A challenge that must be met by many organizations is to devise ways for employees to expand their individual comfort zones. It is no secret that most employees tend to associate or bond with people who are most like them. This tendency makes it much more difficult for relative newcomers in the workplace (women, minorities, immigrants, and individuals with disabilities) to move up the organization ladder. Lacking access to networking opportunities and seeing few, if any, role models to emulate, minorities, women, and other protected class people are often alienated in the workplace. This suggests the need for organizations to involve all employees in culture creation, to endorse a "different but equal" operating philosophy, and to have flexible definitions of effective job performances.

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Because valuing diversity represents a major change in the management of human resources, it cannot succeed without commitment at all levels. Within leading-edge organizations, this realization has mobilized senior executives to become visibly and philosophically identified with diversity efforts. They are not shadow supporters. Rather, these executives seek additional knowledge about the issues, speak the language of diversity, and attempt to practice what they mandate as they set policy and provide guidance. Rather than position themselves as "experts," they tend to present themselves as "motivated learners" with a personal and professional interest in acquiring more knowledge. ( Cox, 1991; Loden & Loeser, 1991)

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In most leading-edge organizations, managers recognize the difference between equal treatment and treating everyone the same. They do not expect all employees to adapt their personal styles of working in order to "fit" ( Loden & Loeser, 1991) an amorphous, homogeneous standard. Instead, they recognize and respect the different perspectives, talents, and communication styles of diverse employees. In evaluating performances, these managers try to distinguish style from substance, so that many styles and approaches can be accommodated without sacrificing effectiveness within the organization. As the homogeneous ideal fades, new standards of effective performances are incorporated. And these standards are now being developed with the active involvement of diverse employee groups.

Once diversity is accepted as an organizational value, new assumptions about its positive benefits surface. While they may not be written down or well articulated, the following assumptions influence the day-to-day actions within leading-edge organizations.

There is the belief that employee diversity is a competitive advantage. Little time is spent debating the importance of diversity or the need for change. Instead, most managers and subordinates understand that diversity is a reality and they assume that it can provide an important competitive advantage in the workplace and the marketplace. For example, members of profit organizations see diversity as a means of enhancing recruitment, expanding markets, and improving customer satisfaction.

There is a goal to change the organization culture, not the people. The most common assumption within leading-edge organizations is the belief that valuing diversity requires the organization culture to change and not employees who already have relevant job skills. Unlike traditional organizations that attempt to train, coach, and coerce diverse employees to "fit" within the cultural mainstream, leading edge organizations focus on modifying policies and systems to optimize employee self-actualization. These organizations abolish standards that are no longer appropriate in order to make room for new ways of doing things. This focus on culture change rather than individual change frequently results in innovative ways of doing business. Instead of blaming employees who have culturally different ways of doing work, managers take responsibility for the "poor chemistry" and, when prudent, alter the work climate. It is acknowledged that conflict is inevitable. As cultural awareness builds and the culture changes, conflict is viewed as part of the change process. The more effective managers are able to tolerate conflict, and they identify potential conflict situations. Relatedly, culturally diverse employees in these organizations are generally patient with the pace of change as long as the organization makes good faith efforts. Most employees understand and accept the fact that creating an optimally diversified culture requires long-term strategies that embody ongoing discussion, debate, and modification. Because all members of the organization are affected by the change process as they move closer to creating a more viable heterogeneous culture, all employees experience varying degrees of the pain inherent in discarding traditions, practices, and embedded biases that characterize the status quo. The emerging culture typically has the following characteristics:

• Executives are responsible for setting the organization climate

• Systems and procedures are established that support diversity

• Recruitment, promotion, and employee development are closely monitored

• Culture awareness education is an organizational priority

• Rewards are based on job performance ( Cox, 1991)

Contrary to popular opinion, managing a diverse workforce is not a new concept. The more effective managers have always been aware of the cultural differences in their employees. But awareness is not enough. Managers must be able to utilize the skills of each employee and do so in a way that maximizes his or her unique contributions. Companies with progressive affirmative action and equal opportunity programs have unusually high profitability and financial growth over a twenty-five-year period. Diversity benefits organizations in the following ways:

• CEOs who value diversity promote a harmonious workforce and better serve customers and clients who are culturally diverse;
• managers and supervisors skilled in managing culturally diverse subordinates run productive departments;
• managers and supervisors who are comfortable with culturally diverse employees facilitate less worker turnover and greater work efficiency; and
• Employees who value diversity interact more effectively with each other, thereby enhancing productivity and job satisfaction. ( Loden & Loeser, 1991)

Even with the rash of diversity workshops and in-service training programs, most managers and supervisors do not adequately understand the cultural backgrounds or skills of their employees. Few college courses focusing on business law, accounting, and organizational behavior adequately address problems and strategies for change that center on culturally diverse workers. Relatedly, quick-fix on-the-job training activities merely scratch the surface and, in some instances, do more harm than good. The typical approach of such training is to try to homogenize the employees. Although most organizations have a rich heritage of creating sameness out of differences in order to achieve "organization effectiveness," managerial tactics and behaviors that worked in previous years are becoming increasingly dysfunctional in the global marketplace.

In order to be effective in relating to culturally diverse workers, a manager must possess a degree of sophistication in understanding their beliefs and values. That is, managers must:

• Recognize individual differences
• Allow for ego defensiveness, and
• Accept rather than merely tolerate culturally diverse workers.

In addition, four other areas require attention:

• stereotypes and their associated assumptions
• actual cultural differences
• the exclusivity of the "white male club" and its associated access to important organization information and relationships
• Unwritten rules and double standards for success that is often unknown to minorities and women. ( Cox, 1991)

Among human beings, being different is normal. Each person has an individual history and a unique socially constructed reality that sets him or her apart from other people. Yet there is the tendency for managers to pay more attention to employees' cultural differences than individual similarities. Different types of employees have different perceptions about instructions, problem solving tasks, and so forth. Some workers need nurturing, affiliation, and cooperation to be at their most productive. Others perceive the role of manager as one of rigid, authoritarian ways. Some people value intrinsic motivation; others prefer extrinsic rewards. These differences cut across cultural boundaries.

References:

1. Cox T. H. Jr. (1991). "Managing diversity: Implications for organizational effectiveness". Academy of Management Executives, 5, (3), 45-54.

2. Loden M. & Loeser R. (1991). "Working diversity: Managing the difference". Bureaucrat, 20, 21-25.

3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diversity#Business_context
   
   

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