000778059 somashekar reddy dissertation
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213106-97
Course BUSI1359: Pathway Specialisation Project Course School/Level BU/PG
Coursework Dissertation Assessment Weight 0.00%
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000778059 Bharath Somashekar
Reddy
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Bharath Somashekar Reddy
000778059
MBA International Business, University of Greenwich, Business School,January 2013 starter
Project MBA IB, BUSI1359
Managing Cultural Differences Across Boundaries for Optimizing BusinessPerformance
Supervisor: Paolo Tubaro
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Abstract The purpose of this dissertation is to study and find out how a workplace which is diverse and
where people from different cultures work together manages the existing differences and also if
such differences are managed properly how can it be used for proper optimization of business
processes. In 1900s when globalization started different organizations started operating on
international scales. As a result of integration of working boundaries there started a free
exchange of views and ideas. In addition to, the culture of multinational companies provided
numerous employment opportunities and made employees of different countries come and work
under one roof. Since the employees were from different countries, areas, having different
religions and race, it became important to study the impact and management of cross cultural
differences.
The aim of this dissertation is to:
1. Study the various dimensions which come into the category of cultural diversity such as age,
gender, race, physical or mental disability, language, religion etc.
2. A brief study to the terms used in work places such as racism, stereotyping, glass ceiling,
ethnocentrism, cultural shock etc
3. Ethical and legal measures to keep a check on discrimination. Laws and acts of differentcountries.
To have a detailed knowledge both qualitative and quantitative analysis methods were used and
presented in the form of graphs and percentage. To collect data purposive sampling method was
used and the sample size was 50. Based on the findings conclusion and recommendations are
provided for future reference.
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Contents
1. Introduction: ............................................................................................................................ 9
1.1 Background ........................................................................................................................... 9
1.2 Significance of Topic .......................................................................................................... 10
1.3 Problem Statement .............................................................................................................. 11
1.4 Aim and Objectives ............................................................................................................. 15
1.5 Research Topics .................................................................................................................. 15
2. Literature Review ...................................................................................................................... 17
2.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 17
2.2 What is Workplace Diversity? ............................................................................................ 17
2.3 Challenges to Meet Cross Cultural Differences .................................................................. 18
2.3.1 Culture Shock ............................................................................................................... 19
2.3.2 Ethnocentrism ............................................................................................................... 20
2.3.3 Stereotyping .................................................................................................................. 22
2.3.4 Cultural Imposition and Blindness ............................................................................... 22
2.4 Strategies to Deal with Cultural Differences....................................................................... 23
3. Research Methodology .......................................................................................................... 27
3.1 Need of Research Methodology .......................................................................................... 27
3.2 Research Philosophy .......................................................................................................... 27
3.3 Research Approach ............................................................................................................. 28
3.4 Data Collection and Research Methods ............................................................................. 29
3.5 Sampling.............................................................................................................................. 30
3.5.1Methods of Sampling..................................................................................................... 31
3.6 Data Analysis ...................................................................................................................... 31
4. Data Analysis ............................................................................................................................. 32
4.1 Analysis of Questionnaire ................................................................................................... 32
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(a) Understanding the Problems on Different Cultural Backgrounds: .................................. 32
4.2Managing Policies and Laws ............................................................................................... 46
5. Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 49
5.1 A Framework for Managing Diversity as Organizational Change ..................................... 50
5.2 Recommendations to Make Cultural Change Happen ........................................................ 51
5.3 Current Trends And Statistics Of Workplace Diversity ...................................................... 53
References .................................................................................................................................... 57
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Table of Figures
Figure 1: Northrop grumman [online]. (2013). ......................................................................... 12 Figure 2 Vadim Kotelnikov. (2010). cross cultural communication. ....................................... 14 Figure 3: Diversity at GSK. ..................................................................................................... 15 Figure 4 : Transition Stages Model ............................................................................................... 19 Figure 5 : Reasons for feeling out of place at work ...................................................................... 20 Figure 6 : Managing Cultural differences (Kotelnikov, 2012) ..................................................... 22 Figure 7 : Organisation ................................................................................................................. 24 Figure 8 : Deductive and Inductive Learning adapted .................................................................. 29
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1. Introduction:
1.1 Background
In todays scenario of business, growth and fast economic development the firms are rapidly
extending their business all over the world. With the onset of globalization it has become a very
common phenomenon that an organization may have employees from diverse backgrounds.
Hence it is one of the very important tasks to deeply study and understand the various effects of
culture on a workplace. (Brad Power 2012)
A definition from Investopedia explains
Cross culture can be experienced by an employee who is transferred to a location in anothercountry. The employee must learn the language and culture of those around him, and vice-
versa.
The purpose of this project is to recognize and find ways to enhance the capabilities of
employees from different cultural backgrounds to better deliver their services in an
organizations business processes. In this project we will try to find different ethical and leg al
ways to manage diversity and construction of such an environment in a workplace that can
maximally utilize the diversity of employees who are from different places, have differentcultures and perspectives and different experiences.
Diversity has nowadays become a widespread reality in all the business areas irrespective of the
field. A culturally diverse workforce can be a huge disadvantage for any workplace team or a
company if unmanaged, however if it is controlled and managed in a proper direction it can be an
added advantage for the organization, along with helping in growth of an individual employee it
can also enhance an organizations potential, improving the interaction of company with the
customers and hence business growth, and also enhancing creativity and problem solving. In this project the management of cultural diversity across boundaries is discussed emphasizing the
maximum optimization of business processes. Using appropriate legal and ethical solutions it is
easy to overcome the hurdles and barriers which are on the cultural grounds and will provide not
only understanding and promotion but knowledge sharing also between employees who are
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fromdifferent cultural backgrounds which further lead to a successful relation of employee with
customer, employee with co workers and seniors and overall company.
1.2 Significance of Topic
Cultural differences in various multicultural companies and teams can lead to unsolvable
misunderstandings among the members of a multicultural team before they have had a chance to
establish any understanding with each other. On the contrary, if a multi-diverse workplace is well
synchronized it may lead to much better results. Thus, this process of building trust and co-
operation has beenone of the crucial steps in not only creating new teams and also development
of the existing multicultural workplaces. The higher authorities of such teams need to recognize
that trust building among people of different cultures and backgrounds is a complex process
since each individual has its own views and perceptions with which he has grown up.
In enhancing a business performance and its competitive advantage there are various dimensions
that need to be addressed which may be indirectly or directly impacted by cultural diversity.
