Organisational Communication - Diversity Management Plan - Report Writing Assessment Answers

1.0 Executive Summary

This report is a pilot study of diversity management program in large scale companies. It focuses on underpinning diversity management initiatives and how those initiatives improve the financial performance of the company. There is a diversity management plan included in the report that focuses on various aspects such as usage of technology, decision-making, conflict management strategies and global communication measures in order to foster cross-cultural environment in the workplace. It also reveals the rationale behind those strategies. The second half of the report talks about the risks and concerns associated with diversity and a contingency plan to avoid them in future. By effectively implementing the diversity management programs, companies may bring innovation, creativity and broaden the knowledge horizon of existing employees. Managing diversity is very crucial, as it helps in fetching out the desired talent from the market sphere and accordingly helps in escalating the business.

2.0 Introduction

Workforce diversity administration is a deliberate hierarchical project intended to make more noteworthy consideration of all people into casual informal connections and formal organization programs (Risberg & Søderberg, 2008). Diversity administration then turns into an administration practice where organizations offer minority bunches access to the employment market and vocation opportunities so as to profit by the different qualities these people present to the organization. In contrast with governmental policy regarding minorities in society and equivalent open doors, which frequently are situated in enactment, diversity administration is essentially an organizational activity (Risberg & Søderberg, 2008). Diversity administration can hence be seen as a route for organizations to be active in advance and to be in charge of over such concerns as opposed to being responsive, constrained by law (Risberg & Søderberg, 2008). Also, diversity administration moves past segregation issues; rather it is seen as a way to enhance business and the primary concern while offering the organization upper hands in various ways by having market reputation, clients’ trust and employee satisfaction.

Fruitful execution of a workforce diversity project is reliant upon the corporate structure that coordinates an atmosphere for such an event. The work atmosphere must permit directors and representatives alike to perceive and regard contrasts, and to give up of past blame, and individual inclinations. The improvement of diversity management program s is happening at a quick rate among big scale companies. The backing of upper level administration is crucial to effective projects. Workforce differences programs must incorporate representatives at each authoritative level. (Edwin, 2001) Supervisors must be prepared to accept obligation regarding execution of diversity management campaigns and considered responsible for their powerful usage. Individuals from socially different gatherings, ladies, and minorities must be suitably spoken to in administration and should likewise feel great with the activity.

3.0 Recommendations for diversity management plan

3.1 Global communication strategies by using technology to foster diversity management

Numerous worldwide organizations, for example, IBM and Daimler consider their workforce diversity to assume a vital part, and this is imparted broadly by means of their corporate sites (Gröschl, 2011). On the off chance that it is found that numerous organizations have absence of correspondence of any explanations pertaining to diversity management, approaches or activities, it doesn't imply that those organizations are not effectively reacting to workforce differing qualities challenges on an operational or key level (Gröschl, 2011). However, considering the significance of corporate sites as a representative enrollment, supplier relations, and marketing and advertising apparatus, this absence of correspondence shows up as a shock. Therefore, companies must follow global communication measures in order to nurture diversity in place. It should not only limited to corporate websites, rather they should walk an extra mile by organizing diversity programs/events half-yearly or yearly within their subsidiaries wherein every employee should be given a fair chance to participate irrespective of his race, religion, caste or gender and make it more noteworthy.

3.2 Conflict management by socializing and decision making

Today's supervisors realize that socialization is a key part to adequately overseeing work pressure and to expand the effectiveness of HR (Prause & Mujtaba, 2015). The key director's assignments ought to be very much executed and fittingly passed on to the group. At the phase of preparation the chief ought to pick the procedure, the fitting hierarchical objectives and game-plans, while remembering the differences and distinctive estimations of representatives in view of choices that boost esteem after some time for all partners. At the hierarchical stage, the administrator should build up great connections that permit individuals to cooperate without bringing about any strain or clashes. It incorporates the following undertaking of leading, persuading and conveying colleagues to cooperate and respect each other. The following stage is controlling capacity, which incorporates measuring and checking frameworks that help the supervisor to perceive any issues, clashes, and assess execution (Prause & Mujtaba, 2015). Every phase of the above assignments requires consideration and commitment of the supervisor to his/her association and group to have the capacity to accomplish high proficiency and viability and perceive strife at its initial stage. At the same time diverse companies must organize social events such as conferences, seminars or educational workshops on regular basis to foster a work culture of diversity. It helps people in understanding each others’ sentiments and beliefs, which result in less conflict between them. Social events also bring a sense of connection and togetherness between individuals, which is necessary to drive big businesses in long run. At the same time, conflict management strategies should be followed from the top level, in order to avoid the discrepancy between various hierarchical levels (Prause & Mujtaba, 2015).

