The Changing Value of Diversity in Organizations Essay

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Introduction

This paper aims to summarize the article `` The Changing Value of Diversity in Organization`` by Howard & Ulferts (2020), and analyzing it as it casts light on the various theories the article uses to define the value of diversity in an organization.

At the beginning of the writing piece, the writers state the need and importance of diversity in organizations. The authors explain that diversity is a valuable asset in organizations operating in the modern day. Diversity is part and parcel of Human Resource Management. Apart from the benefits such as connecting with the global community, and innovation linkages that can accrue because of diversity, diversity will rise because of the various demographic factors in the next decade. The importance of research on diversity in the places of work cannot be overemphasized. Many factors consistently keep pointing to the critical importance of researching this area.

In summary, diversity focuses on people who operate from both inside and outside an organization. The mater of drawing the interest of a talented workforce through embracing diversity informs the benefits that accrue from people's management. Organizations' need for talent is a natural trend because it is such people that make an organization successful. An assertive and positive diversity policy for hiring staff in an organization goes a long way in helping organizations attract and retain a pool of talented people who, in turn, help them stay ahead of the game. Furthermore, a diverse workforce and teams help organizations to have a broad perspective. The diversity helps to enrich discussions with unique perspectives, hence greater creativity. Recent research, however, suggests that such gains may not be forthcoming for teams assigned with independent tasks to be completed over a long time. Such a scenario could be fertile ground for differences and conflicts. The researchers recommend that such teams should be subjected to intensive training to encourage group discussions and conflict resolution mechanisms to take root.

Article Summary

The article concentrates on the idea of diversity at the workplace and why it pays to embrace diversity. The reader is introduced to diversity and the gains that accrue from it. The article points out the various forms of diversity that can be encountered in an organization. The introductory section focuses mainly on gender and cultural diversity. Research continues to enrich the subject of diversity. For instance, a study on managerial diversity of gender and the performance of businesses demonstrated that very low or very high levels of managerial diversity of gender could start group activities that could prevent the gain that accrues from moderate gender managerial diversity (Schwab et al., 2016, p. 2).

The researchers present varying definitions of diversity to help the reader understand diversity in the workplace. They state that diversity can be defined variously depending on the situation. However, many scholars agree that diversity refers to demographic characteristics, including gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, belief system, and ethnicity. Diversity is commonly viewed as the collective differences of an organization's members relative to common characteristics, X (Risberg & Gottlieb, 2018, p. 3). After reviewing the definition given above, one can easily understand why a person viewed as different, i.e., with no common attribute X, would feel discriminated against.

The authors address diversity under a separate heading: `` A Brief Discussion of Diversity``. They point out that diversity is not restricted to gender, race, ethnicity, or age. Most firms in metropolitan areas accept diversity as the best form of organization. The set up reflects the general picture of the population in the areas surrounding such firms. Inevitably, therefore, geographical locations that host diverse people are likely to have organizations with diverse employees. Research also indicates that regions that enjoyed diversity earlier than others tend to continue to dominate in a spectrum of human engagements, including economic progress.

Market changing is yet another subject of focus. The labor market is evolving; the markets are also changing, the competition and the consumers are also following suit. Firms are presented with both opportunities and challenges as a result of such changes.

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The human resource pool provides the best opportunity to tap from the benefits that change present while avoiding disadvantages from the fast-changing circumstances. Globalization has expanded the labor pools, the markets, and a wide range of services and products in a broader perspective. The connection between innovation and diversity is also discussed. The case for diversity and business model is one of the key aspects to consider from an innovation viewpoint. When success is witnessed in the workplace, the organization benefits through further innovative initiatives, improved decision-making, a greater pool of talent, and an expanded customer base.

The next item of discussion is gender diversity. The gender diversity subject, as is used in women's inclusion at the place of work, is a complicated socio-cultural matter. It has to need been fully understood by academia, particularly about how women engage in the workforce. The participation of women in the United States workforce has been waning in the past few years (since 1999). It is not clear whether the diversity programs have exponential knock-on outcomes relating to creativity and innovation or whether it is imperative for…

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…performance improves when an organization embraces diverse employees, hence diverse views, which are the perfect breeding ground for innovative ideas.

A diverse workforce and the likelihood of innovation go hand in hand. Diversity in itself facilitates the availability of the same. The latter offers the benefits that accrue with a diverse workforce. In supporting education in which various communities cooperate with the schools, there would be an expectation that leadership and diversity, which values the cultural history of the various ethnicities, would be conspicuous in the arrangement. Opportunities are subjected to both weaknesses and strengths by trying to reduce the shortcomings of proactively. Planning for successful diversity involves assessing potential concerns and equipping the leaders, managers, and staff with relevant education relating to diversity's positive edge.

Conclusion

The term diversity evokes a wide range of feelings and attitudes. The term has its roots in civil rights and social justice. People respond to the term differently, depending on their experiences and where they may be in the socio-economic and political strata. The term has been traditionally associated with human resource departments in organizations. It has long been linked to issues to do with fair hiring of employees, inequality at the place of work, and discrimination matters.

However, diversity has acquired a new meaning in the recent past and poses many more issues than what it traditionally captured (Robbins et al., 2019). The article addresses the matter from various angles and explains that diversity has immense value for the 21st C businesses. Indeed, diversity is explained to hold the key to success in modern business firms when it is attained inclusively.

Tokenism and other superficial approaches have been noted to slow down the benefits that naturally accrue form a well thought out and executed diversity strategy. Organizations, primarily, focus on the issues at interplay with contemporary concerns. When an organization focuses on the positive values that diversity brings, it gains and grows positively in many respects. Companies that have succeeded in this era have learned these unwavering truths. Indeed, such successful companies are widely viewed as role models for new ones starting, and even those that will emerge in the future.

The article confirms that diversity is a primary ingredient in the making of success in organizations today. Lack of it can be a major stumbling block in the wake of globalization and aggressive competition. Diversity is also a suitable organizational strategy that can be used to counter disruptive business models. It is not a panacea for every organizational challenge. As pointed out earlier, it may present challenges in team-building and….....

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