These are attracting human resources, cost, and organizational flexibility, marketing success,
creativity and innovation. (Taylor H. Cox, 1991).
Attracting Human Resources: A company which is well diverse that is having employees of
different countries, backgrounds, who are from different races, age groups definitely gainfavorability as employers over the companies which are not diversity rich. It may specially be
viewed as prospective employers by women and minorities.
Cost: As the diversity of an organization increases, the cost of a poor job in integrating workers
also increases. Those companies which handle such problemsproperly, it create cost advantages
over those companies which don't.
Organizational Flexibility: If an organization is flexible and has a multicultural working
system, it will be more fluid which provides greater flexibility and easier adaptation to any kind
of environmental changes.
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Marketing Success: For diverse organizations it has easier marketing efforts due to
understanding of different cultures and hence better insight of what is happening in current
market scenario.
Innovation and Creativity: Heterogeneity in an organization results in diverse perspectives andhence better and numerous options to choose from.
1.3 Problem Statement
As mentioned earlier, cultural difference in an organization is a very common yet very important
issue to be addressed. These issues are explained as follows
Understanding Cross Cultural Diversity:
There are various dimensions to diversity. (Dan Applebee, 2011)
There may be inherent differences such as
Race
Sex/Gender
Linguistic Background
Ethnicity
Age
Sexual Orientation of Employee
Physical Disability
One other dimension may be difference in
Social Background
Economic Background
Life Experience
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Education
Religious Belief
Marital Status
Personality
As shown in Diagram 1 is an example of an organization Northrop Grumman that faces a variety
of dimensions in an employee. There may be few employees who may have one or more
characteristics simultaneously. For example, there may be employee who is from a different
culture, speaks a different language has been in a diverse background and who also have a
physical disability.
Figure 1: northr opgrumman [onli ne]. (2013).
Available from:
. [Accessed 3rd dec 2013].
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Defining Culture:
As defined in Wikipedia Culture is a word for people's 'way of life', meaning the way they do
things. Different groups of people may have different cultures. A culture is passed on to the next
generation by learning, whereas genetics are passed on by heredity. Culture is seen in people's writing, religion, music, clothes, cooking, and in what they do.
So being a member of a certain group a person inherits and acquires knowledge, belief, laws,
morals, religion, customs and language. Since most of the companies in todays time are going
global, it is apparent that they will have a pool of employees who may be from extreme different
cultures. The cultural impact of an employee or different groups of employees on a workplace
can be far reaching and substantial.
Inclusion of Diversity of Culture To Gain an Edge:
Inclusion of diversity points to the concept of acceptance and respect an individuals differences.
An inclusive approach acknowledges and engages different backgrounds, talents and beliefs of
an employee in such a way that he feels valued. The basic steps towards this may not only
understand the difference but also to bridge any existing gaps. It is important that all the different
aspects of diversity are explored in a positive and organized manner. This indicates that for an
efficient working of an organization the work force should be aware, open, respect and
collaborate to each others diversities. But at the same time these should not be restrictive in
nature or else it may have rather a negative impact on a firm.
Cross Cultural Communication - Dimensions and Impact:
Culture is the lens through which you view the world. It is central to what you see, how you
make sense of what you see, and how you express yourself. (VadimKotelnikov, 2010)
Below is an example of how cultural difference can lead to threatened communication
challenges. In the diagram is a simple hand gesture which is perceived differently in differentcultures and different parts of worlds. In countries like UK and USA where it indicates okay in
other countries it is perceived in an entire differ ent way like zero in Russia, money in Japan,
and insult in Brazil.
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So if an employee from USA or UK indicates okay with his hand gestures it may be perceived
as an insult by a person from Brazil.
Figure 2 Vadim K otelni kov. (2010). cross cultural communication.
Available :http://www.1000ventures.com/business_guide/crosscuttings/cross-
cultural_differences.html. Last accessed 03 dec 2013].
Talking of impact, with the above example it can easily be concluded that it can be both positive
and negative. It is easy to understand that an employees behavior or an unknown interactionwhich has a different meaning can be considered as rude, misbehave, wrong or even abnormal.
If a team is multicultural yet unaware of each others cultures, it may lead to lack of credibility
and misunderstanding among each other finally leading to conflicts and unproductivity.
http://www.1000ventures.com/business_guide/crosscuttings/cross-cultural_differences.html.%20Last%20accessed%2003http://www.1000ventures.com/business_guide/crosscuttings/cross-cultural_differences.html.%20Last%20accessed%2003http://www.1000ventures.com/business_guide/crosscuttings/cross-cultural_differences.html.%20Last%20accessed%2003http://www.1000ventures.com/business_guide/crosscuttings/cross-cultural_differences.html.%20Last%20accessed%2003http://www.1000ventures.com/business_guide/crosscuttings/cross-cultural_differences.html.%20Last%20accessed%2003 -
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1.4 Aim and Objectives
How to Make Diversity Part of Your Strategic Goals:
There may be few basic steps which if taken can help in easily making and including diversityinto the strategic goals of business processes. The below diagram explains the various
dimensions which constitute diversity of a workforce. This is an example of GlaxoSmithKline
which explains their objectives and strategies for embracing diversity. Apart from basic
dimensions like age, race, ethnicity, gender, abilities, origin etc., there are some other dimensions
also which needs to be monitored and addressed equally like work background, thinking, marital
status, location, parental status, education, profession etc.,
Figure 3: Diversity at GSK.
Available: http://multiculturalorgwiki.wikispaces.com/Merck,+GSK,+BMS. Last accessed 04
Dec 2013.
1.5 Research Topics
The various objective of this research includes following steps which if followed may help in
making a definite and positive result in a culturally diverse organization
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STEP 1: MAKE CREATING A DIVERSE AND WELCOMING WORKPLACE A PRIORITY
To make a company more diverse includes a welcoming workplace and should include this in a
companys strategic policies and also its mission and vision.
Improving the ways a company already incorporates these principles into its values, mission, and
vision.
STEP 2: EVALUATE YOUR WORKPLACE
There may be different evaluation tools used for assessment of Diversity in a company. The tools
may be used for employees and employers separately.
Different questionnaires can also be used for individual opinions.
STEP 3: IMPROVISE
Higher authorities of the company should look for more feasible and more applicable solutions
for further improvisation.
Assessment of the points where company needs to further improve and highlight where the
company is doing well.
