Organizational Diversity

Описание: Diversity is a major part of the changing environment of business. Diversity refers to the variety of observable and unobservable similarities and differences among people. Some differences, such as gender, race, and age, are often the first diversity characteristics to come to mind. But diversity is much more than demographics and can reflect combinations of characteristics rather than a single attribute. Each individual also has a variety of characteristics, and combinations of them can result in diversity.

Surface-level diversity refers to observable differences in people, including race, age, ethnicity, physical abilities, physical characteristics, and gender. Surface-level diversity reflects characteristics that are observable and known about people as soon as you see them. Deep-level diversity refers to individual differences that cannot be seen directly, including goals, values, personalities, decision-making styles, knowledge, skills, abilities, and attitudes. These “invisible” characteristics in others take more time to learn about, but can have stronger effects on group and organizational performance than surface-level characteristics.

As the U.S. workforce continues to age, generational differences in the workplace are becoming increasingly common. These differences, in turn, pose new challenges and opportunities for organizations and their managers. Specifically, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a dramatic increase in workers age sixty-five and older during the next decade, while the percentage of younger workers is expected to decrease. This obviously increases the need for succession planning at many organizations to ensure the continuity of leadership.

Due to the aging of the U.S. workforce, and to the clearly differentiated characteristics of the generations that comprise it, firms are also paying more attention to how workers of different ages work together. As each generation brings their unique experiences, values, and worldview, each also brings changes to workplace policies and procedures.

Diversity fosters greater creativity and innovation. Diversity contributes to a firm’s competitive advantage when it enables all employees to contribute their full talents and motivation to the company. The primary motivation for effectively managing diversity is the fact that doing so brings out the best in all employees.

A report of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission identified several common diversity barriers that exist in many organizations. These barriers stem from a variety of decision-making and psychological factors as well as from employee unawareness. Understanding and proactively addressing the barriers can minimize their impact and enhance inclusion.