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RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Managing Workplace Diversity: The Case of London Business Organizations
INTRODUCTION
Effective management of organizations in the contemporary business world has proven to be a subject of continuous research, debates and active discussions. Both private and public business organizations continue to explore different approaches through which they can achieve higher productivity through incorporating employees with different backgrounds. In order to effectively embrace workplace diversity, the management of business organizations requires significant changes in planning. In regions pigeonholed by high levels of diversity, businesses are faced with different challenges both in the process of hiring and the actual management of a diverse workforce (Dansby, Stewart and Webb). Being the most cosmopolitan region in the United Kingdom, London-based business organizations present an appropriate case study to analyze and establish the various issues associated with workplace diversity.
Background Information
With regard to human beings, diversity refers to all characteristics and experiences that define each individual. Contrary to the common perception that diversity only refers to race, gender and age, other aspects such as religion, sexual orientations, ethnicity and disabilities among several others are also applicable in defining a diverse group of people (Rankin). Diversity in a business organization means a workplace that embraces inclusivity through hiring of employees with differing personal characteristics and backgrounds. It ensures that organizations take advantage of employees with varied abilities who contribute to the achievement of both short-term and long-term goals through introduction of varied abilities and talents. The research paper shall focus on establishing the various challenges encountered by managers of London business organizations in their efforts to manage workplace diversity (Heijden).
Research Aim and Objectives
Aim
The main aim of the research paper will be to make a deep inquiry into the pertinent issues associated with diversity so as to unravel all the challenges that business organizations encounter in an effort to incorporate a diverse workforce.
Objectives
In order to complement the main aim, the research paper shall seek to achieve the following objectives;
i. The research paper seeks to explain and provide adequate understanding of the various challenges that affect the management of diversity
ii. It also seeks to establish any advantages or benefits enjoyed by business organizations that have specialized in the recruitment of employees from diverse backgrounds.
iii. The paper also seeks to make objective comparisons between the nature of management activities in organizations that embrace diversity and those that have stuck in traditional methods.
iv. Additionally, the research activity shall seek to unravel any unexplained impacts of diversity management to the contemporary business organizations.
v. Finally, it aims at establishing the future of diversity management in cities like London where the population is increasingly proving to be more diverse.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Workplace diversity is a modern aspect that poses both negative and positive to businesses. Perceptions towards diversity differ across different individuals and so it is across different organizations (Burke and Cooper). The ability or inability of an organization to receive and incorporate diversity principles is mainly dictated by the underpinning principles, vision, mission and the organizational culture. According to Simon, Piché and Gagnon (2012), the speed embracement and incorporation of diversity does not only depend on the environment of an organization but also the skills and the willingness of the management teams in place. Equally, the willingness and ability to implement diversity proves to be subject to several challenges that continue to affect workplace diversity.
Krawford (2012) argues that, for industrialized countries like the United Kingdom and the U.S., it is no longer possible to reject diversity especially for business organizations based in the urban areas. The process of having a diverse workforce begins at the first stage of the recruitment stage where the employer expresses the need to employ individuals from diverse backgrounds. Following the recruitment process, the resultant diverse workforce gets to be incorporated into the organization so as to prove its usefulness. Unfortunately, for some organizations, the challenges associated with a diverse workforce begin to emerge early enough in the stages of recruitment.
In spite of the challenges, most business organizations have not been deterred in ensuring that they incorporate the new human resource practice. According to Rankin (2009), most businesses that have embraced diversity at the expense of accommodating several challenges continue to do so because of the lack of realization of the magnitude of challenges in place. Unfortunately, being a new idea that organizational leaders may not comprehend fully, the challenges that accompany it may equally not be understood.
Effective management of diversity calls for a clear establishment of all the adjustments that an organization is required to undertake from the recruitment stage to the stage of full implementation. Jackson (2012) asserts that in a city like London where the ethnic minority currently account for more than 17% of the entire population, business organizations need to reflect the same in their job offerings and subsequent recruitments. Equally, other than ethnicity, other aspects like gender, religion and sexuality also need to be recognized and used to achieve a more diverse workplace for business organizations.
The various challenges identified with diversity embracement mainly are mainly caused by the introduction of a new approach doing things and also due to lack of the requisite capacity. Workplace diversity is widely regarded to as the main cause of organizational culture erosion. For effective performance and efficient achievement of organizational goals, the presence of a good organizational culture cannot be overlooked. Most past management theorists identified organizational culture as an important glue that held organizational stakeholders together in their efforts towards the achievement of both short-term and long-term goals (Margaret S. Stockdale).
As a result, many organizations have remained steadfast in all forms of efforts to safeguard their organizational cultures. Unfortunately, the incorporation of diversity requires some adjustments in the existing organizational cultures so as to accommodate the resultant changes in staffing (Amos, Ristow and Pearse). The alterations on the organizational culture challenge the entire initiative as both staff members and organizational leaders expressly seem to defend their organizational cultures.
