Diversity Resistance In Organizations – Causes And Impacts

Why has diversity given so much attention lately?

Discuss about the Diversity Resistance in Organizations.

The underlining term workplace diversity implies the variety of differences among the people associated with the business organization. Within the entire process of business people belonging to different cultural attitude are intimately associated for providing effective service. This particular study has focused to discuss on how the diversity management has a major impact in building organizational reputation and recognition.  The primary purpose of workplace diversity is to bring together the people of various ethnic backgrounds, religions and age groups.

At the very initial stage most of the business organizations belonging to Australia intended to hire employees from the regional market. Currently the scenario has been changed. As per the current scenario it has been observed that business experts are willing to appoint employees as per their level of competency rather than their cultural and ethnic backgrounds. However, this particular study has focused to provide an in-depth overview on how business organizations after implementing diversity management at the workplace have reached the peak of success.  

Barak (2016) opined that most of the business organizations of Australia intended to follow a proper hierarchical structure in order to recruit an individual employees for a better position. The persons who had been recruited for the higher position should have the experience of several years. Otherwise, the employees are not allowed to hold the position of senior employees. However, as per the current business trend skills and competencies get enough values rather than seniority. Employees despite belonging to young age group can hold the position of a senior manager due to in-depth academic background as well as sufficient experience (Ciocirlan and Pettersson 2012). After the implementation of diversity management at the workplace people of different age group are getting opportunities for being associated within the business organization. The level of skill and competency has become the matter of major concern for business experts rather than their seniority level.

On the other hand, Garnero, Kampelmann and Rycx (2014) stated that business organizations initially have spread their wings in the regional market. Therefore, diversity management was not necessary to be implemented at this specific time. The human resource managers intended to recruit those employees who belong to regional places. After the business expansion the organizational experts had to change their internal strategies and policies for gaining international fame and recognition. For an example, Woolworth has started their journey in the market of Australia. At that particular time human resource managers of Woolworths had only recruited regional employees. As per the current business scenario, Woolworths has already expanded their entire process of business by launching their products and services in multinational countries. While prevailing their business beyond going the regional market, Woolworths had to recruit people of different cultural attitudes and religious backgrounds (Harvey and Allard 2015). In order to run a business process skill and competency is highly important for surviving at the workplace. Therefore, the human resource managers have focused to prioritise on the skills and efficiency of the employees rather than their cultural attitudes. 

Challenges in psychology and cultures:

Hendricks and Cope (2013) stated that in order to make an effective business promotion about products and services most of the business organizations should stay away from any kind of products as well as services. Target customers can be considered as one of the most effective factors due to which organization can achieve the peak of success. Customers are from different cultural backgrounds (Hughes and Stephens 2012). Therefore, customers tend to show their interest in purchasing products and services only when the organization would be able to service diversified products. Therefore, employees at the workplace need to maintain diversity based on which the organization can produce diversified products and services. For an example, The Iconic is one of the most recognizable retail organizations especially famous fashionable clothes. The product designers are very much skilful to design diversified products that can be accepted by the customers of various cultural and psychological backgrounds (Klarsfeld et al. 2014). Therefore, workplace diversity is one of the most effective reasons due to which The Iconic is flexible to provide different kinds of fashionable clothes to the customers from multinational countries.

Legas and Sims (2012) stated that workplace diversity is not possessed with some of its major drawbacks as well. The employees while interacting with the people of different cultural attitudes and backgrounds face numerous obstacles such as communication barrier, psychological barrier, and cultural as well as religious barrier and so on. Language is one of the most significant issue due to which employees fail to make a proper interaction with each other. Due to the linguistic barrier employee especially in the customer service department fails to exchange necessary information. Ultimately, the existing staffs fail to maintain a balance between product supply and demand (Munjuri and Maina 2013). However, language barrier is very much important in deciding the level of performance of the employees. On the other hand, psychological barrier is another major factor that hinders a business organization to maintain their service effectively. Due to the psychological barriers business managers are unable to make appropriate business strategy by maintaining participative leadership style at the workplace. As a result, the business experts have to face innumerable barriers to draw the attention of customers (Okoro and Washington 2012). Therefore, psychological barriers can play a significant role for maintaining the entire business process. From those specific perspectives, diversity in workplace becomes a major hindrance for running the business in international market.

Podsiadlowski et al. (2013) has firmly opposed the point of view of previous scholars. As per the opinion of this specific author it has been observed that the mission of implementing diversity management at the workplace is vast and wide. Implementation of diversity at the workplace is the only way with the help of which the business experts can make market strategy and policy in a collective way. On the other hand, human resource managers become flexible to focus on skill and competency level of the employee rather than showing their attitudes towards religious as well as cultural biasness.

In order to expand the entire business in the international market the business managers have to face innumerable challenges for being accustomed with the diversity cultures at the workplace. The challenges are as follows:

Effective communication is highly important for providing effective service to the customers. Due to the lack of communication the customers have to wait for a long time for receiving a proper service. Therefore, communication is highly important for maintaining a business process systematically. It has been observed that business experts while dealing with the persons of several backgrounds and attitudes have to face communication problem (Rice 2015). As a result, the managers fail to share appropriate business strategy and policy at the workplace. Employees belong to different geographical backgrounds. Therefore, linguistic barrier is the matter of major obstacle to communicate with the employees properly. In order to overcome this kind of major communication issues, the managers of popular business organizations have decided to provide an effective training and development session to enhance the skill of communication. Training and development session helps the employees to overcome their linguistic barriers.

Psychological and cultural barrier has become one of the major factors due to which business managers face obstacle to run business organizations in the international market. For an example, The Iconic being an organization of fashionable clothes fails to draw the attention of those people who belong to orthodox backgrounds. On the other hand, while making the business decision regarding the product designs and market strategy the managers have collected different opinions from various employees (Saxena 2014). As a result, the business managers had to face major problems to take a proper decision.

