Diversity in the Workforce

Summary

This video script explores the importance of diversity in the workforce, emphasizing its role in fostering creativity and innovation. As the world population diversifies, organizations must adapt to serve a broader customer base. Diversity can lead to increased sales and profits, but it also presents challenges such as conflict and resistance to change. Effective management of diversity requires top-level support and employee training to ensure a cohesive and successful team environment.

Takeaways

• 🌟 Diversity in the workforce refers to the presence of different types of people in an organization.
• 📈 The importance of diversity is underscored by the current shortage of skilled workers and the legal prohibition of discrimination based on protected characteristics.
• 🌍 The global demographic shift, with a shrinking Caucasian population and an increase in multicultural births, necessitates a more culturally diverse workforce.
• 💹 Embracing diversity is crucial for businesses to increase sales revenues and profits by interacting with a wider array of customers and suppliers.
• 🤝 A diverse workforce allows for a better understanding of diverse customer needs, leading to more appealing products and services.
• 💡 The primary advantage of a diverse workforce is its ability to stimulate creativity and innovation, providing more solutions to organizational problems.
• 🔄 Creativity and innovation are essential for organizations to adapt to changes in their external environment, including competitors, customers, and technology.
• 🧠 Divergent thinking, the ability to find many possible solutions to a problem, is fostered by a diverse workforce with different backgrounds and problem-solving approaches.
• ⚖️ Conflict can be both functional, driving organizational change, and dysfunctional, stifling creativity and hindering work.
• 🤝 Group cohesiveness is important for workgroups to perform well, but diversity can sometimes challenge traditional notions of cohesiveness.
• 🔄 Resistance to change is a significant issue in diversity, as organizations accustomed to less diversity may find the shift towards a more diverse workforce intimidating.

Q & A

What is diversity in the workforce?

Diversity in the workforce refers to the presence of differences among people in an organization, including various characteristics such as race, gender, age, and abilities.

Why is diversity important in organizations?

Diversity is important because it can lead to increased creativity and innovation, better problem-solving, and the ability to serve a larger and more diverse customer base.

What are the demographic trends indicating about the future workforce?

The demographic trends indicate that the white population is shrinking, while minority populations are growing, leading to increased cultural diversity in the workforce.

How does diversity affect business opportunities?

Embracing diversity creates business opportunities by allowing organizations to interact with a wide array of customers and suppliers, which can increase sales revenues and profits.

What is the primary advantage of a diverse workforce?

The primary advantage of a diverse workforce is its ability to stimulate creativity and provide innovative solutions to organizational problems.

How does a diverse workforce contribute to creativity and innovation?

A diverse workforce contributes to creativity and innovation by bringing different perspectives to problem-solving, which can uncover more aspects of a problem and lead to unique solutions.

Why is creativity necessary in today's business world?

Creativity is necessary because organizations must be able to innovate and change rapidly to adapt to their external environment, competitors, customers, and technological changes.

What can hinder creativity in organizations?

Hindrances to creativity in organizations can include conformity to established norms, resistance to divergent thinking, and a lack of encouragement for innovative ideas.

What is functional conflict and how does it relate to diversity?

Functional conflict is the healthy opposition that can drive organizations to change and innovate. Diversity can foster functional conflict by introducing different viewpoints and ideas.

What is dysfunctional conflict and how can it harm an organization?

Dysfunctional conflict occurs when disagreements become so intense that they stifle creativity and make work difficult or impossible, harming the organization's productivity and morale.

How can organizations manage diversity effectively?

Organizations can manage diversity effectively by having top management support diversity and inclusion efforts, providing employee training to work together despite differences, and implementing affirmative action and diversity programs.

Outlines

00:00

🌐 Importance of Diversity in the Workforce

The first paragraph discusses the concept of diversity in human resource management and its significance. It emphasizes that diversity is not just about acknowledging differences but also leveraging them to enhance business opportunities. The script highlights the current global demographic trends, such as the shrinking Caucasian population and the importance of embracing diversity to cater to a broader customer base. It also underscores the role of diversity in fostering creativity and innovation within organizations, which is crucial for adapting to a fast-paced business environment. The paragraph concludes by noting that while diversity is beneficial, it also presents challenges that need to be managed effectively.

05:00

🤝 Overcoming Challenges in Diverse Workforces

The second paragraph delves into the potential pitfalls of diversity, such as conflict and resistance to change, and how they can hinder creativity and productivity within an organization. It differentiates between functional and dysfunctional conflict, suggesting that while some level of disagreement can drive change, excessive conflict can be detrimental. The paragraph also addresses the concept of group cohesiveness and how it can be affected by diversity. It stresses the importance of top management's commitment to diversity and inclusion, as well as the need for employee training to ensure effective teamwork despite differences. The script concludes by mentioning that managing diversity effectively can lead to increased profits and that affirmative action and diversity programs can aid in advancing underrepresented groups within organizations.

