MANAGING DIVERSITY

INTRODUCTION
According to Dr.Santiago Rodriguez, Director of
Diversity for Microsoft, True diversity is exemplified by
companies that hire people who are different knowing
and valuing that they will change the way you do
business.
Diversity management is concerned with diversity
not equality recognizing difference rather than
trying to achieve sameness.
Diversity management is about addressing the total
culture, not just the systems moving the policy
focus away from rules and procedures towards
culture change initiatives.
Diversity management is focused on individuals, not

What do you mean by Diversity?

Diversity is more than just tolerating differences.

Acknowledging, recognizing, appreciating, valuing,

utilizing the unique talents and contributions of all
individuals.

Everyone is unique and no single person is

representative of certain group

Diversity is no longer just black/white, male/female,

old/young issues. It is much more than that. Diversity
a bridge between organizational life and the reality of
peoples lives, building more compatibility, a framework
for interrelationships between people, a strategic lens
on the world.
3

It encompasses race, gender, ethnicity, age,

personality, language, cultural background, sexual
orientation, religious belief, cognitive style, education
and more

OBJECTIVES OF DIVERSITY

Emphasizes the value of Diversity

Eliminate misconceptions of Diversity and its effects
Improve the management of Diversity at workplace

Managing Diversity in the workplace

Managing diversity is defined as Planning and

implementing organizational systems and practices to
manage people to maximize the potentials of diverse
community.

Heterogeneity promotes creativity and heterogeneous

5
groups have been shown to produce better solutions to
problems and higher level of critical analysis.

Most people believe in the golden rule: Treat others as

you want to be treated. But when we look at this
proverb through a diversity perspective, you begin to
ask question , What respect look like; does it look the
same for everyone? It depends on individual.

Instead of using the golden rule, we could use the

Platinum rule which states: Treat others as they want
to be treated.

Moving our frame of reference (OUR WAY IS THE BEST

WAY) to a diversity-sensitive perspective
(LET S TAKE THE BEST VARIETY OF WAYS) will help us
to manage more effectively in a diverse work
environment.
6

Kinds of Diversity at the Workplace

There are different kinds of diversity that one
encounters at the workplace.
These include diversity of Gender, Age, Psychology,
Education, Language and Culture. We will look at how
three of these, those of Gender, Ethnology &
Psychology can be managed. The corporate
workplace has traditionally been a male-dominated
one. IT industry is only sector that has been relatively
successful in promoting Gender diversity.

Challenges of Diversity in the

Workplace

Communication
Perceptual, cultural and language barriers need to be
overcome for diversity programs to succeed.
Ineffective communication results in confusion, lack of
teamwork and low morale.

Resistance to change
Employees will always refuse to accept the social and
cultural changes in the workplace.

The Weve always done it this way mentality silences

new ideas and inhibits progress the attitude problem

Increase in labor turnover and absenteeism, increase in

8

Managing Challenges of Diversity in

Organizations

keep a check on the perceptual, cultural and

language barriers. related to diversity and see
that they dont give way to confusion and low team
spirit.

Identify the similarities, instead of looking for

the differences. This will help the organization to set9
up the basis for a healthy working environment.

The proper steps should be taken to involve every

employee while devising and executing diversity
initiatives in the workplace.

Take polite and sincere interest about the well

being and emotional health of the workers .

It is essential to keep the human aspect in mind that

every person has his or her personal life and it is
important to value and give him some space.

An organization should provide an atmosphere of

openness and candor. Never dissuade them from
voicing their opinions and ideas regarding any matter.

Try to create an environment within the organization

wherein every person will enjoy working.

Organizations can also arrange training, in order to

improve policies and procedures related to diversity.

10

Implementation of Diversity in the

Workplace

Development and assessment of Diversity;

Choosing a survey provider that provides

comprehensive reporting is a key decision. The plan
must be comprehensive, attainable and measurable.

An organization must decide what changes need to be

made and a timeline for that change to be attained.

The leaders and the managers within organizations

must incorporate diversity policies into every aspect of
11
the organizations function.

Managements cooperation and participation is required

to create culture conducive to the success of the
organizations plan.

Involve every employee possible in formulating and

executing diversity initiatives in the Workplace.

An organization should always see that it promotes

diversity in managerial and leading positions.

12

Strategies and Tools for implementing

Diversity

Specify the need for skills to work effectively in a

diverse environment in the job.