STEP 4: SET GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
Once there is clear picture of high points and pitfalls, the problem issues should be prioritized
and addressed appropriately.
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2. Literature Review
2.1 Introduction
One of the greatest strengths an organization may have is in the diversity of its employees. An
organization should recognize and value all the different virtues and attributes like technical
skills, capabilities, life experiences of all the employees from different backgrounds and guide
them in such a way that maximum contribution can be utilized and such an environment is
created that uses and manages diversity of employees to its fullest.
In order to create such an environment a strong and effective strategy should be made and
followed. Such a strategy needs to be made that aims to create a workplace which is not only fair
and unbiased but also supportive enough to accept and tolerate changes. Also it should be fair
and flexible. The difference between employees should be considered as an asset and respected.
Proper measures should be taken to foster best working practices and diverse contributions of
different employees are best utilized.
2.2 What is Workplace Diversity?
Diversity can be defined as the ways in which people differ from each other. It is one of the very basic characteristics of human behavior. So, in a work place also it is natural that people who are
part of an organization will have diversities. Although the basis may be different, like ethnicity,
race, gender, age, culture, language, gender, intelligence, physical ability etc. Apart from these
there are other attributes also which are inclusive of workplace diversity namely life experiences,
social background, economic background, educational background, personality, marital status,
family responsibilities and religious beliefs.
Workplace diversity is basically built on the principles of equal job/employment, hiring and promotion opportunities which not only accept but include such inherent differences. It not only
involves the identification but also the value of such differences and also extracts the maximum
professional potential of the employee and help the organization achieve the defined business
aim and employees their career goals. Todays workforce is of a mosaic style with different
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attributes of diversity. It is of utmost importance that there is harmony, coordination and
maximum utilization of talents and abilities of each employee. (Esty, 1995)
2.3 Challenges to Meet Cross Cultural Differences
As discussed earlier for business optimization at its maximum possible and to achieve its best
performance it is necessary to make sure that such strategies are made which not only deals with
diversities of different dimensions but also builds a companys relationship with customers such
that it enhances the employee contribution towards his own responsibilities and work and
improves the overall quality of the entire business processes also. Workplace diversity creates
effective business performance because of better team work and supportive work environment. It
increases productivity, encourages greater productivity, innovative thinking and hence much
improved problem solving. From the perspective of business making, the various benefits for
many large private sector organizations like financial gains and business making, investing in
strategies that support diversity have always been of great significance and hence resulted in
increased profits and productivity. Such a strategy implementation in various different
departments will result in benefit of increased employee retention, enhanced productivity and
reduced expenditure on the recruitment processes. The globalization of various organizations
further pushes the problems of diversity into front as organizations envision their strategic
policies. (Jackson, 1992)
According to the Business Reviews done by Harvard, a survey was done on 12000 managers
from various different companies of different countries and it was found that 45% of
multinational companies (having more than 10000 employees) experienced expansion in terms
of both the work fields and the employee count in last two to three years. Also according to
Business International Corporation, 1991 it was found that in US pharmaceutical companies 40%
of their annual sales was from international markets. With these examples few conclusions can
be easily drawn that with the fall of trade barriers new opportunities of sales are created with the
help of different knowledge bases and creative thinking. Below are few major challenges that an
organization and its employees may face.
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The figure below demonstrates different stages of transition a new employee goes through in a
new workplace which starts from adjustment and learning and gradually leads to separating or
accepting. The intermediate steps includes steps like searching, examining, doubting.
Figure 4 : Transition Stages Model
Source :(Eden, 2012)
There are certain hindrances which come in between adjustment to acceptance which are
discussed below.
2.3.1Culture Shock
Cross cultural communication expert Dr. Kalvero Oberg has defined cultural shock as the
anxiety that results from losing from losing familiar signs and symbols of social intercourse.
The most common and frequently found symptoms of culture shock are as follows: (Taylor,
2012)
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Figure 5 : Reasons for feeling out of place at work
Feeling Isolated- Employee may feel lost and deprived in a new work place due to unknowing
nature and absence of understanding of the new culture. This may be with regard to friends,
status, co-workers, senior or profession.
Anxiety and Worry- After facing a new culture and being aware of it may result in surprise,
disgust and indignation.
Reduced Work Performance- A culture shock may result in a strange impotent feeling due tolack of ability to cope with new unknown environment.
High Nervous Energy- Confusion, loss of self-confidence, lack of values, feelings and self-
identity because of facing an entirely new and strange environment.
Helplessness- On facing an unknown environment employee may feel rejected by members of
new culture and may he do the same out of helplessness.
2.3.2EthnocentrismIt is common in human beings that they judge events as good if they are similar to the events that
occur in their own culture. The less exposure to other cultures more will be the ethnocentrism
and hence less level of attractions and misunderstanding. If such things happen in an
organization that the employees do not understand and are not flexible enough in accepting the
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differences of different dimensions of culture, it may result in depression. (Martin Chemers,
1995)
Nanda and Warms have given a contemporary explanation about ethnocentrism
Ethnocentrism is a notion that ones own culture is superior to any other. It is the idea that other
cultures should be measured by the degree to which they live up to their own cultural standards.
It may further be explained by an example. There are certain countries where, people who talk
while looking in others eyes are considered as straightforward and honest whereas in other
countries it may be perceived as a behavior that is rude towards others, and that such a person
does not give respect and hence is misbehaved and rude. This can further be elaborated with the
help of a practical scenario. In Arabian countries a person who talks and communicates while
making a lot of eye contact is regarded as a misbehavior and disrespect towards others. On the
contrary, in Western countries, eye contact to a certain extent is believed to be acceptable, but
again it should not be too much as it may make some people uncomfortable. In such cases a
person may initially make eye contact and periodically keep looking to other sides so that they
are not being taken as rude. In countries of South Asia and certain other parts of the world a
direct eye contact is perceived as an attacking and aggressive mode of behavior.
Apart from geographic areas like cities and countries there are certain religions also like Islam, in
which if an eye contact happens between men and women it is regarded as being a flirtatious
behavior. So the people who follow Islam and hence void making an eye contact with women are
not rude and aggressive, but are being respectful for them.
Certain other cultures may also differ in the amount which is considered to be acceptable to
make an eye contact with other people. On a broader term it can be named as high look and low
look cultures. For example British follow a culture that is low-look, which can be elaborated that
watching either known or unknown people, especially strangers, may be perceived as intrusive.