Keywords

💡Diversity

Diversity in the workforce refers to the presence of a wide range of human differences in an organization. It encompasses differences in race, gender, age, ethnicity, and other characteristics. The video emphasizes that diversity is crucial for business success as it helps organizations to better serve a broader customer base and adapt to a changing demographic landscape. For instance, the script mentions the shrinking white population and the need to embrace multiculturalism to increase sales and profits.

💡Workforce

The workforce refers to the collective body of employees in an organization. The video discusses the importance of workforce diversity, highlighting that a diverse workforce can lead to increased creativity and innovation, which are essential for organizational success in a competitive market. It also points out the current global shortage of skilled workers, making diversity a practical necessity.

💡Human Resource Management (HRM)

HRM is the strategic approach to managing an organization's workforce. The script discusses how HRM deals with the differences among employees and the challenges and opportunities that arise from diversity. Effective HRM practices are necessary to leverage the benefits of diversity and to manage potential conflicts that may arise due to differing perspectives and backgrounds.

💡Creativity

Creativity is the ability to think in unique and different ways, especially in problem-solving. The video script explains that a diverse workforce stimulates creativity by bringing different perspectives to problem-solving. For example, when a group with varied backgrounds looks at a problem, they are likely to discover more aspects of it than a homogeneous group would.

💡Innovation

Innovation is the process of creating new and useful products or processes based on creative thinking. The video emphasizes that innovation is driven by creativity and is essential for organizations to adapt to changes in their external environment. A diverse workforce is more likely to generate innovative solutions because of the varied experiences and perspectives that its members bring.

💡Conflict

Conflict in the context of the video refers to opposition or disagreement between individuals or groups. The script differentiates between functional conflict, which can drive change and innovation, and dysfunctional conflict, which can hinder creativity and productivity. Managing conflict is crucial for leveraging the benefits of diversity without letting it disrupt the organization.

💡Group Cohesiveness

Group cohesiveness is the tendency of group members to stick together and coordinate their actions. The video discusses how cohesiveness is necessary for workgroups to perform well. However, it also points out that too much cohesiveness can lead to resistance to diversity, as groups may become resistant to change and new ideas.

💡Resistance to Change

Resistance to change is the reluctance of individuals or groups to accept or adapt to new conditions or ideas. The script mentions that organizations that are used to being less diverse may resist becoming more diverse, as diversity can be perceived as a change that is scary or uncomfortable. Overcoming this resistance is key to successfully implementing diversity initiatives.

💡Discrimination

Discrimination is the unfair treatment of individuals based on certain protected characteristics. The video script notes that excluding qualified individuals from employment opportunities due to differences is not only counterproductive but also illegal. Diversity initiatives aim to prevent discrimination and ensure equal opportunities for all.

💡Fertility Rate

The fertility rate refers to the average number of children born per woman. The video uses the declining fertility rate in the European Union and the United States as an example of the demographic shift towards a more diverse population. This shift underscores the importance of embracing diversity in the workforce to cater to a changing customer base.

💡Divergent Thinking

Divergent thinking is the ability to generate many different solutions to a problem, including novel and untested ones. The video script suggests that divergent thinking is crucial for creativity and innovation. A diverse workforce, with its varied backgrounds and experiences, is more likely to engage in divergent thinking, leading to more innovative solutions.

Highlights

Diversity in the workforce is the presence of differences in human resource management.

Diversity is important for business success and is against the law to discriminate based on protected characteristics.

The world population reached 7 billion in 2011, with a shrinking Caucasian population.

Fertility rates in the European Union and the United States are below the replacement level.

Cultural diversity in the workforce is one of the most challenging issues of our time.

Diversity is needed as minority populations grow and can lead to increased sales and profits.

Diverse employees allow for a better understanding of diverse customers and stakeholders.

A diverse workforce can provide more creative and innovative solutions to organizational problems.

Creativity is thinking in unique ways, and innovation is creating useful processes or products based on creative thought.

Diverse groups looking at a problem discover more aspects of it than a single person or homogeneous group.

In today's fast-moving industries, organizations must innovate and change to adapt to their environment.

Creativity is rare in organizations, and many people have been trained not to be innovative.

Divergent thinking, finding many possible solutions, is necessary for creative problem-solving.

Diversity assists the process of divergent thinking by introducing different perspectives.

Conflict can be functional, driving organizations to change, or dysfunctional, stifling creativity.

Group cohesiveness is important for workgroups to perform well.

Resistance to change can be a significant issue when introducing diversity.

Successfully managing diversity requires top management support and commitment to diversity and inclusion efforts.

Diversity leadership involves top-level managers being responsible for managing diversity.

Employees must be provided with training to work together as teams despite differences.

Affirmative action and diversity programs help women and minorities advance in organizations.

