Barry defines diversity as “The inclusion of individuals representing more than one national origin, color, religion, socioeconomic stratum, and sexual orientation” (2000, p. 78). Initially, people attributed the term diversity to race and ethnic differences. However, people have begun to appreciate that diversity means more than just ethnic differences and to accept the differences. Life experience teaches people that diversity entails knowing and valuing the interdependence of humankind, the natural environment, and cultures. In addition, one learns that diversity involves exercising mutual respect for skills and traits that are diverse from their own. Individuals are endowed with varied and unique expertise and qualities, which when well-used help to improve the quality of life. Business scholars allege, “Diversity includes not only ways of being, but also ways of knowing” (Barry, 2000, p. 83). According to the scholars, workers with diverse cultural practices and skills learn from each other, therefore, establishing a workforce with vast expertise and experiences. Hence, diversity is a fundamental principle in human life. Much is achieved when people tolerate and appreciate diversity.
Diversity is the core of the economic and legal systems of many countries since it both promotes “Good outcomes and discourages bad results” (Barry, 2000, p. 85). Diversity fosters good results by increasing options. The increment leads to the most favorable outcomes due to the community’s failure to precisely envisage which private activities or civic rules will thrive and which will be unsuccessful. For instance, it is hard for society to contemplate if the increase in minimum wage will assist to improve the living condition of the poor or hurt them by making it hard for employers to recruit more staff (Dobbs, 2005). Such a dilemma is solved through the adoption of diverse approaches. Individual countries pursue various approaches, which makes it easy for society to determine the optimal option.
Dobbs (2005) alleges, “Enhancing diversity, then, compensates for the gaps in society’s understanding of cause and effect” (p. 361). At times, it is hard for a community to determine the steps to take to deal with particular challenges. Such a situation requires the community to explore numerous paths instead of committing itself to one path. In the deficiency of quantifiable standards for forecasting superior outcomes, endorsement of diversity is turned to as a technique to raise the chances of the best alternatives to surface. Therefore, the chase for diversity is a universal policy that fosters success throughout the private and public fields, in spite of the exact policy or action at stake.
In addition, diversity puts off bad results in government and private sectors by averting the concentration of authority. Dobbs claims “Multiple state governments protect the public from the tyranny that might well develop from the national government not subject to adequate restraint” (2005, p. 363). In a similar manner, the multiplicity of branches within the federal governments mitigates the likelihood of federal government autocracy. Diversity rescues the society from the ineptitude that can arise when a monopolistic private investor is shielded from competition. Moreover, diversity encourages innovation in the business world because business persons wish to increase their sales. In return, customers get quality products at affordable prices.
Parekh (2000) alleges that it is important to recognize that diversity can be challenging. In the United States, where the discourse of inclusion is somewhat sophisticated, even the mention of diversity may trigger variance and apprehension. Consequently, it is rational to question the fundamental importance of diversity both to organizations and nation at large. Diversity of proficiency bestows benefits that are palpable. A company would not think of building a car without relevant designers, engineers and quality-control personnel (Parekh, 2000). The major questions are what are the benefits of social diversity? Does gender, racial or ethnic diversity help a country or society? The reality is that if firms want to establish teams that are capable of innovating, they need to encourage diversity. Diversity fosters creativity. It promotes pursuit of new skills and viewpoints, which result to superior judgments and problem-solving. Parekh asserts, “Diversity can improve the bottom line of companies and lead to unfettered discoveries and breakthrough innovations” (2000, p. 64). Diversity can change the way a community thinks and improve its living condition.
It is imperative to look at the theory of information diversity to understand the affirmative sway of diversity. When individuals are assembled to address challenges in groups, they come with diverse ideas, perspectives, and skills. Take, for instance, an interdisciplinary group given the responsibility of building a car. The same idea relates to societal diversity. Individuals who differ in sex, race, and other aspects bring exclusive information and skills to bear on the mission at hand (Schermers & Blokker, 2011). A male and a female physicist might have viewpoints as divergent from one another as scientist and an engineer, and that is a healthy thing.
The global economic system rests on the hypothesis that diversity encourages high prosperity. Underlying this conviction is the postulation that a multiplicity of personal consumerist activities establishes stronger economic development than a scheme that is centrally managed by state regime. In other words, countries witness economic growth when private individuals are responsible for making economic decisions (Schermers & Blokker, 2011). For example, the United States owes it present economic development to diversity. The country encourages capitalism, which promotes diversity. Capitalism encourages innovation since entrepreneurs benefit from their resourcefulness and labor. If a country conducts economic activities for the sake of its leaders, entrepreneurs lack adequate motivation to craft technological change (Schermers & Blokker, 2011). In return, a country experiences sluggish economic growth and limited wealth generation.
Diversity not only fosters superior results, but also discourages bad results (Vertovec, 2007). Indeed, the advantages of diversity are well known to many professionals and business people. According to fundamental policy of investment plan, individuals can uphold their expected returns and minimize their threats of loss by buying a diversified assortment of goods instead of putting all of their financial resources in one stock (Vertovec, 2007). Diversity acts as a substitute to inaccurate predictions in a business world. People are not predominantly adept at determining activities or ideas that will commercially thrive. For instance, majority of individuals who open new businesses close them after few years (Vertovec, 2007). Even skilled investors make mistakes in spotting enterprises that will thrive in the future. The inability to envisage success calls for the establishment of a system that allows people to try different approaches and settle for the best.
The need for different methods makes diversity predominantly crucial. Diversity increases the chances of creating or discovering the best services, products, and ideas. For instance, a pharmacologic conjecture may allege that various different types of drugs can treat blood pressure. Pharmaceutical companies can only identify the best drug by testing all the drugs. Hence, diversity increases the chances of selecting an optimal solution to a problem that affects a business or society.
References
Barry, B. (2000). Culture and Equality: An Egalitarian Critique of Multiculturalism. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Dobbs, M. (2005). Managing diversity: lessons from the private sector. Public Personnel Management, 25(3), 351-367.
Parekh, B. (2000). Rethinking Multiculturalism: Cultural Diversity and Political Theory. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Schermers, H., & Blokker, N. (2011). International Institutional Law: Unity within Diversity. Leiden: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers.
Vertovec, S. (2007). Super-diversity and its implications. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 30(6), 1024-1054.