Diversity And Inclusion Are Critical Strategies For Any Organization

There is always going to be a certain level of misunderstanding or miscommunication between employees in the workplace. But when the ugly specter of prejudice appears in the workplace, based on gender, ethnicity, cultural differences, religion or skin color, it can cause serious problems and hurtful feelings. This paper offers scholarly information on prejudice in the workplace and relates as to how prejudice can be reduced.

Unfortunately, many workplaces have utilized the colorblind approach that emphasizes peoples’ similarities rather than their differences, in order to “treat everyone the same.” The rhetoric behind these tactics are that differences lead to problems between one another, marginalized groups must assimilate into the dominant culture, individual culture must be abandoned, and that there are absolutely no biases at play, although this only leaves marginalized employees more untrusting of their straight, white, male coworkers. Colorblindness also allows those who perpetuate microaggressions to be excused from holding accountability for expressing offensive beliefs and biases. Those offended may ultimately leave their job or their performance will decline. During recruitment, heterosexist and racial biases determines who is “qualified” (218). Companies who adopt a colorblind tactic have very low retention rates because although overt, prejudicial instances may be addressed, covert ones are ignored and deemed as

The word diversity represents a large group comprised of different people with different experiences. These differences include race, color, religion, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran status or citizenship. However, “diversity” does not address how these different people function or work. Inclusion enables us to strive to have all people represented and make all members, partners and employees feel welcomed and valued, not only for their abilities, but also for their unique qualities and perspectives. The concept of diversity encompasses acceptance and respect. It means understanding that each individual is unique,

Prejudice is a paralyzing, disabling social ill. Prejudice is the one human characteristic that retards the development of society, it is a crippling behavior that impedes human advancement and is harmful to society as a whole. Prejudice is more often than not a negative sentiment and in the workplace is particularly harmful; it can lead to extreme mental and emotionally anguish. (Ferguson, "Prejudice, Stereotyping, and Discrimination"). It is harmful to productivity, and creates an environment that is hostile and creates breeding ground for harassment. This paper will explore prejudice in the workplace, the harmful effects as well as provide solutions on how to reduce prejudice in a work environment.

a. Diversity is an ethical imperative for any organization; it is “A major local, national, and international challenge and an opportunity for every human being if we are to live in a peaceful and healthy world”. As a leading organization in the Healthcare industry, “The twenty-first century managers know that managing diversity is a key fundamental strategy to effectively manage employees to get results. Therefore, for the twenty-first century organization, the true sustainable advantages and a long-term competitive edge come from the success of each individual manager and employee within the organization” (Alexander, 2015 pg. 13). The case for diversity consists of diversity 's contribution to one or more of four factors. The four are, “increasing revenue or gross margin; enhancing compliance or reducing litigation risk; enhancing corporate goodwill (to become the "employer of choice);" and as part of tone at the top, when corporate leadership believes diversity is "the right thing to do." (Orenstein, 2005 pg. 22).

Prejudice in the workplace has come a long way in recent decades. But it’s still there, despite decades of activism, legislation and human resources programs to counter it and to promote an appreciation of diversity. Prejudice comes in qualitatively different forms, such as — racial profiling, religious, obesity, sexual orientation, age, immigrants, and gender — that have to be managed in different ways.

In a survey, 24 executives were asked way advancing diversity in their organizations was so important to them. The majority believe “it was a business imperative because their companies needed it to stay competitive, and they believed it was a moral imperative because of their companies needed of their personal experiences and values” (Broysberg & Connolly, 2013). Steve Reinemund was the first senior leader at PepsiCo to focus on diversity and inclusion from a perspective of changing the entire culture of PepsiCo. Under Reinemund’s leadership there led to a 38.8% increase of employees that felt the culture of PepsiCo was more inclusive from the impact of inclusion training. There is a great demand for individuals who know how to design and

I would help Andy developing some of his diversity skills like teamwork. I would involve him in every single activity and giving him feedback. He might learn from his mistakes, but at the same time he can develop his interpersonal relations and communication. He could learn a lot of things or strategies to apply in the future because we learn from students and from colleagues. He also should enhance the ability to appreciate and mantein pride in his background and culture. In a diverse society, many people like to show how proud they are of their culture and background. Developing relationships with people is a good opportunity for Andy to show his culture. At the same time he is developing the ability to deal effectively with barriers to success

In the text, Kreitner and Kinicki (2008) refer to an example of stereotyping and a “surface level dimension of diversity” influencing one’s behavior. They go on to say “These dimensions, for the most part, are not within our control, but they strongly influence our attitudes and expectations and assumptions about others, which, in turn, influence our behavior.” (p 37). This definition of stereotyping is the basis for our observation of derogatory attitudes that has occurred within the workplace.

Mrs. Joy Smith has left Love Enterprises a very generous donation of $500,000 million to the agency but more importantly she has given us an opportunity to transform Love into a leading organization in diversity initiatives. As stipulated in her will in order to receive the full gift Love Enterprise needs to have a solid action plan in place as well as specific ways to measure the organization’s success with diversity. In the following paragraphs I will discuss what course of action I would take in developing an action plan, then I will discuss the various tools and modes I would use to measure the success of the action plan.

Organizations need to be interested in diversity not just for legal reasons but for moral reasons as well. A company that has diversity benefits not just financially but also economically. Having diversity in the workplace will enable he/she to have more perspectives on problems in dealing with others. Diversity brings in new ideas, new products, and openings of new markets. In America, our culture is made up of diversity and because of this, we cannot stereotype. If we do stereotype then this will lead to less productivity, more stress and, extreme tension at work.

Becoming more tolerant of others in the workplace is simple but for some people can be very difficult. We must constantly evaluate our own behavior and beliefs in order to treat people fairly. Our prejudices can lead to discrimination, which leads to poor team communication and an unfriendly or even unsafe work environment.

The integration of numerous nations worldwide has drastically impacted the global community and the countless businesses within it. Consequently, the recent shift towards globalization has led to a more diverse society. Diversity is a core element for successful businesses as it enables individuals, with different views and backgrounds, to work towards a common goal. Businesses who lack a diverse workforce are bound to face difficulty in a society where global corporations thrive off the creative minds of their diversified knowledge workers. There are four significant justifications as to why businesses should hire individuals who vary in race, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, physical abilities and socio-economic status. Firstly, it has

In today’s workforce, diversity and inclusion are key components for organizational success. Companies who realize that their human assets are one of the most, if not the most, important resource available to them aim to create an environment that embraces the similarities and differences present in its employees. Additionally, these organizations create a culture in which inclusion is a core component, advocated and demonstrated at all levels. One diversity characteristic is that of age. Due to many reasons, such as medical advances and the economic recession (Meister & Willyerd, 2009), older generations are putting off retirement. This delay in retirement has changed the landscape of today’s workforce; there are currently four distinct generations within the workforce (Coughlin, n.d.) and by 2020, there will be five (Meister & Willyerd, 2009). This generational spread creates unique challenges for both managers and employees alike.

The work place is inclusive; and Managing diversity principles are integrated into the operations of the organization.