MANAGING DIVERSITY AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

Managing Diversity and Equal Opportunity

Managing Diversity and Equal Opportunity

Introduction

The success of any organization has become dependent upon the effectiveness of its management, coupled with the effectiveness of management styles utilized to motivate and enhance employee performance. Across organizations, corporate leaders are strategically placed in their designated positions to ensure that the business provides superior products or services for their targeted customer base. Corporate leaders are one entity that gives surety to business success, and the workforce is another entity that assists businesses. Managers should be able to motivate a workforce that can assure that the tasks are completed in a timely fashion to promote profitability and satisfy stakeholder interests. A successful company is very dependent on the management and leadership skills of the effective manager and his or her understanding of motivational behavior models, as they apply to generationally diverse subordinates.

Discussion

The change in the generational workforce structure is noticed by businesses as well as business industries that employ a generational workforce. Due to the generational shift of the work population, companies are preparing the necessary resources needed to provide managers with the tools and knowledge necessary to adapt a style that most effectively motivates their personnel. The 21st century has brought about many changes in management and leadership.

The chosen management style should be one that will successfully motivate the employees they manage and give surety to performing their duties in accordance with the organization's objectives and financial goals. Leaders must understand that employees are one of the most valuable assets within the business; therefore, the administration understands how to effectively motivate them to gain maximum productivity in the workplace. Businesses and employees alike are seeking a win-win situation that results in profitable gains for the business and employees, with varied responsibilities in the workplace.

The current workforce is comprised of a diverse age-generational span that characterizes four generations. To be effective, managers must recognize and respond to the multigenerational needs. Companies and their management staffs should also be acquainted with the motivational necessities that will allow them to satisfy the employees and enhance the work performance of each generation. Given these organizational dynamics, the most empowered managers will exceed the company's expectations in being able to motivate employees, regardless of their generational group. This concept has been understood and applied for several decades.

Abraham Maslow was one of the founding fathers of early management learning theories. In 1943, he published his motivational theory, which is known as Maslow's hierarchy of needs. This theory, with some modification, is valid today in understanding human motivation and forms the basis of human motivation training. He stated “it is far easier to perceive and to criticize the lacks in motivation theory than to remedy them”

Generational Diversity and Motivation

While researching motivation, Maslow, one of the founding fathers of early management theories, formed a hierarchy of needs based on motivation. His belief was that unsatisfied needs are what drive motivation and a manager should understand these needs to ...