I have various prejudices that can hinder effective personal interactions with people from different backgrounds. One of my key prejudices is that I tend to judge the competence of individuals based on the schools that they have attended. I also consider some cultures as backward even without taking the time to understand them. Additionally, I often assume that anyone that is not assertive has a low IQ.
I will address these differences by recognising that each individual has unique capabilities and competencies that cannot be tied down to background or upbringing. I will also strive to understand individuals before making any judgement regarding their characters or abilities. Furthermore, I will ensure that I always respect individual differences and interact with people with an open mind to avoid prejudices that can hinder effective personal interactions.
Question 2: Diversity in Staff Selection and Recruitment
Organisations should aim for diversity in selecting and recruiting staff by ensuring that they select and recruit their employees from a large pool of candidates. For instance, advertising employment positions on the Internet would increase the visibility of such adverts and attract candidates from different parts of the country or world. Diversity in the workplace can enhance creativity and innovation and, therefore, increase the competitive advantage of a firm. According to McMahon (2010), workplace diversity can also improve organisational learning and enhance the performance of a firm in the marketplace.
Question 3: Managing Workplace Tension
One of the ways to manage workplace tension is to develop organisational policies that prohibit behaviours that are likely to hinder effective collaboration in the workplace. Such policies will deter employees from engaging in anti-social behaviours that may lead to the lack of harmony in the workplace. Developing an organisational culture that fosters collaboration and respect among staff will also reduce tension associated with workplace diversity within the workforce. Organisational leaders should also adopt dispute resolution approaches that eliminate tension and improve the relationships between employees after a disagreement. A collaborative approach to dispute resolution can lead to better relationships between employees.
Question 4A: Different Ways to Show that Workplace Diversity is Beneficial
An organisation can assist staff to see that working effectively with a diverse team is beneficial by conducting seminars to train employees on the benefits of diversity. Such seminars can provide employees with important insights regarding the benefits of diversity and why they should embrace it in the workplace. An organisation can also conduct staff meetings to outline the benefits of diversity in the workplace. Such meetings would help employees to understand why the organisation values diversity and the necessity of working harmoniously in the workplace. Additionally, an organisation can organise team-building sessions to help employees to bond beyond the workplace. Team-building sessions can also have activities that highlight the importance of diversity. Teams that use their diversity effectively often emerge victorious in team competitions while those that are unable to overcome their differences usually find themselves outperformed. These outcomes show that embracing workplace diversity does not only benefit the organisation but the individual employees. While conflicts can be emotionally draining, harmony leads to a positive workplace environment that also enhances the well-being of employees (Chrobot-Mason and Aramovich 2013). Teams that emerge victorious during team competitions because the members used their diversity to achieve a competitive advantage often feel good about themselves. In the same manner, collaborating in the workplace can lead to job satisfaction. Employees can, therefore, embrace diversity more when they are made to practically see its benefits. Managers should work towards using both reward and deterrence measures to demonstrate to employees what they stand to benefit by embracing diversity and working together or what they could lose by not embracing diversity in the workplace.
Question 4B: Diversity and Products, Services, and Customer Relations
Diversity in the workplace can enhance creativity and innovation within an organisation and, therefore, lead to innovative products and services that enhance customer satisfaction (Guillaume et al. 2017). Organisations have to be innovative to develop products and services that can satisfy the ever-changing customer needs and preferences. Diversity in the workplace can also improve customer relations by ensuring that customers have excellent experiences that meet their needs and expectations. Culturally sensitive employees can ensure that an organisation serves its customers better.
Question 5: Promoting Diversity in the Workforce
An organisation can promote workforce diversity in internal and external forums through:
Newsletters
Conferences and seminars
Business meetings
Staff meetings
Staff Updates
Professional networks
Promoting diversity in external forums improve the brand image of an organisation. A positive brand image can increase the competitive advantage of an organisation in the marketplace. An organisation that is viewed by consumers as having a reputation for embracing diversity is likely to perform better than those viewed to shun diversity. Promoting diversity internally leads to an organisational culture that tolerates diversity. A workforce that embraces diversity can improve the competitive advantage of an organisation.
Question 6: Workforce Diversity and Competitive Advantage
Accenture PLC has used staff diversity to achieve a competitive advantage in the marketplace. The global management consulting and professional services firm has outperformed most of its rivals in the sector by leveraging staff diversity as a source of competitive advantage. The company has been able to successfully establish its operations in several countries by embracing diversity and using it to meet the needs and expectations of customers.
Question 7: Supporting an Organisation’s Effort to Value Diversity
I could support an organisation’s efforts to value diversity by striving to overcome prejudices and respecting individual differences within the workplace. An organisation cannot achieve its diversity and inclusion objectives if individual employees do not play their part in ensuring that the workplace is characterised by respect for diversity and harmony. I would also offer suggestions on the areas that I believe should be improved on to enhance diversity in the workplace. Feedback is critical for diversity management because employees are best-placed to identify the challenges relating to diversity and the ways in which they could be addressed by the management of the firm.
