40 / MANAGING A TEAM
Valuing diversity
Understanding and managing people who are similar to us can be
challenging, but understanding and managing those who are dissimilar
from us and from each other is tougher. As the workplace becomes
more diverse and as business becomes more global, managers
must understand how cultural diversity affects the expectations
and behavior of everyone in the organization.
Understanding the changes
The labor market is dramatically
changing. Most countries are experiencing
an increase in the age of their workforce,
increased immigration, and, in many, a
rapid increase in the number of working
women. The globalization of business
also brings with it a cross-cultural
mandate. With more businesses selling
and manufacturing products and
services abroad, managers increasingly
see the need to ensure that their
employees can relate to customers
from many different cultures. Workers
who believe that their differences are
not merely tolerated but valued by their
employer are more likely to be loyal,
productive, and committed.
LET EVERYONE KNOW
Make a public commitment
to valuing diversity—this
will ensure that you are
accountable for your actions,
and may attract potential
employees who prefer to
work for someone who values
equal opportunities for all.
Tip
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VALUING DIVERSITY / 41
Capitalizing on diversity
Managers face many challenges
capitalizing on diversity, such as:
coping with employees’ unfamiliarity
with native languages, learning
which rewards are valued by different
demographics, and providing career
development programs that fit
the values of different targeted groups.
There are several ways for you to try
to capitalize on diversity:
•
Communicate your objectives
and expectations about diversity
to employees through a range of
channels, such as mission and
value statements, slogans, creeds,
newsletters, speeches, emails, and
everyday conversations.
•
Recruit through nontraditional
sources. Relying on current
employee referrals usually produces
PRACTICE WHAT
YOU PREACH
First look into your heart
and mind and root out any
prejudice. Then, demonstrate
your acceptance in everything
that you say and do.
Tip
a limited range of candidates. Try
instead to identify novel sources for
recruitment, such as women’s job
networks, targeted newspapers,
training centers for the disabled,
urban job banks, and over-50s clubs.
•
Use diverse incentives for motivation.
Most studies on the subject of
motivation are by North American
researchers—unsurprisingly—
on North American workers.
Consequently, these studies are
based on beliefs that most people
work to promote their own well-being
and get ahead. This may be at odds
with people from more collectivist
countries, such as Venezuela,
Singapore, Japan, and Mexico, where
individuals are driven by their loyalty
to the organization or society, not their
own self-interest.
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