Diversity
in an organisation can act as a motivating force or a source of conflict.
Motivation, because of the competition it inspires, and conflict, because
of the friction that may be caused between people of diverse backgrounds.
There are
a number of demographic characteristics contributing to diversity. The
most widely recognised are:
• Age
• Gender
• Education
• Social norms
Age: Values, and beliefs vary among people of different
ages, and hence, the way they are treated must also vary.
Gender:
Gender bias is a common problem in many companies. Studies
show that women are paid lesser when compared to their male counterparts.
Education:
Another reason for diversity is the different educational backgrounds
that the employees have. This exists at multiple levels in the same
organisation and has to be dealt with carefully. This is because highly
qualified people cannot tolerate to be put into the same bracket as
lesser-qualified employees.
Social
norms: Employees in an organisation may belong to different
social groups. For example, some people might prefer to play a sport
at a club, while some people would prefer spending quiet evenings with
their families. This would make the employees think differently and
perceive things differently. The manager needs to understand the societal
background of people and cater to their needs accordingly. If employees
feel that the management cannot provide them the kind of lifestyle they
lead, then there would be a high degree of job-dissatisfaction
With so many parameters
of diversity existing in one place, there should be a strategy to tackle
it. It would be wise not to treat all employees in a homogeneous manner.
Each individual is unique and should be treated such.
How do you manage
diversity?
An individual
approach to managing diversity takes two forms:
• Learning
• Empathy
Learning:
It is imperative for supervisors to know about their employees before
they deal with them. Most managers are unaware of their biased attitude
towards employees. To avoid this, managers must communicate openly to
all the employees to understand them better.
Empathy:
Empathy is an important way to deal with problems at work. A manager
needs to understand the situation of the problem and deal with it effectively.
For example if a woman is sexually harassed at the work place and lodges
a complaint with the manager, then he needs to understand that the problem
is serious. By learning how to empathise with the team and by giving
them sufficient encouragement and guidance, a manager can effectively
manage diversity.
Managers need to
make vigorous attempts to overcome cultural, social and gender biases.
Internationally, the issue has been recognised as one that needs to
be managed seriously and in a diplomatic manner. Managers need to initiate
programs that ensure the complete elimination of built-in biases.