Workplace diversity refers to the hiring of employees from various races, cultural backgrounds, and gender. In the past two decades, most companies around the world have incorporated inclusivity as a part of their corporate culture and this has been vital in enhancing their financial performance and market sustainability. Additionally, diversity at the workplace promotes the level of collaboration among the staff members and this in return contributes to enhanced operational efficiencies. Ethical leadership calls for managers and leaders in an organization to come up with values and policies that all employees have to abide by. In this paper, focus is directed on ethical leadership and diversity.
Thesis: Workplace diversity is an essential component of any organization in that it promotes the productivity of its workers and enhances financial performance.
Body
Leading others in the promotion of the work
Workplace diversity is one of the key contributors to organizational success and is interrelated with ethical leadership. As a leader, I will apply various techniques in leading my fellow employees in the firm to promote workplace diversity both now and in the future. Firstly, I will advise the Human Resource department to set up regular training programs. The platforms will be used for raising awareness to employees on the need for integration of diversity as part of the corporate culture (Thomas & Robin, 1996). In collaboration with the HR, I will ensure that I emphasize on the benefits that will come along with an implementation of inclusivity. With the help of the top leadership and the Human Resource, I will ensure that the organizational structure is designed in such a way that it will be in line with the aspect of inclusivity. I will also rely on team building platforms to lead my colleagues in having an in-depth understanding of diversity at the workplace and its essence in enhanced organizational performance (Khademian, 2002). Communication of the initiative to the employees on a continuous basis about the need for diversity in bolstering the success of the company will help in raising awareness on the importance of workplace diversity (Thomas & Robin, 1996). I will also use my position as a leader to closely monitor the HR to ensure that it integrates inclusivity as a part of the company’s culture.
Faces of diversity and their implementation
There are various facets of diversity in the workplace. One of these faces is race. In the modern day, most companies hire employees irrespective of their races and this is vital in the enhancement of the performance of workers. Gender is another aspect of consideration when it comes to diversity in the workplace. Over the years, issues of gender discrimination have been reported in various organizations, with the female employees being the main targets. Men have higher chances of getting employment and promotions in companies as compared to the women. Religion and culture also fall into the category of elements that are considered by leaders during the implementation of workplace diversity (Cox, 2001). The Muslim employees have on several occasions been subjected to discrimination in various organizations around Europe and America and this is attributed to the rise in terrorist activities. Finally, age gaps in firms also have a direct impact on the performance of the workers. Most companies around the world have reported cases of lack of collaboration between generation X and generation Y and this negatively impacts their ability to meet set goals and objectives.
As a leader, I have an in-depth understanding of the various faces of workplace diversity including age, race, and gender. A workplace that has employees with varying ages, from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds and one that has an equal balance of male and female employees tend to enjoy success in terms of its performance and production process. The Human Resource department is tasked with the role of ensuring that it incorporates hiring regulations that focusing on recruiting workers solely based on skills and qualifications and not their gender or race (Yukl, 2006). Incorporation of workplace diversity as a part of corporate culture is essential in that it contributes to an improvement in an organization’s market sustainability as well as its competitiveness.
An organization where its workers have a broad understanding of the essence of workplace diversity will always prosper both in the long-term and in the short-term (Cox, 2001). As a leader, I will rely on various platforms to promote awareness to the workers in my firm about the essence of inclusivity. Firstly, I will send emails to employees (both junior and senior employees) in various departments, and this I will do on a regular basis to ensure that the message is well received. I will also circulate memos to various units in the company and this I will do with the support of the Human Resource department. Platforms such as teambuilding and board meetings will also be applicable in helping employees understand the need for inclusivity within the company (Thomas & Robin, 1996). I will also hold regular meetings and discussions with the organizational leadership and this will focus on the implementation of diversity in the workplace. Employees from various departments will also be called upon to offer their suggestions on ethical leadership and diversity.
There are various techniques that I will embrace in helping employees within the firm to grow to understand that those who are different from them can be vital assets to the firm. One of these platforms will be training programs and this will be vital in educating them that diversity enhances competition within the workplace and this in return leads to enhanced organizational performance. By collaborating with Human Resource department, I will also inform the workers about the variations between gender and cultural diversity (Yukl, Mahsud, Hassan & Prussia, 2011). Armed with this information, they will grow in their careers with the knowledge on the essence of inclusivity within the firm. I will also hold regular mentorship programs and these will be done on a departmental basis. Starting with my department, I will advise employees about the benefits that will come along with workplace diversity and I will ensure that I also carry a similar activity in other units. In so doing, this will be instrumental in helping workers understand that those persons that are not similar to them in race, age and gender can be vital assets to the company.
Making a difference through diversity
Through my ethical and transformational leadership, I see myself making a difference for diversity in my organization. In the past decade, the company has mainly been dominated by white male employees and this means that chances for females to be hired are slim. Regarding ethnic and cultural background, individuals from African American, Asian and Hispanic communities are minimal and this exposes the company’s weakness when it comes to inclusivity. As a leader, I foresee myself making changes to the company in such a way that workplace diversity will be a part of the corporate culture. My first step in the transformation of the company into a reputable firm that values diversity will entail holding an extensive meeting with the board of directors and informing them about my ideas on inclusivity (Khademian, 2002). I will also engage workers and ask them about their opinions on the matter. I will then create a formal project plan that will support the diversity strategy and this will be in line with the organizational goals and objectives (Yukl, 2006). Moreover, I will request the Human Resource department to implement policies and regulations that will make it easy for the implementation of workplace diversity. Redesigning the firm’s organizational structure in such a way that it will be compatible with inclusivity will be vital for the company.
Conclusion
Workplace diversity is essential to any organization in that it promotes the productivity of its workers and enhances financial performance. Companies need to ensure that there is a balance in their workforce, regarding gender and race. In so doing, this creates collaboration among employees, thus improving tasks and operational efficiencies. Leaders also have to implement policies and regulations that reflect organizational values. Consequently, this results in an enhancement in brand image and market sustainability. Incorporation of inclusivity as a part of corporate culture gives a company a competitive edge over its rivals in the market.
References
Cox, T. (2001). Creating the multicultural organization. Chichester: John Wiley and Sons.
Khademian, A. (2002). Working with culture : how the job gets done in public program. Washington, D.C., CQ Press.
Thomas, D. A., & Robin, E. (1996). Making Differences Matter: A New Paradigm for Managing Diversity. Harvard Business Review 74(5), 79–90. https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=5722
Yukl, G. (2006). Leadership in organizations. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall.
Yukl, G., Mahsud, R., Hassan, S., & Prussia, G. (2011). An Improved Measure of Ethical Leadership. Journal Of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 20(1), 38-48. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1548051811429352