Make sure that good faith and efforts are made to

recruit a diverse applicant pool, particularly
underutilized minorities and women.

13

Focus on the job requirements in the interview, and

assess experiences but also consider transferable
skills and demonstrated competencies, such as
analytical, organizational, communication, coordination.

prior experience has not necessarily mean

effectiveness or success on the job.

Use a panel interview format. Ensure that the

committee in diverse, unit affiliation, job classification,
length of service, variety of life experiences, etc., to
represent different perspectives and to eliminate bias
from the selection process.

14

Ensure that appropriate accommodations are made for

disabled applicants.

managers must recognize their own cultural biases and

prejudices.

managers must be willing to change the organization if

necessary.

Mangers need to need to be friendly with all

employees.

Equality and diversity should always be taken into

account. Manager should see that everyone is treated
equally fairly to access the same opportunities.
15

Managers must understand discrimination and its

consequences.

managers must be willing to change the organization if

necessary.

There is no single recipe for success. It mainly depends

on managers ability to understand what is best for the
organization. Both managers and associates need to be
aware of their personal biases.

Therefore, organizations need to develop, implement

and maintain ongoing training, not one-day session of
training.
16

Benefits of Diversity in Workplace

Diversities

in a working environment add a

unique richness to the workplace.
17

Employees come from diverse backgrounds, bring

individual talents and experiences with them,
contributes to an organizations overall growth. Great
ideas can lead to improved quality of product and
improved process.

Embracing employees with different skills and cultural

viewpoints help in understanding the needs and
requirements of the customers, on a global scale.

organization can formulate the best business strategy,

with its large pool of different ideas and solutions.

Though associates are interdependent in the workplace,

respecting individual differences can increase the
productivity.
18

Diversity in the workplace can reduce lawsuits and

increase marketing opportunities, recruitment,
creativity and business image and reduce unintended
biases.

Better customer service, eg during Chinese New Year,

non-Chinese can work.

Increased innovation - A diverse workforce with a range

of different backgrounds and perspectives gives
organization innovative ideas.

Organizations can retain potential employees which

leads to savings in recruitment and training costs, as
19
well as maintaining corporate knowledge and expertise.

The Role and Responsibilities of a

Workplace
Diversity Coordinator

A workplace coordinator should be appointed by the

agencies. Their role and responsibilities will vary
according to the nature, structure and size of an
agency. Some agencies have a network of coordinators.
20

Coordinators should be experienced and have the

support of the agency Head and executive.

The role of the coordinator:

Articulate how diversity can enhance the business

performance of the agency

Actively promote the benefits of diversity, both for the

agency and staff

Gain an understanding of the workplace diversity needs

of agency staff

Help all staff to be aware of workplace diversity issues

21

Advocate the inclusion of equity and diversity issues.

Develop, implement and monitor the workplace

diversity programs.

Monitor the agencys compliance with relevant laws and

regulation

Organizations can retain potential employees which

leads to savings in recruitment and training costs, as
well as maintaining corporate knowledge and expertise.

Keep senior executives informed about workplace

diversity issues and about the effectiveness of the
workplace diversity program
22

Consequences of ignoring workplace

diversity

Ignoring diversity issues costs time, money and

efficiency

Unhealthy tensions may arise between people of

differing gender, race, age, abilities if not handled
properly

23
Because of increased conflict among the employees,
organization failed to attract and retain talented people

Inability to retain women and people of

color, resulting in lost investments in
recruiting and training.

Discrimination breeds narrow mindedness,

impairs employee morale, strain employee
relationship and thus damage productivity.

24

WORKFORCE DIVERSITY IN INDIA

India occupies 2.4% of the total area of the world but supports over
15% of the worldspopulation.
Although Hinduism is the popular religion comprising 83% of the
population, India is also home to one of the largest population of
Muslims in the world over 120 million.
India has the worlds largest number of professionally qualified
women & has more working women than any other country in the
world across skill-levels, from the surgeon & the airline pilot to bus
conductors .
India's population bulges in the prime working-age group (15-59)
with about 35% of its population in that group, and this is expected to
peak to 64% around 2020.
The widespread diversity in gender, age, education, religion, place
of birth, language, ethnicity, race and, caste puts special
pressures on employers in India around finding, competing for,
holding and cultivating the
skilled employees they need.
A diverse organization is one that invites embraces and manages
difference in the changing workforce to gain the best from its people and
to provide the best service to its customers. Companies are embracing25
workforce diversity as a strategy to remain competitive in the face of

