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Examining Four Types of Diversity Essay examples

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While diversity is often a term used to refer specifically to cultural differences, diversity applies to all the qualities that make people different. From a management perspective, the key to diversity is to understand how different types of diversity and different demographic characteristics can impact human behavior. The four types of diversity that will be examined are: occupation, differences in skills and abilities, personality traits, and value and attitudes. For each type of diversity, the impact on individual behavior will be described.
One type of diversity is occupation. For example, an individual in a professional occupation is more likely to make his or her own decisions and is also more …show more content…

The same employee may have had close relationships with subordinates before they became supervisor. This example shows how occupation impacts behavior and how a change in position can alter individual behavior. The next type of diversity is differences in skills and abilities. One of the most important factors when considering skills and abilities is that individuals will often adapt their behavior so they are making use of what they consider their positive skills and abilities. For example, consider the case of an individual who believes that they have very effective written communication skills but very poor oral communication skills. This individual is likely to adapt his or her behavior so they write as much as possible, while avoiding communicating orally. As a specific example, this individual might prepare memos or write emails as a way of communicating with their employees, instead of having a meeting with employees. This illustrates how people tend to adapt their behavior so they are using their positive qualities, while avoiding having to use their weaker skills and abilities. Another type of diversity is personality traits. Personality traits are defined as "recurring patterns of behavior such as friendliness, social dominance, conventionality, emotional adjustment, and aesthetic inclination" (Seamon & Kenrick, 1994). As this definition shows, personality traits are actually defined because of the observed behavior they result in. The link

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