IDS-400

Southern New Hampshire University

Diversity in Business

Sarai Sternzis
The success and failure of every business are strongly reliant on the people who work in it. A good

variety of point of views and unique ideas are crucial to maintain and grow a business successfully.

Diversity in employees and management contribute to having a wider range of opinions, healthy

discussions, and diverse thinking. Although in the not-so-distant past of America it seemed as if most

large organizations were built of mostly a team of educated Caucasian men; the legislation and awareness

to diversity in the workplace has grown tremendously within the past decades. In looking through the

lenses of history, humanities, and natural and social sciences, we will analyze the ways in which diversity

has influenced today’s modern society and business environment.

America has been a diverse country from the start; the waves of immigration throughout the years

unarguably shaped and built America to what it is today. Although immigration was seemingly always

encouraged in the United states- the rights of people of color, women, and the older population were not

defined, and they weren’t legally protected of discrimination. The inclusion of women and minorities in

large American organizations as employees, managers, and even CEOs did not happen overnight. As a

matter of fact- a lot of blood, sweat and tears were involved in standardizing the presence of such groups,

especially in higher positions. Throughout American history, various acts and legislations were put in

place to fight discrimination in general and in the workplace in particular. The 1964 civil rights act is a

true landmark in civil and labor rights for minorities. It was not until then that discrimination based on

color, sex, age, religion, or nationality was illegal. Title VII outlaws such discrimination towards

employees. Historians look at old patterns to gather evidence that tell the story the past. Throughout

American history, and in the past 5 decades in particularly- endless books, articles, documentaries, and

more were created to tell the story of diverse population. Such evidence demonstrate how companies with

a diverse workforce outperform those without such.

The humanities are “disciplines [that] concern the study of distinctively human actions and

works; for example, history, philology (language, literature, linguistics), philosophy, theology and studies

of Antiquity” (Cosgrove, 2009, para. 3). Different forms of arts allow companies to explore and consider
cultures that are different than ours. Studying humanities allow individuals in organizations to develop

critical thinking skills, reasoning, and asking the right questions. The ability to discuss differences

between cultures allow employees to identify and recognize certain business opportunities or threats.

Recognizing cultural values and objectively looking at them is crucial for the success of the business as

such values often impact and determine the selection process of both employees and consumers in a

company.

Diversity in the workplace has heavily influenced the behavior, actions, and thinking of the

society. The exposure that is given in a diverse working environment provides the unique opportunity to

explore individuals to different cultures, behaviors, languages, religions, political views, etc. Individuals

who otherwise might have not been exposed to such different elements of society are able to closely view

them in such environment. People with different backgrounds and experience are likely to behave

differently. It is important to embrace such differences to be able to perceive different idea and point of

views and apply them to values of a company.

Although background and experiences strongly impact the behavior and thinking of individuals,

natural science always will play a factor in shaping us humans. The process of observation, research,

hypothesis, experiment, and conclusion is crucial for the success of a business. A good mixture of ages,

ethnicities, and different groups of the society within an organization can be described as the biology of it.

A company with a good biology (a healthy mixture of groups) should be able to build d maintain a

successful business.
History.Com (2020). Civil Rights Acts of 1964. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/topics/black-

history/civil-rights-act

Story.Com. History of Cultural Diversity in the United States. Retrieved from

https://study.com/academy/lesson/history-of-cultural-diversity-in-the-united-states.html

Purdue University (2020). What is diversity in the workplace? Retrieved from

https://www.purdueglobal.edu/blog/careers/how-does-workplace-diversity-affect-

business/#:~:text=Diversity%20Improves%20Employee%20Retention%20and,company%20fosters%20an

%20inclusive%20culture.