Cultural Diversity
UNDERSTANDING DIVERSITY
Defining DIVERSITY
Definitions of diversity range from distributive concerns based on the traditional categories of race, ethnicity and gender to the inclusion of a vast array of differences in age, sexual orientation, disability, employment status, tenure, function, educational background, lifestyle, religion, values and beliefs in addition to race, ethnicity and gender.
In the recent CIPD report, Diversity: Stacking up the evidence (Anderson and Metcalf 2003), three different types of workforce diversity were identified:
Social category diversity relates to differences in demographic characteristics, such as age and race.
Informational diversity refers to diversity of background such as knowledge, education, experience, tenure and functional background.
Value diversity includes differences in personality and attitudes.
One of the most influential and well-received definitions of diversity management in the UK are given by Kandola and Fullerton:
‘The basic concept of managing diversity accepts that the workforce consists of a diverse population of people consisting of visible and non-visible differences including factors such as sex, age, background, race, disability, personality and work style and is founded on the premise that harnessing these differences will create a productive environment in which everyone feels valued, where all talents are fully utilized and in which organizational goals are met.’
The positive benefits of managing diversity
1. Diversity enhances customer relations and increases market share.
2. Diversity enhances employee relations and reduces the cost of labour.
3. Diversity improves workforce quality and performance in terms of diverse skills, creativity, problem-solving and flexibility.
The negative outcomes of failing to manage workforce diversity
low morale ambiguity conflict and tension confusion and communication problems
These undermine
Defining DIVERSITY
Definitions of diversity range from distributive concerns based on the traditional categories of race, ethnicity and gender to the inclusion of a vast array of differences in age, sexual orientation, disability, employment status, tenure, function, educational background, lifestyle, religion, values and beliefs in addition to race, ethnicity and gender.
In the recent CIPD report, Diversity: Stacking up the evidence (Anderson and Metcalf 2003), three different types of workforce diversity were identified:
Social category diversity relates to differences in demographic characteristics, such as age and race.
Informational diversity refers to diversity of background such as knowledge, education, experience, tenure and functional background.
Value diversity includes differences in personality and attitudes.
One of the most influential and well-received definitions of diversity management in the UK are given by Kandola and Fullerton:
‘The basic concept of managing diversity accepts that the workforce consists of a diverse population of people consisting of visible and non-visible differences including factors such as sex, age, background, race, disability, personality and work style and is founded on the premise that harnessing these differences will create a productive environment in which everyone feels valued, where all talents are fully utilized and in which organizational goals are met.’
The positive benefits of managing diversity
1. Diversity enhances customer relations and increases market share.
2. Diversity enhances employee relations and reduces the cost of labour.
3. Diversity improves workforce quality and performance in terms of diverse skills, creativity, problem-solving and flexibility.
The negative outcomes of failing to manage workforce diversity
low morale ambiguity conflict and tension confusion and communication problems
These undermine