Running head: DIVERSITY AND CULTURE AT WORKPLACE 1

Diversity and Culture at Workplace

Name

Institution Affiliation
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Diversity and Culture at Workplace

What is a culturally diverse workplace?

Culture is the lifestyle and social behaviors of a specific group of people in a given society. A

culturally diverse workplace is the concept of a company having a mix of different ethnicities, religions,

gender, and races. It means that the firm is open to hiring employees from different backgrounds

irrespective of their culture, race, or religion Roberson, 2019). A diverse workplace can increase

innovation and productivity since the employees have different ways of solving problems, product

creation, and even resource allocation, training the employees and providing them with skills to help them

interact and uphold teamwork, redefining the hiring process through building the diverse team,

developing diversity-friendly workplace policies, avoiding making assumptions about employees from

different background instead treat every employee as an individual, respecting every culture by honoring

their holidays, holding regular culture days and learning the challenges and importance of other cultures

(Roberson, 2019). Diversity issues may include; discrimination, generation gaps, gender equality,

harassment lack of special equipment and facilities such as those with special needs.

What is cultural diversity, and why is it important?

Cultural diversity is the existence of different beliefs, religions, and social behaviors by people

living in the same geographical location. It is the presence of unique varieties of diverse cultures in one

region and understanding each individual's uniqueness. Culture is one of the primary values that control

people's behaviors; cultural diversity at the workplace has physical and non-physical benefits.

Diversity leads to increased creativity, and innovation enhance diversity includes, a company

hiring employees with varying cultures can boost the invention of the employees. Different people have

different ways of thinking and solving various problems. Similarly, people from different backgrounds

bring additional solutions to achieve a common goal (Sakdiyakorn & Wattanacharoensil, 2018). It makes
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it easy to generate new ideas and innovations for the company since people from a similar environment

are likely to have similar ideas.

It promotes the high productivity of a company. Productivity is a measure of company success.

Diversity is an indication of how productive the employees will be. Diversity brings different talents and

skills together, working towards a common goal: the more creativity, the more generation of new ideas

and solutions, and the higher productivity.

It improves employee's engagement and motivation. Employees can respect their differences and

appreciate each other's contribution to the success of the institution. They also learn different ways of

doing things from their colleague's experiences and skills. Where co-workers are learning from each

other, they gain respect for each other. The cooperation brings about teamwork and thus the success of the

institution.

Diversity positively boosts the brand's reputation. Companies hiring employees from different

backgrounds gain the importance of being a good employer. A diverse collection of experiences gives the

company the ability to provide goods and services as the customers' needs, thus gaining the customer's

trust (Roberson, 2019). Diversity connects the company with the community where it's located. People

view such companies as more human and responsible. A good reputation may earn favors to the company

as a recognized brand.

Diversity leads to increased profits. Companies with diverse workforce make a better and faster

decision and provide a quicker solution to the arising problem. Thus, they are always ahead of their

competitors, and they can get more profits. It also improves employee's morale and engagement. Adverse

groups focus on fact when making decisions (Sakdiyakorn & Wattanacharoensil, 2018). They generate

ideas, share their experiences, skills, and visions. They brainstorm, examine, and re-examine the solution

to various problems. They try as much as they can to remain objective. Tackling challenges becomes

more comfortable.
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It helps in attracting and retaining talents. In many cases, workers tend to work for a long

duration of time in institutions that embraces the value of a diversified workforce. It also makes the

company more attractive to job seekers and employees. It brands the company as a better place to work as

it attracts top talents from diverse talent pools.

What are the challenges of diversity in the workplace?

Cultural diversity sounds intuitive, but it can be challenging to put into practice. When making

decisions, management should be aware of the issues they may encounter and be prepared with useful

strategies.

The first challenge is hostility by employees. Despite having good intentions, in many cases,

humans make a biased decision rather than the facts. In a diverse workplace, everyone has a different

perspective, approaches, and opinions. It is rare for a personal belief that the other colleague's views are

the right one. If the disagreement arises, then someone may take it as a direct attack on their integrity.

Focus on diversity can create hostility when employees doubt each other's ability to perform a task.

The second challenge is communication problems. In a diverse workplace, there are chances that

some employees are not clear with the language that is used for communication. Team members may fail

to communicate because of the differences in language. Failure to fully understand and comprehend

information may lead to a reduction in productivity.

The third problem challenge is too many opinions when making decisions. With diverse

backgrounds, employees have different skills in approaching a scenario; this results in many solutions to a

similar problem. Too many thoughts can lead to failure to reach an agreement. In some instances, the

management may not notice innovative ideas because of excessive opinions.

The fourth challenge is the implementation of diversity measures. Generally, diversity means

different things to different people. It is enforced and implemented by the company's management. They

may be too busy to implement diversity initiatives. Similarly, some members of the administration may be
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willing to implement the initiatives. In contrast, others are not willing since a lot of people are resistant to

change. Some diversity measures tend to be very expensive to implement and may cost the company a lot

of money.

The fifth challenge is the risk of lousy talent in the company. If the goal is to uphold diversity,

one may have a poor performing employee in an organization to boost your diversity figures. It may lead

to low productivity and profit.

The final challenge is the rise of complaints and conflicts between employees. Conflicts and

complaints are likely to be experienced in diverse workplaces, compared to the company where

employees come from the same place. Different working styles and habits may affect the employee's

cooperation and teamwork.

How do you explain cultural diversity?

Cultural diversity can be defined as the variety and quality of many different human societies and

cultures in a given region in the world. The major object in cultural diversity is the respect and

appreciation of the differences that diverse cultures have. Cultural differences arise, especially because of

how different societies live, like their rites of passage, food, clothing, worship, and language (among

other factors). This paper seeks to explain cultural diversity itself and how to show respect for the same.

