ORGANIZATIONAL DIVERSITY

Team: “A group of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common mission, performance goals, and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable”

Four aspects of group behavior…

1.      Norms of Behavior

2.      Group Cohesion

3.      Social Loafing

4.      Loss of Individuality

Tuckman’s five-stage model of group development…

Styles of group member contribution

Member can contribute in different ways - this drives intellectual discuss and promotes problem resolution:

·          Contributor - data driven, supplies information

·          Collaborator - big picture, focuses team on mission

·          Communicator - listens, facilitates and promotes collective effort

·          Challenger - devil’s advocate, questions mission, purpose, ethics

Diversity is…

•” The variation of social and cultural identities among people existing together in a defined employment or market setting” (Cox 2001)

• “Groups made up of diverse personnel do a better job of analyzing and attacking problems” (ibid).

When diversity is seen as… (Cox 2001)

Value-added activity	Potential performance barrier
·         Problem solving ·         Creativity & innovation ·         Organizational flexibility ·         Human talent ·         Marketing strategies	·         Less effective communication ·         Conflict ·         Lower level of social attraction ·         Lower level of commitment to ·         the group

Diversity management is…

“A way of creating an environment that will enable all people to use full potential to

accomplish the mission"

Misunderstandings based upon diversity…

•        Communication style

•        Nonverbal communication

•        Trust

•        Accents

•        Regional jargon

•        Stereotypes

•        Lack of common experiences

•        Values and beliefs

Diversity as organizational change…

•        Leadership commitment

•        Management commitment (both top-down and bottom-up commitment)

•        Fundamental changes in the organizational culture (Cox 2001; Ely and Thomas, 2001)

QUESTION

Since diversity is a source of competitive advantage, what could be the recruitment strategies to effectively target to diverse groups? What would be the consequences of ignoring diversity?

In order to achieve the presence of diverse groups that would be the key to develop competitive advantage, the company has to develop an including environment in the work place. In this sense, the managers have to be open to the differences presented among workers and show from the top that diversity has many tools to contribute to the company in a big sense. When managers know the different capabilities and characteristic of each employee, they can assemble them in order to make complemented teams and reach the most effectively diverse groups that create a high competitive advantage to the company. In contrast, the consequences of ignoring diversity into a company would be lack of knowledge that is clearly found in the different backgrounds of each person, and finally the company would end isolated, taking into account the diversification process that the globalization brings.

REFERENCES

•        Ely, R. and Thomas, D. (2001) “Cultural Diversity at Work: The Effects of Diversity Perspectives on Work Group Processes and Outcomes,” Administrative Science Quarterly, Vol. 46, No. 2, 2001, pp. 229–273.

•        Jamieson, D. and O’Mara, J. (1991) Managing workforce 2000: Gaining the diversity advantage.

•        kellyconsultants.biz

•        Slater, Stanley, F., Weigand, Robert A., Zweilein, Thomas J. (2008) ¨The business case for commitment to diversity¨.

•        Business Horizons 51: 201-209.