Benefits and Challenges That Leaders Face In Creating and Upholding Diversity in the
Workforce
As national discourses and politics continue to grow more divisive and inward-looking, business
leaders must continue thinking globally and inclusively. Embracing and promoting diversity in
the workplace is a critical step for business leaders who want to enhance the international
competitiveness of their organizations (Ely & Thomas, 2020). Large and small organizations are
reaping the benefits of a diverse workforce. However, such benefits come with significant
challenges arising from diversity factors such as language, culture, and cross-border working.
Diversity and global mindfulness are integral in helping organizations to thrive in a fast-paced
and unpredictable business environment. As a result, business leaders need to be adequately
equipped and expect to encounter these benefits and challenges when creating and upholding
workplace diversity.
Benefits
Diversity brings about creativity and innovation by influencing the way people view things. A
diverse workplace presents various viewpoints to a subject by incorporating a wide range of
professional and personal experiences. As a result, these new perspectives inspire business
leaders to see things or the workplace differently. The diversity of thought is beneficial to leaders
because it breeds creativity and promotes innovation (Feye, 2018). Innovation in the workplace
help solve business problems and meet customers' needs using existing or new approaches.
Multiple personalities, perspectives, and voices coming off one another in the workplace breed a
culture of thinking outside the box. Crating a platform that promotes open exchange and sharing
of ideas allows companies to reap the benefits of creativity and innovation in the workplace.
Secondly, a diverse workplace helps give business leaders and the organization an edge when
penetrating a new market. Often, products and services need to be tailored and adapted to meet
the end consumer's needs. Having employees who understand local customs, competitive
landscape, laws and regulations can help leaders succeed in the new market. Native language
skills, cultural understanding, and local connections can help boost business expansion. As
Ely & Thomas (2020) notes such knowledge of the local market can facilitate the development
of effective marketing strategies. Native speakers, for instance, can help in building high quality
and culturally sensitive marketing approaches, including the language to use in brochures and
websites. Brand tang lines can lose meaning from translation into the local language. Market-
specific insights and knowledge play an invaluable role in terms of guiding brand marketing
design and imagery. Hence, diversity can help business leaders prevent serious blunders when
designing products/services and marketing strategies.
Challenges
The presence of diversity in the workplace can discourage some employees from opening up and
voicing their views. The presence of diverse brainpower is not adequate on its own. As Feyes
(2018) notes, leaders need to create an inclusive and open work environment to ensure all
employees feel welcome, empowered, and free to contribute. Sometimes it can be challenging
for polite employees, new employees, those from different cultures, or from lower
positions/ranks to share ideas. On the other hand, we have aggressive and assertive employees
who are most likely to speak up during meetings or negotiations. Sometimes they may suppress
other people and reduce their ability to share their views or opinions. Business leaders face the
challenge of ensuring everyone's voice is heard in the workplace.
Another challenge business leaders face when creating and upholding diversity comes when
hiring talent from overseas. For instance, HR encounter a complicated process of complying with
visa requirements and employment laws for international workers. The employment laws and
regulations differ from one country to another and can also change over time. Besides visa
requirements, there is other diversity accommodations that business leaders need to address
when recruiting and retaining diverse employees. For example, creating a comfortable workplace
for people with disability or prayer spaces can have pose financial challenges to leaders. In
addition, employers could have challenges in accommodating some employee beliefs and
religious and cultural holidays. Business leaders need to establish strategies for addressing such
financial and logistics challenges to enhance diversity in the workplace.
References
Ely, R. J., & Thomas, D. A. (2020). Getting serious about diversity.9Harvard Business
Review,998(6), 114-122.
Feyes, E. (2018). Leadership and the Promotion of Diversity in the Work Force and
Beyond.9Leadership in Healthcare and Public Health.
