Impact of Nationality on Employees' Perceptions of HR Management Policies How do employees from diverse backgrounds perceive the HRM policies that have a direct affect on them? This relates in a very real way to the question of whether managers really grasp the importance of diversity. A peer-reviewed article in the journal Asian Social Science uses research data to back up the assertion that if individuals in a diverse workforce "…perceive certain practices in a positive light, then there's a very good chance that they will consider the rest of HR practices with the same positive outlook" (Jacob, et al
In the conclusion, Shen insists that companies should not embrace diversity just because of legal compliance issues; rather, diversity management should be a priority for HRM practices for "all organizations" because it is the right thing to do and because it improves companies in many aspects -- including the bottom line. The Bottom Line's Linkage to Diversity Management Speaking of the bottom line, an article in Forbes points out that diversity indeed is the "key to growth" in today's global marketplace (Llopis, 2011)
Workplace Diversity "The benefits of diversity cannot be achieved with isolated interventions. To the contrary, a complete organizational culture change is required in order to promote appreciation of individual differences… diversity is a multifaceted reality…" (Martin-Alcazar, et al
Qirko writes in the peer-reviewed International Journal of Business Anthropology that the goals of diversity management within a business-related human resources component are compatible with an anthropological approach to diversity. Qirko explains that well beyond the issues of social justice, civil rights laws, and fairness, managing diversity in the workplace of today entails understanding how to represent, "…in one social system…people with distinctly different group affiliations of cultural significance" (Cox, 1993) (Qirko, 2012, 108)
Hence, it helps answer the question -- do managers and employees fully grasp the value of diversity? The piece also covers the objectives and reports -- unfortunately -- that "…inequality and discrimination still widely exist. The suggestion by the authors is that inequality and discrimination are still a problem because HRM has focused "…mainly on compliance with equal employment opportunity (EEO) and affirmative action (AA) legislation" (Shen, et al
With regards to diversity the managers may comes across challenges like hostility among the employees, loss of workforce because of lawsuits against the organization etc. (Devoe, 1999)
Cultural Diversity in Workplaces According to Esty, et al. (1995), cultural diversity is a phenomenon which basically defines a person respecting, accepting, and understanding, valuing, celebrating and acknowledging the various differences between race, class, mental and physical abilities, ethnicity, sexual orientation, public assistance status and gender (Esty, et al
Some of the advantages are: creativity, new ideas, forms of devotion, different approaches to various problems, innovations, history and different lifestyles etc. (Flagg, 2002)
United Stated and Canada are known to have the highest number of immigrants in the higher-education institute. However, there are many other places where the ratio of multiculturalism is very high (Green et al
These problems can be: racism, homophobia, sexism, and ageism. All these factors can create many problems in the workplace which ultimately affects the productivity of the organization (Koonce, 2001)
Organizations need to alternate and make new policies according to the changes in the demographics such as: women working in the offices, restructuring of the organizations, equal opportunity legislation, etc. (Parvis, 2003)
According to Stephen G. Butler who is co-chair of the Business-Higher Education Forum, America can't ignore diversity as it is an invaluable asset (Robinson, 2002)
According to William Sonnenschein who is also the author of "The Diversity Toolkit," culture is something that is not only learned but also shared and transmitted over the generations. Sonnenschein also believed that culture helps us in organizing our lives by helping us in interpreting various situations and scenarios in life (Sonnenschein, 1999)
There are generalized approaches to the challenges of dramatically diverse workplace environments - offered in journals and academic research - and there are also more deeply thought-out scholarly approaches - such as the paradigms of Geert Hofstede, Fons Trompenaars, among others. Meanwhile, the broad-spectrum approach offered in the Harvard Business Review is worthy of a place in this introduction; the article asserts at the outset problems resulting from "cultural differences" can, and do, "seriously impair the effectiveness of a team," or, worst case scenario, can bring the team "to a stalemate" (Brett, et al
Those 180 studies were inspired by Hofstede's groundbreaking research and modeling, and their importance is presented in terms of what is "empirically verifiable" about Hofstede's cultural values framework. Prior to presenting the body of JIBS research critiquing the 180 studies, the authors (Kirkman, et al
A series of symbols used to represent things. [and it is] a process of "coding and then decoding these symbols" (Lewis, 2006)
Moreover, when the peaceful management of culturally diverse workers is pivotal to the success of a company, it's important to remember that "intention is not a necessary condition for communication," and one may try, but one doesn't always communicate what one intends to communicate. It is also relevant to touch on the work of Gregory Bateson; in researching possible solutions and definitions towards the management of "complex environmental problems" (Tognetti, 1999), Bateson believed, in the paraphrase of Sylvia S
And the fourth method mentioned was an "exit" strategy - removing a particular team member when all other options have not proved successful. Conflict can also become a tool for "revealing an organization's general status," according to an article in the Journal of Business Ethics (Virovere, et al
When a business restricts the customer's choices, he/she will most likely choose to conduct business with the competitor who analyses and meets the customer's needs and desires (Montagu, ¶ 5). In the journal publication, "Workplace diversity: Realizing the benefits of an all-inclusive employee base," Anthony Birritteri (2005) points out that even though a business may be profitable and have efficient operations, its stock price will be negatively impacted if it receives negative press due to alleged minority-group abuse (Birritteri, 2005, ¶ 9)
"As a result of surviving the Great Depression, this generation has become discerning and cautious. Their ability to adapt to rapid change is limited; however, this reluctance provides younger coworkers a valuable perspective in patience" (Collins, Silent section, ¶ 1-2)