The thesis or the introduction: Explanation of managing diversity in general (Why we need managing diversity) by giving the viewpoint of domestic-based companies in the past to international-based companies in the present. Then, transition to the topic I would like to write: understanding gender differences, persons with disabilities, cultural differences, and how to build an inclusive corporate culture.
Understanding gender differences: Why we need to understand gender differences, what the differences are between women and men when they play their roles in the workplace.
Understanding persons with disabilities: Why we need to understand persons with disabilities, and what factors the manager should consider in supporting persons with disabilities.
Understand cultural differences: Why we need to understand cultural differences, and what the main characteristics of persons from the different cultures are.
How to build an inclusive corporate culture: The steps the manager should consider to build an inclusive workplace.
Summary: point out the importance of managing diversity, and how managing diversity could lead to a company's success.
Managing Diversity
In the early days of business management, most companies were domestic based. Most managers thought that diversity in one company depended on gender, age, race, and ethnicity. Overtime, as businesses became larger; expanding across the borders of one geographical location into international markets, the factors of diversity became much broader. As the diverse forces resulting from differences in religion, culture, or heritage came into play, the same sets of management that were used in one culture were considered inappropriate in others. Therefore, it became clear that the significance of engaging in successful relationships across national borders would be appreciated.
For these reasons, skills in building the relationships with others whose characteristics and thoughts differ appreciably from one's own should be injected into the managers, especially for those businesses that span the global market where misunderstandings can impact negotiations significantly.
The best way managers can take diversity into account is to treat their subordinates with equal respect and avoid favoritism. Such methods engender a working environment that encourages all kinds of people to work, and employees subsequently feel that they are included in the activities contributing to the company's success.
The skilled managers that work in a multicultural environment have to value diversity as an important managing approach. They have to understand different cultures to learn from different behaviors how to motivate their subordinates to increase their productivity. In this paper, I will discuss the differences in gender, persons with disabilities, and cultures as they play an important role in the diversity the managers are dealing with. Then, I will go through the strategies to create an inclusive corporate culture.
Understanding gender differences
Some research says that men and women have different experiences of their worlds because parents treat boys and girls differently when they are growing up. Gender differences are the first ones we encounter and need to consider.
In the past, men usually went out to work to gain money for their families, while women who took care of the families needed to be indulged. Most companies regarded women employees as temporary, many of them tending to quit when they got married. As people considered income an indicator of social status and prestige, men could gain respect and be considered as more capable than women, either physically, mentally, or emotionally. As a result, men usually played a leading role in different aspects.
Nowadays, although women in significant numbers perform their roles in an occupation, the belief that women workers are not as competent as men still persists. The barriers to a woman's career success have to be overcome by taking the following issues into account.
1.1 Self-Limiting Beliefs
Many women still believe that
They are not adept at technical skills, such as computer programming, mechanics, or engineering.
They are better off staying at home to take care of their family.
They cannot perform the job as well as men do.
They should be involved in neither office politics nor the hierarchy chain of command.
As managers, they should encourage their subordinates to plan their careers to overcome these beliefs, making them confident by letting them think about these questions:
What do you want to pursue in the future?
What might prevent you from being successful?
How could the company help you?
Managers would then help them develop their career plans, attentive to the direction they should follow to motivate them and build up their power.
1.2 Pay Inequity
The U.S. Bureau of Labor statistic shows that average income for full-time women employees in the same position is seventy-five percent less than men employees. It is possible that women are more likely to quit the job after having a baby. This uncertainty might make them less valuable for companies. Managers could use their influence to make sure that women get equal pay without any favoritism.
1.3 Glass Ceiling
Qualified women within the hierarchy of an organization usually have a more difficult time reaching the higher levels of the hierarchy, as Fortune magazine has indicated that only 0.5 percent of the highest paid managers are women. Moreover, most of these women are in the higher level of management because they are the business owners.
1.4 Training
To confidently achieve their particular goals, women need training to acquire the technological knowledge companies need. Some studied show that women who receive training can achieve higher skills without the involvement of men. Moreover, women usually do not have opportunities to be involved in management programs to be promoted to a higher level in the hierarchy. This problem can be solved by giving them equal opportunity in training, both in technical and in management skills.
1.5 Gender stereotypes
When a woman becomes a manager, many men feel uncomfortable seeing such a woman have power over them, and they find it difficult to accept. Managers have to communicate to get rid of the traditional myths. When observing the assumptions some people have about men and women's traits, one should draw such people into discussions of how such beliefs unfairly prevent women from becoming managers.
