This paper examines how organizations can create initiatives to appreciate workforce diversity and leverage human potential across all ethnicities, cultures, and nationalities. Drawing on a case scenario involving a female hire in a male-dominated oil company, the paper explores strategies for navigating a non-inclusive workplace. It then analyzes HR competency domains identified by Suen and Yang (2013) and workforce diversity management frameworks offered by Roosevelt Thomas Jr. (2011), tracing the evolution of diversity from 1960s civil rights integration through modern talent management. The paper concludes that fair, visionary executive leadership is essential to creating environments where all employees can contribute to their full potential.
The paper demonstrates effective use of source synthesis: rather than summarizing each source in isolation, the author connects Suen and Yang's HR competency domains directly to the case scenario (linking the "Credible Activist" role to Ethney's situation) and then uses Thomas's historical framework to provide broader institutional context. This synthesis technique shows how individual case analysis and macro-level theory can reinforce each other within a single argument.
The paper opens with an introduction establishing the importance of diversity initiatives, then applies the concepts to a specific workplace scenario with three targeted questions. Two analytical sections follow — one on HR behavioral competencies and one on the historical evolution of diversity management. A brief integration section traces the impact of civil rights legislation, and the conclusion calls for leadership-driven, forward-looking diversity strategies. This moves logically from the micro (individual) to the macro (organizational and societal).
Diversity in the workplace is the reality, not the exception, in today's business world. It is therefore vitally important that organizations launch initiatives aimed at understanding and embracing diversity. By relating realistically and fairly to diversity, organizations should do everything they can to leverage the human potential available to them — including getting the most out of employees from every ethnicity, every culture, and every nationality. This paper draws on two peer-reviewed sources to address the initiatives most critical to achieving that goal.
In the Chapter 13 "True to Myself" feature, the scenario follows the plight of a woman hired as the token female simply to satisfy diversity requirements. Only because major shareholders were female — the daughters of the deceased founder — was there an apparent need to comply with diversity standards. Ethney, the new hire, was told that if she was willing to become "one of the guys" and accept that the men run things, she would survive.
Question One: If I were Ethney, I would not play the game of becoming one of the boys, but I also would not go out of my way to push my policies and opinions right away. I would be cooperative and helpful and try to get to know the men on a one-to-one basis where possible. However, I would not try to be someone I am not, because faking my own values and beliefs would cause great stress and would eventually lead to a breakdown.
Question Two: One important strategy would be to become a very attentive listener — listening to the men discuss the history of the company and the way oil is found and extracted, and showing tolerance for their opinions. The advantage is that you demonstrate a willingness to listen and learn; the disadvantage is that you might be viewed as an insignificant newcomer.
Question Three: Being "true to yourself" is not as immediately important as getting a firm grip on your new job. Learning, listening, and cooperating are vital behaviors, because carving out a career in an oil-company environment where diversity is not readily accepted is already a significant challenge. Moreover, it is quite doubtful that Ethney will be able to leverage her true human potential in this work environment.
When discussing diversity within an organization, the origins and sustainability of a diverse workforce fall squarely within the duty and responsibility of the Human Resources department. A 2013 peer-reviewed article in the International Management Review does not address diversity specifically, but it does address the ways in which HR managers can leverage the potential of employees. While the article brings particular attention to the need to incorporate information technology advances into the HR function, it also identifies six behavioral competency domains that affect a company's ability to get the most out of its workforce (Suen, 2013).
"The Credible Activist" is a person who takes a stand or position that may not be universally embraced, yet is "respected, admired…and listened to" (Suen, 2013). This is precisely what Ethney should aspire to become, though the odds are stacked against her. "The Operational Executor" ensures that policies are put in place that advance HR technology — and if technology can enhance the likelihood of getting the most out of every employee, it should be a priority (Suen, 2013). "The Business Ally" serves the value chain and interprets the social context of the organization. Meanwhile, "The Talent Manager and Organizational Designer" is responsible for finding and retaining top-quality talent, with diversity and the leveraging of human potential presumably central to that role (Suen, 2013).
"The Culture and Change Steward" appreciates and embraces the company's culture and acts as a communicator who facilitates the healthy flow of information within a diverse environment. Finally, "The Strategy Architect" understands how to "make the right change happen" in the workforce — which presumes that fairness, equal opportunity, and an open and welcoming dynamic are present (Suen, 2013). Together, these six competency domains form a framework for human resource management that supports genuine inclusion.
Empowering every employee who shows potential for growth and leadership should be a top priority for both HR departments and executive management. The HR department may be responsible for selecting, hiring, and training quality people from all backgrounds and ethnicities, but HR ultimately operates under the authority and direction of executive leadership. It follows that leaders at the top must actively engage with people across all departments. The philosophy of management — its strategy, mission, and values — must be fair and visionary, committed to bringing in and respecting the diversity of the broader society.
An environment in which all workers have an opportunity to "contribute to their full potential" is what every well-run organization should work toward (Thomas, 2011). Thomas calls on company leadership to do the right thing with respect to diversity — and that does not simply mean "making amends for past wrongs" (Thomas, 2011). It means creating strategies and policies that actively embrace talent from diverse cultures and ethnicities, and that ensure every individual has a genuine opportunity to thrive.
Suen, H-Y., and Yang, J-M. (2013). HR professionalism in the computing environment: Predicting job performance within different HR roles. International Management Review, 9(1), 19–30.
Thomas, R.R. (2011). The management of workforce diversity: A continuing evolution. Employment Relations Today, 38(3), 1–9.
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