The implementation of diversity in an organization also faces eminent challenges related to the resistance to change. However organizational change is highly recommended to ensure the achievement of long-term goals, organizations often encounter difficulties in implementing change initiatives. Staff members often prefer maintaining their status quo without having to undergo a disturbing process of change (Wentling and Palma-Rivas). Being a form of change initiative, the implementation of diversity is often challenged by unprecedented resistance from the existing employees. In some extreme cases, the emerging resistance even translates to direct hatred towards the members of staff who get to be introduced as part of the diversity plan implementation. The resulting resistance to change sometimes compounds to even greater problems as employees strives to fight for their positions which they perceive as threatened (Barak).
According to Cornelius (2002), workplace diversity also presents businesses with challenges in communication. In places of work that do not embrace diversity, human resource managers easily streamline communication amongst staff members easily. Unfortunately, the concept of diversity introduces aspect of both multilingual and multicultural employees. However proponents of workplace diversity argue that the induction stage in the process of acquiring employees should effectively manage differences in language and culture, organizational leaders often find it hard to eliminate all the communication problems that emerge. Renkin (2009), associates the resultant in effective communication with unclear organizational objectives, lack of teamwork, confusion and low motivation.
As a result of embracing diversity, some organizations result to dealing with recurrent cases of discrimination in the workplace. According to sociologists, conflict is one of the aspects that characterize places with large numbers of people with differing backgrounds (Margaret S. Stockdale). The embracement of diversity encourages the introduction of individuals with differing personalities defined by their respective backgrounds. In addition to training, the personality of an individual plays a central role in determining how an individual perceives different issues. Hence, in a situation where people with different personal characteristics work together, the minority often face discrimination (Chang).
Workplace diversity is also associated with initial declines in productivity for business organizations. However the entire concept aims at promoting inclusivity and realizing higher productivity, critics of diversity have often associated it with declines in organizational earnings. The introduction of workplace diversity usually presents organizations with a challenge especially during the short period of implementing the resultant change (Wentling and Palma-Rivas). The change period synonymous with organizations that avoid gradual implementation results to reduced productivity which is viewed as unnecessary mainly by the change averse individuals. Nevertheless, an objective analysis proves that the characteristic short-lived decline in productivity is justifiable as businesses eventually manage to rise to greater heights (Burke and Cooper). The destabilization proves to be a challenge to many business stakeholders since they result in viewing diversity as a threat to their good performance streaks.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
In order to generate adequate findings to supplement the exiting literature, the research activity shall rely on both primary and secondary sources of data. Both the primary and secondary sources shall provide the data required for analysis so that inferences can finally be drawn. The applied research methods shall focus on generating both quantitative and qualitative information.
Primary Sources
The information obtained from primary sources of data forms the main subject of analysis for the entire research activity. In order to generate adequate findings, the research shall rely on a survey that will target organizational leaders from organizations situated in different parts of London. Identical questionnaires shall be filled by sampled human resource managers and other top organizational leaders.
Secondary Sources
In order to complement the primary sources of information, the research shall also explore different secondary sources of data on diversity. The secondary sources shall include journal articles, periodicals, national bureau of statistics and other relevant published sources of data. The data sources shall provide earlier recorded information on diversity in the general London population and also from within organizations.
Bibliography
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Barak, Michalle E. Mor. Managing Diversity: Toward a Globally Inclusive Workplace. New York: SAGE, 2014.
Burke, Ronald J. and Cary L. Cooper. Reinventing Human Resource Management: Challenges and New Directions. 2nd. London: Psychology Press, 2005.
Chang, Richard Y. Capitalizing on Workplace Diversity. Hoboken: Wiley, 2000.
Cornelius, Nelarine. Building Workplace Equality: Ethics, Diversity and Inclusion. London: Cengage Learning EMEA, 2002.
Dansby, Mickey R., James B. Stewart and Schuyler C. Webb. Managing Diversity in the Military: Research Perspectives from the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute. 3rd. New Jersey: Transaction Publishers, 2012.
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Jackson, Susan E. Diversity in the Workplace: Human Resources Initiatives. New Jersy: Guilford Press, 2012.
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Krawford, Karyn. Managing Cultural Diversity in Organisations. London: SAGE, 2012.
Kumar, Rajendar. Research Methodology. Daryagan: APH Publishing, 2011.
Margaret S. Stockdale, Faye J. Crosby. The Psychology and Management of Workplace Diversity. Hoboken: Wiley, 2004.
Melling, Joseph and Alan Booth. Managing the Modern Workplace: Productivity, Politics and Workplace Culture in Postwar Britain. Farnham: Ashgate Publishing, 2008.
Rankin, Neil. irs Best Practice in HR Handbook. London: Routledge, 2009.
Simon, Patrick, Victor Piché and Amélie A. Gagnon. Social Statistics and Ethnic Diversity: Cross-National Perspectives in Classifications and Identity Politics. London: Springer, 2015.
Wentling and Palma-Rivas. “Current status and future trends of diversity initiatives in the workplace: Diversity experts’ perspective.” Human Resource Development Quarterly (2000): 235.
Yeung, Sarah Ka-Wah. The effects of diversity management messages in recruitment advertisements on organizational attraction. 1st. New York: Cornell University, 2003.
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