Transcripts

[Music]

let's take a look at diversity in the

workforce diversity is simply the

existence of differences in human

resource management it deals with

different types of people in an

organization this brings up a number of

questions why do we want to have

diversity in organizations what can we

do about any disadvantages so let's

discuss diversity as it provides both

opportunities and challenges to human

resource management is diversity really

all that important the answer is yes

there's currently a shortage of skilled

workers and there will be for their

foreseeable future

so to exclude a qualified person because

that individual is different in some way

is counterproductive to business success

discrimination based on protected

characteristics is also against the law

according to the United Nations in late

2011 the world population hits 7 billion

people however the world Caucasian

population is shrinking as more White's

die each year than are born it takes

about 2.1 children per women the

fertility rate to replace the current

generation but the estimated 2016

fertility rate in the European Union was

1.6 1 and in the United States was 1

point 8 7 well worldwide it's 2 point 4

- as of 2012 white bursts were no longer

the majority in the United States white

women are having fewer children than

minorities while the growth of mixed

marriages has led to more multicultural

births it should be clear that

increasing cultural diversity in the

workforce poses one of the most

challenging human resource and

organizational issues of our time why do

we need diversity diversity is important

and needed because as the white

population continues to shrink and the

minority populations grow interacting

with a wide array of customers and

suppliers increases sales revenues and

profits and other words embracing

diversity creates business opportunities

organizations today have begun to value

the

diversity of their workforces simply due

to the fact that as they become more

diverse they can serve a larger and more

diverse customer base diverse employees

allow us to see the diversity around us

in our customers other stakeholders and

much better than if our work groups were

homogeneous as a result we're better

able to provide products and services

that will appeal to the larger and more

diverse groups that we come into contact

with during the course of during

business what are the advantages of a

diverse workforce the primary advantage

of a diverse workforce comes from the

ability to stimulate and provide more

creative and innovative solutions to

organizational problems how does a more

diverse workforce add to the creativity

and innovation of an organization

creativity is a basic ability to think

in unique in different ways and apply

those thought processes to existing

problems an innovation is the act of

creating useful processes or products

based on creative thought processes

basically if we look at a problem from

different perspectives we find out that

there are more facets to the problem

than originally we realized have you

ever been in a situation where you just

couldn't find something you asked

someone else to help you search for it

and they found it almost immediately a

diversified group looking at a problem

will look at the problem from different

directions and in different ways and

therefore it will discover more of the

aspects of the problem than a single

person would or would a homogeneous

group but why is creativity necessary in

business today organizations in today's

fast-moving industries have to be able

to innovate and change to adapt to their

external environment their competitors

their customers and changes in

technology if an organization is unable

to rapidly innovate it will most

certainly die in today's business world

also creativity is a rare commodity in

organizations why is it hard to be so

creative most of us have learned not to

be creative we've been told over and

over as we've grown up that we should do

things the way everyone else does them

in other words we've been trained not to

be innovative over time this is an

effect of causing most of

to give up on being very creative and

just go along with the way that majority

of people are doing something we lose

the ability to think differently this

ability called divergent thinking is

necessary in order to come up with

creative solutions to a problem

diversion thinking is the ability to

find many possible solutions to a

particular problem including unique

untested solutions by introducing

diversity into our workforce we assist

the process of divergent thinking

different people think differently

because they have different backgrounds

and have solved problems differently in

the past there are several things that

can cause diversity to break down the

organization instead of allowing it to

become better and more creative conflict

is simply the act of being opposed to

another conflict occurs and all

interactions between individuals and

there are many reasons for conflict is

conflict bad not necessarily conflict

can basically be broken down into

functional conflict and dysfunctional

conflict functional conflict is how

organizations go through the process of

creating new things the opposition

itself drives organizations to change if

we don't have conflicts the organization

never changes however dysfunctional

conflict occurs when conflict gets to

the point where creativity is stifled

and in fact almost all work becomes

difficult or impossible because of the

conflicts intensity the second big issue

is group cohesiveness cohesiveness is an

intent and desire for group members to

stick together in their actions in

organizations we've learned that in

order for workgroups to become as good

as they can possibly be the group has to

become cohesive a third significant

issue in diversity is resistance to

change if organizations are used to

being less diverse then diversity can

become something that's scary to people

in organizations these items are of some

of the most significant but if you're

interested you can always find out more

by reading about the topic in

organizational management psychology or

sociology literature diversity affects

bottom-line profits

but to do so some of the challenges

associated with diversity like conflict

and reduced cohesiveness must be

addressed creating a cohesive

operational and highly successful

diverse workforce doesn't just happen

successfully managing diversity requires

top management to support and commit to

diversity and inclusion efforts

diversity leadership refers to having

top-level managers who are responsible

for managing diversity finally and most

importantly employees must be provided

with training so that they can work

together as teams despite differences in

race gender age ability and other

factors through managing diversity

effectively affirmative action in

diversity programs have been used to

help women and minorities advance in

organizations

[Music]