Cultural Diversity in the Workplace

heathen variety IN THE piece of use TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. OVERVIEW 2. transmutation IN THE WORLD 3. CULTURAL variation AND CULTURAL HERITAGE 4. defense reaction OR PROMOTION OF CULTURAL DIVERSITY 5. DIVERSITY IN THE work 6. CASE STUDY OF CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN THE WORKPLACE 7. 1. coca plant cola comp each _an object lesson in heathen motley 7. 2. report from the coca coal company 7. WORKPLACE ISSUES AND INTERVENTIONS 8. 3. Miscommunication 8. 4. ethnic bias 8. 5. enculturation . BENEFITS OF DIVERSITY IN THE WORKPLACE 9. 6. Better decision devising and ameliorate problem solving, greater creativity and innovation 9. 7. Ability to compete in global markets 9. MAKING DIVERSITY A BUSINESS ADVANTAGE 10. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR polar WORKPLACE SUCCESS 11. 8. Managing vicissitude as well asls 11. 9. Creating the Multi heathen Organization 11. 10. On the inter mortalal Level 11. IMPLEMENTATION LEGAL FRAMEWORKS 12. CONSEQUENCES OF IGNORING DIVERSITY 13.CONCLUSIONS ABOUT DIVERSIT Y AND relation 14. RECOMMENDATION 15. REFERENCES OVERVIEW Managing potpourri is defined as planning and implementing institutional systems and practices to cook people so that the electric potential values of smorgasbord atomic number 18 maximized small-arm its potential disadvantages atomic number 18 minimized, according to Taylor Cox in Cultural alteration in Organizations. Cultural multifariousness is the variety of valet de chambre societies or civilizations in a specific surface bea, or in the mankind as a whole. The bound is to a fault near eras spendd to bear upon to multi culturalism inside an transcription. This member does non currently cover that alternative meaning. ) There is a general consensus among of importstream anthropologists that man first emerged in Africa ab appear deuce million historic period ago. Since and then they rush spread throughout the world, successfull-of-the-moony adapting to widely differing conditions and to pea kic cataclysmic changes in local and global climate.The many separate societies that emerged around the mankind differed markedly from each other, and many of these residuums persist to this day. As well as the more obvious cultural differences that exist between people, such as language, dress and traditions, at that place argon withal signifi heapt variations in the steering societies organize themselves, in their shared conception of morality, and in the ship canal they interact with their environment. DIVERSITY IN THE WORLDBy analogy with bio innovation, which is thought to be essential to the long-term excerpt of life on earth, it earth-closet be argued that cultural alteration may be vital for the long-term survival of humanity and that the conservation of indigenous cultures may be as most- blue-chip to humankind as the conservation of species and ecosystems is to life in general. The General league of UNESCO took this position in 2001, asserting in Article 1 of th e prevalent Declaration on Cultural variety that cultural alteration is as necessary for humankind as bio novelty is for nature This position is rejected by some people, however, on several(prenominal) grounds.Firstly, like most evolutionary accounts of human nature, the sizeableness of cultural diversity for survival may be an un-testable hypothesis, which can uncomplete be proved nor disproved. Secondly, it can be argued that it is unethical deliberately to observe less developed societies, because this will deny people within those societies the upbeats of technical and medical advances enjoyed by those of us in the developed world. In the analogous way it is unethical to promote poverty in underdeveloped nations as cultural diversity it is besides unethical to promote on the whole unearthly practices simply because they contribute to cultural diversity.Particularly, there are some practices that are lived by the WHO and UN as unethical Female Genital Mutilation, Sa ti (burning the widow on the husbands burial pyre), polygamy, child brides, human sacrifice, etc. Cultural diversity is tricky to quantify, but a mature indication is thought to be a count of the number of languages spoken in a region or in the world as a whole. By this measure, there are signs that we may be going through a period of precipitous decline in the worlds cultural diversity.Research carried out in the 1990s by David Crystal (Honorary Professor of Linguistics at the University of Wales, Bangor) suggested that at that date, on average, one language was falling into disuse every two weeks. He calculated that if that rate of language death were to continue, then by the year 2100 more than 90% of the languages currently spoken in the world will fetch gone extinct. Overpopulation, immigration and imperialism (of both the militaristic and cultural kind) are precedents that give up been suggested to explain any such decline. CULTURAL DIVERSITY AND CULTURAL HERITAGEThe Un iversal Declaration of UNESCO on Cultural revolution of 2001 is regarded as a legal instrument recognizing for the first time, cultural diversity as honey oil heritage of humanity and considers its safeguarding to be a cover and ethical imperative inseparable from respect for human dignity. There is too the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage ratified in June 20, 2007 by 78 States which said The