1.6 Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment can occur in the workplace. It usually happens when men who have a higher position or more authority use their power to intimidate women. Sexual harassment can negatively impact the victims directly since sexual assault can result in both physical and mental illness. Moreover, it can affect companies as it decreases a women's performance, increase conflict, and finally forces her to leave her job. Effective managers should enforce the rules and policies against sexual harassment. If it happens, deal with this issue firmly and fairly without bias.
Understanding Persons with Disabilities
Nowadays, many companies address the need of supporting persons with disabilities; Hewlett Packard is one of those companies recruiting the disabled candidate to work for the company. Qualified and knowledgeable persons with disabilities can be excellent employees, bringing effective solutions to a company's challenges. They can engender better productivity for the companies that accept and befriend them. Therefore, the most important thing the companies should do is to change the corporate culture by changing the attitudes and beliefs of their employees regarding the persons with disabilities.
2.1 Knowing about ADA
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) applies to all companies with at least fifteen employees and to all government operations. ADA aims to prevent all kinds of discrimination against qualified employees with disabilities. Moreover, ADA claims that a reasonable accommodation must be provided for employees with disabilities if it doesn't impose an undue hardship upon the employer. The ADA states what kinds of disabilities are protected by the law, and what defines an undue hardship, so that the business owner should learn more about these laws.
Basically, ADA requires businesses to provide:
Clearly job descriptions
In order to prevent discrimination against the disabled who want to apply, job descriptions must clearly state whether physical ability is involved. For example, "walk to serve the food for eight hours".
Equal Opportunities
If the candidates with disabilities can meet the qualification, the employer may not discriminate against them in any aspects of employment, whether it is payment inequity, or hiring.
Reasonable Accommodation
Whether disabled persons are in the recruiting or hiring stage, a reasonable accommodation must be provided for them as long as it does not cause an undue hardship to the employer. Example of such accommodations might include reading the document or using Braille for visually impaired persons, or not asking them about their physical or mental impairments.
2.2 Strategies for working with persons with disabilities
Promote positive beliefs about persons with disabilities
Their disabilities should not be focuses as their impairments are not who they are. Focus on what they can do, and on how all employees can cooperate together to produce more productive.
Use appropriate language
Persons with disabilities do not want to hear of their disabilities. If not necessary, don't mention the words that will remind them of their disabilities.
If you do have to mention them, use the words that focus on the persons instead of their disabilities--for example, say "uses a wheelchair" instead of "confined to a wheelchair".
Use of technology to substitute for their impairments
For example, for computer-based job, companies can provide computers and the internet for the disabled so that they can work at home in case they have mobility problems.
Understanding Cultural Differences, key to a company's growth and prosperity
People from different cultures bring various ideas of solutions to the company to better grow in the new global business. If the managers want to cooperate with people from different cultures effectively, they have to understand their cultures and the differences, which can be barriers to cooperation and communication. The following describes the main characteristics of persons from different cultures.
I Control or I'm Controlled
When parents make their choices for their kids, the kids feel controlled. For example, a father tells his son to be a doctor, or a mother chooses clothes or food for her daughter, Cultures falling into this category are most of the Asian cultures. Workers from this viewpoint work better if their works depend on a boss, or a customer's will. On the other hand, if the parents let their kids make their own choices, the kids tend to be 'I control'. Most Western cultures are in this category. Workers from 'I control' cultures work better if everything depends on them so that they can choose what to do by themselves.
Us-First or Me-First
In the Western cultures, children usually become independent early when they are teenagers. They experience their worlds as self-directed ones. When they work, they are likely to have a 'Me-First' or individualist viewpoint. They want to achieve their personal goals by themselves. They are happy when experiencing strong emotions, both good, and bad. Conversely, in the Asian cultures, most children develop close emotional-ties with their parents, and friends. These bonds encourage them to be an "Us-First" or collectivist culture. As a result, they tend to develop their ideas and achievements with those of the other group members. They feel happy to engage emotions with their members around them. However, girls in every culture are likely to grow up to be socialized, becoming collectivist as well.
Equality or Not
Most western cultures value people equally in status and opportunity to accomplish and advance their careers, while most Asian and Latino cultures value people based on their rank or status in their hierarchy.
