...integration at work can only be influenced to a small degree. The formation of cliques and exclusive social groups is a natural process that can be impossible to control at times. Because of this, companies can experience informal divisions in their staff, creating a situation where culturally diverse employees avoid exposure to each other during break times and after work. Although there is nothing fundamentally wrong with this scenario, it can hinder the effectiveness of sharing knowledge, skills and experience, thus curbing productivity growth and the effectiveness of teams. Diverse Experience Co-workers with diverse cultural backgrounds bring unique experiences and perceptions to the table in groups and work teams. Pooling the diverse knowledge and skills of culturally distinct workers together can benefit companies by strengthening teams' productivity and responsiveness to changing conditions. Each employee in a diverse workplace possesses unique strengths and weaknesses derived from their culture in addition to their individuality. When managed properly, diversity in the workplace can leverage the strengths and complement the weaknesses of each worker to make the impact of the workforce greater than the sum of its parts. Recommended diversity in the workplace solutions include: Ward off change resistance with inclusion. - Involve every employee possible in formulating and executing diversity initiatives in your workplace. Foster an attitude of openness in your organization...
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...Opportunity for Managers to Shine The culmination of our nation’s highest unemployment rate in decades and a growingly diverse workforce appears to be the perfect storm for company leaders. As businesses are slashing jobs, managers are required to do more with less. Human resource (HR) managers must be precise on hiring the best employees and offering the most attractive benefits for a diverse labor market. Department managers must maximize employee productivity. Gone are the days when managers can hide behind their desks unconcerned of their department’s work culture. The downward economy has forced senior leadership to take a red pen to wasted resources. Unproductive departments face possible layoffs or consolidation with other departments. Understanding the characteristics of the current labor market creates an opportunity for managers to grow their company’s human capital and propel their careers. Managers must understand today’s evolving labor market, in order to attract the best workers, effectively lead, and successfully motivate workers—create a competitive advantage with little room for error. Why Understanding the Labor Market Attracts the Best Workers. The diversity of the labor market is a reflection of our changing society. According to Mitchell et al. (2003), in the next two decades a transformation will occur in our workforce. Due to the evolution of medicine, people are living longer. This naturally extends the work life of employees. HR managers must...
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...INTRODUCTION With globalisation, it is inevitable to have workforce diversity. Workforce diversity is the significance differences of each individual that distinguish them at their working environment. This report explores the study of workforce diversity and brings about an understanding of surface-level and deep-level diversity. Furthermore, the report highlights the importance of managing for diversity and explores the characteristics of both Singapore employees and expatriates. SURFACE-LEVEL DIVERSITY AND DEEP-LEVEL DIVERSITY Diversity is being characterised into surface-level and deep-level diversity. Surface-level diversity refers to the observable demographics and psychological differences that include language, culture, race, gender, ethnicity, age and physical capabilities. Deep-level diversity refers to the differences in psychological characteristics which includes personalities, beliefs, values, knowledge, experiences and attitudes. Both types of differences are evident in an individual’s decision, actions and expectations. (McShane, Olekalns & Travaglione 2010) Surface-level differences are easily noticeable and measurable as compared to deep-level differences. One of the example is the use of expatriates who are professional personnel employed outside of their home country to work or assist in another organisation. Standard Chartered is one of the organisations which embraced surface-level diversity. It operates overseas and send executive to run subsidiaries...