intangible cultural heritage, transmitted from propagation to generation is constantly recreated by communities and groups in response to their environment, their interaction with nature and their history, and ives them a sense of identity and continuity, thus promoting respect for cultural diversity and human creativity. Cultural diversity was also promoted by the Montreal Declaration of 2007, and by the European Union. The idea of a global multi-cultural heritage covers several ideas, which are non exclusive. See multiculturalism. In addition to langu age, diversity can also accept religious or traditional practice. DEFENSE OR PROMOTION OF CULTURAL DIVERSITYThe defense of cultural diversity can take several meanings * A balance to be achieved thus, the idea of defense of cultural diversity through the forwarding of actions in favor of cultural minorities said to be separate * Preservation of cultural minorities thought to be endangered * In other slicks, one speaks of cultural protection, which refers to the concept of cultural exclusion, which is mainly used in France under the title French elision. This leads the link between the kindly vision of culture and the vision native in its commercialization.The cultural exception highlights the specificity of cultural harvests and services, including special recognition by the European Union in its Declaration on Cultural form. In this context, the objective is to defend against what is seen as a commodification considered harmful to a disadvantaged culture assumeing its development through grants, promotion operations, etc. , also known as cultural protectionism. * This defense may also refer to incorporating cultural rights provisions, conducted unsuccessfully in the early 1990s in Europe, into a layer of human rights. DIVERSITY IN THE WORKPLACE sort is a reality in todays workforce. Diversity is a difference between people, for example, in race, age, gender, dis top executive, geographic origin, family status, education, or personality that can bear upon piece of work relationships and achievement. Diversity steering aims to value these differences and encourage each person to fulfill his or her potential in terms of placemental objectives. The prelude goes beyond embody opportunities, which stresses the rights of particular disadvantaged groups rather than those of the individual. Cultural diversity in the workplace endures forces as well as challenges to concernes today.The United States is a lot thought of as the great melting pot w here anyone from any backdrop can assimilate into a single society. A more practical and appropriate Ideal is one of multi-culturalism (cultural diversity). Multi-culturalism is based on the idea that cultural identities should non be discarded or ignored, but instead, should be observeed and valued. The importance of cultural diversity in the workplace has been, for the most part, recognised in international business. The World Day for Cultural Diversity for dialogue and Development is a United Nationssanctioned international holiday for the promotion of diversity issues.It is currently held on May 21. The United Nations General congregation proclaimed this holiday due to UNESCOs Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity in November 2001. It was proclaimed by UN Resolution 57/249. Diversity Day, officially known as The World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, is an opportunity to supporter communities understand the value of cultural diversity and le arn how to live together in harmony. It was adopted in the wake of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. CASE STUDY OF CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN THE WORKPLACECOCA COLA COMPANY _AN EXAMPLE IN CULTURAL DIVERSITY The Coca-Cola Company is a model employer for diversity and cellular inclusion within its own work force and as a segment of the larger business community. Its leadership on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender comparability in the workplace is not only reflected in its long-standing achievement of 100 share on the Corporate Equality Index, but in its principled support of anti-discrimination legislation that would protect every worker in the United States from beingness judged on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Joe Solmonese President, gentleman Rights Campaign STATEMENT FROM THE COCA COAL COMPANY We believe that associates who are shake and valued create superior results. We strive to be a great place to work for all of our 92,400 associa tes globally by advance safe, open, inclusive and healthy work. We indigence to ensure that our Company is as assorted and inclusive as our brands and our business. Our inclusive culture is defined by our vii core values leadership, passion, integrity, collaboration, diversity, quality, and accountability.Our 2020 Vision is the roadmap that guides every aspect of our business. An unwavering tension on people is essential to our achieving sustainable, quality get onth. Our flock goal is to Be a great place to work where people are inspired to be the outmatch they can be. This is supported by our efforts to create a winning culture that defines the attitudes and behaviors that will be required of us to make our 2020 Vision a reality. WORKPLACE ISSUES AND INTERVENTIONS Diversity issues change over time, depending on local historical and dynamic conditions.Diversity issues relate to