Managing Workforce Diversity

Martina Navratilova addresses law firm on importance of diversity

"Second, diversity is good for productivity within a company and businesses as a whole.  Third, we know if we find that common ground ... if we treat all employees with fairness, dignity, and respect ... we nurture that high level of teamwork required to meet goals. I love being a part of a team that is diverse - diversity of style, background, education and functional expertise. It can be exhilarating. Sometimes teams can be magic. In her speech Martina also gave a moving account of the challenging discrimination and oppression she faced – across a range of issues from her sexuality, the cause of equal pay in tennis and the need to escape the suppression of human spirit in her homeland, Czechoslovakia. She acknowledged that achieving true diversity is all about persistence, adding: “I am very persistent and will always campaign for the cause of diversity and fairness. It’s not acceptable that so many kids are being bullied at school for being gay. It’s not acceptable that so many people are victims of hate crimes in the streets near their homes. And it’s not acceptable that gay people still have to think twice before holding their partner’s hand in public. The bottom line is that it’s not about gay rights, race rights, women’s rights, it’s about human rights. "When I retired from being a tennis champion, I retired from tennis, but I didn’t – and never will – retire from being a champion of human rights. Retirement would mean settling for what we have now and that is not enough for me. I don’t think it’s enough for you either. I think we are all in the same boat, pulling in the same direction. The most efficient way has to be as one voice.

Managing workplace diversity - Local Leaders

By Dr. Reginald Gardner

University of Phoenix School of Business

According to a study at Cornell University (2010) , workplace diversity is a people issue, focused on the differences and similarities that people bring to an organization. It addresses issues specified legally in equal opportunity and affirmative action non-discrimination statutes. Too often, organizational perceptions and beliefs around workplace diversity are centered on our demographic differences. Issues related to demographic differences include, but are not limited to age, disabilities, gender, lifestyle, nationality, race, religion and sexual orientation.

In theory, diversity is considered to be inclusive of everyone. In many ways, diversity initiatives complement non-discrimination compliance programs by creating the workplace environment and organizational culture for making differences work. Those differences go beyond demographic ones and can also include profession, education, parental status and geographic location. Furthermore, workplace diversity relates to our competencies, business acumen, training and experience.

Managing a diverse workforce is not a science, it is an art. There is no road map or "how-to guide" on successfully leading a diverse team. Add the strategic operations of a virtual workforce where members of the team are dispersed in numerous locations--across town or across the globe (where language differences can come into play)--and the challenges increase (Shen, Chanda, D'Netto & Monga, 2009). Diversity is about learning from others who are not the same, about dignity and respect for all, and about creating workplace environments and practices that encourage learning from others and capture the advantage of diverse perspectives ( Cornell University, 2010 ). The manner in which our demographic differences are addressed is not the same as how our professional areas of expertise are addressed. Briefly consider the following real-life scenarios in the corporate America environment. First, the workplace/team-building celebrations at the end of December are no longer called Christmas parties, but holiday parties. Second, many companies have opted to change their vacation benefits from including religious or cultural type days. They give all employees a specified amount of "personal" days (typically 2-3 weeks) to use as deemed appropriate. These behaviors demonstrate an atmosphere of inclusiveness and respect for employees.

Managing workforce diversity, an innovation or an evolution?

Managing diversity, toward a globally inclusive workplace

It can be recommended for all business and organization psychology students and all people interested in global business" - ACADEMY OF MANAGEMENT LEARNING & ...

Managing International Teams and Workforce Diversity

Table of contents 1.

Organization development & change

19 Managing Workforce Diversity and Wellness This chapter presents two additional human resources management interventions in organizations. ...

Managing diversity, a complete desk reference and planning guide

This book addresses every aspect of workplace diversity issues, from. the individual, group, and organizational perspectives."--Jeanne.