The people who are being watched may feel insulted and uncomfortable. Whereas in high
looking scenario is entirely different where, looking or gazing at other person is completely
acceptable and hence being watched is not a problem. If such a scenario arises that people of
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these different culture meet, it is highly probable that there may be a clash of their expectations
and perceptions, and hence irritation and misunderstandings will definitely occur.
2.3.3 Stereotyping
Stereotyping is probably the strongest challenges in cross cultural communication differences. It
may be defined as generalizing about a person or making assumptions about all members of a
particular group based on a wrong or biased image of one person.
According to Breslin there may be certain prejudices that may be extremely difficult to avoid and
are obvious to happen. There may be different kinds of bias which may be based on different
dimensions of diversity like gender e.g., in various places it is judged that females cannot do
some particular jobs as they are delicate, or based on national origin e.g. Indians are expected to
be conservative as compared to western countries and culture. (Breslin, 1991)
2.3.4 Cultural Imposition and Blindness
Many a times it may also happen that despite knowing and observing the differences an
employee or group of employees may ignore them and reject to accept. It is different from
stereotyping that no judgment or bias is there instead there is complete indifference towards a
certain culture or some behavioral traits. Cultural imposition on the contrary is forcing a person
or group to follow a specific set of values or pattern without their consent.
Figure 6 : Managing Cultural differences(Kotelnikov, 2012)
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The above diagram shows that the reasons to different cultural attributes like communication
style, language, and dialect, attitude towards organizational functions like completing tasks,
innovation, decision making, productivity and approaches towards knowledge are not superficial
but have deeper roots that need to be understood. Traits like beliefs, values, perceptions, attitudes
and assumptions are the factors which shape different cultural attributes.
2.4Strategies to Deal with Cultural Differences
The intention and process of managing diversity in a workplace is to create and maintain such an
environment which is positive and where differences of any kind or dimension that are present in
different individuals are respected and valued. It not only identifies the potential barriers but also
its impact on the organizations working and employees growth. Because of globalization
diversity in organizations have increased manifold due to which the organizations put emphasis
on doing research on diversity prevailed in an organizations culture , how it can affect a diversity
openness, and relation between that of diversity of an employee and his performance at
individual level and standard organizational levels. The aim is to determine the effects that
diversity can cause within an organization and also the degree of openness it may have for the
dissimilar characteristics which inevitably exist among the different members of an organization,
the teams of members and their work groups, and the prevalent cultures. Despite the existence of
technological wonders in communication in present scenario, international relations require
dealing with one another on an individual basis. To make this effective, it is mandatory to
manage and have a control on all kinds of language and barriers causing stereotype .(Patrick,
2010)
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Figure 7 : Organization
Source :(Anon., n.d.)
The various characteristics of diversity represent multitude set of the differences and similarities
that may be present in an individual. Diversity encompasses the different traits of a human nature
for example, race, age, cast nativity and origin, religious beliefs, ethnicity and sexual orientation.
The various dimensions which represent different diversity factors can be demonstrated with the
help of Gardenswartz & Rowes (1994) Four Layers of Diversity Model.
According Gardenswartz & Rowe (1994) diversity can be compared to the structure of an onion
that possesses distinct layers which if opened, reveals the core gradually. According to
Gardenswartz & Rowe (1994) the four distinct layers of diversity which constitute are
organizations dimensions, external dimensions, internal dimensions, and personality.
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Few aspects of managing diversity are as follows: (Bhattacharya, 2010)
Without damaging the business or breaking down team morale, it should be ensured that there is
proper representation of diversities which includes managing a diverse group of people, reducingracial and cultural conflicts. And understanding personality conflicts.
But these strategies are quite broad and macroscopic. To deal with differences properly the basic
step includes differentiation into major groups and dealing them accordingly. In meeting its
obligations, an organization should develop strategies to address the issues which are grouped as
below. These are the major groups which mainly includes almost all the major
differences:(Karsten, 2006)
Indigenou s Employees
Physically disabled/handicapped employees
Women
Cultural and linguistic difference
Aged workers and generation gap
Strategies to Deal the Differences of Indigenous Employees
Timely review of departmental communication materials to identify appropriate
differences of Indigenous employees.
Promotion of cultural understanding and respect and to ensure support to Indigenous
employees when they start working at the department. Promotion of developmental opportunities. Establishment of an Indigenous contact officer role who plans Indigenous employment
strategies and programs
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Strategies to Increase the Recruitment and Retention of People with Disability
Developing innovative and suitable opportunities for disabled people. Develop an action plan that deals with the extents and related problems of handicap. Framing of an authoritative body that meets with the need of the department. Establishing a suitable mentoring program. Introducing various disability awareness programs and training for coworkers, managers
and recruiters.
Promoting educational opportunities for mental health and wellbeing and its awareness. Making reasonable adjustments in workplace to optimize training and development of
employees with disability.
Explore options for reasonable workplace adjustments and assistive technology for
employees with disability.
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3. Research Methodology
The purpose of research methodology is to define and elaborate the various research tools which
are used for various findings of the research topic. Along with this there will be a short
description of methods through which data is collected.
3.1 Need of Research Methodology
The main aim of a research methodology is to gather relevant data from various databases and
historic references and analyzing it to arrive on a conclusion which is based on completeunderstanding of data.
Research includes gathering information and finding answers of new questions.(Wayne Goddard,
2007). So a research can be defined as a search for innovative knowledge and establishing novel
facts, solving the existing problems, identifying the new ones, providing innovative ideas and
development of new theories using varoiuspractical and scientific ways.
For a proper research methodology, correct research problem must be identified. And the
selected area must be clearly defined. There may be certain situations where only the symptoms
can be found but if a research is proceeded with ill-defined problems, the conclusions will be
misleading.(Panneerselvam, 2004)
3.2 Research Philosophy
A research philosophy can be defined as a belief and the various different ways in which data is
collected, gathered, analyzed and used to solve a problem. According to Galliers (1991) two
major research philosophies which are identified are positivist (also called as scientific)
andinterpretivist (also called as anti-positivist)
Research philosophy basically refers to the process of systematically searching the underlying
reasons, values, existing knowledge, ideas and language. For the present research to happen
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correctly an innovativeness and willingness to learn is required in order to establish facts of both
queries which are newly found or already existing queries. Research philosophy has been an
inseparable and compulsive part of research methodology the purpose of which is to collect data
in an effective manner and with a proper methodological approach. There are three types of
research philosophies which are used in different research papers. These are named as
positivism, interpretive and critical. Among these three positivisms is the oldest existing and
mostly trusted and widely used philosophy in different researches as it is comparatively scientific
method which is based on rationale and empiric approach of a research. (Mackenzie, 2006)
Whereas in interpretive paradigm the underlying purpose is to understand the basics human
nature and its various multitude experiences. The procedure of interpretive paradigm includes the
researcher recognizing the impact of research and also about their previous background and
experience where as in Critical paradigm the researcher uses the concepts of distribution of ideas
in the society and the political ideologies. Since this research focuses on social views and
perceptions interpretivism is more suited methodology.
