversity while at the same time maintaining individuals' rights with regard to their background.

Human Resource Management Techniques

As more and more organizations implement diversity initiatives, personnel and human resource managers play increasingly significant roles. This article explores some of the challenges personnel and human resources managers face implementing diversity. It discusses strategies personnel and human resources managers are employing to address the need for diversity and suggests methods to implement diversity as a principle of human resource management (HRM). These strategies include processes such as diversity audits to identify organizational problems, aligning workforce planning with strategic plans, benchmarking personnel/human resources practices and positioning diversity as a top-level management function. The article also examines the benefits of flex management, partnering with management, and educating and training managers/line supervisors to effectively manage diversity (Matthews, 1998)."

Historically, before WWII there was very little diversity in the workplace. Men held the jobs women stayed home and minorities worked in menial positions that others did not want (Matthews, 1998). When WWII occurred women had to come out and fill the positions while the men went to war, and when the war was over many females decided they wanted to continue working which began the nation's entrance to diverse working populations.

As various civil rights movements began to unfold minorities were permitted to enter the areas of employment that had previously been closed to them which presented even more diversity in the workplace and finally, the recent blending of cultures caused by worldwide globalization has moved the nation toward new heights of acceptance and embracement of diverse workplace populations. While all of this is a positive step for society it also creates tension and human resource issues as people try to blend their ideas and beliefs within individual companies (Matthews, 1998).

There have been several programs put into place over the years with regard to diversity including equal opportunity employment laws, "However, equal employment opportunity and affirmative action programs alone do not create diversity in the workplace (Matthews, 1998). Today, diversity is still not visible at all levels in most organizations (Matthews, 1998). When establishing diversity as an organizational goal, a number of processes must be considered and decisions made regarding how to effectively manage diversity strategies (Matthews, 1998). Before diversity strategies are implemented, the organization's cultural environment, management and evaluation systems should be examined to ascertain if existing personnel/human resources processes will support or hinder diversity in the organization (Matthews, 1998). Then, appropriate strategies can be designed to develop and manage diversity based on these findings (Matthews, 1998)."

One of the most important steps to take from a human resource management standpoint with regard to diversity is to implement a strategic human resource plan which should include several different elements aimed at enhancing and encouraging diversity in the workplace.

This will help to promote productivity and pride in work throughout the workforce.

It is important for human resource management personnel to use alternatives for the purpose of soliciting a trainable population.

In some corporate circles diversity is seen as a matter of survival. Major corporations such as IBM, Exxon, and Levi Strauss plus some federal, state and local government agencies are committed to diversity because they cannot effectively do business in certain parts of this country or the rest of the world without it (Matthews, 1998)."

To use diversity effectively in human resource management the ideas, skills and creativity of different populations much be encouraged and utilized.

The underlying goal of managing diverse work populations is to locate and harness each person's best work qualities and use them to better the entire company effort.

To meet this goal diversity needs to be considered by organizations during their workforce planning stages.

When including diversity management as part of the workforce plan it should be recognized that there are no quick fix solutions to the diversity and human resource issues that arise in the normal course of work. Loss of motivation and low productivity are the unanticipated consequences of using quick fix solutions and are costly to organizations (Matthews, 1998). "

Human resource managers have a duty to place diverse populations in the workforce in a manner that will benefit the workers and the company (Dass, 1999). This can be done by careful recruitment and selection of different population members for various levels of management and employment within the organizational structure.

Human resource management teams are often asked if affirmative action provides a handicap to white male applicants. The answer is no. A recent government report indicated that one in three American workers are not of Caucasian roots which provides a solid argument for the importance and success of diversity planning in management.

Diversity management is the ability to manage diverse groups.

Diversity orientation represents an integration of human resource policies and practices that combine into a "bundle" that directs the organization towards diversity and diversity management (Johnson, 2001). This bundle will include promoting diversity through training and development, work design, staffing, and compensation programs (Johnson, 2001). Simply one or two activities in support of diversity fails to constitute a diversity orientation (Johnson, 2001). Rather, these activities must work together and reinforce one another. Further, a diversity orientation means that other policy-related decisions consider diversity implications in the decision process (Johnson, 2001)."