Current Issues in Supervising a Diverse Workforce

Current Issues in Supervising a Diverse Workforce

Introduction

With economic globalization companies expanded their boundaries business, increasing and diversifying its customer base. Productivity, competitiveness and social commitment are basic requirements for sustainability in business. This globalization movement broke boundaries between cultural differences, religious and physical as well as the process of democratization of society, rescue to civil rights, promotion of equal opportunities for all people and combating all forms of discrimination, especially in market job (McDonald, 2010). Allied to this movement of the modern economy are two other factors considered important for the study of diversity in organizations. The first is related to public policy and the use of legal mechanisms that ensure the inclusion of minorities and promotion of the diversity of the workforce in business. The second factor is the increasing participation of heterogeneous groups in society, increasing diversity in the consumer market companies and the supply of skilled manpower. Due to these factors, there is increasing pressure on considering the diversity of the workforce as an important issue to be discussed in the terms of social and economic development by all sectors of society. From this scenario, the concept of diversity incorporated other senses (Knouse, 2008).

Diversity in Organizations

The true meaning of appreciating diversity is to respect, enhance and enjoy a wide range of cultural differences and individual. Therefore, the goal of a diversified organization is that people all cultural backgrounds can achieve their full potential, without being limited by group identities such as gender, nationality or race or religion. At the tactical level, the organizations are facing major challenges for the diversity of its employees, which are effectively valuing diversity workers, balancing the needs of individuals with justice for the group; overcoming resistance to change, promoting group cohesion; ensure open communication; retain the best employees and manage competition for the opportunities (Aoun & Gibeily, 2007).

These programs seek to enhance diversity in the workplace. For example, hiring disabled or ensure equal opportunities for the rise of women and blacks no longer a requirement generated by affirmative action and shall be referenced as a necessity for the company competitive (McDonald, 2010). It is suspected that the diversity management programs still represent only the inclusion of people with special needs and that issues related to ethnicity, gender and race were discarded in the myth of racial democracy.

The theme of diversity is quite broad. The approach ranges from definitions restricted to issues of race, ethnicity and gender, that even the most comprehensive mindset considers diversity as any individual differences between people. At the same time, the subject diversity can be comprehensively pointed towards considering all the particulars of an individual, depending on capacity that has separate groups within a society, its definition may be very limited, considering only a group formed majority and other minorities formed. For this reason, this paper presents some concepts below diversity and how it is being applied in organizations, only then, programs addressing diversity management (Cox & Blake, ...