In today’s global nature of business, diversity is a part of everyday life. As a manager/leader, you must not only recognize and understand it, it’s in your best interest to nurture and utilize it to your advantage. What is your experience with diversity? Do you use it to help your organization? Consider the following paragraphs.
Taylor Cox (2001, p.3) defines diversity as “the variation of social and cultural identities among people existing together in a defined employment or market setting.” While this definition is narrow enough to avoid focusing on every little difference between people, it manages to encompass more than just the differences of race or gender. Thomas and Ely (1996) speak of workplace diversity as a focus on the recruitment of people from minority or underrepresented groups. The focal point of this approach may be women or people of color, for example.
Defining diversity is not a simple matter. Pros and cons can be found regardless of which approach is taken. Cox’s definition encourages that people find ways to work together despite their differences. This may suggest focusing on talents and playing up strengths. It can also be understood as a request to assimilate, minimizing the ever-important role of individualism.
Too broad a definition may seem encouraging of focusing on every little difference found among people. This approach is rather impracticable given the reality of various individuals working within one business or organization. If diversity is defined too narrowly, we can be left to focus on small subgroups such as race or gender. It’s very ineffective to focus on just those things ignoring a possible range other issues.
A multicultural organization that utilizes its resources to the fullest will look beyond simply hiring people of different races and genders, with different cultural and educational backgrounds. It will focus on identifying strengths and fostering talents in such a way that employees will feel encouraged to be themselves and to contribute to the company. Furthermore, a truly multicultural organization must remember to remain fair and accepting of every employee while encouraging building a team.
Cox, T., Jr. (2001). Creating the Multicultural Organization. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Thomas, D. A. & Ely, R. J. (1996). Making a Difference Matter. Harvard Business Review, Sep/Oct 1996, Vol. 74 Issue 5, p79-90, 12p, 5c.