race, gender, age, disabilities, religion, job title, personal appearance, sexual orientation, nationality, multiculturism, competency, training, experience, and personal habits are explored here, the bias is toward valuing diversity. There are challenges to managing a divers(prenominal) work population. Managing diversity is more than simply acknowledging differences in people. many a(prenominal) organizational theorists have suggested reasons that work- police squads highly respective(a) in work- germane(predicate) characteristics can be difficult to motivate and manage.Miscommunication There are many challenges which face culturally several(a) workplaces, and a major challenge is miscommunication within an organization. In an article entitled Developing Receiver-Centered Communication in Diverse Organizations, written by Judi Brownell, she explains that meanings of messages can never be completely shared because no two individuals experience events in exactly the same way. Even when native and non-native speakers are exposed to the same messages, they may interpret th e instruction contrastingly.It is necessary for employees who are less familiar with the primary language spoken within the organization to receive special attention in meeting their communication requirements. In high context cultures, communicators share an experiential base that can be used to assign meanings to messages. Low context cultures, on the other hand, provide little information on which to base common agreements and so communicators essential be explicit. Because of this fact, it is better to view all different organizational environments as low-context cultures.Cultural bias Cultural bias is an additional chemical element which challenges culturally assorted work environments. Cultural bias includes both disfavor and discrimination. Prejudice refers to negative attitudes toward an organization member based on his/her culture group identity, and discrimination refers to observable adverse behavior for the same reason. Assimilation Another challenge faced by cul turally diverse organizational environments is assimilation. According to the journal Cultural Diversity in the oeuvre The State of the Field, Marlene G.Fine explains that Assimilation into the dominant organizational culture is a strategy that has had serious negative consequences for individuals in organizations and the organizations themselves. Those who assimilate are denied the ability to express their genuine selves in the workplace they are forced to cut significant parts of their lives within a social context that frames a large part of their daily encounters with other people. She goes on to mention that tidy sum who spend significant amounts of energy coping with an alien environment have less energy left to do their jobs.Assimilation does not secure create a situation in which people who are different are likely to fail, it also decreases the productiveness of organizations. BENEFITS OF DIVERSITY IN THE WORKPLACE Diversity is beneficial to both the organization and t he members and brings substantial potential benefits Managing diversity well provides a distinct advantage in an era when flexibility and creativity are keys to competitiveness. An organization requirements to be flexible and adjustable to meet new customer needs.Heterogeneity promotes creativity and heterogeneous groups have been shown to produce better solutions to problems and a higher level of critical analysis. This can be a vital asset at a time when the campus is undergoing tremendous change and self-examination to find new and more effectual ways to operate. With effective management of diversity, the corporate develops a reputation as an employer of choice. Not only will you have the ability to attract the best talent from a shrinking labor kitty, you can save time and money in recruitment and turnover costs.Better decision making and improved problem solving, greater creativity and innovation This leads to enhanced product development, and more successful marketing to different types of customers. Simply recognizing diversity in a corporation helps link the variety of talents within the organization. The act of recognizing diversity also allows for those employees with these talents to feel needed and have a sense of belonging, which in turn increases their commitment to the company and allows each of them to contribute in a unique way.Ability to compete in global markets Diversity also provides organizations with the ability to compete in global markets. Diverse organizations will be successful as long as there is a fitting amount of communication within them. Because people from different cultures perceive messages in different ways, communication is vital to the performance of an organization. Miscommunication within a diverse workplace will lead to a great deal of challenges.Diversity is not only approximately preventing unfair discrimination and improving equality but also valuing differences and inclusion, spanning such areas as ethnicity , age, race, culture, sexual orientation, physical baulk and religious belief. Scott Pages (2007) mathematical modeling research of team work supports this view. He demonstrated that heterogeneous teams consistently out-performed homogeneous teams on a variety of tasks. Page points out that diversity in teamwork is not so simple in the messy real world. Too frequently the cultural differences create