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4. Challenges for the India Inc – What do you do with the Diversified Workforce?
5. Measuring Diversity – The Practical side to the theory; DROI (Diversity Return On
Investment)
MANAGING DIVERSITY – CHALLENGES FOR INDIA INC.
AN ABSTRACT
Diversity – a reality that we cannot refuse to acknowledge in this world that is getting
smaller by the day. We will, as we go on, realize that Diversity is an advantage for
manage this to their full advantage. By adopting new structure and work practices that
are radically different from those traditional minded management, these organizations
managed to acquire a competitive advantage in the global market place. The whole
purpose of managing diversity is to bring out the best of employees talent, abilities,
skills and knowledge for the benefits of individual employees as well as the well-being of
At the first level, the organization has to value and utilize individual and inter-group
organization needs to conduct assessment, training, and interventions that will change
With the advent of the New Indian Multinationals, organizations are beginning to have a
very diverse workforce. Changing demographics of the Indian work place indicates that
managing diversity is far from being a passing fad-but is rather a business issue affecting
religion, skill level, race etc. There are various approaches for managing diversity. These
approaches can be applied at the individual level or at the organizational level. The
organizational approaches include testing, training, mentoring and the use of alternative
organization, the compliance organization, the affirmative action organization, and the
includes members of various cultural and social groups in the decision-making process.
Given this scenario it is quite a challenge for the evolving India Inc to manage diversity,
not only in the global context but in the national context which is like dealing with
Managing Diversity, though not new to Indians who are themselves very exposed to
dealing with many cultures within the country, the term itself has attained new
connotation with the Indian Multinationals crossing the vistas. It is in this context that
we need to clearly outline how the India Inc will need to harness the power of diversity
Diversity, at the outset might seem to be very simple. If it does, then we are actually
looking at its one dimension. There are different levels, or layers of diversity that we will
There is more to diversity than gender and race differences. There are four major
personality itself. Each dimension has characteristics that help one identify with
individuals in different ways. The characteristics that make up each dimension are as
follows:
External dimensions— These characteristics influence our lives and our value systems,
Diversity is not limited to the obvious characteristics of gender and race. Many different
traits characterize an individual. The diversity wheel shown below represents those
traits in terms of four layers of diversity. Each layer identifies a different dimension that
defines who we are. No single element carries more weight than another. The
makes people distinctive from each other. As employees get to know others within an
IMPORTANCE OF DIVERSITY
debate, around the task at hand. That is, people deliberate about the best course of
action. This is the type of conflict that absolutely should be engendered in organizations.
On the other hand, demographic diversity can sometimes whip up interpersonal
conflict. This is the kind of conflict people should fear. "People think, 'I have a different
opinion than you. I don't like what you do or how you do it. I don't like you’. This is what
The third type of diversity is based on goals and values, and it actually generates both
types of conflict. This is the most potentially damaging of all the diversities. Without
value-goal homogeneity, a team can accomplish little. But once a team recognizes and
accepts a goal, it makes problems easier to deal with because each person knows the
understand the effects of diversity on the throughput. The experiment is shown below.
In a related lab study in Kellogg’s Institute, behavioural scientists looked at the effect
social and informational ties had on how groups shared information. They set up groups
In each group two members were social friends. The third member was a stranger. In
half the groups, the friends had a common piece of information and the stranger was
given a piece of unique information essential to solving the problem. In the other
groups, one friend and one stranger had common information, while the other friend
had the unique information. Which group was more likely to share information more
effectively?
The groups with two friends having common information and the stranger with unique
information did the most productive information sharing. The reason could be that the
two friends know each other and expect that they have similar information because of
their mutual experience. A stranger knows he or she is different and is more likely to
In groups where one of the friends had the special information, the friend suppressed
the informational difference in order to keep social ties intact, researchers speculate.
There are a number of reasons why diversity is fast gaining importance in the current
scenario.
market population.
including Intel, DuPont, General Motors, Inland Steel and Pitney Bowes - shows
that a more diverse and team-based workforce helps generate new ideas and
increase revenues.
4. Increased Job Satisfaction and Employee Morale: The Families & Work
Institute's "1997 National Study of the Changing Workforce" reports that, when
environments are the most satisfied with their jobs," and "employees whose
workplaces are supportive and responsive to their individual needs are the most
loyal."
penalties.
with an open and inclusive environment can enhance its reputation in the
"Infosys Technologies said on Friday that it was recruiting 30 interns from 17 European
technology and business schools as part of its Global Internship Programme — InStep.
"We firmly believe that the future success of Infosys lies in its ability to create an
"Talent is imperative in today's economy and the increase in globalisation means the
competition for global talent is rife. At Infosys, we recognise the importance to invest in
skills globally and provide opportunity for future business leaders to understand the
Technologies.
Taking this topic to the global playground, above statements are the leading indicators
that companies have a need to build a globally diverse work force. As companies expand
abroad, they will need people with diverse skill sets and with deep knowledge of doing
business in those countries. Employees from home country - say India for example will
never be able to match the deep knowledge on Brazilian business by a Brazilian. This
Global IT giants such as IBM and Accenture have already built a multiethnic,
multinational, multicultural work force. Indian IT companies are now starting to do the
same.
India itself has a diverse group of people: Different Religions, Languages, Ethnicity and
lifestyles. India is home to 50+ languages and 200+ dialects. India probably has all the
world’s religions represented and also has people from almost all ethnicity (African,
not enough. Firms will need people from other nationalities too.