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...Leadership Assessment Joel Blakeney Strayer University Dr. James Ruether Businesses 302 Management Concepts 6 September 2014 INTRODUCTION The purpose of this paper is to analyze the leadership style(s) of a senior executive (CEO, CFO, COO, Director, etc.) in a current or previous organization who made a positive or negative impact. Secondly analyze the organizational structure and culture of the company for which work to determine its approach to team development, and whether that approach helped to enhance the relationship skills in the workplace. Thirdly evaluate the performance of selected leader based on his or her ethical conduct and effective communication to determine if this leader was successful in motivating and empowering to improve on your work performance. Fourthly determine three (3) best practices organizational leaders can use to motivate employees and discuss their potential benefits. Fifthly discuss some of the challenges leaders encounter when managing diversity and how diversity helps business organizations better compete in global markets. Lastly develop an effective business strategy to address the challenges and issues identified above. The leadership style(s) of a senior executive What is leadership? Leadership is the process of influencing others to accomplish a goal or mission. There are many leadership styles ranging from authoritative to democratic to a mixture of both and many others. According to Johnson (2014) there are five...
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...3RTO ACTIVITY 1 1.1: 3 organisation benefits of attracting and retaining a diverse workforce In this era of economic globalization, many companies are making efforts to achieve workforce diversity, which aims to employ workers from different backgrounds to provide tangible and intangible benefits to the organization. Understanding the advantages of workforce diversity helps an organization to establish with a competitive edge. This can include employing workers with cultural and language skills that can lead to greater reach for the business. 3 organisation benefits of attracting and retaining a diverse workforce 1: Increase in Productivity Workforce diversity can bring about an increase in productivity and competitive advantages. Employers can offer more solutions to customers because of new ideas and processes brought into the organization. Workplace diversity increases employee morale and causes employees to desire to work more effectively and efficiently. 2: Increase in Creativity Workforce diversity increases creativity within a company because people coming from many cultures can give many ideas and their own experience. Employees from different backgrounds bring in a variety of solutions on how to achieve a common goal. In atmospheres when brainstorming is necessary, more ideas are formed because team members are culturally diverse. For example, employees from China working in American companies may approach a problem totally differently than do American workers...
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...CHAPTER | | SIXTEEN | | | | | | | | | | | | |16 | | |Motivating | | | |Employees | | | | | | | |Lecture Outline | | | |Introduction | | | |What Is Motivation? |The motivation of employees is a vital key to the success of | | |Early Theories of Motivation |managers and the business organizations they lead. Since the | | |Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory ...
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...Solving the Dilemma A Leader’s Guide to Managing Diversity Increasing workforce diversity has become an inevitable fact of organizational life, but it is still unclear whether this increasing diversity has a positive or negative effect on organizational performance. Leaders seeking to manage diversity effectively should consider research findings that suggest that when the tasks to be performed are complex, diverse workgroups produce more creative and innovative solutions and achieve better results than workgroups that are more homogeneous; for less complicated tasks, however, the complex dynamics of a highly diverse workgroup can actually hinder the work process and lower performance. T he first and foremost task of leaders is to successfully implement organizational strategies. In today’s business environment, one of the critical elements of achieving this goal is effectively managing an increasingly diverse workforce—teams of people of different races, cultures, religions, languages, and so on. Corporate strategists are increasingly viewing workforce diversity as something that can drive organizational value by sparking innovation and increasing competitiveness in an ever more global marketplace. Often overby David L. Dinwoodie looked, however, are the leadership challenges inherent in managing people who have vastly different backgrounds, traditions, motivations, and concerns. In facing these challenges, it is essential for leaders to consider that individuals draw...
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...What is the importance of a diversified workplace? Although some people think that diversity does nothing but create problems and challenges, it offers remarkable benefits. While legal ground for diversity was and continues to be one motivating factor in organizations seeking to achieve employee diversity, profits and ultimately long-term success will become the new motivators. Educating managers and staff on how to work effectively in a diverse environment helps organizations prevent discrimination and promote inclusiveness. There is evidence that managing a diverse workforce well can contribute to increased staff retention and productivity. It can enhance the organization’s responsiveness to an increasingly diverse world of customers, improve relations with the surrounding community, increase the organization’s ability to cope with change and expand the creativity of the organization. Good management of diversity can: increase productivity, enhance innovation, and improve the organization’s ability to maneuver in an increasingly competitive, complex and diverse environment. Companies that have managers who are equipped to successfully leverage the distinct and rich talents and skills and knowledge of all employees will not only avoid drains on profitability; they will actually attain a number of strategic benefits. Tapping into diversity is ESSENTIAL for success in any business. Diversity breads creativity and creativity drives innovation. To be successful in business...
