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Running head: MANAGING A DIVERSE WORKFORCE 1

MANAGING A DIVERSE WORKFORCE 6

Managing a diverse workforce

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What does it mean to be an effective manager in a diverse workforce?

According to Chip Conley, the workforce diversity is characterized of gender, ethnicity and age; which needs a much keener attention. He points out that an effective manager should realize that age diversity makes a company stronger and that different generations within a workplace should focus on mentoring one another at work. He emphasizes on the need to allow openness with one another so that wisdom; knowledge, experience and skills from the young to the old and vice versa. According to Chip Conley, the current 60s is the new 40s and that the current 30s is the new 50s; a key note to take on how effective relationship in a workplace could enrichen a company with greater shared wisdom and skills. Every manager need to relate such knowledge in ensuring effective making of modern elders from the millennials.

According to Chip, an effective manager should establish a learning environment for the boomers and the millennials. Each generation should see the other as assets from which they can derive wisdom. Moreover, Chip calls for both the millennials and the boomers to fix their ego, perhaps so that they can enhance their relationship and get to learn from one another. He calls for the need of the managers to enhance a growth mindset in a workplace and the need for the employees to be curious of getting to know what the other generation can offer, and trying to oneself. Chip states that “Curiosity is the elixir for life”

Working on the psychological empowerment of specifics groups and ensuring mental flexibility is very important for various generations to work coherently effectively. Additionally, a manager in charge of a diverse workforce should ensure that the differences existing between the BB and X generations, and the Y and Z generations should be harmonized so that they do not tamper with the achievement of the organizations set goals and objectives (Toro, Labrador-Fernández & De Nicolas, 2019).

Maintaining a positive working environment helps in enhancing the performance of a diverse workforce. Looking at the small business managers, workforce diversity can be well managed if the owner’s manager supports the existing generational interconnections and the variations as a result of the general difference defining these groups by valuing their differences and the similarities. An effective manager is therefore required to cause a diversity openness among the workforce. Such ensure the performance at all levels, i.e. both the organizational and individual. A manager should, therefore, have the ability to effectively enforce the eradication of the internal communication barriers existing as a result generational, racial, gender, ethnic, age, personality tenure, cognitive style, education among other dissimilarities features amongst individuals within the same workforce (Patrick & Kumar, 2012).

Improving corporate culture by unleashing creativity and performance. A higher level diversity strategy requires the workforce manager to be able tap the cultural, communicative and creative skills of the employees. They should be able to apply such diverse skills in improving the products of an organization, customer experiences, and of most important enhance the policies of an organization to accommodate every group's skills to broaden the performance perspective. Monitoring the differences in a group require the manager to be patient and observant since the members will only perform after they get to understand their different perspective and develop a transactive memory. (Fassin, Van Rossem & Buelens, 2011).

Improving relationship with clients will help when building a multigenerational team. This is very crucial for an organizational manager to enhance diverse workforce efficiency and make the employees embrace workplace diversity. First of all, the manager needs to take note of all the differences and similarities that exist among employees. He/she as well should note their impact on the success of an organization. This is because working with such teams blindly could inhibit teams’ productivity and lead to the failure of the organization. Understanding the values of every generation in a work force and the extent of could impact on the performance.

Allowing new employees to work in an area where they can expect to advance is very important. The differences and similarities could either be strengths or weaknesses of a particular generation. Such a factor needed to be considered by a manager to analyze hoe effective the workforce could be and the possible performance hindrances. Understanding generation’s work values promote deciding and developing of an effective multigenerational workforce. For instance, a competent manager incorporating the generation Z in a workforce will require a clear understanding of their inexperience, but also their unique features resulting from such ignorance. Understanding how they interact with the technology and their distinct behaviour is fundamental for better integration into a workforce and create an interactive environment for them. Else, complaints will divert the employees focus on performance and growth driven solutions to focus on these particular groups characteristics (Schroth, 2019).

Increasing employee morale, productivity, and retention is very key in a diverse workforce. The manager needs to consider the advantages of Generation Z over their inexperience weaknesses (Schroth, 2019). Based on the current population, this is the most racially and ethnically diverse group. They have a better wellbeing economic wise and highly educated. However, being a younger generation, they are prone to anxiety and depression. Understand such will help the manager to decide on an approach that boosts their commitment levels and their performance turnover (Lawton & Carlos Tasso, 2016).

Considering the workforce diversity concerning the existing similarities and difference will help in decreasing employee complaints and litigation. A culture that embraces teamwork is created, and the employees can coherently work and respecting the values of one another. With such, issues such as picking blames, stereotyping, ethnocentrism, discrimination and backlashing and harassment will be eradicated hence creating a positive and growth-focused environment (Patrick & Kumar, 2012).

References

Fassin, Y., Van Rossem, A., & Buelens, M. (2011). Small-business owner-managers’ perceptions of business ethics and CSR-related concepts. Journal of Business ethics, 98(3), 425-453.

https://www.ted.com/talks/chip_conley_what_baby_boomers_can_learn_from_millennials_at_work_and_vice_versa

Lawton, D. S., & Carlos Tasso, E. D. A. (2016). Diversity in the workplace and the impact of work values on the effectiveness of multi-generational teams. I-Manager's Journal on Management, 10 (3), 20-28.

Patrick, H. A., & Kumar, V. R. (2012). Managing workplace diversity: Issues and challenges. Sage Open, 2(2), 2158244012444615.

Schroth, H. (2019). Are You Ready for Gen Z in the Workplace?. California Management Review, 61(3), 5-18.

Toro, S. D., Labrador-Fernández, J., & De Nicolas, V. L. (2019). Generational Diversity in the Workplace: Psychological Empowerment and Flexibility in Spanish Companies. Frontiers in psychology, 10, 1953.