Childhood memories have a huge impact on one's adult life. This interaction may be either negative or positive. As a result, there is a strong connection between an adult's behavior and their childhood memories. For example, studies have shown a correlation between teenage exposure to chronic violence and a number of stress symptoms. This article would use my own experience as a child to draw a conclusion informed by the thesis statement: workforce diversity boosts organizational efficiency.
I have a male friend with whom I have had a close relationship since we were five years old. His name is Abd-ul-Rahim, an American citizen but with Arabic parents. His parents had moved to the U.S. due to job transfer before he was born, and that’s how he earned an American citizenship. However, we got know each other at the age of five and that’s how our friendship started. Our first experience was at school since, where my teacher made it known to us that his name means ‘servant of the Merciful,' hence drawing my attention since my elder sister is Mercy. Though with significant differences, we eventually became close friends which made me lose some of my former friends. The experience right from the young age was not that smooth. He faced discrimination from classroom to social occasions due to his race. Interactions became hard since he was used to the Arabic accent at home, and he needed to communicate with both teachers and other children. This led to a point where he wanted to do away with education even before sitting we got to high school. This situation was positively altered by both our parents and teachers. However, the adverse effects of discrimination were also exhibited in his self-esteem. He developed a low self-esteem which with time led to an inferiority complex. This later graduated to the abuse of substances at the age of thirteen. It was at this time that his parents called my attention to the need of wholeheartedly supporting him through his journey of stopping the addiction. With the help of a therapist, he went through it successfully. My interaction with him led to the discovery of the diversity that existed between us. For instance, as small kids, he used to teach me some of the Arabic phrases that he had mastered, and as grown-ups, we went further to teach each other on the diverse traditional dishes that our families made. I got to learn positive beliefs pertaining life from him, as well as he got to learn from me. This shaped my interaction skills and more so, taught us the importance of appreciating diversity. These are skills that are helpful at the organizational level since organizations comprise of employees from diverse cultures, religions and even nationalities, who are expected to work together towards a specific goal. It is therefore worth considering the effects of employee diversity on organizational performance, (Wells et al., p.23-24). Advantages of Employee Diversity Increase in productionWorkforce diversity has the potential to increase productivity. The various cultures teach people how they should consider work, with the majority of them teaching people how to treasure work and apply their maximum efforts towards it. The diversity in exposure also leads to increased morale to work harder as a way of proving one’s techniques. With good interaction skills and teamwork, the employees increase their production, (De. et al., 56). Increased CreativityCreativity is one of the leading aspects that lead to organizational sustainability in the industry. With diversity, employees’ way of thinking will be diverse, hence leading to more creativity in the organization. This gives the management a pool of ideas to choose from, and also make the probability of the administration getting a workable solution to be very high. This leads to better operational techniques, therefore leading to good organizational performance, (Ostergaard et al., p.506).Language SkillsWith the current globalization, there is a need for the workforce to be diverse in their understanding of languages. This makes communication and penetration to new markets more comfortable and cost-effective. For example, a company with employees who understand the Chinese language and culture will have an easier time communicating with representatives from China. Most bilingual employees find it much easier to be absorbed by employers, (Homan et al., p.1187). Positive ReputationJob seekers are attracted to companies with a diverse workforce. This is because it acts as evidence that the company treats its employees well regardless of their gender, ethnicity or race. This makes it possible for the company to have a variety of talents, which can lead to the development of new processes that can lead to a competitive advantage, (Van & Astrid, p.1008). Conclusion With the era of globalization, it is essential for companies to embrace workers’ diversity and motivate them according to their different capabilities to give their best to the company. One of how people learn how to foster teamwork is through interaction with people who are from different cultures, just like I was able to learn a lot through interacting with Abd-ul-Rahim. The above discussion of the positive effects of employees’ diversity leads to the conclusion that employees’ diversity improves organizational performance.Work CitedDe Dreu, Carsten KW, and Astrid C. Homan. "Work group diversity and group performance: An integrative model and research agenda." Journal of Applied Psychology. 2004.Homan, Astrid C., et al. "Bridging faultlines by valuing diversity: diversity beliefs, information elaboration, and performance in diverse work groups." Journal of Applied Psychology 92.5 (2007): 1189.Østergaard, Christian R., Bram Timmermans, and Kari Kristinsson. "Does a different view create something new? The effect of employee diversity on innovation." Research Policy 40.3 (2011): 500-509Van Knippenberg, Daan, Carsten KW De Dreu, and Astrid C. Homan. "Work group diversity and group performance: an integrative model and research agenda." Journal of applied psychology 89.6 (2004): 1008.Wells, Nancy M., and Kristi S. Lekies. "Nature and the life course: Pathways from childhood nature experiences to adult environmentalism." Children Youth and Environments16.1 (2006): 1-24.
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