Part One
A merger is the joining together of two or more entities so that they become one congruent entity in every way possible. Mergers present difficulties to employees, especially if they were not consulted before such decisions were made. In this scenario, a merger was necessary to cutting costs, and so it was effected. In more cases than not, issues between and among employees arise from such business moves. The scenario presented where one employee is disgruntled about the merger because she feels the others are locking her out is very common. Dealing with such a situation decisively is important for the success of the merger (Thiederman, 2008).
It is important that you listen to her and let her stake her claim. To this end, I would give her audience so that she can highlight her issue and delve into details. This is important for the resolution of the issues in the scenario. By listening to her, I will get information that I can use to help iron out the issues reflected in her claim. I would want to know from her where she thinks the antagonism is emanating from. It is important to reassure her of her importance in the group and the value she adds in the group meeting. Additionally, I would reassure her that even in the new situation-where new members have been added into the group-everyone has an equal right to contribute in the group the status assigned notwithstanding (Thiederman,. 2008).
This serves to reassure her of her place in the group and to dispel any fears that she might lose relevance because of the changing dynamics in the group. At this point, it is important to take preliminary investigations as the team leader before taking any further steps in order to verify her claims and also establish whether there is disquiet in the group owing to the new changes as a result of the merger. In order to ensure that she and other members of the group undergoing the same issues are heard, I would address different issues in the human capital proactively.
Firstly, I would call a meeting of all the group members. The agenda of the meeting would be to discuss the differences in culture stemming from the two departments before they were merged with the aim of unifying the varying cultures. Furthermore, I would focus on issues of integration between employees previously in the group and those who joined recently so that the group can operate as one, and with congruence. This would ensure that she in not only heard now but also in the long-term (Thiederman,. 2008).
Part Two
Trends leading to increased diversity at the workplace
The American workplace is becoming increasingly diverse owing to the diverse demographics in the nation. In order to adequately fathom the diversity in the workplace, it is important to review recent trends in the labor market. The following graphic presentation shows the number of people employed in different sectors in 2011.
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics
The figure above shows the number of people that were employed in different sectors of the government in 2011. The figures presented were much diversified in terms of age, race and gender among other aspects. For instance, the statistics reported in June of 2012 showed that accounted for 36% of the working population. The graphic representation below shows other statistics that break down the working population into different races and ethnicity.
Almost half of today’s labor force is comprised of women with men accounting for 53% compared to 47% that makes up female workers. The diversity in the number of women in the workplace is spread out through the different ethnicities in America. Women of color comprise 33% compared to 67% of Non-Hispanic white women. Hispanic women and those of the African American descent account for 13% a piece, with Asians accounting for 5% of the women in the labor force. Coincidentally, the working age population for these subgroups is almost identical with 66% of the working-age women being of the Non-Hispanic white descent. The Hispanic, African American and Asian women account for 14%, 13% and 5% of the working –age women respectively.
General impact of Diversity in Organizations
Diversity at the work place had a very great impact in the organization. At face value, a workplace that is well diversified represents the makeup of the society and thus is received better in the community. However, the impact of diversity in an organization is more than basic. Diversified workplaces have more issues and better ideas owing to the broader experiences and backgrounds. On a global perspective, diversified workgroups operate better on the global scene because of the better understanding of the global markets courtesy of cultural and ethnic diversity. On a negative note, diverse workgroups experience more conflicts when compared to work groups with more similarities than differences culturally and ethnically speaking. This is because of cultural intolerance and the fact that some people may perceive some cultures as inferior (Mor-Barak, 2011).
Strategies to address challenges and opportunities of workplace diversity
Managing diversity at the workplace is very important to the success of an organization. Different strategies can help towards harnessing the opportunities and beating the challenges of workplace diversity. They include the following: -
- Organizational change: Changing the culture of an organization whenever the prevailing circumstances deem it important is one strategy that an organization can use to both harness the opportunities and beat the challenges of organizational change. Long established cultures act as stumbling blocks for minorities and women seeking prosperity in organizations.
- Enhancing group cohesiveness: this can be done through team building and setting common goals. Team building helps create trust and respect between and among employees of diverse backgrounds.
- Equal opportunity policies: organizations should establish equal opportunity policies where people are given equal opportunities to prosper and thrive in an organization. Through this, the organization will benefit from the opportunities of diversity.
A best practices model from the Association of Research Libraries can be replicated in other organizations that are conscious of workgroup diversity. Dubbed as the Mosaic Program, the organizations enhances diversity through the provision of financial support, mentoring, practical work experience, leadership development and career placement assistance to ethnic minority groups and those who are racially underrepresented.
How Diversity Helps Strengthen the Workforce
Diversity in the workplace strengthens the workforce in the following ways: -
- Diversity promotes innovation and creativity in the workforce by generating new ideas in geometric progression.
- Through diversity, there is increased teamwork, hence making the workforce function cohesively.
- Diversity also helps bring about heterogeneous teams and therefore enhances problem solving capabilities.
Examples of conflicts at the workplace
Different conflicts can occur at the workplace due to diversity. One such conflict is ethnic intolerance. This is where an employee practices ethnocentrism at the detriment of others. Cultural intolerance can be solved through team building approaches where everyone learns to depend on the other to deliver their mandate. Another conflict that can occur at the workplace is segmented communication networks. This is where employees enjoying similarities communicate amongst themselves and sidelining others. To solve such problems, such individuals can be assigned duties alongside employees from other backgrounds so that they can develop interpersonal diplomacy (Collins & O'Rourke, 2009).
References
Collins, S. D., & O'Rourke, J. S. (2009). Managing conflict and workplace relationships. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning.
Mor-Barak, M. E. (2011). Managing diversity: Toward a globally inclusive workplace. Los Angeles: SAGE.
Thiederman, S. B. (2008). Making diversity work: 7 steps for defeating bias in the workplace. New York: Kaplan Pub.