4.0 Rationale behind above recommendations

4.1 Encouraging gender, ethnic and racial diversity

Like previous research on race/ethnicity, exploration on gender differences before the 1990s concentrated to a great extent on separation rather than focusing on understanding them together as same (Shore, Chung-Herrera, Dean, Ehrhart, Randel, & Singh, 2009). There are various explorations reporting negative impacts on ladies with respect to execution evaluations and pay segregation based on the similitude fascination model and on the efforts of Kanter (Kanter, 1977), who set that ladies experienced disengagement and stereotyping related bias. Diversity on the basis of gender has likewise been found to have more negative impacts on males than females concerning results, for example, connection to the company. Females were considered as more loyal to the company.

It is shown in secondary research of companies as mentioned above that discrimination exists due to gender, ethnic and racial diversity (Barron, 2000). Therefore, it is the responsibility of HR manager to implement all the recommended measures in order to combat the discrimination at the workplace and utilize the rewards of diversity management. It will allow organizations to offer a chance to a more deserving employee irrespective of any discrimination based on race, gender and ethnicity.

4.2 Viewpoint diversity

Individuals don't learn particularly when they are in the familiar surroundings of them, is an innately observational case. It doesn't summon the wide dialect of rights, but instead, an assumed reality about the world: that instructive results are enhanced by the nearness of differences (Justin, 2006). There is likewise confirmation to demonstrate that differing qualities can be specifically connected to budgetary execution. After this a study by (Nair & Vohra, 2015), inspected the relationship between gender diversity and budgetary execution at the specialty unit level, utilizing more than 800 specialty units crosswise over two companies from various commercial enterprises. (Nair & Vohra, 2015) explored that worker engagement and diversity based on gender differing qualities freely foresee budgetary execution at the specialty unit level. Representative engagement served as an arbitrator of the differing qualities execution relationship (Nair & Vohra, 2015). The premise for such discoveries is the thought that men and ladies bring distinctive perspectives, different business sector bits of knowledge and more extensive collection of abilities for critical thinking and development.

It is clearly evident in the above information that different viewpoints yield more productive results, as every individual carries a baggage of gained experience, knowledge and attributes that are crucial not only for his personal performance but also for overall group performance. That is why the human resource managers must try to inculcate various viewpoints in strategic decision making.

4.3 Limiting the control mechanism to small number of representatives

Center of control includes uniting key exercises in one specific part of a company (Barron, 2000). This may be, for instance, at Head Office. HR Directors can concentrate on larger amount business related to long haul arranging and basic leadership with regards to diversity management. Routine methods are completed at a more junior level utilizing institutionalized procedures. Human Resource directors in this way don't need to invest energy in undertakings, for example, information gathering based on gender, racial or ethnic differences. Frameworks over the company become more reliable in this way (Anonymous, 2010). This is more financially savvy and reasonable method for all. On a diversity platform if everybody is given the choice of control mechanism, then it may be misused for personal gains. Therefore it is crucial to limit the control mechanism with small number of individuals who lead the diversity management campaigns in large scale companies. Multi-national companies generally follow standardized procedures to ensure smooth functioning and delivery of systems, beliefs and processes (Anonymous, 2010). If at all decentralization comes in diversity management, it will be a challenging aspect for the company to smoothly function. Therefore, big scale companies prefer centralization over decentralization with regards to diversity management policies.

5.0 Potential problems and risks associated with diversity management

Internationally, companies guzzle a variety of diversity management methods like selecting focused representative gatherings, work life programs like childcare, adaptable work routines, on location lactation offices, mentorship programs, mindfulness preparing on diversity activities, affectability and aversion preparing on lewd behavior, setting up different boards and group building training activities. (Pant & Vijaya, 2015) A portion of the techniques embraced by IT organizations incorporate culturally diverse preparing, dialect preparing, urging representatives to acknowledge abroad task and avoiding victimization workers in light of religion and ethnicity. Be that as it may in the event of profound research by (Pant & Vijaya, 2015) it was uncovered the challenges in advancing diversity mechanism and incorporation and just a couple of workers were excited to influence the force of diversity. Bias, preference and ethnocentrism are the most imperative hindrances in making a suitable atmosphere to nurture diversity (Pant & Vijaya, 2015). There are few issues mentioned below:

