Workplace Social Construction: Diversity and Integration

Overview

We all function in settings with people drawn from all walks of life — whether in church, at the workplace, at the gym, or in school. At my place of work, I work alongside people who are essentially socially different from one another. My organization has deliberately created a social construct with the primary aim of achieving superior organizational goals and objectives. This paper concerns itself with that social construction — one that brings together people who are diverse from a social perspective.

Nature of Integration

The integration of the social construction of gender, class, race, culture, religious beliefs, and sexuality at my workplace can be understood in terms of the organization's commitment to equal employment opportunity and workforce diversity. These ideals have been embedded in the organization's core values — an effort to ensure they are enduring rather than merely reactive. With respect to equal employment opportunity, the organization seeks to ensure that no person is denied an employment opportunity on the basis of physical or personality traits. When it comes to diversity, the organization is committed to embracing the various differences between people.

To a large extent, the integration of these various social constructions is not simply a response to legal requirements. Instead, my organization recognizes that there are significant strategic benefits to be gained from such a course of action. It is for this reason that a deliberate mechanism has been put in place to promote integration. That mechanism, and the benefits the organization continues to derive from it, are explored in the sections that follow.

Strategies Toward Integration

To begin with, in seeking to build a social construct that advances organizational objectives, my organization appears to recognize the importance of prioritizing communication. All internal communication is designed to be easily understood and inoffensive to any employee. For instance, deliberate effort is made to avoid slang. The organization has also implemented measures to ensure that all communication is conducted in a culturally appropriate manner, taking into consideration the unintended meanings that another individual might assign to a specific message. This is important because, as Thomas and Peterson (2017) point out, communication is not only about the transmission of messages — it is also about interpretation by the recipient. The authors are therefore categorical that "both the sender and the receiver of the message play an active role in the communication process" (p. 93).

Second, my organization organizes and participates in diversity training. The overall goal of this training is to ensure that individual employees and groups interact effectively, free from discrimination or prejudice. Diversity training is, at its core, concerned with fostering team cohesion through awareness of key diversity issues (Ezbilgin, 2009). In my organization, diversity training targets both new and existing employees. New employees undergo the training upon joining, while existing employees complete refresher courses to reinforce their commitment to tolerating differences. According to McGuire (2014), "the social goals of diversity training programmes are usually to significantly reduce the incidence of prejudice, bullying, and harassment in the workplace and to foster a positive working environment for all employees" (p. 431). These are precisely the goals my organization seeks to accomplish through its diversity training program.

Third, my organization has created a social construct that enables people to work in harmony by establishing diverse work teams. These teams may take the form of units assigned specific roles, groups working on a particular task, or entire departments. The organization encourages teamwork because of its well-documented benefits, which include the sharing of workload and the promotion of creativity (West, 2012). Crucially, however, the composition of work teams must be inclusive and reflective of the full diversity of the organizational workforce. No team — regardless of how minor its task — can comprise persons from the same racial background or gender. This requirement is largely implemented by group leaders and supervisors. In my view, this arrangement has promoted mutual understanding and has played a significant role in reducing harmful stereotypes.

Finally, my organization has in place a robust hiring mechanism that could be described as "all-welcoming." According to Moodian (2008), diversity management cannot be effective without the deliberate restructuring of organizational systems and processes. The author argues that "systems such as recruitment, hiring, promotion/career development, and compensation benefits" must be adapted appropriately (p. 97). To maintain a constant mix of people from diverse backgrounds, the organization has crafted hiring standards designed to eliminate bias. The greatest weight is placed on qualifications rather than on superficial factors such as race or gender. The result has been the steady creation of a socially diverse workforce. To reinforce this, the organization ensures that interview panels include members from varied backgrounds, and — as noted earlier — diversity training also targets HR personnel to ensure that hiring decisions are made without bias.

Conclusion

Creating a social construct that allows people to function together requires deliberate effort and the deployment of strategies meant to foster fairness, equality, and diversity. It is clear from the discussion above that this is a worthy investment, and it is an approach that should be encouraged in other organizational settings. However, organizations keen on replicating these results should not treat this as a simple copy-and-paste exercise. Each workplace is different and unique. Efforts in this area must therefore be aligned with specific organizational objectives, values, and circumstances.

References

Ezbilgin, M. (Ed.). (2009). Equality, diversity and inclusion at work: A research companion. Edward Elgar Publishing.

McGuire, D. (2014). Human resource development (2nd ed.). SAGE.

Moodian, M. A. (Ed.). (2008). Contemporary leadership and intercultural competence: Exploring the cross-cultural dynamics within organizations. SAGE.

Thomas, D. C., & Mark, F. P. (2017). Cross-cultural management: Essential concepts (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.

West, M. A. (2012). Effective teamwork: Practical lessons from organizational research (3rd ed.). John Wiley & Sons.