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PART I![]()
Chapter 1
Conceptual Framework
1.1. Diversity
The term diversity generally include all the attributes that differentiate one individual from another. Some of these attributes are acquired from birth, which are stable and difficult to be modified. Hence making the person unique and different from others. Anything that makes an individual different and uncommon is a constituent of this diversity. In a broader sense from an HR perspective, the definition of diversity includes age, gender, origin, nationality, religion, race, ethnicity, language, physical abilities, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, educational qualification, marital status, and physical attributes based on appearance. This definition also includes diversity of thought, ideas, perspectives, beliefs, and values and recognizes that individuals associate with multiple identities.
Diversity can be classified even further into two categories: visible diversity traits and invisible diversity traits. (See Figure 1.1.)
Figure 1.1:Classification of Diversity.
1.2. Managing Diversity
Managing diversity is a concern for all organizations. Some of the tools for efficiently managing diversity are proper planning, implementation, communication, evaluation, feedback, and, most importantly, conflict resolution. Transparent flow and good communication are among the best ways to manage diversity in the workplace.
Communication is the most vital tool for managing diversity and should be used for building the managerāsubordinate relationship. For example, organizations may implement open-door policies and encourage employees to raise their concerns. Respect, empathy, support, and trust are the foundation for developing a collegial relation between manager and subordinate.
Effective managers are aware of the important skills needed to promote diversity. Managers must be aware of discrimination and promote a discrimination-free work culture. They should accept and recognize culturally and physically diverse employees. Companies may focus on training managers to overcome the biases and prejudices that can arise when dealing with a culturally and physically diverse workforce.
Another vital parameter for managing diversity is promoting a āsafeā place for the employees to communicate. Meetings, social gatherings, and associations may act as occasions where employees can feel free to communicate and create dialogues. Managers should recognize and appreciate employeesā ideas and give them the time to learn from their mistakes.
Workplace diversity is not about different groups but rather about understanding each individual. Thus, managers should promote mentoring programmes to deal with individuals and to provide them with access to information and opportunities.
1.3. Types of Workplace Diversity
Workplace diversity focuses on individual differences and similarities, encompassing fundamental differences based on values and beliefs. These differences in individualās values and beliefs create variations in how individuals operate in the workplace. They may also lead to conflicts, which is another important aspect of handling diversity issues.
Workforce diversity issues can therefore be categorized into:
- race and ethnicity;
- gender;
- age;
- religion;
- physical disabilities;
- learning and intellectual disabilities;
- language;
- physical appearance;
- marital status;
- socioeconomic status; and
- LGBTQ.
- Race and Ethnicity: Race is a powerful, socially charged term that indicates the physical differences between racial groups. This term has been long associated with discrimination based on racial differences. Historically, communities have created their understandings about a particular race group that later act as a barrier when communicating and dealing with those racial groups.
- Gender: Society has created a huge disparity between males and females, in turn affecting organizations with imbalances in maleāfemale workforce ratios. It has led to a gender disparity at all levels in the workplace. Today, to deal with such disparities, organizations need to take affirmative action to retain women in the workplace.
- Age: Disparities based on age are another challenge for the organization in managing diversity issues in the workplace. Few organizations prefer to retain older and soon-to-be retired employees despite their rich experience. Most organizations prefer to employee youth in order to promote innovation and creative thinking in the organization.
- Religion: Different religions and faiths predominantly exist in society. Organizations need to deal with religious diversity ā especially in countries like India, which is a culturally and religiously diverse country, or in African countries, with populations consisting of Christian and Muslim communities ā in order to acknowledge employees with different cultural and religious backgrounds.
- Physical Disabilities: Acknowledging a workforce with disabilities brings the next level of diversity. Organizations have to deal with issues related to accommodations and accessibility in the workplace. Companies need to encourage and welcome hirings of those with physical and intellectual/emotional disabilities.