3.3 Research Approach
The main purpose of research approach is to determine the method and design and the overall
approach which will be taken by the researcher. The research approach includes methods of
producing knowledge on new research topics and deepening the understanding of an already
studied topic or issue. The various research strategies constitute of approaches namely logical,
experimental, and qualitative research. It helps in not only establish but also the confirmation of
facts, and development of new theories.
The two main approaches are deductive and inductive. Where deductive research draws
conclusion from general and prevalent ideas and existing theories to the direction of certain
specific and particular decisions, whereas an inductive research consists of an already drawn
particular situation to make or infer broad and prevalent general ideas and theories.
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Figure 8 : Deductive and Inductive Learning adapted
3.4 Data Collection and Research Methods
Data collection is defined as a method and a process which includes collecting data, evaluating
information on different variables of interest, in an already established and methodological
fashion that helps one to answer the framed research questions, testing hypotheses, and
evaluating the various outcomes based on the processes. Data is broadly divided into two major
categories; these are quantitative and qualitative data. The quantitative data is presented in
numerical form and can be mathematically computed. The quantitative data measure uses
different various different scales, namely nominal scale, ordinal scale, interval scale and ratio
scale. The purpose of nominal scale is to categorize items into different major groups of same
characters, for example different races in a country, different types of companies, different shoe
sizes and so on. The statistical method that is used to analyze this type of data is mode. The
second measure for quantitative data is the ordinal scale that permits the proper ranking of the
data. For example, shoe sizes can further be ranged into categories from big too small. A typical
ordinal in ranking the sets of data are poor, satisfactory, good, very good and excellent. On theother hand, in an interval scale rank order of a set of data is measured and, it also measures the
order in units of equal intervals.
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This will further be presented in form of different graphs. Emphasis will also be given to data
collected from different employees of HR department for a clear understanding of what steps
their organization take to curb the imbalance and problems that may be caused because of
different cultural backgrounds of employees. In order to get a detailed study from all aspects a
mix of both qualitative and quantitative analysis will be used.
The main emphasis will be given to quantitative research methods used will be surveys and polls
so that a numerical data may be generated and can be used into useable statistics. The data
collection sources used will be both primary as well as secondary. Views of various employees
of different organizations through polls and surveys across globe will be gathered for detailed
analysis. Data from managers of different organizations will also be collected and for analysis
subjective method will be used and will be analyzed in percentages. Secondary data will be
collected from journals and different websites of companies which have conducted study on
cultural differences of employees and its solution.
3.5 Sampling
The basic purpose of sampling includes the selection of a subset of individuals (having one or
more common factors) from within a measurable population to have an idea of characteristics ofthe whole population. Two major advantages of sampling are that it is low cost and data
collection is faster as compared to measuring the entire population.(Anon., n.d.)
The sampling procedure can be divided into various steps
First step comprises of defining the population which is of concern. In second step a sampling frame is specified which includes a set of items which is
possible to measure.
After that it is decided that which sampling method is to be used for selecting the
sampling frame.
Then sample size is determined. In last step sample plan is implemented.
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3.5.1Methods of Sampling
In this reseaarch for surveying the employees, purposive sampling method will be used as
different group of employees having same set of problems will be studied. The sample size for
the survey of employees will be 50-60. For studying the views of managers also, purposive
sampling will be used.
For the purpose of survey two different sets of questionnares will be made for both employees
and managers seperately. The questions will be closed ended so that it will be easier and quicker
for the respondents to reply/answer. The answers of different respondents are easier to compare
and analyse statitically. The questions will include questions regarding to problems faced by
employees which are in a diverse workforce. Evalation of diversity in a workplace, improvision,
challenges etc will also be studied. Questions on issues like cultural shock, ethenocetrism will
also be covered for in depth study.
3.6 Data Analysis
As described by business dictionary, The process of evaluating data using analytical and logical
reasoning to examine each component of the data provided. This form of analysis is just one of
the many steps that must be completed when conducting a research experiment. Data from
various sources is gathered, reviewed, and then analyzed to form some sort of finding or
conclusion .
In order to seek correct findings the data gathered should be analysed critically and
systematically. The two major data analysis methods are quantitative and quantitative. The
quantitative analysis gives emphasis to the use of mathematical tools like mean,median,
ANNOVA etc. The data gathered from different polls and surveys will be measured both
quantitavely and qualitatively.
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For a team of employees who are from other countries, do you believe that other
team members should learn and use different key words of their culture to make
communication with other employees during assessments or other interventions?
(Aimed at Managers)
When asked managers of different companies if they agree that, if a team constitutes few
members of other cultures, the rest of the team should try to cooperate by learning basic key
words to make communication easy for them and better able to express them so that they can
provide maximum output in problem solving, assessments and other professional matters
majority of managers agreed (42%) the strongly agreeing constituted (38%) however disagreeing
and strongly disagreeing constituted 10% and 6% respectively.4% chose being neutral.
38%
42%
4% 10%
6%
Understanding Cultural Differences for NewEmployees
strongly agree agree neither disagree strongly disagree
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Does all staff of your team and organization have equal opportunity to involve in the
process of evaluation and providing the input related to diversity and social
inclusion? (Aimed at Managers)
The next question was also aimed at managers of different companies from whom the degree and
frequency of involvement of employees was asked. Also it was asked if all employees from
different cultural backgrounds were given equal opportunity to participate in the evaluation and
providing input in the areas related to diversity and social inclusion, a major 40% said always,
24% often, 20% sometimes, 8% rarely and never respectively.
