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MANAGING A DIVERSE WORKFORCE
What Does Managing a Diverse Workforce Look Like?
School of Business, Liberty University
Author Note
By submitting this assignment, I attest this submission represents my own work, and not that of
another student, scholar, or internet source. I understand I am responsible for knowing and
correctly utilizing referencing and bibliographical guidelines.
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MANAGING A DIVERSE WORKFORCE
Abstract
Diversity comes in many different shapes and forms in the current workforce. Diversity can
range from gender diversity, education diversity, race diversity, and disability diversity. There
are various ways to approach managing diversity in the workforce. There are also benefits when
diversity is embraced and encouraged by management. There are positive outcomes in work
productivity when diversity is managed well. There is a direct correlation between a diverse
workplace and Chief Executive Officer turnovers. The different kinds of workforces also need to
have different approaches to managing their diversity. When diversity is not managed well, the
morale will show it. The morale of a workforce affects organizations and how they function.
There will be many ways that the diversity management will spill over into the organizational
effectiveness, which will reflect when it is done well and not done well. Keeping the diversity
managed well needs to be done at all levels.
Keywords: diversity, management, workforce, study
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Introduction
In the current world today, knowing how to manage a diverse workforce is no longer
something a manager can avoid. It is now required to understand how to manage diversity in the
workplace. There are different approaches to managing diversity. Often, outcomes of diversity
management are going also to affect business strategies (Rawat & Basergekar, 2016). There are
also different kinds of results when it is done well and poorly.
Annotated Bibliographies
Kapur, N., & Janakiram, B. (2015). Comparative analysis of corporate cross cultural
management in IT vs non IT organizations.=Cross-Cultural Management Journal,=17(2),
99–114. https://doi.org/http://cmj.bxb.ro
The purpose of this study was to examine the best practices in managing a culturally
diverse and geographically dispersed workforce in IT and non-IT organizations and make a
comparative evaluation of these practices and strategies. The study was conducted as a
comparative analysis study. This research conducted found that managers with
international assignments need to become aware of the culture they are working with to be
successful. They also learned when they know about the culture they are working with, and
the project will perform financially better. One of the strengths of the article was using
more than one industry for the study. The weakness was not using a more significant
amount of each industry sample. Something that I think needs to be looked at is how it
plays into different kinds of industries. The study looked at the difference of cross culture
in information technology kinds of work and companies that are not information
technology based. The study used five areas of businesses for its samples. They used
manufacturing, information technology, pharmaceutical companies, information
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technology enabled services, and research and development. They used 20 senior managers
from each industry to a total of 100 participants. The study found that aspects like training,
cultural understanding, and communication produced positive outcomes with cross cultural
human resources. The findings discovered that suggestions would be applicable to
industries of the same size or similar industries. The study also needed to have a more
significant scope to understand the advantages of implementing cross cultural human
resources management.
Kim, Y., Jeong, S. S., Yiu, D. W., & Moon, J. (2021). Frequent CEO turnover and firm
performance: The resilience effect of workforce diversity.=Journal of Business
Ethics,=173(1), 185–203. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-020-04534-0
This study aimed to look at workforce diversity and how it could have a resilience effect on
firm performance. The method of the study was to look at firm Chief Executive Officer
turnover compared to workforce diversity. This study found that when a diverse workforce
is managed effectively, it can be helpful in organizations with an uncertain environment.
The diverse workforce has more varied skills to work with, which can positively impact
organizations. The study used the Human Capital Corporate Panel Survey and firm
financial performance data from the Korean Informative Services to understand workforce
diversity and Chief Executive Officer turnover. The survey they used is the most reliable
and established survey used in South Korea. The results that the researchers conducting the
study were as expected and that there is a correlation between workplace diversity and
Chief Executive Officer turnover. One weakness of the study is that there is no way to take
other factors contributing to Chief Executive Officer turnover. A strength of the study was
using a survey that has been established in South Korea for a substantial time.
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Mazibuko, J. V., & Govender, K. K. (2017). Exploring workplace diversity and organisational
effectiveness: A South African exploratory case study.=South African Journal of Human
Resource Management,=15(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajhrm.v15i0.865
The purpose of this study is related to the legislation in South Africa making it mandatory
that workplaces embrace diversity. They used both quantitative and qualitative approaches
for the study. The study found that managing diversity correlated with an organization's
performance and effectiveness. Also, diversity management created room for appreciation,
innovation, and creativity that gave the organizations an edge to tackle diverse markets.
The study utilized questions as their method to gather info. Additionally, the study
questioned all the employees of an organization in South Africa. From that, the randomly
chosen 300 employees had been with the organization for over five years. The questions
were hand-delivered, and the research found that diversity with innovative solutions is
essential to managing diversity. It was also found that the leadership role was critical in
managing a diverse workforce. One interesting finding was that employee participation
significantly affects the morale of the diverse workforce. If there are employees that are not
on board with supporting a diverse workforce, it could be a challenge that falls in line with
the legislation of South Africa.
Mousa, M. (2021). Does gender diversity affect workplace happiness for academics? The role of
diversity management and organizational inclusion.=Public Organization Review,=21(1),
119–135. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11115-020-00479-0
The study looked at diversity management and if or whether it could predict workplace
satisfaction. The study used a test to see how gender affected perceptions of the diversity
management. The study found that there was no correlation between gender diversity and
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diversity management. The study used researched literature on diversity management and
workplace satisfaction for their study concept. In 2020 the author believed there was not
much research done in this area to be addressed from a higher education standpoint in their
research. They conducted the study at three public universities. The universities were
chosen because they had the best sample pool along with the willingness to collaborate
with the researcher. The sample size ended up being 960 using the three universities. One
weakness, I think, is what seems to be an established relationship between the researcher
and the universities. This could end up leading people to answer certain ways because of
that relationship.
Rawat, P. S., & Basergekar, P. (2016). Managing workplace diversity: Performance of minority
employees.=Indian Journal of Industrial Relations,=51(3), 488–501.
This study focused on showing how organizations cannot be successful with a diverse
workforce if there is not an environment of support. They used an independent variable of a
supportive work environment in three organizations. The study found that when there is a
supportive work environment for minorities, it will lead to higher performance. The study
used a biotechnology firm, an information technology firm, and a knowledge process
outsourcing firm to conduct the study. They used an independent variable for the study and
it was whether the workplace had a supportive environment for minorities. The study
defined it as a friendly and the right not to be discriminated against environment. They
used annual performance scores to study the performance of the management. One of the
weaknesses of the study was the sample size being too small for reliable conclusive data.
The end result of the data that was studied supported the study's prediction that a
supportive environment for minorities provides positive outcomes.
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Conclusion
Management can no longer ignore the diversity in the workplace. When management
takes control and embraces the diversity, it will create positive outcomes for the businesses. It
will also help with the morale of the workforce. There is no pitfall with confidently knowing
how to manage diversity in the current climate.
