Importance of Cultural Diversity
The main aim of diversity is to tap talent and unique qualities along these dimensions. Cultural diversity in the work force requires those involved in the system should focus and capitalize on their differences to improve their work.
This influence over individual identity and perspective goes beyond legally specified dimensions to offer non-discriminatory opportunities and affirmative statutes within the work setting. The workplace ought to have non-discriminatory programs through the organization culture. This is the key element representing dignity and respect for all to encourage knowledge or experience gain and team work.
The paper addresses presents the common strategies that a manager can utilize to develop and cope with cultural diversity at the workplace. It provides the possible proactive measures a manager requires to deal with conflicts associated with workplace diversity and caters for ways of fostering the practice in the aim of garnering creativity and innovation.
Advantages and disadvantages
To begin with, cultural diversity boosts the company’s competitive situation in the market. Unlike the early days when marketers thought that a good or service was universally acceptable, cultural diversification enables today’s marketers to know that different cultures demand for different taste of the same product or service.
Large chain stores like Wal-Mart or Woolworths are in a position of establishing the best way of presenting their products depending on location, thus their competitive advantage over the rival companies (Booyens, 2008).
Today we see a business scenario where small and medium sized companies are able to give big company a run fro their money because they have understood the concept of trading in a multi-cultural setting.
Managers have to understand that the twenty first century creates openings for engaging in technological aspects and resources such as the internet trading, which provides a wide world web, which assists to overcome the physical boundaries. A culturally diverse company is rich in knowledge because of engaging people from various countries thus enough chances of enhancing trade (Miller, 2008).
Civilization calls for a management system that is able to cater for a wide rage of personnel preferably from various countries internationally. Cultural diversification means that the business has ethnically diverse personalities who can easily assist in serving a wide base of clients without much effort, considering the ease for workers to relate with clients. The managers have to present clients with a diverse representation in the firm thus the need to ensure sharing of common grounds between the client and the server.
There is a wide and equally diverse but well-balanced pool of knowledge created by diverse cultures in the workplace. Knowledge is power to gain experience, creativity, customer support or participation, lasting results and eventually long-term high profit margins (Booyens, 2008).
Managers utilize the strategy of ensuring acceptance and non-discrimination status in the firms as the main characteristics on the subject of diversification. They characteristics enable the employers or managers to enhance cultural diversity in the workplace. People from different background have personal features that may hinder this form of development, but with proper training, emphasis and practice the diversification at the workplace is achievable.
The cultural diversity within an organization can also be a main source of conflicts, group-work failures and thus fall of business operations and eventually poor economical growth if left unattended. The diversity issue can therefore be a negative aspect if it lacks proper implementation procedures.
Proactive measures a manager can take in resolving cultural diversity related conflicts at the workplace
Proactive management requires one to include the process of implementing cultural diversity at the workplace as a subsequent to strategically planning or the human resources management planning. Execution of change management in an organization must entail employees’ inspiration.
The motivation of the personnel is possible through infusion or integration of various aspects such as those involving diversification into the business procedures or requirements. Diversification ought to apply from the top executives, who should show commitment and importance of diversity. Having the employees understand the importance of diversity from the time of recruitment in to the organization reduces any possibilities of conflicts in future.
The productive and successful leader engage an upbeat measure of solving diversity related conflicts by regularly emphasising on its benefits of having various cultural settings in a firm. The business cultural commitment to diversity requires legal gazetting with the external regulator body to emphasize on the consequences regarding the cultural related conflicts or daunt any breaking of the rule that cater for the organization culture.
In relation to Booyens’ writing (2008), a company need to have programs for performing prior training to employees during the orientation procedure. This infuses the work etiquettes to guide one on how to deal with counterparts from different cultural setting. Arguably, it is impossible for employees to grasp various complex cultural nuances in one sitting, therefore the need for extra procedures to strengthen the interrelations.
Most organizations that involves the employees in teambuilding activities enhances the cultural diversity easily that those without such continual procedures. Managers emphasizes on the need for to be careful on issues regarding stereotyping, language differences, time differences and individual versus collective mindset, as a measure of avoiding or resolving diversity related conflicts.
Fostering cultural diversity at the workplace
Emphasis on acceptance of cultural diversity in the workplace ought to take place before commencement of hiring procedures. This means that the managers should include diversity in the business plan. In line with Pride et al (2009), discovery of strengths or benefits of an action occur well prior to proper planning.
According to Pride et al (2009), “These calls for the management to be responsive over…. recognizing, respecting and capitalizing on various aspects of the society differences, mainly regarding ethnicity, race and gender.” A good manager notes that even outside the work setting it is possible to finds exposure to various cultural practices.
There is need to increase interactive activities outside the work settings such diversifying the programs one watches, the places one visits and the restaurants. Once people are able to establish rapport outside the work situations, then internal diversification becomes a normal procedure to cope with.
Conclusion
According to Miller (2008), a good management system capitalizes on the employees strengths while minimizing on the weaknesses. The differences between employees’ cultures should motivate others a resourceful point of the organization thus the need for proper involvement.
Cultural diversification requires managers with the ability to strengthen the understanding and enhance stronger bonds through team works, as a measure to capture global clientele. An entrepreneur should also know that diversity is something more than mare moral obligation or a necessity for a business but is a business opportunity.
References
Booyens, S.W. (2008). Introduction to Health Service Management Juta and Company Ltd. South Africa. Print.
Miller, C. (2008). Cultural Diversity is an Opportunity. Ezinearticles. Web.
Pride, W. M., Hughes, J. M., & Kappor, J. R. (2009), Business, Kentucky, KY: Cengage Learning Publishers. Print.