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...Achievement Motivation Theory Analysis University of Phoenix PHY/320 Elizabeth Riegner December 19, 2012 Achievement Motivation Theory Analysis Every manager has a theory on how to motivate employees to perform his or her job. One of the oldest motivational methods is the Carrot and Stick method, which is a combination of rewards and punishments to bring about a desired behavior. Although this method of motivation can still be found in one form or the other in many organizations today, managers are learning new methods of motivating employees. This paper will analyze two different job positions the author has held, and how the theory of achievement motivation would and would not be applicable to those job positions. The author will also analyze the need to develop and create new theoretical models of motivation in today's changing work environment. Theory of Achievement Motivation Atkinson's Achievement Motivation Theory suggests that some individuals have a greater need for achievement and success than other individuals. Those individuals that have a high need to achieve and be successful will take on more difficult tasks than those individuals that are not highly motivated to succeed. The following two workplace scenarios will show how the theory of achievement can affect employees. Workplace Scenario One One workplace scenario that works well with the achievement motivation theory is the Wal-Mart organization. Employees of Wal-Mart are paid by the hour; however...
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...A manager faces several challenges in motivating his or her employees in today's workforce. Three challenges are diversity, organizational restructuring and fewer entry-level employees. These challenges did not exist in the workforce of 50 years ago. In today's workforce, managers face both genders instead of one, different sexual orientations, different ethnicities, races, and religion. The American workforce of fifty years ago had more men and they were primarily Caucasian. The second challenge is organizational restructuring. Today there is a trend of mergers and acquisitions that did not exist fifty years ago. Mergers and acquisions leads to layoffs. Layoff's impact an employee's job performance, leaving managers unsure how to reassure them in the face of political upheaval. Lastly, today's workforce has fewer entry-level employees because the workforce is growing slower. Managers are faced with hiring qualified applicants for entry-level positions and then must also motivate those individuals to pursue higher job positions. One challenge that managers face is diversity. It is hard to come up with one motivational technique and apply it to everyone. Today's workforce is comprised of different job performance styles that are impacted by gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, race, and religion. Several challenges are entertwined with diversity. These variables affect how the manager interacts with his or her employees. For example, communication is one area that is hugely...
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...Management and Leadership Paper Jerrie Lewis MGT/230 Management Theory and Practice April 15, 2013 Peggy Terrasi Many people today are seeking to understand the concepts and practices of leadership and management. Within this paper I will be discussing the difference between management and leadership, addressing cultivating leadership skills in managers and how managers can increase organizational performance by setting effective expectations, and describing the roles managers play in creating and maintaining a healthy organizational culture when applying leadership principles. I will also summarize best practices for leading in a diverse workplace and addressing how leveraging diversity can benefit an organization. When we think about what a leader and a manager is, most of us will use the same meaning. But in actual fact this is incorrect. We have to look at these two terms differently. The biggest difference between managers and leaders is the way they motivate the people who work or follow them. A manager usually does things by the book and follows company policy, while leaders follow their own intuition, which may in turn be of more benefit to the company. Leaders share a dream and direction that other people want to share and follow. Many people believe that leadership is simply being the first, biggest, and most powerful. Managers, on the other hand, establish the infrastructure, processes, and boundaries that allow the team to reach that vision. Managers are...
