Mangers Will Need to Understand

Mangers will need to understand diversity and its impact on the policies used to manage similarities and differences in the organization?

Diversity within a workforce is today becoming a global phenomenon, and an organization must be able to recognize it and deal with it in an effective manner if it were to hope to perform well. Therefore, it must have trained personnel who would formulate policies and deal with such diversity in such a way that all the differences and similarities that naturally occur with diversity are taken into account, and so that all the employees in an organization become familiar with the term, and are trained to be able to accommodate diversity into their working lives.

Analysis:

Dr Roosevelt Thomas, the CEO of R. Thomas and Associates Inc., who has been keenly interested in creating and in developing and in implementing numerous innovative strategies that would serve eventually, to maximize both individual as well as organizational potential. In fact, it was his article entitled "From Affirmative Action to Affirming Diversity" published in the Harvard Business Review in March-April, 1990 that veritably alerted the entire United States of America to the fact that it was time to move beyond EEO so that the challenge of empowering a diverse workforce could be taken up. Dr. Thomas has developed several pioneering theories on managing diversity, and it is his opinion that managing diversity in a workplace or workforce is central to ensuring the success of an organization, today. (NOAA managing Diversity field Symposium)

Dr. Thomas has also stated that learning managing diversity effectively whether or not the differences in the workplace are racial, cultural or functional, or even if the work habits are diverse, or if the personalities of the employees are different from each other, or if their functional responsibilities are all different would bring out the very best in an individual, and this would automatically mean that the organization would be able to reap the benefits of managing the diversity within. The full potential of the organization would be tapped, and the very diversity can in fact be managed so that the company may be able to gain a competitive edge over others, if it is done effectively and efficiently. (NOAA managing Diversity field Symposium)

Today, there are several different types of tests available to an organization which would help the management measure the diversity and whether or not it is being efficiently handled within the organization. One such is the 'Organizational Matrix' which lists a series of steps to measure diversity, the first one being an analysis of certain activities that would show the level of diversity within the company, the second being an analysis of the diversity achievement in the organization, the third step being that of determining the various actions to take so that the diversity within the firm could be handled better, and fourth, to review the various steps taken with the help of a professional team of diversity handlers. It is assumed that such analyses would help the management to deal effectively with diversity and the similarities and differences that it would bring into the organization. (The Diversity Challenge, Organizational Stock taking Matrix)

In addition to the test mentioned earlier, there are valuable tips with which to make sure that one's organization is in fact following the very best diversity management practices available today. Some of them are: to have the senior management of the organization to create and to communicate their own personal vision of an inclusive environment, and the various benefits that it would have on the working environment within the firm. It must be remembered that in general, all successful initiatives begin with an efficient management vision, and when creating an effective environment, one must make sure that diversity is also included as a very important business initiative. (Ten tips for diversity best practices)

When associates and others believe that the senior management is involved in dealing with diversity, then it is more likely that they would also behave in a manner that is conducive to the management's expectations of diversity management. However, the senior management must undertake an analysis whereby the various factors that would support an inclusive environment would be studied and these would be used to undertake a diversity initiative. Some of the factors to be considered would be the organizational structure, and the demographics of the organization. The diversity strategy must be developed after a careful consideration of the above mentioned factors, and a good strategic plan would identify as well as justify the use of resources within the organization, like for example, money, and include them in the diversity strategy.

One important fact is that if a diversity initiative were to be included in the performance management and in the reward systems for employees, then more individuals would be likely to participate in the implementation of such plans. If the plans were to be include in the company's other stated business goals, then it would be more effective. At times, it is necessary to educate employees and junior managers, so that they would be able to participate more fully in a diverse organization, with all its differences and dissimilarities. Most importantly, the company must make sure that all its employees are very well aware of the fact that its management values diversity and will therefore reward diversity suitably. This will convey the message to the personnel, and they would then be able to better appreciate the various policies within the organization that are meant to manage the differences and similarities that arise in a diverse working environment. (Ten tips for diversity best practices)

All organizations that value diversity and who would want their management and their employees to do so as well, in general tend to value people of all kinds, and they also create and maintain an environment wherein cultural knowledge, fairness, sensitivity, and honesty and truthfulness all prosper and co-exist with each other. These organizations also tended to devote time and financial resources to develop a formal process which would contain laws and rules to ensure the presence of diversity within the organization. In essence, they would recognize the fact that diversity is an ongoing and a measurable strategy that would be easy enough to implement as part of the rules governing the organization. (United Nations Expert Group Meeting on Managing Diversity in Civil Service)