Assignment task: Respond to 2 of your classmate's discussion by stating why you agree. Your respond must be a minimum of 200 words
Discussion 1 (Debbie)
Embracing workplace diversity means actively seeking to hire and support a wide range of individuals from various backgrounds. This includes people of different genders, ages, sexual orientations, religions, languages, abilities, professional backgrounds, socioeconomic statuses, and educational backgrounds. When employees feel a sense of belonging and acceptance at work, they tend to be more engaged and productive. In fact, in the United States, over 40% of workers cite positive relationships with their colleagues as a key factor in loving their work environment.
However, it's crucial to acknowledge that many individuals feel comfortable only when surrounded by those who share similar backgrounds, cultures, or ethnicities. Embracing diversity not only fosters a more inclusive environment but also directly contributes to heightened productivity and overall success.
I have not had firsthand experience with a perception and diversity situation, but there is a strong case for how understanding perception and diversity can significantly enhance project outcomes.
For instance, when a company embraces gender diversity in its leadership team, it tends to achieve higher performance. Research has consistently shown that companies with gender diversity in leadership outperform their less diverse counterparts. On average, these companies enjoy a 48% higher operating margin, a 42% higher return on sales, and a 45% higher earnings per share.
Furthermore, gender-diverse teams are shown to make better business decisions up to 73% of the time (Garijo, 2019).
Diversity encompasses two critical concepts: inclusion and equity. Inclusion goes beyond hiring professionals from diverse backgrounds-it means treating them equally. This includes providing fair wages, offering equal learning opportunities, and distributing workloads equitably. Equity involves proactive measures to level the playing field among different groups. For example, while all employees receive the same learning opportunities, additional support such as sponsored education is provided for those who were previously incarcerated.
Cultural diversity can benefit organizational teams and help them achieve higher performance levels. However, it also brings challenges; diversity research has identified the need to consider moderating influences in the diversity-performance relationship. Embracing diversity has resulted in numerous positive outcomes, including enhanced recruitment and hiring rates, greater representation within organizations, increased employee engagement and sense of belonging, and higher rates of retention and internal promotion. Nonetheless, diverse perspectives may also present challenges such as communication barriers, prejudice, and reduced productivity. It is essential to address these challenges while fully embracing the benefits of diversity. Gaile, L. (2018, December 13). Vittana. Retrieved September 8, 2024, from 22 Advantages and Disadvantages of Diversity in the Workplace: vittana (website) Garijo, B. (2019, April 29). How Gender diversity at the top can Boost the Bottom Line-and Improve the World. Retrieved from World Economic Forum: weforum (website) Mallick, C. (2020, July 13). What is Diversity in the Workplace? Definition, Importance, Benefits, Challenges, and Best Practices: Retrieved from Spiceworks: spiceworks (website)
Discussion 2 (Amber)
Being able to understand diverse perceptions within a team influence communication and collaboration by allowing individuals who are incompatible with each other to realize their compatibility. It is important to understand that when judging a book by its cover can turn in a very positive direction. By fostering the ideas, it does help to lead to a better understanding for both parties an open a gateway of communication that is essential on various levels. The ideas that are associated with the traits of perception create a tool that is need for all parties involved regardless of the diversity.
By embracing diversity, it can lead to providing social meetings that allow individuals to feel welcomed and promote awareness for specific causes. It is important to underline that being diverse allows individuals to accept cultures, backgrounds, and break barriers for those who were not introduced to certain aspects beforehand. There is a need to understand that embracing this idea will also allow individuals with shared thoughts to create products and services for others.
In a previous position, I worked with women of all races. At one point, there was a specific group of Caucasian women who would always sit together and never seemed to embrace working together.
On this specific assignment, management broke the group up and I was added to the collective. Within the group, I realized that they had never been allowed to be around people of color or African American women because that is how they were taught. I did not judge them for it, but I did educate them on who I was. We were able to understand that neither party had an issue nor created an amazing project that helped incarcerated women with our program.
Some challenges that might arise would be minimal communication. It is important to always have open communication with peers to ensure understanding and proper information is being directed. Another challenge would consist of workplace hostility which can lead to arguments, disagreements, and physical altercations. There are ways to prevent these actions by promoting proper diversity.
References:
Stahl, G. K., & Maznevski, M. L. (2021). Unraveling the effects of cultural diversity in teams: A retrospective of research on multicultural work groups and an agenda for future research. Journal of international business studies, 52(1), 4-22.
Turi, J. A., Khastoori, S., Sorooshian, S., & Campbell, N. (2022). Diversity impact on organizational performance: Moderating and mediating role of diversity beliefs and leadership expertise. PloS one, 17(7), e0270813.