Recommendation: Development of a diversity management policy and program to minimize systemic discrimination and provide educational tools for staff and management.
Analysis:
Background The City of Grande Prairie prides itself on being a leading industry innovator. With the introduction of a diversity management policy/program and by educating staff and managers this is our opportunity to take this innovation to a new level in a barrier free environment. Shifting our corporate culture from viewing diversity as daunting or inconvenient, to an opportunity to retain committed, knowledgeable, diverse staff will more effectively support staff/residents and demonstrate city guiding beliefs. By supporting staff and educating managers we demonstrate
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This presents an opportunity to examine how our present culture, supporting policies, systems, practices, rules and procedures measure up to the standards of a diverse workplace. If focus groups results are less than favourable; an option is the establishment of a diversity committee. This committee would oversee diversity efforts, implement portions of the process, and serve as a communication link among employees, managers and union officials. The primary focus of this committee would be to align performance measures and targets with the organizations strategic and business plan objectives and the work being done on the front line (Plant & Douglas, Pg. 14). This committee would also link the high level decisions making processes with daily operations; in addition to hosting meetings to facilitate the measurement reviews and variations (Plant & Douglas, Pg. 14). In order to embrace diversity, an organization must have a supportive culture and policies/procedures in place that reinforce the workplace to be a respectful, non-judgemental place to work. This committee would help joint problem solve and remove workplace performance barriers (Plant & Douglas, Pg.
Diversity is a wonderful asset to an organization and brings with it many benefits. Employees bring in their own personal experiences and knowledge to the team (Burns & Kerby, 2012). Having diverse teams allows for the possibility to fix a problem or perfect a process by using different employee’s experiences and past knowledge to find solutions. A diverse workforce can drive economic growth and capture a greater share of the consumer market (Burns & Kerby, 2012). With diversity as a core value, the recruitment pool is widened to find the most qualified candidate and reduces employee turnover as a result. An organization can be highly competitive with a diversity initiative by adapting to a changing environment (Burns & Kerby, 2012).
The purpose of this paper is designed to introduce, educate, and promote diversity within your company. Your company will be shown the merits of diversity and how diversity within your organization can be a benefit. This paper will be broken down into three main areas: Benefits of Diversity, Challenges of Diversity, and Recommendations for an effective diversity within your organization..
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.
Three ways of gaining executive commitment to diversity are to gather data and to assess the organizations current commitment to diversity to show where and why there is a need for change. The development of diversity council can also garner executive support because it offers a way for executive members of an organization to have a dialog with other members of an organization about diversity. Systematic changes are also necessary such as hiring from a diverse roster of candidates when filling a position. (Moodian, 2009,
This paper is the first part of a training manual that will help employees to have a better understanding of diversity in the work place and how to act towards different diversity issues that may arise in the workplace. It will also give current statistics and recent trends of the demographics in the United States as well as the forecasted trends. Also included will be a rough outline of the entire contents of the manual and the table of contents for the manual.
One of the objectives that the team discussed was diversity in the workplace. Major corporations have encountered issues concerning diversity in the work place. Our team can directly relate to this subject in the workplace since all of us are diverse minorities in our individual work place. It was discussed in the group that diversity in the workplace is the manager’s responsibility to insure that the workplace is a diverse environment. Managers in most companies are required to hire a diverse staff. Managers have the ability to use race, religion, and tenure as qualities to inspire success and
Diversity itself remains an unclear concept. It is contextually specific and linked to demographic and socio-political features of the population and the workforce. Diversity is a selective concept in that some, but not all physical characteristics are incorporated into Managing Diversity programs (Moore 1999). Diversity also has invisible and hidden aspects that include culture and attitudes (Moore 1999). Managing Diversity programs in general mimic or reflect legislative programs
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 in every size are realizing the value of creating a plan to increase and manage diversity within their companies. The steps in developing this plan can include; assessing needs,
Diversity is what makes people different, not just culturally but in human differences. Having a multitude of differences in the workforce gives an organization the ability to use many ideas to reach a common goal. A person could say that a diverse group of people together in one room can accomplish greater achievements than a room filled with the same types of individuals. Managers understand the concept of diversity, and how important diversity is to the success of a company’s ability to implement programs that continue to develop a harmonious and diverse workplace. The recognition that diversity is a reality in the workforce has generated an enormous amount of activity over the years among leaders in business, government, and civil
Managing diversity’ refers to a range of management and leadership practices that aim to value diversity in the workforce and help an organisation be more successful. This book provides an introduction to the theory and practice of managing diversity (and Equal Employment Opportunities or EEO). The book covers topics such as: the role of historical struggles in the development of managing diversity practice today, demographic and social change; theoretical debates; discussion of each of the main groups that managing diversity programs often focus on like gender, ethnicity and religion, people with disabilities, and mature workers; and practical tools for implementing valuing diversity initiatives. The book has been written by a very experienced
According to Ely and Thomas , diversity perspective is use as tool to mediate the relationship between diversity and performance. Diversity perspectives serve as a guide for people’s efforts to create and respond to cultural diversity in work group. It also includes normative beliefs about the value of cultural identity at work. Diversity perspectives assist with the impact on cultural difference have on work. Ely and Thomas (1996) had identify three diversity perspectives which are discrimination and fairness which involved the recruitment and retention of employees from protected groups. Another diversity perspectives is access and legitimacy perspectives which challenges the notions to some degree. Organizations that adopt
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)
What is the likelihood that a woman will lead your organization in the next five years?† A. A woman is currently CEO of my company. B. It is likely. C. It is unlikely.
Diversity management is another strategy public sector organizations can use to retain employees. The Diversity management model is one that many different organizations have chosen to move towards in recent years. One reason for this increase in service delivery is the ability for clients to identify with workers with a cultural similarity occurs if an organization values a diverse workforce. In their journal, “Building an inclusive diversity culture: Principles, processes and practice”, Pless and Maak define diversity management as “an organizational environment that allows people with multiple backgrounds, mindsets and ways of thinking to work effectively together and to perform to their highest potential in order to achieve organizational objectives based on sound principles” (2004). The article, “Challenges in Diversity Management: A Case Study of MediHealth Systems” reported that, “differences among employees create diverse experiences for employees themselves in their organization in terms of performance, motivation, communication, and inclusion” (Pant & Vijaya, 2015). The overall purpose of diversity management is to increase a company’s competitive edge, utilize valuable human resources, provide equal opportunities in an effort to enhance creativity, innovation and problem solving within an organization (Basset-Jones, 2005; Noon, 2007). It is necessary for companies to maintain their competitive edge, especially in the public service, where public and private