Diversity Issues

Diversity Issues

President Obama recently issued an executive order instructing federal agencies to strategically plan to recruit and retain a diverse workforce ( Linney, 2011, para. 1) implement Diversity in the workplace is a people issue that is focused on the similarities and differences that individuals bring to the organization. The term diversity has been used more to give emphasis to the variations between individuals and groups. The fact of the matter is that these differences are now considered to assets and are valued in many organizations. Diversity brings the ability to learn from others who are different, the encouragement of learning from each other and understanding the advantages of working in diverse organization. In order for an organization to continue to be successful and competitive in today’s business world, they must be able to embrace and understand the benefits from diversity.

This paper will discuss different types of diversity that I observe in my organization. In addition I will discuss what problems arise with diversity present, how diversity influences behavior and the benefits diversity provides. Lastly, I will discuss the best practices for managing diversity and leading diversity.

Diversity in the workplace is focused on the differences and similarities of individuals working in an organization. Organizations can benefit from the diversity because it brings various types of skills, knowledge, creativity and experiences. “Effectively managing diversity requires organizations to adopt a new way of thinking about differences among people. Rather than pitting one group against another, managing diversity entails recognition of the unique contribution every employee can make” (Citation, p.99). Not only does diversity involve how individuals perceive themselves, but how those individuals perceive others. The way they perceive others can have a huge impact on how they interact with others.

My current organization has done a great job of embracing diversity. By embracing diversity my organization has the capability of supplying various solutions to customer service, allocation of resources, billing and claims processing. The employees in our organization come very diverse backgrounds and bring various skills, talents and experiences in creating new ideas to make our jobs easier. Working in a diverse workforce also allows employees to feel more comfortable in expressing his or her ideas. The organization can use these ideas to plan business strategies and implement new procedures.

Although many advantages exist with my organization encouraging diversity, there are many challenges. The biggest challenge that exists in my organization with diversity is the resistance to change. We have employees that have been with company since the beginning that like “how things used to be done” and do not like to embrace the new innovations.