A good thing about India though is that the country and its culture has been diversity
friendly. This creates a suitable base for Indian firms to create a globally diverse
workforce. A diverse work force can create diverse ideas which are superior and that
into the work force and using their diversity to the firm’s competitive advantage.
Leaders are beginning to understand that diversity training within their organizations is
company can create a common frame of reference and establish a solid foundation
upon which employees can understand each other and eliminate biases and barriers
that often impede on the companies’ overall ability to effectively promote a culture of
inclusion.
Companies can offer a variety of flexible training programs to meet the needs of all
employees. However, it is best to avoid one-shot training efforts that stir up emotions
employed that encompasses diversity as only one facet of needed change in the
corporate culture.
MANAGEMENT TRAINING
that can distract employees and reduce utilization. In addition, every executive’s and
that values every employee, regardless of his/her age, gender, racial or ethnic
background.
than experience or skill set measures to help the business and better support an
WEAKNESSES
STRENGTHS
• May lead to sacrificing
• Greater Creativity the individual for group
• Better Problem fairness
Solving • Might be misunderstood
• Greater for “reservations” and
understanding and “equal opportunities”
flexibility
OPPORTUNITIES
THREATS
• Malleability of Indian
• Resistance to Change workforce
• Interpersonal Conflict • Exposure to working
• Resentment with varied cultures
• Backlash within the country
• Attrition
CHALLENGES FOR THE INDIA INC – WHAT DO YOU DO WITH THE DIVERSIFIED
WORKFORCE?
The challenge for the companies is to manage this diversity. The company will now have
different points of view, and different opinions - and at the same time minimize friction
created, it becomes easier to attract talent from other nations and thus create a
perpetually diverse organization. Thus a well managed diverse work force can create
new growth opportunities and innovation that the organization had never imagined
before.
CHALLENGES
The benefits of diversity are not instantaneous. Diversity creates differences and this
often means conflicts. In MNCs, people from different countries tend to form their own
groups and these groups cannot get along easily with each other. The same is applicable
within teams - and when these differences are not controlled, it can cripple a team.
Research has found that a diverse team often goes through an extended period of time
in the storming phase. It becomes important and essential for the management and
To make diversity succeed, a strong and committed leadership is needed. These leaders
who are from top management must understand the benefits of diversity. They must be
Leaders must be able to standup to these beliefs and demonstrate their appreciation to
different ideas. A weak leadership or if leaders show any signs of favoritism, inter-group
fights will reign which results in low morale and high employee turnover. And over a
period of time if the problem is not corrected, the company loses its image and that can
Integrating a diverse work force is not easy neither it is instantaneous. Intel, Microsoft,
IBM, Accenture etc., have created a high performing global work force by taking a series
of steps over an extended period of time. The same will hold true for Indian firms.
The first and the most essential step in managing diversity is to have commitment from
the top leadership. Leaders of the company should wholeheartedly endorse diversity
Second step is to replicate this diversity in all levels of the organization starting from the
top. This implies that the company will now need a global staffing strategy. Few firms
have gone to the extent of having a policy that mandates it to have at least one woman,
The third step is to set target for the entire organization. Targets for every
group/division within the company in terms of workforce diversity have to be set. This
will mobilize the middle management to take proactive steps to create a diverse work
wherein employees are encouraged to work in different locations and with different
sets of teams (these teams are diverse teams). A well crafted work rotation program can
RETURN ON INVESTMENT)
processes, to groom the workforce, to train them – each of these steps would require
an investment. For a business, if there is an investment, there has to be return on it. And
Diversity Pays! Executives and other organizational personnel are beginning to recognize
the benefits of calculating the impact of seemingly intangible process like managing
they do this? Because, expenditures in these areas are treated as expenses than as
Consider for instance the following dilemma faced by executives and managers:
investment is depreciated and earnings are reduced gradually over a 20- 30 year period.
earnings reduced by the same) during the current year. For executives and managers
whose pay is tied to this year’s earnings, the choice of which investment is pretty clear
by now.
As a result, organizations under financial pressure, tend to invest in physical capital at
the expense of human capital – even though the latter may very well generate more
value. This kind of pressure may result in poor decision making behaviour, such as
sooner or later realize that people are a crucial source of competitive advantage rather
The clear bottom line is this – If current accounting methods cannot give diversity
professionals the measurement tools they need, then it is imperative that new tools are
Like any other discipline, diversity must be composed of both solid theory and applied
• Identify the Hard and Soft Data Contained in the Diversity Contribution
• Select a Method to Convert the Hard Data Contribution to Dollars
5. Calculate the costs, benefits and DROI This step will help you:
6. Report it to others
THE 9 – S FRAMEWORK
The 9-S framework is adapted from the McKinsey’s famous 7-S model to understand
organizational variables that build corporate capability and pinpoint the causes of
Organizational Malaise.
The McKinsey model references seven variables that can be leveraged to make
organizational change easier: Strategies, Structures, Systems, Style, Skills, Staffing and
Shared values. Add to these, the two more variables that play an important role –
Shared Vision and Standards. To effectively manage diversity, all of the variables within
the model must be examined to ensure their complete alignment with the
organization's diversity goals and to understand the options for increasing each
variable's effectiveness.