HITESH VERMA

50614901717
BBA(G) (SHIFT 1) SEC(B)
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
ASSIGNMENT 1

Q. What are the various dimensions of diversity?

Elaborate in detail, the strategies of managing
Diversity at workplace. Also highlight the challenges
before management in terms of diversity of
workforce.

ANSWER

Cultural diversity is the quality of diverse or different

cultures, as opposed to monoculture, the global
monoculture, or a homogenization of cultures, akin to
cultural decay. The phrase cultural diversity can also
refer to having different cultures respect each other's
differences. The phrase "cultural diversity" is also
sometimes used to mean the variety of human societies
or cultures in a specific region, or in the world as a
whole. Globalization is often said to have a negative
effect on the world's cultural diversity.
Diversity refers to the attributes that people use to
confirm themselves with respect to others, “that person
is different from me.” These attributes include
demographic factors (such as race, gender, and age) as
well as values and cultural norms. The many separate
societies that emerged around the globe differ markedly
from each other, and many of these differences persist
to this day. The more obvious cultural differences that
exist between people are language, dress, and
traditions, there are also significant variations in the way
societies organize themselves, such as in their shared
conception of morality, religious belief, and in the ways,
they interact with their environment. Cultural diversity
can be seen as analogous to biodiversity.
 MOST COMMON DIMENSTIONS OF DIVERSITY
1. Age: people of different ages give different value to
the company: the younger employees can keep the
company up-to-date with the latest technology and ideas
and older employees can draw on a much broader
range of experiences.

2. Race and ethnicity: research shows that companies

with the most racial and ethnic diversity are 35% more
likely to have above-average financial returns.

3. Gender: companies should be aware of the male-

female employment ratio as each gender brings
valuable perspectives.

4. Sexual orientation: companies in which people feel

safe enough to express their sexual orientation enable
employees to be more productive and achieve more in
their careers.

5. Disability: modern, up to date companies should work

on hiring people with disabilities and treat them equally.

6. Education level: by demanding unnecessary

qualifications companies are excluding people who may
actually be ideal for the job. They're also making your
workforce more homogeneous and less diverse.

Strategies of Managing Diversity at workplace

1.Start with Hiring. You cannot be averse to diversity at

the hiring stage and then expect the same thing you
shun to work for you later on – that would be absurd.
The inroads into the organisation for any aspiring
employee should reflect what the organisation is trying
to achieve in terms of diversity. Let your hires resemble
the country or community your company is based in as
much as possible. This can only be possible by ensuring
your recruitment policies encourage and embrace
diversity. To hire for diversity, you will need to overcome
bias in the assessment and interviewing process. This
can only be achieved by creating a diverse interview
panel that will ensure that the candidate selection
process is free of prejudices and biases and that
candidates are strictly selected based on merit. Fair
recruitment is crucial if diversity will be managed
successfully later on.

2.Create inclusive policies and practices. You’ll need to

ensure your organisation’s overall practices and policies
are inclusive of everyone and do not favour or
discriminate a certain set of employees. Policymakers
will, therefore, need to consider the differential impact
policies and practices will have on the diverse group of
workers before they’re enforced. In addition to this, it’s
very important to ensure that every employee
understands all of the organisation’s unwritten rules to
ensure inclusion from the get-go. Leaders and
managers should encourage and be willing to take
feedback on practices and policies from employees and
be ready to make changes where there’re perceived
barriers for certain groups in the workforce.

3.Provide diversity training. Sometimes employees

behave insensitively towards their colleagues not
because they want to be mean or discriminatory, but
simply because they do not know any better. Providing
diversity training to your employees, especially those in
leadership positions, helps people understand and
respect the differences in religion, race, ethnicity,
cultural values, gender and thinking styles. Diversity
training helps employees become self-aware which
plays a critical role in helping them understand their own
prejudices, stereotypes and cultural biases. It’s only by
appreciating where you currently stand that can you
improve.

4.Facilitate effective communication. One of the biggest

challenges of managing a diverse workforce is ensuring
there is clear and effective communication throughout
the organisation. To ensure everyone is on the same
page, make sure that all the employees understand all
the procedures, policies, safety rules and any other
important information. Work to ensure that cultural and
language barriers are overcome when communicating
with your employees. Have important work materials
such as operation manuals translated if possible.
Pictures and symbols that everybody can understand
should be used where applicable.