problems.The goal is to manage diversity to take full advantage of it. MAKING DIVERSITY A BUSINESS ADVANTAGE Diversity is being touted as the most definitive source of competitive strength in the global markets. Rather than merely observing minority representations within a rank, companies are now dwelling into their employees backgrounds, perspectives, styles to gain better understanding and using them to supplement business advantages. Companies are attaching importance to diversity and how it could benefit the bottom-line. By adopting a few practices, companies can create a divers ity strategy.Ask relevant questions such as which diverse populations is your company serving, how can the diversity of your company carry out them, how can your company better leverage diversity. Answering these questions will give you an insight into your diversity strategy. Building a strong infrastructure is also an important practice while creating diversity strategy. Merely appointing a diversity officer is not enough, involvement of all senior management is important. By doing so, your diversity strategy isnt isolated. Create different groups that will focus on different identity groups.These teams will help to spot market opportunities upon which companies can act and gain profit. Like in any other corporate initiatives, involve every employee in diversity efforts and hold them accountable. Inclusion of different employees will boost them to put greater efforts in diversity strategy. Diversity strategies are being viewed as the in style(p) effort to gain competitive edge o ver rival companies and to grow and strive in the global market. Serving are the three main steps that can be followed to generate higher leadership qualities.If we want to develop effective working relationships with diverse people at work, we need to start with similarities, not differences, among people when you take a leak relationships. Diversity in the workplace adds a special richness, but also special challenges. As a human resources professional, manager, supervisor, coworker, staff member or business owner, effective diverse work relationships are critical for your success. Emphasis is on honoring and appreciating the diverse needs, skills, talents, and contributions of people in recent years. While this is critical, dont let the pendulum swing too far in this direction.We are in danger of forgetting to honor and think our similarities. By acknowledging the similarities and likenesses, we create a starting point for understanding and appreciating diversity in the work pl ace. A strong example emerges in The charitable Capital Edge 21 People counsel Practices Your Company must(prenominal) Implement (or Avoid) to Maximize Shareholder Value (Compare Prices), by Bruce N. Pfau and wrath T. Kay, executives with Watson Wyatt Worldwide. In Watson Wyatts Work USA research, they asked 7500 workers at all job levels across diverse industries to respond to 130 statements about their workplaces.Watson Wyatt broke down the responses to demeanor for diversity patterns across demographics including whites versus minorities, men versus women, and people over and under 30 years old. They found more similarities than differences, especially in the categories respondents rated as most important to them. People agreed about what inspires their commitment to a particular employer. People cited the following factors as important. * They supported their companys business plan, * They had a chance to use their skills on the job, * Their reward package was competitive, and The company acted on employee suggestions. People also agreed on what organizations need to improve employee input and promoting the best performers while helping the worst performers get better. Additionally, the employees want to know how their job affects privileged and external customers. They want to understand how their job contributes to the execution of company business goals. They want a safe work environment and highly rated products and services. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR various(a) WORKPLACE SUCCESS Managing diversity toolsManaging diversity goes far beyond the limits of equal employment opportunity and affirmative action. High performing diversity managers recognize that specialized skills are necessary for creating a productive, diverse workforce. They seek out continuous learning opportunities and some go as far as acquiring certification. Managers must be willing to work towards changing the organization in order to create a culture of diversity and inclusion. saga city skills and diversity education are key elements of culture change. However, the leaderships support of the change cannot be understated.Creating the Multicultural Organization The key to managing a diverse workforce is increasing individual awareness of and sensitivity to differences of race, gender, social class, sexual orientation, physical ability, and age. There are several ways to go about creating the multicultural organization that performs extremely well. The business case for diversity, theorizes that in a global grocery, a company that employs a diverse workforce (both men and women, people of many generations, people from ethnically and racially diverse backgrounds etc. is better able to understand the demographics of the marketplace it serves and is thus better equipped to thrive in that marketplace than a company that has a more modified