INTRODUCTION.
Cultural diversity occurs when differences in ethnicity, language, nationality, race, values, religion, and beliefs occur in a community. A diverse community is that which comprises of residents with diverse cultures. When applied to the workplace, cultural diversity becomes a hot-button that managers have to deal with as it affects their interpretation of events. Such interpretations may add value or strength to a work force, and yet may lead to group disintegration (BRISLIN 2008). Managers, therefore, require being open-minded, willing and non-judgmental about these diversities, if uniformity and efficiency are to be achieved.
Cultural diversity, at workplace, exists when groups or different individuals bring their experiences or backgrounds to the organization. Managing such diversity involves the use of resources and experiences for the advantage of the company. Knowing how to deal with these differences requires an understanding of a manager’s (individual) background, how it affects an organization, and the expectations of the organization. This allows managers to understand their own backgrounds, and how it affects their behavior perspectives, prejudices and decision making. Understanding their backgrounds, and effects to the organization allows managers to understand why other people behave the way they do, how such behavior affects the organization, and how to tolerate the behavior and train others to tolerate for the benefit of the organization (OLLAPALLY AND BHATNAGAR 2009).
The 21st Century marks the highest levels of cultural diversities, at workplaces, due to the increasing trends of business globalization. Cultural competency, therefore, is arguably the most critical skill that managers require in order to boost and enhance work performance. Cultural competency refers to the ability to effectively interact with different people from diverse cultural backgrounds (BRISLIN 2008). This ability depends on the awareness of individual cultures, knowledge of cultural practices, cross-cultural skills, and tolerant attitudes.
The more different or diverse cultures work together, the more the cultural competency and training required for balancing the work force. The lack of such competency may lead to cultural problems that range from miscommunication, conflicts, endangering productivity of the work force, and reduced performance and growth of business. To enhance cultural competency, managers need to focus on improving communication skills, team building and management skills, appreciating calendars and being time conscious (BENJAMIN et al 2002). This will ensure the ability to understand, effectively communicate and interact with people across different cultures, and work with the varying schedules and cultural beliefs.
Improvement in Communication.
Smart and efficient managers have the knowledge or know how to take advantage of a diverse work force. For instance, a work force with multiple knowledge of language can be used as an asset to a company. Such a team can assist in internationalization or globalization of the business based on the ability to communicate with different segments of populations (OLLAPALLY AND BHATNAGAR 2009). Additionally, culturally diverse employees have the knowledge and ideas on the consumer behavior of their backgrounds, ideas about products, marketing approaches, and services that appeal to the people of their culture (BRISLIN 2008). A competent manager can use such information to reach the changing needs of consumers in an international perspective. A diverse culture brings a new approach or perspective that assist a business in sifting out laws, streamline systems and creation of innovation.
Cultural Diversity Management.
Diversity management skills are crucial in the creation and maintaining the positive work relations where differences and similarities of the work force are valued. Managers need diversity management skills so that the potentials of the work force are maximized to meet an organization’s goals and objectives. To manage future diversities, managers need to consider policies, practices, and different ways of thinking amongst workers with cultural diversities. The managers need to focus on organizational changes that require to be met in order to meet the needs of the work force as well as ensuring their potentiality (BRISLIN 2008). This will ensure the ability to cope with the demands of cultural diversities in the 21st Century.
However, implementing diversity management has to be done in consideration to an organization’s strategies so that there is compliance with the legal guidelines or enforcement of the organization. Following the policies would also suggest promotion of ethical and moral arguments that relate to the organization’s social responsibility. For strategic and business factors, a company needs to implement the policies so that the unavoidable changes in demography with their effects on the labor market and the client are considered. This way diversity will be embraced in the policies of the company, and the challenges posed by such differences will be catered for before they affect the running of the business.
Diversity management will ensure that employees have the opportunity to enhance their self development and contribution to the organization. The concept of diversity management recognizes the idea that different values and perceptions can be used in bringing different and new ideas to an organization. These makes work efficient and improves on the products and service differentiation for the betterment of the company and the workers (OLLAPALLY AND BHATNAGAR 2009). Managers need to manage and control diversities successfully for innovation purposes and nurturing of such creativity thereby tapping the hidden capacities for improved growth and competitiveness.
The Top-down Strategy.
The top-down strategy is a crucial element in dealing with the increasing trend of the work force diversity. However, this strategy should not be implemented haphazardly instead managers should take a proactive approach to making goals that are mutually respectful and create a harmonious working environment (BRISLIN 2008). The managers should take all steps necessary in the creation of a culture of inclusion so that every worker feels needed and included in the organization.
Managers in the past centuries have failed by noticing similarities rather than differences in human nature of their workers (BENJAMIN et al 2002). This needs to be corrected in the 21st Century where managers needs to be encouraged to move from the assumption that cultural differences represent differences in ability, skills, and intelligence. Managers should cultivate a culture of respect to human nature, and treat all diversities with dignity.
Recognition of the cultural diversity is one of the critical areas of knowledge that managers require to possess. Managers need to recognize the differences that different people have be it generational, cultural centered, or physical. The assumption that business expectations and ethics break down such differences should be avoided. Instead, managers should embrace the differences, and encourage employees to let their individualities be known. For instance, they should ask the employees to share their cultural experiences and etiquette practices. Such knowledge can be used for the advantage of an organization to the better understanding of cultures and in development of products to suit such cultures.
