Managing Diversity at Workplace: The Hewlett-Packard Case Study
ASA University Review, Vol. 3 No. 2, July–December, 2009
Managing Diversity at Workplace: A Case Study of hp
Yousuf Kamal*
Most. Moriom Ferdousi**
Abstract
Diversity and diversity management in multicultural workforce is increasingly becoming an important issue for the business in the era of globalization. It affects the productivity and efficiency of the workforce in general. The purpose of the study is to encompass the dimensions of diversity management in a practical company. Particularly, the study shed light on the diversity management issue of a multinational organization. We have analysed the diversity management journey of Hp from the beginning till now giving particular focus on diversity dimensions and strategies. The paper also highlights the theoretical aspect of ‘paradigms of diversity management’ and its application to Hp. We have analysed Hp’s diversity inclusion model and its own way of managing diversity in multicultural workforce. The findings of the study will be beneficial for the Bangladeshi organisation as it provides some guidelines and recommendations of diversity management. We find strong multicultural workforce diversity in the Hp operation and a variety of workforce diversity within the company.
Key Words: Diversity management, Cultural synergy, Paradigms of Diversity Management,
Multicultural Work force, Inclusion Model.
Introduction
In recent years, diversity has come to play a central role in organizational life, due to increased globalization, greater workforce diversity, and the increasing complexity of jobs (Williams and
O’ Reilly, 1998). The term diversity has many interpretations. Different scholars have defined it in different way. Cox (2001) defined diversity as the variation of social and cultural identities among people existing together in a defined employment or marketing setting. While, William and O’Reilly (1998) defined diversity as the degree of heterogeneity among team members on
Managing Diversity at Workplace: A Case Study of hp
Yousuf Kamal*
Most. Moriom Ferdousi**
Abstract
Diversity and diversity management in multicultural workforce is increasingly becoming an important issue for the business in the era of globalization. It affects the productivity and efficiency of the workforce in general. The purpose of the study is to encompass the dimensions of diversity management in a practical company. Particularly, the study shed light on the diversity management issue of a multinational organization. We have analysed the diversity management journey of Hp from the beginning till now giving particular focus on diversity dimensions and strategies. The paper also highlights the theoretical aspect of ‘paradigms of diversity management’ and its application to Hp. We have analysed Hp’s diversity inclusion model and its own way of managing diversity in multicultural workforce. The findings of the study will be beneficial for the Bangladeshi organisation as it provides some guidelines and recommendations of diversity management. We find strong multicultural workforce diversity in the Hp operation and a variety of workforce diversity within the company.
Key Words: Diversity management, Cultural synergy, Paradigms of Diversity Management,
Multicultural Work force, Inclusion Model.
Introduction
In recent years, diversity has come to play a central role in organizational life, due to increased globalization, greater workforce diversity, and the increasing complexity of jobs (Williams and
O’ Reilly, 1998). The term diversity has many interpretations. Different scholars have defined it in different way. Cox (2001) defined diversity as the variation of social and cultural identities among people existing together in a defined employment or marketing setting. While, William and O’Reilly (1998) defined diversity as the degree of heterogeneity among team members on
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