A portion of the workforce might be generally individualistic, implies that they put more prominent accentuation on their own needs and wellbeing. At the farthest, individualism recommends that their activity ought to be guided by the proverb, pay special mind to themselves before being worried about others. This is one of the other probable obstructions to simple adjustment to another society. It happens when individuals are inclined to trust that their country conditions are the best. This inclination is viewed as ethnocentrism (Singh, 2016). Despite the fact that this sort of thought is common, it meddles with comprehension of human conduct in different societies and getting efficiency from neighborhood workers. Keeping in mind the end goal to incorporate the foreign and neighborhood social frameworks, global workforces need social comprehension of nearby conditions. Indeed, along with this perceptive, they should then sufficiently versatile to incorporate the group of the likes of the two or more cultures involved.

Keeping in mind the end goal to foresee the measure of adjustment that might be required when a representative moves to another nation, it is practical to comprehend the social separation between the two nations. It is the measure of distinction between any two social frameworks, and this may go from negligible to significant. Whatever be the measure of social separation, it affects the reactions of all employees to organization. Workers actually have a tendency to be to some degree ethnocentric and to comprehend conditions in another nation as per principles of their country (Singh, 2016). These issues will be amplified if the social separation becomes a matter of joy. At the point when workers enter another country they have a tendency to endure social stun, which is the instability and confusion brought about by experiencing an alternate society.

6.0 Contingency plan to manage diversity at workplace

Training and development (T&D) is one HR work that improves the powerful incorporation of diverse gathering individuals (Shen, Chanda, Netto, & Monga, 2009). Diversity awareness training constructs a typical comprehension of the estimation of different qualities, helping with building social attachment so it progresses individual and hierarchical results (Shen, Chanda, Netto, & Monga, 2009). Organizations must elucidate training targets and methodically perform a preparation needs evaluation. Members ought to know whether the preparation program tries to elevate awareness regarding diversity or create multi-cultural abilities. Social mental exploration on stereotyping and connections to preference lessening should likewise be firmly joined into training outline. A top-bottom preparing technique might be important giving awareness about diversity to senior supervisors first and group building preparing lastly (Shen, Chanda, Netto, & Monga, 2009). When the higher management and lower management work together on the same ground/principle, it becomes easy to foster diversity management. Instruction and preparing ought to be customized to the particular needs of the company, division, level, group or people. Basic to the accomplishment of instruction and preparing is the essential stride of connecting T&D to the vital goals of the company.

Proficient improvement and vocation arranging is another range where separation is noticeable and needs cautious consideration while outlining assorted qualities administration strategies. In the event that the HR works on concerning profession movement don't viably reflect diversity concerns, various representatives would have negative impression of the entire procedure (Shen, Chanda, Netto, & Monga, 2009). Powerful execution examination hones in the region of differences administration ought to be objective, applicable to the occupation and the organization, and reasonable to all workers and offer no unique treatment (Shen, Chanda, Netto, & Monga, 2009). Counting non-conventional administrators on the evaluation boards can make target criteria and reasonable execution examination rehearses (Shen, Chanda, Netto, & Monga, 2009). At the point when directing performance appraisals, the dialect of examination ought to concentrate on the individual's execution and not on the identity or race.

7.0 Conclusion

The center of the diversity management concern has changed from equivalent livelihood chance to adequately overseeing diversity management as an authoritative basic. As the globalization is expanding, workforce diversity is going to remain for long. Those perceive the globalization of work as a positive pattern and encourage the stream of workforce will advantage most. Remembering this, the procedure ought to be bringing positive alterations in companies. To be fruitful in such kind of new atmosphere, directors must figure out how to esteem and regard social styles and methods for carrying on those vary from their styles. Chiefs must have the capacity to tie the issues of overseeing social contrasts to the requirements of the business and be knowledgeable in business concerns, objectives and outcomes (Kundu, 2001).

Overseeing workforce differing qualities ought to be considered by directors as a chance to serve the necessities of clients better and to enter new markets. By esteeming and overseeing various workforces, it is conceivable to improve innovativeness, adaptability, and fast reaction to change. Administrators, to use the capability of assorted workforce, must connect differences to each business capacity or system i.e. enlistment, choice, position, advancement, progression arranging, execution evaluation and prizes. To stay focused, companies must grow long haul intercession systems as opposed to transient arrangements or procedures. Supervisors need to evacuate the boundaries which refrains the companies from creating and using completely impartial frameworks that permit workforce to accomplish its maximum capacity. The outcome of the thesis is to optimally utilize the benefits of workforce diversity and create a conducive environment to work for organizational benefit.