8%
20%
24%
40%
8%
Equal involvement of All Employeesrarely sometimes often always never
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Do you avoid imposing your values and accept that employees from different
cultural and geographical locations and backgrounds may desire varying degrees of
acculturation? (Aimed at Employees)
It is common that a person may find it difficult to separate himself and his perception which is an
integral part of ones culture so the respondent employees were asked their degree of effort they
put to avoid prejudice and bias towards other cultures. 64% employees replied as yes, 30% said
no whereas 6% were neutral.
64%
30%
6%
Avoiding Prejudice and BiasYes No Can't Say
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(b) Understanding Problems Related to Racism
Along with cultural differences, racism is among major problems faced by employees in
workplace. Tackling racism is a very difficult task. There may be unconscious discrimination
also; management may be unwilling to acknowledge that they might be discriminating.
Employees may also fear to take the matter forward in fear of losing their job.(Paludi, 2012)
Do you believe it is important to implement policies to monitor and evaluate
progress in elimination of racism in a workplace? (Aimed at managers)
When asked 50 managers a majority of them i.e., 32 believed that there should be strict policiesagainst racism. 12 out of 50 didnt find the need and 6 could not decide. Apart from policy
implementation, the need of timely monitoring and evaluation for needed reforms is also
required.
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Yes
No
Can't Say
Importance of Anti-Racist Policies
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Do you agree that legal actions should be taken against co-workers or managers
who follow racism? (Aimed at Employees)
The answers found from questionnaires were quite obvious as 37 out of 50 employees agreed
strongly that legal actions should be taken against those employees who believe in or follow any
kind of racism. 7 agreed while 3 and 2 disagreed. 1 remained neutral.
Do you agree that it is important to challenge others who make
racial/ethnic/sexually derogatory comments? (Aimed at Employees)
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
Strongly Agree
Agree
No Opinion
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Legal Actions Against Racism
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Important
Acceptable but not Important
Not Important
Challanging Racism
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This question emphasized on actions which should be taken apart from legal action. That is do
they find it important to intervene and challenge a person who makes any kind of
racial/ethnic/sexually derogatory comments. 27 employees out 50 said that it is acceptable butnot important, 20 found this action to be important and 3 not important respectively.
(c) Problems Related to Sexism
Sexism at work is a genuine and unfortunate circumstances faced at workplaces. But women
must seek their ability and power in the workplace and attempt to change the dynamic events
within. The various markers of occupational sexism can be wage discrimination, sex based hiring
and promotion, sexual harassment etc. (Richard Schaffer, 2009)
Do you keep a check on updating formal policies or formal strategies which keep a
check so that female employees may get an equal opportunity in hiring/promotion?
(Aimed at Managers)
42
5 3
Yes No Can't Say
Equal Opportunity in Hiring/Promotion
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It wasnt surprising to find the results as majority, that is 42 managers out of 50 acc epted that
there is timely updating of policies as well as strategies that make sure that there is no sexism or
gender bias in the work place. The deserving female candidates should get equal opportunities inhiring, promotions should be unbiased also, and the wage discrimination should not be there.
Do you agree that it should be kept in check that an employee is not unfairly
treated, discriminated against or bullied at work due to gender? (Aimed at
Managers)
There was a mixed response to this question. The responses between strongly agree and agree
were almost same. Majority agreed with 24 out of 50 managers and 15 strongly agreed that there
should be a vigilant check that no employee being female should suffer any sort of
15
24
73
1
Strongly Agree Agree No Opinion Disagree Strongly Disagree
Check on Discrimination/Bullying
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discrimination or bullying. Apart from professional matters there should be a check on unfair
treatment in any other matter also.7 managers remained neutral. While 3 and 1 disagreed
respectively.
How important do you find that your female colleagues should be aware of their
legal rights against sexual harassment and gender biasness? (Aimed at Employees)
Without emphasizing on gender, it was asked on a general basis from both male and female
employees that how important they found, that female employees should be aware of their legal
rights against gender bias and sexual harassment. 31 out 50 employees found it to be important,
18 said it was acceptable but not important.
31
18
1
Important Acceptable but not Important Not Important
Awareness of Legal Rights
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(d) Problems Related to Language
Among the various dimensions and problems of diversity, language in the workplace has become
a major concern for many employers as well as employees given the increasing diversity in
language of the different workforces. When people of many different nationalities and ethnicitieswork together the differences caused due to diverse linguistic backgrounds in an organization
frequently presents various challenges.
When interacting with team do you encourage subordinates to speak the same
language which is dominant or allow them to express views in their mother
language? (Aimed at Managers)
42% managers said that they allow and encourage the subordinates to speak their mother tongue
to express their work related or other views. 24% and 20% said sometimes and always
respectively while 10% and 4% said rarely and never.
10%
24%
42%
20%
4%
Encouraging Employees to Speak Mother Tongue
Rarely
Sometimes
Often
Always
Never
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Does a culturally and linguistically same team appeals more to you than diverse?
(Aimed at Employees)
There was a mixed response between yes and no when asked that if an employee would prefer to
work in a linguistically and culturally same team and workplace. 56% preferred the same
language and culture while 40% said no. 4% remained neutral.
56%
40%
4%0%
Preference to Linguistically Same Workplace
Yes
No
Can't Say
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Do you agree that a company's statement of mission, its future goals, different
policies and procedures should check that they incorporate strict principles and
practices that promote openness and acceptance of different employees of distinct
linguistic backgrounds?
(e) Problems Related to Religious Beliefs
Religious belief is also one of the cultural factors which can cause critical problems in the
workplace. For understanding these cultural differences and resolving them a proper
understanding is required. At times, some employers or employees may not be prepared to
accommodate the many forms that religious accommodation can take. Religion being an
inseparable part of culture can become a problem in the workplace. For example, differentreligious groups have different festivals and hence different needs of holidays. In different
cultures the ways of worshipping is also entirely different. If reasonable accommodations are
made, these issues will never create problems.
38%
32%
4%
22%
4%
Promoting Acceptance of Different Languages
Strongly AgreeAgree
No Opinion
Strongly Disagree
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In a multi-cultural team how do you find displaying pictures, ethnic presentation,
religious artwork and other decor that reflect the religious backgrounds of different
employees? (Aimed at Employees)
A majority 28 out of 50 employees found it important that there should be display of different
pictures and artwork of different religious backgrounds so that there is an overall basic
understanding of different cultures among all employees.
Important Acceptable but notImportant
Not Important
28
18
4
Displaying Artwork of Different Religions atWorkplace
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Do you encourage your team members to participate in activities that encourage
reframing the thinking, and also allow hearing and understanding other religions?