CONCLUSION
DIVERSITY

LEVERAGING
BARRIERS

D
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y

Differences in language and culture

Inertia and organisational culture
Varied roles and organisational complexities
Encumbrance by trade unions
Resistance
Status quo
Involvement and support from top management
Turnover of employees
- Yielding training programs
ENABL

ERS
employees
-

Moulding attitudes
Assistance from top management
Nominating a diversity committee
Assessment of needs and subsequent planning
Good and effective communication
Efficient recruiting, selection and retaining of
Managing resources for funding of diversity

26

Recommendation

Ward off change resistance with inclusion invove

every employee possible in formulating and executing
diversity initiatives in your workplace.

Foster an attitude of openness in your organization

encourage employee to express their ideas anopinions
and attribute a sense of equal value to all.

Promote diversity in leadership positions this practice

provides visibility and realize the benefits of diversity in
the workplace.

Utilize diversity training use it as a tool to shape your

diversity policy.

Launch a customizable employee satisfaction survey

that provides comprehensive reporting. Use the results
tp build and implement successful diversity in the
workplace policies.

As the economy becomes increasingly global, our

workforce becomes increasingly diverse.

Organizational success and competitiveness will

depend on the ability to manage diversity in the
workplace effectively. Evaluate your organizations
diversity policies and plan for the future starting today.

28

Management of Diversity in leading

INCS
Accenture

diversity

Accenture is passionately committed to cultivating

diverse workface both because its the right thing to do,
and its key element of achieving high performance,
said Armelle Carminati Rabasse, Accenture Managing
Director of human capital and Diversity globally.

29

Our company comprises people from a wide range of

cultural, educational, geographic backgrounds people
who are able to challenge conventional things. Our rich
diversity is part of what makes our company strong.

In an independent study commissioned by Accenture on

cross-cultural communication problem, it was found
that the chief factors causing problems between
onshore and offshore workers were different
communication styles ( 70 per cent of the time)
different approaches to completing talks (53 per cent)
different attitudes towards conflict (44 per cent)
different decision-making styles (44 per cent).

30

Tata Consultancy Services Diversity

Diversity

in companies is no longer about being

melting pots, but being salad bowls according to Grady
Seacy. We want people to retain their identity, yet
integrated into the company currently, 7.5 per cent of
our work force consists of non-Indians, said
Mr.S.Padmanabhan, Executive Vice President and head
global Human Resource, TCS.
In a session on managing cross-cultural teams, speakers
emphasized that managing a diverse workforce is no
longer a choice but an imperative. The Indian
31
workplace is no different from global MNCs. TCS has

Wipro Diversity

Wipro launched of its Women of Wipro (Wow)

initiative, coinciding with the International
Womens day. Wipro honored its women workforce
with the title of Green Ambassadors besides felicitating
women achievers.

Wipro Chairman, Azim Premji said, In corporate India, I

have been seeing very positive shifts in the last few
decades that have made it easier for women to
contribute to organizational growth.. There is no doubt
that having more women in our organization can help in
making it more profitable.

Eco bags specially made for women employees were 32

given away on the occasion which contains quick and

Management of Diversify in MNCs

IBM

Diversity

IBM Corporation has been a pioneer in valuing and

appreciating its diverse workforce. IBM has always been
a leader in diversity management

IBM operates in over 170 countries, with a workforce of

over 350,000 employees, including an office in Tokyo,
Japan, understanding and managing diversity
effectively.

33

. In 2007, women constituted 46% of the workforce in

the United States. In the same year, 11% of the
workforce was African American, 14% were of Hispanic
origin, and 5% were Asian.

Today, the company excels in its recruiting efforts to

increase the diversity of its pool of candidates councils.
The task force efforts have led to a series of significant
accomplishments. For instance, IBM's efforts to develop
women-owned businesses have quickly expanded to
include a focus on Asian, black, Hispanic, mature
(senior citizens), and Native American markets.

34

DELL Diversity

Dell

ranked #2 as Top Organization for

Multicultural Business Opportunities of
2006 according to
DIVERSITYBUSINESS.com. this organization
publishes the Div50 list which
represents the top 50 Fortune 500
companies that best promote
multicultural business opportunities

35

Global Labor Pool: Demographical Changes

36