In order to overcome this kind of situation, company likes to apply some major strategies and policies to satisfy needs and demands of every single employee equally. The business managers generally decide to arrange a group discussion session where employees from several departments have to be present there. Every individual employee has the equal right to share opinion (Thomas 2012). Therefore, the session of group discussion employees of various departments get priority and response in sharing their views regarding business goal. Therefore, business managers get the scope to make a collective decision regarding business strategy and policy. In this kind of situation, employees do not show their level of dissatisfaction as they have been treated with equal respect and dignity.

Religious barriers are the most effective problem due to which business mnagers fail to maintain an effective international organizational balance. With the dynamic progress of civilization, the customers’ expectations and behaviours are also changing with time. Therefore, business organizations have to render unique features in their products and services. It has been observed that due to the religious barriers organizations fail to render variety in their products and services. Wood et al. (2016) opined that employees belong to different religious backgrounds believe on different psychologies and attitudes. Therefore, employees may become a major hindrance in rendering the diversity in products.

In order to overcome this kind of religious issues, the business organizations have decided to implement some major strategies and policies (Thomas 2012). The business experts have decided to provide an effective training to the employees for enhancing their knowledge and skills. With the help of this particular training and development process, the employees tend to evaluate their minds. As a result, organizations automatically, focus to render diversified products and service to grab the attention of customers from various geographical corners. Without focusing on product diversity, the business organizations can never expand their entire business process in the global market

Business decision making is highly important to implement appropriate strategy and policy. In order to reach the peak of business success most of the business managers intend to implement an effective market strategy so that products can be promoted in various geographical areas. The role of employees in making an effective and appropriate decision for a business organization is highly important. In most of the cases, it has been observed that business experts fail to take proper decision due to the psychological barriers happening among the employees (Thomas 2012). People at the workplace like to express their various opinions before implementing a particular market strategy. In this kind of situation, business managers have to face difficulties to take an appropriate decision. In order to overcome this kind of challenges, most of the business managers like to follow autocratic form of leadership style. In this particular form of leadership style, employees get least opportunities to share their own opinion. As a result, business managers like to impose their own decision on the employees. As a result, people do not have the scope to express their point of views. However, Barak (2016) stated that autocratic form of leadership style de-motivates the employees towards providing good services for meeting the business target. Therefore, most of the prestigious business organizations intend to follow democratic leadership style to encourage the employees towards reaching business goal.

Conclusion:

The entire study has focused to deal on how diversity within the organization is highly important for rendering the success of an organization in the domain of global market. At the very initial stage, business organization did not focus on maintaining workplace diversity. Belong to the 21^st century most of the business organizations have preferred to implement diversity management at their workplace for being flexible in international market. Therefore, in the late centuries business organizations such as Woolworths, the Iconic have decided to follow workplace diversity to draw the attention of global customers. The study has critically analysed whether diversity at workplace is beneficial for the business organization or not. Various challenges faced by the new managers in implementing workforce diversity have been discussed in this particular study.  

Reference List:

Barak, M.E.M., 2016. Managing diversity: Toward a globally inclusive workplace. Sage Publications.

Ciocirlan, C. and Pettersson, C., 2012. Does workforce diversity matter in the fight against climate change? An analysis of Fortune 500 companies. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 19(1), pp.47-62.

Garnero, A., Kampelmann, S. and Rycx, F., 2014. The heterogeneous effects of workforce diversity on productivity, wages, and profits. Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, 53(3), pp.430-477.

Harvey, C.P. and Allard, M., 2015. Understanding and managing diversity. Pearson.

Hendricks, J.M. and Cope, V.C., 2013. Generational diversity: what nurse managers need to know. Journal of advanced nursing, 69(3), pp.717-725.

Hughes, C. and Stephens, D., 2012. Leveraging workforce diversity through a career development paradigm shift. Handbook of research on workforce diversity in a global society: Technologies and concepts, pp.262-272.

Klarsfeld, A., Booysen, L.A., Ng, E., Roper, I. and Tatli, A. eds., 2014. 9.78 E+ 12: Country Perspectives on Diversity and Equal Treatment. Edward Elgar Publishing.

Legas, M. and Sims, C.H., 2012. Leveraging generational diversity in today’s workplace. Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development, 5(3), p.1.

Munjuri, M.G. and Maina, R.M., 2013. Workforce Diversity Management and Employee Performance in the banking sector in Kenya. DBA Africa Management Review, 3(1).

Okoro, E.A. and Washington, M.C., 2012. Workforce diversity and organizational communication: Analysis of human capital performance and productivity. Journal of Diversity Management (Online), 7(1), p.57.

Podsiadlowski, A., Gröschke, D., Kogler, M., Springer, C. and Van Der Zee, K., 2013. Managing a culturally diverse workforce: Diversity perspectives in organizations. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 37(2), pp.159-175.

Rice, M.F., 2015. Diversity and public administration. ME Sharpe.

Saxena, A., 2014. Workforce diversity: a key to improve productivity. Procedia Economics and Finance, 11, pp.76-85.

Thomas, K.M. ed., 2012. Diversity resistance in organizations. Psychology Press.

Trenerry, B., Franklin, H. and Paradies, Y., 2012. Preventing race-based discrimination and supporting cultural diversity in the workplace: an evidence review: full report.

Wood, J.M., Zeffane, R.M., Fromholtz, M., Wiesner, R., Morrison, R., Factor, A., McKeown, T., Schermerhorn, J.R., Hunt, J.G. and Osborn, R.N., 2016. Organisational behaviour: Core concepts and applications. John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.