Question 8: Key Features of Six Relevant Current Legislation Relating to Diversity
Age Discrimination: this is a type of discrimination in which individuals are discriminated against as a result of their age.
Disability Discrimination: this is a type of discrimination in which individuals with disability are disrespected or treated differently.
Racial Discrimination: occurs when people are discriminated against because of their race.
Sex Discrimination: occurs when individuals are discriminated against on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, actual or potential pregnancy, and marital status.
Human Rights: discrimination can also occur when the human rights of individuals are violated. Human rights include the right to freedom, liberty, and happiness.
Equal Opportunity: equal opportunity legislation aims to ensure that individuals have a fair chance of pursing and achieving success.
Assessment 2: Case Study
Question 1: Brief Review of National Camper Trailers Diversity Policy
The key message of the organisation’s diversity policy is that the firm should be a place where everyone feels included and not discriminated against. The message applies to the employees of the organisation. The policy shows that individuals working at the firm should strive to embrace diversity and co-exist harmoniously with colleagues in the work environment. The message also applies to customers. They should consider the business as an enterprise that values customers from different backgrounds. The policy aims to enhance collaboration in the workplace and increase the competitive advantage of the firm in the business environment. The diversity policy also aims to enhance the brand image of the firm and enhance customer loyalty.
Question 2: The Diversity Policy’s Application to the Workplace
The diversity policy for National Camper Trailers applies to the workplace by defining how employees should relate with each other in the work environment. The policy aims to foster respect among staff and appreciation for diversity. The policy also aims to foster a culture that supports diversity in the workplace. An organisational culture that supports diversity ensures that employees from different backgrounds feel included.
The diversity policy can enhance the well-being of employees in the workplace since social inclusion is an important determinant of psychological well-being. The policy also defines how managers should deal with issues relating to diversity in the workplace. The decisions and actions of the organisation’s managers relating to diversity are, therefore, guided by the diversity policy. The policy also informs the recruitment strategies of the employer. Recruit and selection of new employees will be based on the goals and objectives of the diversity policy. The policy further defines the relationship between staff and NCT customers. Customers are likely to benefit from excellent customer service as a result of the organisation’s diversity policies.
Question 3: Actions to Ensure Diversity Policy is Understood and Implemented by Relevant Parties
Hold staff meetings to ensure that employees are taken through the diversity policy to improve their understanding of it.
Print newsletters explaining the organisation’s diversity policy. The newsletters can be distributed to customers.
Hold training sessions for change leaders to ensure that they take the lead in ensuring the implementation of diversity policies within the organisation.
Question 4: Feedback and Suggestions for Improvement
The current diversity policy can be refined to reflect the needs of millennials. The staff of most companies are currently comprised of millennials and the diversity policy should, therefore, reflect the diversity needs of this group.
Question 5: Training Needs
Conflict and dispute resolution: since conflicts often arise in teams comprised of individuals from different backgrounds, leaders should be trained on how to manage and resolve conflicts and disputes (Behfar et al. 2008). Training sessions on conflict management would improve the ability of organisational leaders to effectively resolve disputes.
Communication in a diverse team: effective communication in a culturally diverse team is an important training need for both managers and employees. Offering training on communication skills would improve relationships between team members.
Intercultural competence: there is also a need to train both employees and managers on intercultural competence. Such training sessions would improve their ability to support workplace diversity and thus improve the performance of the organisation.
Question 6: Managing Allegations of Harassment
Allegations of harassment must be treated seriously because they can impact negatively on the performance of employees and image of the organisation. A thorough investigation must be conducted to establish the truth to avoid cases of wrongful accusation. The resolution approach should strive to ensure justice for the victim without exposing her or him to further discrimination by other employees.
References
Behfar, K.J., Peterson, R.S., Mannix, E.A. and Trochim, W.M., 2008. The critical role of conflict resolution in teams: a close look at the links between conflict type, conflict management strategies, and team outcomes. Journal of applied psychology, 93(1), p.170.
Chrobot-Mason, D. and Aramovich, N.P., 2013. The psychological benefits of creating an affirming climate for workplace diversity. Group " Organization Management, 38(6), pp.659-689.
Guillaume, Y.R., Dawson, J.F., Otaye‐Ebede, L., Woods, S.A. and West, M.A., 2017. Harnessing demographic differences in organizations: What moderates the effects of workplace diversity? Journal of Organizational Behavior, 38(2), pp.276-303.
McMahon, A.M., 2010. Does workplace diversity matter? A survey of empirical studies on diversity and firm performance, 2000-09. Journal of Diversity Management, 5(2), pp.37-48.