(Aimed at Managers)
Out of 50 20 managers said that they always encourage communication and other activities that
allow better understanding and openness towards other religions. 15 said sometimes. 8 and 5
were often and never respectively and 2 rarely.
Rarely Sometimes Always Often Never
2
15
20
85
Encouraging Communication on Religions
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There have been various legal obligations that different companies take to curb cultural
differences in the workplace. For e.g., the purpose of forming a body like Employment Equality
Directive is to provide identical benefits to all. Similarly, there is Racial Equality Directive, is a
governing body that defines and keeps a check on what constitutes the definition of
discrimination, the rights of employees, the legal compensation frame and dividing the burden of
proof. It also emphasizes on the principle of equal treatment to all employees in all sorts of
employment to one and all irrespective of their religion, beliefs, sexual orientation or age.(Hicks,
2003)
An improper recognition and misunderstanding of diversity can cause escalation of arguments
and tension.
Apart from this there are various diversity councils which serves as a two way communicationvehicle, getting feedback from employees and giving it to the regarding departments. So the
major and primary task is to identify and define the obstacles and opportunities to increase
organizational efficiency and effectiveness.
Public Service Act 1999 (PS Act) (0f Australia)which has been in effect from 5 December 1999,
allows the responsibility for employment decisions to the Agency Heads, providing them a
greater flexibility and authority to manage the workplaces in their own ways, following the
framework of the Act.(federal, 2010)
According to The Racial Discrimination Act 1975 it is punishable and unlawful to discriminate
directly or indirectly on the basis of race, color or national origin.
According to The Sex Discrimination Act 1984 it is unlawful for an employer to discriminate on
the basis of a person's gender, sex, marital status, pregnancy or to sexually harass a female or
male employee. (Estlund, 2003)
The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Act 1984 provides protection to the
rights of people who are physically or mentally disabled and addresses the complaints of such
discrimination in an employment.
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Similarly, The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 makes it unlawful for an employer if he
discriminates against a person on the grounds of disability (including a disease).
The Workplace Relations Act 1996 prohibits the discrimination towards employees in awards
and agreements also hiring and termination of employment.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 (of the U.S.) has kept a check that it is strictly prohibited that any
kind of discrimination is done by employers, labor organizations, and employment agencies on
the basis of race, color, origin.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has reported that although the
total number of charges of religious discrimination in 2005 (3878) was overall 9% lower than
post 9/11 record set in 2002. Of these complaints in 2005, 20% was made by Muslims, 18% by
Christians, 12% by Jews and 50% by other religions. (Professor Marie-Claire Foblets, 1998)
The Belgian Anti-Racism Law came in effect from July 30, 1981. It was made to keep a check
on any kind of act which promotes hatred or bias towards racism or xenophobia. It is a law
drawn against the hate speeches and discriminations. It was passed by the Federal Parliament of
Belgium in 1981 which made certain acts motivated by racism or xenophobia illegal. It is also
known as the Moureaux Law, as it was proposed to the Parliament by Justice Minister Philippe
Moureaux.
The Racial Equality Directive 2000/43/EC is an Act of the European Union of which the main
concern was the EU labor law. It puts emphasis on the principle of equal treatment among all
persons irrespective of their racial or ethnic origin. Since the Treaty of Amsterdam came into
force in 1999, new EC laws, or Directives, have been enacted in the area of anti-discrimination,keeping a check on discrimination against gender, age, disability, religion and sexual orientation.
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5. Conclusion
Diversity is an inevitable reality i n todays business environment which cannot be ignored or
taken lightly. If it is managed properly, it can provide various benefits and contribute in
increasing the success of any organization. On the contrary, if ignored or mismanaged, it may
bring challenges and obstacles that may hinder the o rganizations competence and growth . In this
research questions on all major difference causing factors have been put up to get an overall
scenario in todays organizatio nal culture and the views of both employees and managers. In this
part, on the basis of answers we will try to find out possible solutions to curb the cultural
differences prevalent in almost entire business world.
To avoid such a prevalent problem, all organizations should take the problem of diversity
seriously and with a positive outlook. All organizations have an obligation to properly manage
all their employees with equal respect and fairness which is in such a manner that is supportive
and which takes into account ev eryones individuality . However, these organizations along with
having an ethical and moral responsibility for their work force are also legally responsible and
they ought to operate in such a manner that follows the law.
If a positive outlook is developed on diversity across all levels of an organization, it may lead to
a more growing and productive work environment. This basically requires all employees,
including managers, a regard towards diversity as an advantage rather than a problem. To
achieve such a scenario there needs to be certain steps which if followed can help initially and
hence it can be controlled at the baby stage only. Following are the few recommendations
Implementing the principle of equal treatment to all employees, regardless of their race
and nationality.
Providing protection against direct or indirect discrimination in job opportunities,
training, job security and access to all rights.
Recognizes and deals with both direct and indirect discrimination and harassment of
female employees.
Providing rights to victims to redress their grievances against those who discriminate.
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Promoting equality in treatment and providing impartial assistance to victims of any kind
of discrimination
5.1 A Framework for Managing Diversity as Organizational Change
For an organization to recognize and have a control on the diversity related issues it is important
to observe and keep a check on grass root level and identify issues which may either be major or
minor in the observant perception, because there may be certain issues which according to the
observant may be minor but for the person or employee who has been facing it may be a major
and intolerable issue. The problem starts when a direct or indirect discrimination is made by a
senior member. In such cases because of fear of losing job the employee may not complaint or
addresses the problem. This causes decrease in self-confidence of employee and hence lower
productivity. Also it gives an indirect encouragement to the person who has been doing the
harassment or discrimination. On a broader scale there are three major areas to be focused.
(1) Individual attitudes and behaviors
The individual attitude and behavior is sometimes ignored considering it a minor issue but the
fact is that it is a very important area to be studied. This component asks the employees to have a
self-introspect and self-assessment that involves honestly identifying their own attitudes and
beliefs. Such as how they feel about their coworkers who cant speak their language , attitude
towards religious and geographical differences, opinion towards their female colleagues etc.
Because it is the individual behavior that collectively constitute a workplace.
(2) Managerial skills and practices
This factors puts light on the fact that as one medicine cannot treat all diseases, similarly one
style of management cannot provide solution to all problems. In short the managerial practices
must be tailored to address different problems in different manners. For example, depending on
ones culture , feedback about performance may be delivered either directly or sometimes in an
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indirect and more subtle way which may be with the help of an intermediary or cultural
interpreter.