5.Encourage interaction. It’s only through interactions

with one another can diverse groups of people really
understand, appreciate and respect the differences that
exist among them. Encourage your employees to
collaborate with colleagues who are “different” from
them. One way of implementing this is by creating work
groups that reflect the diversity that exists in the
workplace. This will not only help your employees know
and value each other as individuals but will also expand
the views and experiences of team members helping
them appreciate the strength of their combined
perspectives and talents.
Challenges faced by Management
1. Acceptance and Respect
A fundamental value that contributes to a successfully
diversified workplace is respect among workers and
employees. When there is a lack of acceptance of the
diverse culture and beliefs among employees, conflicts
may arise. Sometimes, this conflict turns to animosity
and may even effectuate situations of violence. When
employees accept the differences between each other, it
results in a sharing of ideas and effective collaboration.
Acceptance fosters mutual respect and prevents
conflicts from arising. Diversity training will help
employees understand, accept, and respect each’s
other’s differences.

2. Accommodation of Beliefs
Diversity in cultural, spiritual, and political beliefs can
sometimes pose a challenge in a diverse workplace.
Employees need to be reminded that they shouldn’t
impose their beliefs on others to prevent spats and
disputes. They also need to make sure to keep their
ethnic and personal beliefs independent of their work
responsibilities and duties.

3. Ethnic and Cultural Differences

According to a New York Times report, there are only 5
African-American CEOs out of Fortune 500 companies.
Furthermore, a University of Wisconsin study revealed
that people with African-American sounding names are
14% less likely to get a callback. Sadly, issues from
ethnic and cultural differences are still present in the
workplace. There are still some individuals who hold
prejudice against people who have different ethnic,
cultural, and religious backgrounds as their own.
This prejudice and discrimination should never be
tolerated in the workplace (or anywhere else). Internal
company policies with clear and objective regulations
should be put in place to prevent employees from
demonstrating prejudice. Cultural sensitivities training
and diversity awareness programs in the workplace can
help address this issue.

4. Gender Equality
According to a recent survey, 40% of people believe that
both men and women will hire men over women. This is
supported by another study that shows that men are
30% more likely to be promoted to a managerial position
than women. Additionally, men earn an approximately
24.1% higher base pay than women.In the past, women
were paid less than men, but the Equal Pay Act has
changed that. In recent years, there has been an influx
of women in the workplace. Employers need to prevent
gender discrimination and maintain equality regarding
hiring, salary, opportunities, and promotions.

5. Physical and Mental Disabilities

Often, disabled employees have a difficult time
navigating through their workplace because proper
accommodations as simple as wheelchair ramps are not
available. Some special needs employees also have
service dogs, and some office buildings don’t allow them
inside. Make arrangements for service dogs to be
permitted in your place of work.
Have procedures in place for people with physical or
mental disabilities. Some companies have a “quiet
room” so that when employees start to feel anxious, they
can use that room to ease their anxiety.
Be supportive to your disabled employees and avoid
discriminatory or derogatory remarks. Ensuring a fair
and comfortable work environment for employees with
physical and mental disabilities helps successfully
create a more diverse workforce.

6. Generation Gaps
By 2025, millennials will make up 75% of the workforce,
and they are changing the work culture. Employees from
other generations may have difficulties adapting to
changes in the workplace and the work culture that the
younger generation are bringing about.
In larger corporations, there are more diversified age
groups, from teenagers to senior citizens. As a result,
cliques and social circles may be formed, and some
workers may be isolated from the team.
There may also be times that workers from different
generations may disagree with how things should be
done. To maintain teamwork and collaboration, create
an open communication culture within your organization
to help bridge the gap between generations.

7. Language and Communication

Language and communication barriers are ever-present
in companies with a diverse workforce. Often, US or UK
companies hire people whose native tongue or first
language is not English, so employees and managers
sometimes have difficulties in getting their message
across. This can lead to miscommunication and
productivity loss.
Language training for non-native English speakers can
often prevent this from happening. Hiring multilingual or
bilingual employees can also help bridge the gap.

Increasing diversity in the workplace will benefit your

company in the long run. In fact, companies with a more
diverse workforce perform 35% above national industry
medians.