Everyday practices, together with the things continually taught in one's life, inform the core being

of that person significantly. Culture puts together many different variables that define a society. They

include: what people believe, what they value, the norms and ceremonies they perform, and how they

behave under different social circumstances. Different cultures originate from regional differences

geographically. Once in history, people were not as interconnected as today (Hacker, 2011). Geographical

barriers led to the development of diverse societies with well-defined ways of life. Therefore, the world

came to have diverse cultures naturally.

Cultural diversity is seen when employees come from different backgrounds, religions, races,

significant age ranges, and even have multilingual operations. At school, cultural diversity is seen when

students come from all over the world, have courses that teach different cultures, and accept all religious

and traditional practices without discrimination. Accommodating diversity at such a large scale shows

respect to different cultures and societal affiliation.

Cultural diversity brings in differences that need to be acknowledged. It is in the acknowledgment

of these differences that the respect of cultural diversity, especially to the minority communities against

the dominant ones, originates (Hacker, 2011). The world has to recognize the existence of vast amounts of

cultures; and that each culture brings with it unique differences, teachings, and practices. People need to

understand that despite the differences, all expressions brought by diverse cultures are equally valid and

that each culture brings value to the global society.

How do you show respect for cultural diversity?

In order to foster respect for the differences in global cultures, the diverse groups, despite their

size, need to be empowered so that their contribution is heard on the global stage. In order to show respect

for cultural diversity, people need to celebrate other cultures' differences rather than just tolerating them

(Hacker, 2011). Respect for cultural diversity can be shown by practicing the following:

 Having interactions with individuals of different cultures to understand them better, thus

appreciating their culture.

 Having an open mind so that the judgmental nature that arises in the face of indifference does not

hinder respect for a different culture.

 Accepting the reality of difference that came by naturally among diverse societies enables

acceptance of the benefits of diversity, like productivity - when different and efficient methods of

executing the desired task are put in practice, effectiveness is increased, rendering a proportional

increment in productivity.
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 Advocating for diversity in different social and economic parameters, like schools and

workplaces, is also a show of respect for cultural diversity.

 The absorption of different arts and media like music and film expands one's knowledge and

understanding of other cultures worldwide. Such understanding provides different perspectives

and shows respect for cultural diversity.

What are examples of cultural diversity?

Multilingual Workforce

The most notable difference between many cultures is language. Language, in most cases, defines

a society. For instance, the original speakers of the Spanish language formed the Spanish society and

culture. Due to language diversity in today's modern global society, businesses must incorporate

multilingual workforces in their operations, including multilingual staff, to serve a culturally diverse

client/customer base better (Ray, 2016). It also ensures that message delivery is clear when addressing

people with a complex diversity, especially when a business is targeting a marketplace that is diverse.

Religious Diversity

Cultural diversity can be seen when a society incorporates peoples from different religious

backgrounds. Having a society that is religiously diverse helps in the implementation of effective

communication and respect. Empathy also comes in as each member of the society can relate to other

peoples' ways of life and religion (Ray, 2016). Different religions give different perspectives on life. This

is a bonus in the growth and development of a society in both its social and political parameters.

Racial Diversity

Racial diversity is an example of the display of respect among different peoples. Racial

segregation has been a big disregard and disrespect of difference, especially in the history of the United

States, where people of color were regarded as inferior (Ray, 2016). Today, the global society has come to
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terms with the reality that we are all different, and it is in this indifference that unity is found. Most social,

political, and economical institutions are now required by law to promote racial diversity.

What are the benefits of diversity?

Creativity and Innovation

Culture plays a huge role in the determination and influence of how people perceive

the world. When a person's thoughts are diversified, they tend to think outside the box, increasing their

creativity and consequently driving innovation (Raynolds, 2019). Exposure to different cultures opens

one's mind to many more perspectives.

Diverse Talent

Organizations that draw their staff from a diversified pool tend to attract the best

talent. Diversifying an institution racially, religiously, gender-wise, and ethnically ensures that the

delivery of the organization's product is done in the best way possible, without leaving out anyone

(Raynolds, 2019). Diversity brings together different perspectives that help in increasing both efficiency

and effectiveness of production in any given institution - from a small business to a notable government

agency.

Growth: Professionally and Personally

A diverse organization that is inclusive of everyone will have individuals with great

ambition, talent, open-minded professionals from around the world (Raynolds, 2019). Such diversified

organizations and institutions provide a golden opportunity for growth and development at both the

personal level and professional level. Cross-cultural workplaces provide experiences that can best be

described as enriching, even satisfying.

Global perspective
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Culturally diversifying an institution gives it a global perspective to better perform its

mission and work towards its goals more smoothly. This is because diversity provides insight into new

methods of problem-solving techniques. It promotes unity and the ultimate acceptance and respect of the

reality of human indifference.

References

Hacker, Violaine. (2011), Building Medias Industry while promoting a community of values in the

globalization: from quixotic choices to pragmatic boon for EU Citizens. Politické Védy-Journal

of Political Science, Slovakia.

Ray, L. (2016, July 14). What Are Some Typical Examples of Cultural Diversity in the Work

Force? Woman. https://woman.thenest.com/typical-examples-cultural-diversity-work-force-

3337.html

Reynolds, K. (2019, July 11). 13 benefits and challenges of cultural

diversity in the workplace. Hult International Business School.

https://www.hult.edu/blog/benefits-challenges-cultural-diversity-workplace/

Roberson, Q., M. (2019). Diversity in the Workplace: A review, synthesis, and future research agenda.

Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 6, 69-88.

Sakdiyakorn, M., & Wattanacharoensil, W. (2018). Generational diversity in the workplace: A systematic

review in the hospitality context. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 59(2), 135-159.