Managers should possess employee assessment skills if cultural diversity is to be managed. A manager or business owner needs to conduct employee reviews and assessments. While conducting such reviews, an efficient manager needs to also examine the employees’ attitudes on how they relate and work with others (OLLAPALLY AND BHATNAGAR 2009). Managers need to have skills to address employees who delegate duties to others with different cultures, or in cases when an employee discounts the ideas of other people. Managers need training on how to assess performance by identifying issues that exist among the employees, and how to deal with such issues.
Most research works conducted on cultural diversities focus on national cultures and their effects on organizational cultures. Such studies focus on attitudes of employees towards workplace diversities. This concept needs to be changed if cultural diversities are to be used as assets of business growth. Managers need training on the formulation of diversity programs when faced with individual diversity challenges. This would enable the company to induce increased commitments and productivity to the respective managers and eventually to the work force.
Managers need to introduce organizational cultures that are open to new ideas by shifting from the hierarchy structures. They should have a key role in transforming organizational policies and cultures that do not support work force values and contributions. Though diversity is about a reflection of people and how they think, if the employees do not feel comfortable raising ideas, then their potentiality may be hindered. It is necessary that managers allow employee conversations, interactions and be open-minded to their views and suggestions. Implementing such a policy would attract different views useful in decision making where the policies adapted fit the needs of all employees. This way the work force will relate without barriers brought about by their cultural backgrounds thereby promoting globalization.
With the new technology consistently rolling out, it is increasingly common to see the young using or teaching the older ones how to use new technological systems and tools. This process referred as reverse mentoring assists the young employees in feeling like their ideas and contributions are valued. It also helps young employees to provide fresh and new perspectives into a business. Using the reverse mentoring strategy, managers should encourage workers, teams and company leaders to network and put up formal programs that promote communication (BENJAMIN et al 2002). This strategy has been successfully used by Cisco Systems, and by changing the recruitment structures, where the young generation will be encouraged to apply for IT jobs, the strategy will enhance improved performances.
Human Resource department and cultural diversity.
The human resource department should also develop a recruitment strategy that supports and stresses the need for diversification. The department should develop guidelines and strategies for staff conduct, and disseminate such information to the workers. Such policies should also include procedures and channels for grievances and ensure workers’ confidentiality. Such policies should be fair, transparent and apply to all staff so that there is no discrimination. The human resource should also recruit and train personnel with the skills required to analyze the current and expected future work force, and fill skill gaps that currently exist. This will be accomplished by ensuring that candidates are solely chosen from their competencies and no other reasons.
The company should also invest in cultural sensitivity trainings for all staff to promote tolerance. Such training programs should consider the use of positive experiences and ensure avoidance of using accusatory language or tones. Teams are successful when all members appreciate the values in diverse education, skills and experience (BRISLIN 2008).
Academic Library Studies
The organization should also adopt best practices by conducting academic library studies and tests. Leadership commitment, in the 21st Century, requires strategic planning to sustain lasting diversity changes. Accountability and assessments are critical in identifying process changes, and reinforcing behavioral changes (BENJAMIN et al 2002). Some authors argue that cultural diversity is supported in academic libraries, and this promotes values supporting learning and understanding process changes. Additionally, academic library studies provide for historical and recommended means of dealing with cultural diversities at work. Managers should adopt this learning strategy from academic literature to understand cultural diversity, and for promotion of diversity understanding initiatives.
Conclusion.
Dealing with cultural diversities, in the 21st Century, can be achieved by focusing on two structural principles; local interaction and bridging all global divisions. Building local and global interactions as the basis for collective and coordination of activities builds a network that is concentrated among homogeneous sets of individuals. There is the need to tap creativity, cultural and potentiality of different work forces with different cultural backgrounds. There is the need for managers to execute cite for the importance’s of being open-minded. They need to come out of their comfort zones and experience the impacts of cultural differences, and their impacts on organizational performance.
It is natural to have a reference approach to diversity issues so that managers know what to do when faced with cultural diversity challenges. Unfortunately, given the many diversities in the 21st Century, there is no referential point that can solve the challenges. The implication is that managers need to acknowledge cultural diversity and formulate policies, in accordance to technological developments, to meet organizational goals. Ignoring diversity issues may cause unhealthy tensions, loss of productivity, inability to attract and retain work force, and loss of investments, which are not consequences that any company would like to face in this century.
Bibliography.
BENJAMIN, B., SARA, K., ERLA, S. K. TAMI, G. (2002). Giving Voice to Diversity: An Interactive Approach to Conflict Management and Decision-making in Culturally Diverse Work Environments. Journal of Business and Management, Vol. 8(3).
BRISLIN, R. W. (2008). Working with cultural differences: dealing effectively with diversity in the workplace. Westport, Conn, Praeger.
OLLAPALLY, A. & BHATNAGAR, J. (2009). The Holistic Approach to Diversity Management: HR Implications. Indian Journal of Industrial Relations, Vol. 44(3).