- Learning and Intellectual Disabilities: Diverse organizations incorporating inclusion practices are required to recognize intellectual and learning differences in the workforce. Disabilities, such as depression, dyslexia, and fibromyalgia, require workplaces to have reasonable accommodation. Organizations need to train those with such disabilities to use the materials and equipment that accommodate their individual needs, possibly by means of visual displays and communications for easy understanding by this segment of the workforce.
- Language: Organizations hiring employees across the globe have to deal with employees from different lingual backgrounds. When communication is unclear and ambiguous, it may lead to misunderstandings and misinterpretations, raising conflict in the organization.
- Physical Appearance: Physical appearance can also be one of the challenges for diverse organizations. Discrimination based on facial and physical characteristics can lead to conflicts in the workplace.
- Marital Status: Discrimination on the grounds of status in terms of being single, married, or widowed is quite prevalent in organizations. Anti-discrimination laws have been established by the government, as well as policies by organizations, to manage discrimination issues based on marital status.
- Socioeconomic Status: Societies are divided into psychological classes categorized as lower class, middle class, and upper class. Discrimination on the basis of such socioeconomic groups also leads to challenges in managing workforce diversity.
- LGBTQ: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people have been facing legal and social challenges unlike those facing other communities. Governments have recognized these special issues and has established norms to promote equal opportunities for LGBTQ in the workplace. Still, LGBTQ employees and organizations face challenges in managing diversity.
Managing diversity has leads to inclusive work cultures. In order to promote diversity and inclusion, organizations need to develop flexible policies for accommodating all diverse groups. Both diversity and inclusion bring the diverse workforce together to work towards the common objective of using differential skill sets with increased commitment and productivity.
1.4. Importance of Diversity
Diversity provides a competitive advantage to the organization that comprises people with diverse cultural, social, and economic backgrounds and enables the organization to participate better in business opportunities, as well as to understand better their market and their customers. This helps to build synergy in teams, resulting in efficient communication and better understanding skills. It also leads to an increase in the companyās language pool, enabling it to compete in the global market. Enforcing diversity and its resultant climate has also helped organizations to abide by government laws on anti-discrimination and to promote harmony among diverse groups; in turn, harmony prevails in the workplace, resulting in reduced conflicts.
Diversity benefits the organizationās brand equity and market share by better understanding customers coming from different cultural and social backgrounds.
1.5. Inclusion
Inclusion at the organizational level involves creating a balanced workforce that is representative of people from diverse backgrounds and that creates synergy among their traits and coordinates them in such a way that these diverse resources and forces become beneficial to the organization. HR ensures inclusion in the organizations by galvanizing a diverse workforce into action and by creating an inclusive work culture and environment involving individuals from different backgrounds. Inclusion also encourages a culture of respect, mutual cooperation and trust, flourishing ideas, valued perspectives, and vision to create brand for organizational value. Organizations implement both diverse workforces and inclusive strategies in order to be advantageous.
Inclusion is the act of creating an ambience in the workplace where employees, groups, or teams can feel acknowledged, supported, welcomed, respected, and valued for their participation in an assigned task. An inclusive environment embraces and encircles differences and creates respectful communication and leadership for all employees within the organization.
It is worth noting that, whereas an inclusive team or group within an organization is diverse, a diverse team or group is not always inclusive. Increasingly, the recognition of implicit or unconscious differences helps an organization to be predisposed to identify and resolve issues of inclusion.
1.5.1. The Concept of the Inclusive Workplace in Global Perspective
An inclusive organization has a work culture and an accessible work environment that assist persons from heterogeneous backgrounds, of various frames of mind, and of diverse thinking to work together effectively. In such an environment, voices are heard and respected; diverse perspectives, experiences, viewpoints, and approaches are valued; and everyone is strengthened to make a meaningful and unique addition with improvement (Pless & Maak, 2004).
An inclusive organizationās HR practices actively aim to eradicate all forms of bias, barriers, and discrimination, to openly encourage accessibility, and to value diversity. HR responds promptly and proactively to address discrimination and exclusion.
Inclusive HR leaders and members actively participa...