Inequality = Rank/Status Cultures
People view an organization chart as a hierarchy of power, where there are few positions at the top level, but more positions at the bottom. They consider their boss more powerful and do not dare to address him or her unless they are told to do. The boss does not seem as bound to the rules of the company. If the boss agrees, everybody must agree without arguing. They expect their boss to give understandable directions. Individuals are valued depending on whether they are seniors or juniors in the hierarchy. Seniors that juniors admire have to be more knowledgeable than the latter, and the seniors should not ask the juniors how to perform a particular task.
Equality = Democratic Cultures
People from Western cultures pay less homage to their boss than people from Asian and Latino cultures. They make meaningless the idea that "the boss is always right". The boss is not expected to know everything. Decision making is decentralized with the boss's advice. Everybody in the company has to follow the same rules and regulations without exception. The company structure is like a centric web with a superior at the center. Leaders have to be democratic.
Take Risks or Play Safe
In cultures where people try to prevent unexpected situations from occurring in their lives, everything is organized and predictable to avoid uncertainty. Those who don't like changes try to avoid them by using rigid codes of behavior that follow their tradition. According to the Hofstede's research, the most security-seeking country is Greece, followed by Japan. Most Latino and European countries has moderately security-seeking cultures. However, other cultures believe that every rule has its own exceptions. They believe in both prosperity of business and the new aspects of creativity, as is shown in new technology or new products. Inventing and investing for the future are the key values of these cultures that will lead to possible payoffs. The most uncertainty-oriented country is Singapore, followed by the United States according to the Hofstede's research.
How close to stand or sit to one another
People from different cultures behave differently when they communicate with each other. In some cultures, people prefer to be closer when they talk to each other. Physical contact not only includes shaking hands, but also embracing as well, although the people concerned may not be close friends or relatives. Latino cultures provide examples of these contact-intensive cultures. In American culture, for example, people hug each other when they have a close relationship. If not, they use shaking hand as a physical contact. In other cultures, such as Eastern cultures, people feel comfortable when they stand farther away from each other, with less touching, especially when talking about business matters.
Communicating-Direct or Indirect
When people have opposing viewpoints, they keep quiet, or use indirect style to remain friendly with the other side. This communicating style applies to 'us-first', 'rank/status', and 'play-if-safe' cultures. Conversely, getting to the point with a direct communicating style tends to be an aspect of 'I-control', 'me-first', 'equality', and 'risk taking' cultures.
An Inclusive Corporate Culture: the key to success of managing diversity
Creating an inclusive culture would create unity in the workplace. Once achieved, an inclusive culture helps companies build the innovative, productive, and cooperative work environment.
Create networks and focus groups
Any employee networks should be established for employees in any subcultures, showing that the company respects all individual cultural heritages without assuming that each person has to fit in with all attributes of the company or society. The company has to find any approaches to support cultural differences as every person needs to express who they are. Employee networks might be the Asian Network of Microsoft, the Microsoft gay network, or the Hispanic network of Microsoft.
Get all employees involved in the company's success
Employees can learn a lot and be proud when they have contributed to the projects that are the key success of a company. They appreciate being in the learning loop that makes them improve their skills and knowledge. Therefore, bringing all employees to the learning circle is an important strategy in creating inclusion, using such methods as the following:
Know the knowledge and skills needed for a project.
Know the strengths and weaknesses of each staff member.
Find any approaches to help staffs fulfill their capabilities, and skills needed by providing a learning process, such as training.
Create equal opportunity approaches
The basic element of hiring diverse employees is "We are equally important". When the minority groups get hired, they are encouraged to take part just as much as the majority groups. However, it turns out to be "We celebrate differences" as soon as they are treated unfairly or prevented from influencing the success of the company. The challenge to companies is to build an environment where "we are the same", recognizing all of those people who have contributed to a project. To create equal opportunity approaches, consider these elements:
Prevent the "self-fulfilling prophecy" of predicting that such a person will succeed or fail.
Promote the role models of success from all the diverse groups.
Create slogans that influence employees from every group.
Summary
The ultimate goal of managing diversity is to meet the needs of all diverse employees. They need as a workplace a comfortable environment where systems and practices encourage their learning process and improvement. A successful multicultural company must build multicultural skills to create cooperation in the workplace with equal opportunity for all employees. The painter's palette can be a metaphor for a diverse workplace. If the artist blends the color together, forcing them to forsake their unique tones and hues, it will create a dull gray. However, if the artist leaves their true colors, they shine brightly and together to create a beautiful work of art.
