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Diverse Views of Diversity

 by Trula M. LaCalle, Ph.D.

(888) 522-2553
lacalle@Bellaii.com
Sonoma and Sacramento Counties, California, U.S.A. 

One fact is certain: diversity is here to stay.  The American work force--today and in the future--
will draw heavily on women, American-born minorities, immigrants, youth and seniors, people with disabilities, and men and women with varied sexual orientations.  Indeed, the classic "American worker", a white, married, Anglo-Saxon male, must face the inevitable reality that he will soon be
the minority. 

 In Sonoma County our population has been "lily white" in comparison to other California metropolitan areas.  But that's changing, and the demands for adjustments in managing a diverse workplace are increasing. 

 Company leaders are expected to manage this diversity and effectively operate an organization by using various actions and attitudes which will accommodate personnel of different gender, age, ethnicity, ability, race, and sexual preference.  Ignoring these necessary adjustments puts the organization at competitive peril.

In a homogeneous workplace, managers don't have to confront the personal limitations ingrained
by a Euro-American culture.  In fact, managers usually aren't aware of these limitations.  they can
fail to see the positive outcomes of diversity.  Then, when confronted with the need to change, they can miss the negative fallout from diversity-related actions.

     Here's a brief list of benefits from effectively managing cultural diversity.

     Firms that integrate diverse workers create cost advantages over those that don't.

     Companies with solid reputations for managing diversity win the competition for the best 
          personnel

     Insights and sensitivities improve global marketing, and marketing to subpopulations

     Wide-ranging perspectives heighten creativity and improve problem solving

     Multiculturalism leads to organizational  flexibility in responding to changes in the business
          environment

And here's another list, one of problems created when diversity is addressed.

     People in the majority, who consider themselves fair, are angry over paying the price for
           historical errors they didn't commit

     Traditional workers believe they've been treated unfairly when they're are passed over for
          hiring/promotion/assignment to accommodate someone from a "special" group

     Simplistic actions come across as tokenism, and are resented

     Poorly-designed diversity programs ignore the ethnocentrism that occurs with subgroups,
         and the anticipated harmony doesn't appear

     Cursory diversity programs, which skim the surface of issues, only raise awareness while
         leaving participants without tools for obtaining mutual understanding and cooperation

     Explaining and forgiving transgressions as due to cultural difference leads to hostility and
         lack of respect from observers

     There are no easy solutions the conflicts inherent in cultural diversity.  But sound solutions
         can be reached if a company first:

     -- identifies that there are at least two sides to the diversity issue 

     -- realizes that a need for diversity training is likely to mean offering more specific, in-depth
             training, such as cross-gender training and cross-cultural training

     -- understands that training alone will not create a diversity program which is fully integrated
              into the organizational culture

     -- clarifies that diversity programs are not the same as affirmative action programs

     -- faces the current reality or future inevitability of a dramatically diverse workforce

     -- recognizes a diversity program as a benefit not a cost

     -- holds a strong leadership attitude which views diversity as strengthening the company

      -- implements activities with the mind set of anticipating conflict while continually monitoring
            and refining the diversity programs.

     -- designs bias-free human resource systems while confronting problems arising from
              heterogeneity.

Altogether, this means companies that intend to thrive will carefully assess their increasingly diverse workforces and make necessary adaptations.  A failure to manage diversity will result in missed opportunities for benefits.  A knee-jerk reaction likely will create problems.