range of employee demographics. An additional corollary suggests that a company that supports the diversity of its workforce ca n also improve employee satisfaction, productivity and retention. This portion of the business case, often referred to as inclusion, relates to how an organization utilizes its various relevant diversities.If a workforce is diverse, but the employer takes little or no advantage of that breadth of that experience, then it cannot monetize whatever benefits background diversity office offer. In most cases, US employers are prohibited by federal official and state justnesss from giving race or ethnicity any consideration in hiring or assigning employees. However, the US Supreme Court has upheld the use of limited preferences based on race, ethnicity, and sex, when there is a manifest imbalance in a traditionally segregated job category. In response to the research, Pfau and key recommend that organizations concentrate on four areas with their employees. * Keep your company effective, winning, and on the right track. * Help people, supplied with needed resources use their talents and skills to contribute to the overall accomplishment of organization objectives. * Respect and value people and recognize and act on their contributions. * Create an environment in which people have interesting work and enjoy their coworkers. On the Interpersonal Level Take a look at your coworkers or reporting staff with new eyes.Think about the factors that you share in common with them. Youll find * Youre all human beings with thickening emotions, needs, interests, outlooks, viewpoints and dreams. Share something about yourself to create an environment in which your coworker wants to share information with you. Listen and dont pry. Polite and continuing interest in your coworkers contributes to workplace harmony. * You have family and other interests outside of work. Hear what your coworkers tell you about their personal lives. retrieve the highlights to demonstrate respect and interest. You have similar needs from work as demonstrated above in The Human Capital Edge. Acknowledge this and melodic line the commonalities. Work is more exciting when you feel as if you are accomplishing vulgar goals. Act as if you are part of a winning team. Emphasize, with coworkers, your common interest in your success and the success of the organization. Youll get to know people as people if you participate in any fun or team building events your organization sponsors. Better yet, join the team that plans them. executing Diversity issues change over time, depending on local historical and dynamic conditions.Overt diversity programs are usually limited to large employers, establishment agencies and businesses facing rapid demographic changes in their local labor pool and help people work and understand each other. The implementation of diversity is often limited to the Human resources department when there is also a good economic case for UK companies to use it as a tool to reach new market shares. Legal frameworks US anti-discrimination laws prohibit employers giving any consideration to customers preferences for being served by employees of a given gender, ethnic group, or color.In general, the laws also prevent consideration based on religion, although the law allows major exceptions of this provision for religious organizations. Many countries are also introducing anti-discrimination laws (for example the DDA in the UK) forcing companies to be more aware of diversity. The law student organization Building a Better Legal Profession generated significant strife in October 2007 for reporting data suggesting that most private law firms themselves lacked demographic diversity. CONSEQUENCES OF IGNORING DIVERSITY Ignoring diversity issues costs time, money, and efficiency.Some of the consequences can include rheumatic tensions loss of productivity because of increased conflict inability to attract and retain talented people of all kinds complaints and legal actions and inability to retain valuable employees, resulting in lost investments in recruitme nt and training. CONCLUSIONS ABOUT DIVERSITY AND proportion If you start by recognizing the ways in which you are similar to your coworkers, youll build a base of understanding and acceptance that will withstand the sometimes stormy times when your differences come to the forefront.REFERENCES 1. Cultural diversity in the workplace issues and strategies / George Henderson by Henderson, George, 1932- Westport, Conn. Quorum Books, 1994 2. www. unep. org 3. www. unesco. org 4. The Human Capital Edge 21 People Management Practices Your Company Must Implement (or Avoid) to Maximize Shareholder Value Bruce N. Pfau and Ira T. Kay, executives with Watson Wyatt Worldwide 5. Cross-cultural management / edited by Gordon Redding and Bruce W. Stening Cheltenham Edward Elgar, c2003 6.Cross-cultural management case studies development and delivery report and case studies /CCM Research team up Research Institute for Asia and the Pacific, University of Sydney Sydney Research Institute for As ia and the Pacific, University of Sydney, 1997 7. Multinational cross-cultural management an integrative context-specific process / Robert J. Mockler, Dorothy G. Dologite by Mockler, Robert J Westport, Conn. Quorum Books, 1997 8. International management a cross cultural and functional perspective / Kamal Fatehi by Fatehi, Kamal Englewood Cliffs, NJ. Prentice Hall, 1996