Variety is universally considered as pleasing. There is also an opinion that The most delightful pleasures cloy without variety. That apart, biologically genetic diversity was found to favor the survival of the species. Just as that, diversity in the organizations is expected to increase the scope of their survival. Firms that are moving in the direction of creating diversity at workplaces can bank upon a wide range of skills, including perhaps those which it may never have to use, but are likely to bail it out when its highest probability assumptions about future fail to deliver results. The policy of creating more individualized employees, more differences, and more varied ideas will certainly widen the management choices. But, it also has a flipside: It poses challenge to the management.
We live in a society that is known for its differences. Diversity in terms of multiculturalism, gender politics, affirmative action, preferences, and mandates has become part of our existence. We are today more actively dividing ourselves by race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, cultural norms, physical ability, and socioeconomic status, than in the past. Though diversity is in existence since long, it is only recently that it has attracted greater attention from the corporate mandarins.
The reasons behind such heightened attention are many: it makes a great lot of economic sense, for diversity at workplaces in terms of human skills has tremendous potential to make organizational success a reality. Secondly, as business are becoming increasingly global, the need for working with people from different cultures as customers and suppliers is growing and companies with employees from different cultures could obviously march over the rest Thirdly, diversity in society itself is capable of impacting the behavior of employees at workplaces. Looking from any of these perspectives, corporates' interest in diversity appears to be well-founded. However, to better appreciate this growing interest in diversity, let us take a look at what diversity is; how it arises; why diversity in organizations; and the management challenges posed by the diversity to organizations. |