(3) Organizational values and policies.
This area of change emphasizes that to successfully leverage diversity, it is important to bring
changes in organizational values and policies with the time and updating them accordingly.
There should be a strict representation of a strong intolerance towards any kind of discrimination
or harassment. So basically the policies should emphasize on induction and fostering of equality
among all. Along with framing it is also important to uphold and abide by the policies that have
been framed. (Paludi, 2011)
5.2 Recommendations to Make Cultural Change Happen
To make cultural changes happen such an action plan must be made which is according to
different problems of different employees. So in order to make an efficient action plan a
thorough study and review needs to be conducted which may include anonymous employee
surveys, staff statistics on different dimensions, frequency of complaints made and similarity in
the nature of complaints.
Apart from the management trying to recognize and identify issues, it is also equally important
for the employee (who is facing discrimination or who is observing other coworker being
harassed) to report the problem as soon as possible so that proper actions can be taken on an
urgent basis. However, even after that if an employee does not get satisfactory assistance he can
escalate the issue to concerning state and federal agencies which address discrimination issues.
In extreme cases the suffering person may also have an option to sue the employer or even the
organization for not addressing the issue properly and in unbiased manner.
A following seven step processes is suggested to make cultural changes happen in an
organization. However this is only a conceptual process only and is framed such that it is
followed in a linear pattern.
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job performances and keep a check that according to those objective criteria there is availability
and opportunities or training, assignments and postings to all employees.
STEP 5: EVALUATE EFFECTIVENESS
Apart from implementation it is also important to monitor the progress and effect of a diversity
management program to evaluate if the objectives are being met and to identify areas of
improvement. This could include monitoring the results in areas like
Recruitment that is the success rate or average time taken to hire an employee.
Employee engagement it indicates the enthusiasm and level of involvement of an employee.
E.g. absenteeism rate, anonymous employee surveys
Promotion and retention rate should also be evaluated on timely basis to check the effectiveness
of diversity programs.
These statistics can also be tracked in separate employee groups to gather and collect information
on how successful an organization has been with respect to retention and promotion of
employees irrespective of their backgrounds. It can help in highlighting any kind of issues if
faced by certain employee and hence finding gaps in the design or implementation of diversity
management policies.
5.3 Current Trends And Statistics Of Workplace Diversity
Statistical Status of Women Workforce in Different Countries
A study of wo mens representation in Fortune 500 shows that it has not shown much growth in
recent years. A representation in percentage shows executive officer position held by women in
2009 was 13.5% which in 2013 was 14.6%. In the findings of this research also it was found that42% managers of different companies said that they felt the need of regularly keeping a check on
updating the policies so that female employees may get an equal opportunity in hiring and
promotions. Also 49% agreed that there should be a strong check on discrimination and bullying
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of female employees. (wikipedia, 2013)Some more facts and figures of different countries are as
below
The Canadian Labor Force in January 2012, shows data that overall women count was 35.4% of
all management positions and 22.9% in case of senior positions.(Rowe, 2011)
The U.S. Labor Force in 2012 provides data those women constituted 46.9% of the labor force.
57.7% of all women were in the labor force, compared to 70.2% of all men.(Spagnoli, 2010)
Statistical Status of Racism in Workplace
According to research done by United Nations Association, inJanuary2004therate of
unemployment among AfricanAmericanswas10.5%; whereasforHispanicsorLatinositwas7.3%.
The unemployment rate for adolescents of the oppressed racial groups is found to be
approximately fourtimes that of white adolescents. In this research also majority of managers
said that there should be strict anti-racist policies and legal actions should be taken against
workers or managers who follow racism.(Kampf, 2007)
Religious Issues at Workplace
The statistics of Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Department of Justice indicate
that complaints of religious harassment in the workplace have been on the rise. With the
incensement of globalization employees now bring a wider range of personal religious practices
to the workplace. Because of which there are different holidays, attires, values and practices
leading to conflict with existing policies and practices.
EEOC provides data that shows from 1997 the religion-based charges of discrimination have
increased to 41%.
90% of American adults said that religion has a very much more importance to them than any
other thing in their lives. It may be a major reason that charges of religious discrimination in the
workplace have risen 43% since 1990.
Age Related Issues at Workplace
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In recent past there have been quite important developments to achieve equality for aged
employees. The Disability Discrimination Act was framed to protect employees from
discrimination because of their age. Later in 2004 a Productivity Commission Review was set,
and the DDA was changed to further protect the equality and availability of opportunity for the
aged. Also, since 2009 employment support has been provided through the National Disability
Agreement to the aged as well as the disabled.
Various countries such as North America, Europe, Australia and some parts of Asia, have been
experiencing a large increase in the proportion of workers in the age groups of 45-60 and older.
So it is even more important to address the issues which are related to age of employees.
(Government of South Australia, 2011)
Linguistic Issues at Workplace Data
It is a matter of concern that issues in linguistic fieldwork have received very little attention in
recent years. An employee can face a lot of problems if he is not able to express his ideas and
thoughts properly. Also there may be bias from other colleagues. Workforce Development Board
(WDB) are made in different companies which follows on the principle that it is in the best
interest of employers to not only identify but also bridge the division as more foreign-born
workers are being a part of the workforce. Being proactive and helping to break down these
barriers can increase their productivity. Scheduling improved communication training for allemployees, developing a series of improved communication training sessions for all employees,
and help them in fading strong accents will be of great help. (Kreissl, 2011)
It may not be an assurance that in future there may not be any problems, but if there is a
continuous exploration and learning, there can be a lot of improvement. It requires all and
everyone to have a lot patience and understanding.
At times it can be both embarrassing and frustrating for both the perceived victim and accused
who in their view may not be the same, so some measure of levity is advisable. The best course
of action for everyone is to keep putting efforts in the right direction and with complete honesty
so that there is gradual but continuous adjustments and understanding in both the employees and
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the organizations. And along with this a will to bring a change at a root level will be most
effective.
Our world has always been remarkably diverse, and the increasing trends of globalization and
MNCs have put its implications on workplaces, community, organizations etc. Issues ofdiversity, different origins, age, gender and disability can be quite complex and challenging for a
workplace that is diverse. By taking time and addressing the issues properly and in a right
manner and connecting to all employees an organization can maximally optimize its business
and lead.
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