Diversity and Organizations Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Diversity and Organizations - Research Paper Example Although the articles vary in their approach towards managing diversity, almost all of them cite this as being a complex process that can often prove to be ineffective if not executed correctly. It also opens opportunity for further research specially pertaining to other dimensions of diversity such as age, national origin and disability. Keywords: diversity, gender, racial, diversity management Diversity Management and Perspectives towards Diversity The case of race and gender Diversity is almost always defined in narrow terms, thus, ignoring its all-encompassing nature. It is important to note that there are six dimensions of diversity namely age, disability, gender, race, sexual orientation and national origin (Shore, Chung-Herrera, Dean, Ehrhart, & Jung, 2009). The concept of racial and ethnic stereotyping rests on the fact that human beings make judgments about others on the basis of superficial characteristics such as race and gender. The resulting â€Å"group membership† then reinforces the similarities and differences between individuals which leads to the creation of distinctions based on â€Å"in-group† and â€Å"out-group† characteristics. Such judgments often result in negative consequences for minority members or out-group members in the workplace. This may take the form of lack of mentorship provided to such individuals, poor performance evaluation, careers that are stalled and lack of involvement at work (Shore, Chung-Herrera, Dean, Ehrhart, & Jung, 2009). On the other hand, however, is the view that stems from the â€Å"value in diversity† perspective that states that diversity pertaining to race and ethnicity often results in better understanding of different cultures along with more information, enhanced ability to solve problems, higher creativity and decision-making ability along with constructive conflict that helps such work teams to improve their outcomes (Shore, Chung-Herrera, Dean, Ehrhart, & Jung, 2009). Pro ponents of this perspective assert that â€Å"diversity pays† and enables the company to better understand the needs of its customers and enhance the quality of products and services offered by the organization. It is by virtue of this goal that organisations prefer having a diverse workforce that enhances income and profits. Nevertheless, researchers has suggested otherwise by arguing that diversity in race and ethnicity leads to negative outcomes. These skeptics argue that process loss results from diversity because incorporating diversity imposes substantial costs on the firm. Having a different gender or color from the majority is essentially a source of conflict that is emotional in nature (Herring, 2009). This ultimately tends to reduce cohesiveness and harmony in the team which ultimately increases absenteeism and turnover. Furthermore, it is believed that quality of products that the organization offers declines because of jobs being taken up by workers who are unqual ified and are granted the position only by virtue of accommodating the minority group (Herring, 2009). A similar approach is observed as far as gender diversity is concerned where possessing a gender different from that possessed by the majority is concerned conducive to discrimination and prejudice such as low wages and glass ceiling in the case of females. This has substance since the gender and racial gap in organisations is