Managing Diverse Workforce

Question: Discuss the benefits of diversity in workplace. Answer: Introduction The concept of workplace diversity refers to the differences that exist within an organization based on the employees working together in a team (Sonnenschein, 2009). It is imperative to note that the modern working environment calls for the need to manage the diverse workforce. As such, the management shoulders the responsibility of ensuring that they effectively manage diverse employees within their organization. It would sound simple to think that managing such team does not require tact and knowledge. However, it is pertinent to note that the aspect of diversity encompasses many fields like ethnic background, race, and age of individuals, gender, educational level, and the personality type of people. Additionally, diversity involves how the individuals perceive themselves and others of the different background than theirs. Hence, the perceptions will interfere with how they interact with others and the manner in which the organization will operate (Blunt, 2009). Therefore, for various assortments of employees to be in a position to function effectively within an organization, the human resource personnel must effectively deal with a broad range of issues. For instance, they must address change within the organization, communication aspect, and adaptability to the working environment. Furthermore, the issue of diversity will significantly increase in the future hence the need for every organization to find ways of adapting to the changes. They must recognize the need for taking immediate action where necessary and spend resources towards managing diversity in their workplaces. They must also appreciate the difficulty of the task due to the external factors that continue to influence the workplace environment (Lindsley, 2012). The paper selects one organization and analyzes how it responds to managing workforce diversity. It will also examine the external factors that may influence the management of the workforce. Further, the paper will outline the importance of effectiveness and efficiency in managing workforce diversity. Finally, the paper will give recommendations based on the findings on ways of improving the process of managing the diverse workforce. The organization selected is Coca-Cola Company. Discussion Coca-Cola Company has been in existent for many years. As such, they have expanded to various parts of the world because of their ability to meet the global, regional boundaries. In the process of their expansion, the company has managed to recruit the diverse workforce to work for them in their various locations. For instance, they can have employees from Europe working in their branches in Africa (Coca Cola Inc, 2012). Thus, the workforce will be diverse in many aspects. It will be characterized by different genders, racial groups, and people with various personality types. In the process of having and managing the diverse workforce, the management of the company has adapted different ways that will ensure the organization responds to the diversity characterized in their workplaces. Firstly, the management has introduced team building activities at all their branches. The events are held every year at different locations. The importance of this activity is that it ensures the employees get to know each other beyond their office environment (Beraldo, 2009). It also ensures that appreciate the differences that exist amongst them and learned to live with those diversities. Additionally, team building helps the employees to work in a team because it enhances relationships and ensures smooth interactions. Secondly, the concept of diversity in the workplace entails bringing different groups of people together so that they can work in a cohesive manner. Therefore, the company has introduced the use of advanced communication technology tools that ensure the employees communicate with one another in an efficient manner. They have adapted the use of phones and internet thus aiding communication in different locations (Hutchings, 2011). Communication ensures that people appreciate one another and are in a position to respect the views of others without any form of prejudice. It has made open discussion part of their culture hence improving productivity and relationships between their diverse workforce. Thirdly, the company has adopted a uniform personnel policy regardless of the status of the employee in question. As such, all their human resource policies are based on the performance of the employees and not their background (Simons, 2013). For instance, the policies on hiring and promotion of the workers are purely based on their performance within the work environment. Thus, it is possible to find a female manager within the company depending on their performance. The organization strives to avoid any form of hindrance and favoritism to guide the positions held by their employees. Besides, they have instituted strong policies that ensure equality within the organization. Even though they have done their best to manage the diverse workforce, the process of implementing the policies has not augured well with some of their employees due to resistance to change. Fourthly, the company has adopted a system that rates the overall qualifications of the candidates based on the quality of their experience and not their ages during the hiring process (Douglas, 2013). By hiring diverse and qualified employees, the company shows that it is on the right track towards the process of managing diversity in the organization. Fifthly, the company encourages diversity in the process of creating their teams and the special working groups within their organizational hierarchy. It does so by ensuring the line managers create work groups that comprise of people from diverse cultures. The importance of this exercise is that it will ensure the working groups appreciate the knowledge and skills of each other hence improving productivity. When the line manager institutes a group that does not take into account the skills of the qualified personnel within the organization, it might hinder growth and achievement of goals in the end. Hence, they must include the eligible employees and improve on the gender mix to ensure they manage their workforce effectively. Furthermore, the company has introduced an open door policy that ensures all the employees are in a position to receive fair treatment at all times. They treat the complaints regarding favoritism and discrimination in a serious manner. They do so by encouraging their employees to report the issues regarding discrimination and having a definite way of dealing with them (Carrell, 2015). Finally, the company ensures that they hold regular meetings to foster unity and appreciate the diverse nature of their workforce. During these kinds of meetings, the managers encourage the employees to air their views and brainstorm on the best ways of moving their company forward despite their diverse nature. Benefits