Aspects Of Diversity And Multiculturalism Trends

As we enter the new millenium, diversity in the workforce is rapidly increasing. Businesses and organizations are living up to the great melting pot image the United States has always been popular for. Employees now reflect a diversity of cultural perspectives, ethnic backgrounds, ages, genders, physical abilities, and levels of education. This wave of multiculturalism is here to stay and cannot be ignored. It is in need of attention in order to uphold the well-being and success of businesses and organizations all over the country.

Despite the all evidences that politics is allowing all kind of cultural diversity to grow within same territory. Those countries which have different cultures are trying to make their state a multicultural state in order to live with peace, for growth and development. This paper discusses about the past present and future of multiculturalism. Cultural diversity from very beginning was existing in different nation There are Jews in Germany, Poles in Ireland, Asians in Canada and so on but the level at which Multiculturalism have reached today became a political issue for those countries which have cultural diversities. People of different cultural diversity are enjoying the same rights and people are practicing different cultures as and extended form of their liberty. People have the freedom to do whatever they want but with in the framework of laws.So the people are exercising the libety of practicing their own culture.There is a discussion about remarkable history of multiculturalism, present position of multiculturalism and the future of multiculturalism. There is advancement is polity for a better sustainment of a country with diversity in culture of people. This popular master narrative is too quick to herald the death of multiculturalism, and mischaracterizes the nature of the experiments undertaken, exaggerates the extent to which they have been abandoned, and misidentifies not only the limitations encountered but also the options for addressing these

Workforce diversity is increasing. There are more women, minority men and immigrants entering the workforce.

Diversity has been a hot-button topic for many of today’s companies. Diversity programming and initiatives are regularly implemented by organizations of all types and sizes. As it relates to an organization’s human resources operation, diversity will continue to be an ever-changing term as the work towards equitable treatment for all continues.

Diversity in the workplace has always been an interesting topic to explore. When studying the topic, one is able to see how minorities and women do not get the same job opportunities at career growth as non-minorities. The lack of diversity in the workplace can definitely keep a company from reaching its full potential. Our guest speaker Patrick McKay explored different topics dealing with diversity in the workplace that shed light on why trying to diversify the workplace occasionally fails. McKay also mentioned how it is important to be mindful of the location you choose to live when beginning your career. In the article Doing Diversity Right, Derek R. Avery and Patrick F. McKay explain how “managing diversity” in the workplace is vital in today’s workplace. Over the years there has been a greater emphasis put on insuring diversity within the workplace. McKay and Avery explain the importance of creating a diverse environment in which companies promote. It is not enough to solely recruit minorities or women but also the environment of the workplace must allow the individuals to thrive. In the article Warning! Diversity recruitment could Backfire, Patrick McKay and Derek Avery explain how companies should implement diversity into their company programs. Having a company culture that embraces diversity is the key to successfully diversifying a company.

Organizations who make a commitment to diversity can see a significant impact on business in many ways. Diversity “requires a significant commitment for change to occur” (Delong, 2007, p.9). It is extremely important that leaders understand the commitment and embrace it in order for a positive impact to occur. Employers with diverse cultures and leaders can build positive and successful relationships with customers, suppliers and vendors. They can better attract and retain top talent. All of these equal more financial gain for the company.

Diversity acknowledge that people are differ in many ways, such as age, gender, social status, disability, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity and culture (Kossek, Lobel & Brown, 2005). Nowadays, diversity has increasingly become the most valuable aspect of HRM areas. Develop countries such as Australia and New Zealand hold multicultural workforce as one of the most important dimension of diversity, where there are a large number of international migrants with different cultural backgrounds (Shen, Chanda, D’Netto & Monga, 2009). Studies from McLeod, Lobel and Cox (1996) and Wilson & Iles (1999) point out that a diverse workforce has a better-quality solution to brainstorming task, display more cooperative behaviour, and can raise organizational efficiency, effectiveness and profitability. Hence, utilization of diversity allows organization to increase the organization cooperative behaviour and competitive advantage (Cassell 1996). However, in groups where people from different cultural and ethnic background are working together, differences may occur in management styles, attitude towards hierarchy, approaches to group work, and ways of expressing

In corporate life and elsewhere, there must be mutual trust and respect and that is the heart of having an effective diverse workforce. This is more relevant when the key players are from different countries and of different cultures.

As a business manager in human relations you must understand the differences in cultures. The labor force in today’s society in the United States workforce is getting more racially and ethnically diverse, as the number of women are also increasing. Companies use human resources management to gain a competitive advantage. Companies can no longer take the traditional approach of depending on white males to form the core of the workforce. In today’s society managers must look broadly to use talent wherever it could be found. Managing diversity is a huge issue in today’s society because each culture has a different way to be handled. If managers can be effective at managing diversity in different cultures, they will have an easier time

According to the U.S. Census Survey of 2000, 35.6% of white men and 44.6% of Asian men were employed in managerial, professional, and related occupations, compared with 25.2% of black men and just 18% of Hispanic men. People could end up in a different occupation because of discrimination. Instead of looking at people’s credentials, such as education and experiences, employers look at skin color. For example, the vice president position has been held by a white male for as long as the company’s been open. It will take some time before they hire a minority in the position because the hiring personnel feels more comfortable hiring someone that is like the other people that held the position.

Labor force demographics and future projections play a significant role in the way human resource (HR) professionals and firms guide their recruiting and hiring efforts. Projections by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2010) indicate the racial/ethnic workforce will continue to shift. Analyzing the internal and external demographics can potentially prevent a company from experiencing labor shortages, discrimination, and inappropriate behaviors.

The general line of reasoning is that if we learn to incorporate each other’s diverse traits and characteristics in the workplace, we can then use these differences to foster an innovative environment, which will give the company a competitive advantage over the competitors that do not accept workforce diversity. According to the Allied Academies International Conference, “Diversity is rapidly becoming a common practice among companies due to the increasing number of minorities entering the job market today. As these groups become more prevalent throughout companies, upper-level employees are facing numerous challenges when determining what changes must take place to create a positive working environment for everyone. Management is responsible for the development and implementation of effective policies directly relating to diversity to ensure the acceptance of minorities into the workplace and to aid in minorities’ success through equal opportunities and treatment.” (Marcia L. James, 2001, Academy for Studies in International Business Proceedings)

As a result, workforce demographics are changing and continue to change as more women, Blacks, Asians, and

Harvard Business Review September, 1996 / October, 1996 HEADLINE: MAKING DIFFERENCES MATTER: A NEW PARADIGM FOR MANAGING DIVERSITY BYLINE: by David A. Thomas and Robin J. Ely; David A. Thomas is an associate professor at the Harvard Business School in Boston, Massachusetts. Robin J. Ely is an associate professor at Columbia University 's School of International and Public Affairs in New York City. Their research and teaching focus on the influence of race, gender, and ethnicity on career dynamics and organizational effectiveness. ABSTRACT: MAKING DIFFERENCES MATTER: A NEW PARADIGM FOR MANAGING DIVERSITY DAVID A. THOMAS and ROBIN J. ELY Diversity efforts in the workplace have been undertaken with great goodwill, but, ironically, they often

Over the past 50 years, employers have seen a vast shift in the demographic of their employee's. Where once specific jobs were held by a specific type and group of people, today, at that same