Diversity and Inclusivity in Leadership Essay

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Hightowers Petroleum Company a middle sized company is initiating a project with the objective of unifying the different personalities that make up the company's workforce. This objective stands as the broad objective in trying to bridge the cultural differences among the organization's workforce. In the organization differences of the employee's background have brought about different cultures that seem to result in conflict upon attempts in moderating the workforce to observe common values, practices and perspectives on the organization's pertinent issues. In organization's where there are no commonly held perspectives, values or norms, there is a likelihood of disintegration of objectives owing to lack of a common culture (Hofstede, 2001). In an instance where the organization's workforce cannot share a common way of doing things, then it is not possible to articulate the process in archiving success (Kelly, 2006; Rosen, 2007).

It is the project's intentions to assess how the different attributes of the diverse workforce impacts on the beliefs held by others in the organization. These diversities will be evaluated for their potentials in impacting on a possible unified organization culture and creating a collectivism attitude in the workplace. It is not the projects intention to eradicate individualism rather, foster an understanding of the individual differences and build a collectivism culture that incorporates a wide range of cohesive diversities. The diversities incorporated in the collective culture will facilitate a dynamic culture in the organization that is capable of responding to dynamics in the industry and the market. The resultant collective culture will also foster a comprehensive understanding of the customers and their cultural, morals and values (Burman R., Ligen D.R., & Klimoski R.J., 2003). This aspect once attained will; guarantee the organization's capability in attending to upcoming challenges in markets dynamics and foreign investments opportunities.

Organization/Team History, Development, and Growth

Hightowers Petroleum Company traces its roots back in time where it started as a branch of a family business. The business founding proprietor, Stephen Hightower had moved from the 1940s cotton fields to set up the business in Middletown Ohio. The fact that the founding proprietor was new in the town the new business was set up presents difference between the cultures of the host town and those of the proprietor. Right from the onset the business employed persons from different background to serve as their workforce. The company did not have a liberty to employ labor force from their related background since Ohio was an upcoming state and most of the inhabitants came from different regions.

Once the company started its operations its target was to meet the need for fuel one customer at a time. This objective placed the organization in a position to target customer needs for fuel and attend to their needs with dedication. With time the organization continued to experience growth and embrace different clients from different backgrounds. Although the company has grown considerably to date, it still upholds the value of meeting the client's needs on an individual basis. This makes the organization prone to being dynamic and exposed to the different cultures depending on their clienteles.

As the company embraces growth, its workforce has grown in size and diversity with there being an inclusion of a majority of the races in the region. The expansion the company has taken in opening branches around the globe has also considerably added to the diversities and differences inherently present among its workforce. The company has also grown in terms of its customer basis experiencing different cultures from the relations they hold with their customer base.

The diverse workforce embraced by the organization may seem to have come by default. This is partially the case since it is not possible to engage in business operations in foreign regions without involving the locals. On the other hand, it served as a strategy to incorporate a region's culture and values in the organization's activities for articulations of customer satisfaction measures and smooth relation in the market.

Organization/Team SWOT Analysis (Strengths and Weaknesses)

Over the years in the company's operations, it has attained a strong leadership from the company head offices through to the business leaders and operations heads in sub-branches. The company's recruitment policy has seen to it that leaders in new branches are locals in the region and the workforce comprises of a representative proportion of the composition in the population. This aspect works to guarantee that on top of the guidance provided from the head office, the branch leaders have a positive input to the operation in relation to the dynamics in the region.

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Again the leaders appointed in the branches are seen to have an inclusive approach in decision making. The strong sense in leadership has contributed to the strength business operations. Additional to leadership, the company has strengths in customer service facilitated by the employees' ability to relate to the customers.

The Strong brand presence and a wide range of products in the market has also resulted owing to the relations between the company, it employees and consumers. Diversity in line with market dynamics is perpetuated by the integration of different culture that fosters deeper understanding of the market dynamics. As a result of the above the company has earned high sales and, accumulated potentials in infrastructural growth. The company also has a reliable leadership in the board of directors who allow and foster diversity in the composition of the workforce and, a diverse composition of customer that presents desirable sustainability in the market.

Despite the strengths the company has, it has weaknesses including low margins in revenues, poor planning in strategy and poor measures of performance. Additionally the company's management team has no plans for developments. This means that an ad hoc measure in relation to the expansion of business is used since no guidelines are in place for such development. The company is also seen to concentrate more on the high revenue customers putting them at risk of collapsing should any of the customers walk out.

Organizational/Team Context (Opportunities and Threats)

Among the opportunities the company has is one for having a diverse customer base given their worldwide operations, diverse workforce and the wide range of products. The company can also be in a position to capitalize more on their revenues since oil products comprise of the world's highest expenditure items. It is also possible for the company to fragment their customers into cluster owing their diversity. The fragmentation will allow the company to band the customers in accordance with their special needs and attend to those needs with greater efficiency at a minimal cost (Gurau, 2008).

The changes in the energy policies promoting consumption of oil products present an opportunity for the company to expand their revenue base. The company has an opportunity given advances in more energy products to venture in another source of energy in line with the market trends and customer preferences for an alternative.

Owing to the company's concentration on limited volumes of the products to comprise the larger share of their supply, it is at a risk of losing out on their revenues by a big margin with the changes occurring in the industry. Competitors in the same industry are seen to diversify their supply to distribute their range of product supplied in an effort to spread their risks. Given that the company capitalizes on their top customer as their main revenue earners, a threat looms in the form of possible losses in the event their high end customers fall into a credit crunch. The company also risks tying up most of its trading capital on a few numbers of clients.

SWOT DIAGRAM

Strengths

Leadership

Strong customer needs articulation

Diverse Industry base through product range

Reliable proactive board of directors

Accumulated infrastructural growth potential

An inclusive leadership style

Strong brand presence

Opportunities

Diverse customer base

High expenditure volumes in oil products

Favorable changes in oil energy policies

Potential to increase product range through alternative energies

Potential to bund customer in accordance with their needs

Weakness

Limited revenue margins

Poor strategic planning measures

Poor measures of performance

Lack of management development plans

Threats

Potential losses through credit crunch owing to concentration on few high revenues customers

Limited trade capital following trade credit to few high-revenue customers

SWOT Analysis Evaluation

Given the SWOT analysis presented above, Hightower Petroleum Company has potential to retain its existing business operations as well as capability to attain desirable growth in the industry. The company's strong and diverse leadership presents the company with the ability to embrace diversity and higher understanding of the market and consumer dynamics. The external environment comprising of the industry competitors, consumers, and regulators can be put into the ideal context given the diversities in understanding from different leaders and employees. The understanding of the market, industry and consumer diversity will leverage the organization in coming up with strategy to counter potential competitors, meet articulately consumer needs and relate to the market in a culture that properly fits.

Given the opportunities the company has in venturing in alternative energy initiatives,….....

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