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...the cultural changes within Diversity has brought a new importance to the work place. With the world becoming more diverse, and the work place becoming more multicultural, political correctness, affirmative action and disparities in pay pushed their employers to change their recruiting practices. A progressive workplace should consist of employees of wide-ranging cultures, ethnicities, religions, genders, and ages, and other factors. When you add people from the different backrounds there’s always going to be tension. However, each individual from each different culture or reign can bring something different, something new and exciting to the table. Worldwide Telecommunications, Inc. is meeting this rather complicated issue directly in the hopes of turning it into an opportunity to promote a multicultural work environment that its customers can connect with. The various cultures of the workers will have an effect on the way that the community understands and interacts with the organization in an affirmative way. This distinctive idea will not be without its difficulties. A diverse workplace can lead to challenges and struggles as people from different cultures, ethnicities, religions, genders, and ages learn to work together. When they see the additional benefits of bringing such a diverse group of people together, the connection between the individuals of this distinctive group will be stronger, and they will have more comfortable...
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...individuals, teams and whole organizations to perform better and at higher level (Adenike, 2009). As a matter of fact, it is considered one of the most important motivational tools for affecting the performance of employees in organizations (Hellriegel and Slocum, 2011). Achieving goals is certainly not an easy task, but Allstate Corporation believes that its diversity strategy is one of the company's most important competitive weapons. According to James DeVries, senior vice president of human resources, this strategy has two major points: one internally and one externally focused. The internal diversity focus is about discovering potential in Allstate's workforce by providing them with all necessary tools, resources and opportunities to succeed. The external focus of diversity is about making sure that the Allstate's workforce matches the experience, backgrounds and sensitivities of the markets it serves (Hellriegel and Slocum, 2011). Allstate made its first action program back in 1976. The main question human resource management faced was how to incorporate all differences together and make a program that will lead to achievement of corporate goals? They made a program that consists of four steps: - Succession Programming. Allstate identifies and develop candidates for each key position. Their management informational system...
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...management system to appeal to the diverse groups that it employs. I will analyze how I would interpret the values that Hershey embraces in relation to my role, if I were a Hershey employee. My research will also discuss the trends identified in the chapter and describe which one may impact Hershey the most. Lastly, I will describe the effects that mentoring could have on integrating values into the Hershey culture. Recommend the redesign of Hershey’s performance management system to appeal to the diverse groups that it employs. Because Hershey’s employs such diverse groups it could benefit from knowledge workers. Organizations need a management style that focuses on developing and empowering employees. (Noe, 2011) Knowledge workers are employees whose key contribution to the organization is specialized knowledge, such as knowledge of customers, a process or a profession. Employees are then held accountable for products and services, and in return share losses and rewards. (Noe, 2011) When an organization competes for employees, depend on skilled knowledge workers, or are in need of a workforce that cares about customer’s satisfaction, a pure focus on efficiency will not achieve human resource objectives. (Noe, 2011) To improve job satisfaction, organizations need to design jobs that take into account factors that make jobs motivating and satisfying for employees across...
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...Galactic Therapies Incorporated Communication Challenges and Opportunities COMM/215 April 8, 2013 RoMay Sitze Galactic Therapies Incorporated Communication Challenges and Opportunities Galactic Therapies Incorporated (GTI) has been expanding on a global level and therefore has developed a very diverse, multicultural workforce. The new dynamics of this globally diverse workforce has helped to expand their ability to innovate and expand their operations, but this growth has not come without difficulties. With the new diverse workforce GTI has encountered issues related to communication and teamwork between the workers from different corners of the globe. The board of directors has asked Team Alpha Consulting to research the problems, evaluate how other companies are handling similar issues, and provide a report that will help to integrate this diverse workforce with GTI’s ever-expanding global force. Managing a multicultural workforce requires a clear understanding of the different cultures involved and how the cultural differences require different management styles. During our research we have found two primary ways to expand a company’s workforce globally. The first option is to hire an outsourcing company that will provide its own workers and will manage most of the relationships with the hiring company via liaisons. Outsourcing companies prefer to minimize direct contact of their employees aside from their own management staff. In this scenario it is prudent...
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