of diversity in workplace The success of an organization and their level of competitiveness will entirely depend on the ability to manage effectively their diverse workforce (Liebermann, 2014). They must embrace the diversity aspect in their employees and realize the ultimate benefits of encouraging interactions at all levels. When an organization has purposed to engage actively itself in the accessing of their diverse workplace issues by implementing and developing good plans, multiple benefits have been reported based on that. Managing diversity in the workplace increases the level of adaptability. It is evident that the organizations that employ diverse employees have a large pool of manpower to help them in solving their challenges and providing meaningful solutions. They can use their various workforces to allocate resources and improve on their productivity (Rosner, 2011). It is because the employees who come from different background have a significant pool of talent and experience when it comes to the handling of tasks within the organization. Hence, they are in a position to adjust themselves to the challenges that face most of the organization presently. Moreover, managing diverse workforce ensures broader service range. The aspect of having a diverse collection of experience and skills regarding communication and language ensures that an organization delivers to their customers globally. Managing diverse workforce creates various viewpoints. It is evident to note that when a diverse workforce feels confident enough to communicate their views in an open manner, then it ensures that there is a vast pool of resources and experience to move them forward. Therefore, the organization will be in a position to draw from that pool of resources hence meeting their business needs and strategies. It will also ensure that they address the needs of their customers in an efficient manner (Powell, 2011). Nevertheless, managing diverse workforce ensures that the company efficiently executes their actions in the long-term. The organizations that encourage the concept of diversity in their workplace significantly inspire the employees working for them to perform to the highest standards. Besides, the strategies for the company will be executed in an efficient manner when they manage the diverse workforce. It will result in higher levels of productivity thus increasing on their profits and return on investment. In most of the cases, when an organization effectively manages their diverse workforce, it will ensure that they achieve their targets within the required timelines. More so, the group will stand to benefit from a loyal workforce that enjoys working in a diverse environment. Managing diversity in the workplace will increase productivity thus leading to customer satisfaction. It is because the employees will feel part of the organization hence the need to deliver quality services to their clients (Booth, 2009). A satisfied customer will always come back to the services offered by the organization hence ensuring continued success. Various challenges exist while managing diversity in the workplace. It is pertinent to note that taking the full advantage of the diversity found in the workplace is not without challenges. For instance, communication difficulties arise in the process of managing diversity in the workplace. Some of the cultural, language and perceptional barriers must be overcome for the organization to succeed in the end. When there is ineffective communication within the organization, it will hinder them from achieving their goals and objectives. It can also lead to low employee morale and lack of decent teamwork skills. Additionally, managing diversity in the workplace can lead to resistance to change. Mostly, some employees will always resist change because of the personality types or cultural background. As such, it poses a challenge to the organization when it comes to achieving their goals and objectives. Moreover, it is difficult to implement the policies within an organization when it comes to a diverse workforce. It can become an ultimate challenge since some of the employees could resist the policies introduced (Parry, 2011). Finally, implementing of changes within a diverse workforce poses significant challenges to the organization. It is not enough to conduct training since the organization might not have sufficient resources for such activity. Consequently, it becomes expensive on a part of the team to effectively manage the diverse workforce, especially in different locations. Recommendations Based on the findings from Coca-Cola Company, I recommend the following when it comes to managing their diverse workforce. Firstly, the company should assess the nature of diversity in their workplace (Greenberg, 2012). They must make the notion of assessing and critically evaluating their diverse workforce an integral element of their management strategy. They can achieve that by carrying a customized form of the employee survey to determine the areas that need improvement. The process will ensure that they effectively manage their workforce in the long-term. Secondly, I recommend that the company develops a diversity plan in their workplace. They must select a survey provider that will help them in getting the views of the employees to manage their workforce effectively. In the study, the researcher must develop a structure that will be used by the company to manage their diverse workforce (Milano, 2012). Thirdly, I recommend that the company implements the changes in a piecemeal manner taking into consideration the different nature of their organization. Hence, they must strive to include all the employees in the decision-making the process by collecting their views before the final implementation. It will ensure that the employees feel part of the process and foster an attitude of togetherness despite the diversity of their backgrounds. Finally, I recommend that the company promotes diversity in their leadership positions. They must include all genders and races in their leadership positions. They must achieve this by introducing diversity training to determine the employees that have the necessary skills and knowledge to handle the leadership positions efficiently. Conclusion Diversity and its management entails and seeks to maximize each employees ability to contribute to the companys goals. Understanding diversity and its importance results to social responsibility, equality based on qualifications, and the realization of organizational objectives. Coca-Cola Company is a multinational firm that recognizes this concept and utilizes diversity to its advantage gaining competitive advantage for decades over its competitors. Ignoring the dynamics of diversity leads to loss of resources such as time, money, and efficiency in businesses. Loss of productivity, incapacity to retain valued employees, legal actions, and loss investments could also occur when diversity is ignored. 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