Question

• Explain the types of diversity you have encountered in your professional experience and the challenges that each type of diversity posed to a team’s performance. Include in your explanation how a manager can leverage a team’s diversity to improve its performance.
• Explain the challenges posed by managing, and working within, a diverse team. In your explanation, include how managers should motivate individuals within a diverse team environment who are likely to have differing, and at times, clashing priorities.

Answer 1

There are several diversity in work place.

Cultural diversity

This type of diversity is related to each person’s ethnicity and it’s usually the set of norms we get from the society we were raised in or our family’s values. Having different cultures in the workplace is more common in multinational companies.

Race diversity

Race has to do with a person’s grouping based on physical traits (despite the dominant scientific view that race is a social construct and not biologically defined). Examples of races are Caucasian, African, Latino and Asian.

Religious diversity

This type of diversity refers to the presence of multiple religions and spiritual beliefs (including lack thereof) in the workplace.

Age diversity

Age diversity means working with people of different ages and, most importantly, generations. For example, millennials, GenZers and GenXers can coexist in the same workplace.

Sex / Gender / Sexual orientation

Sex and gender can be used in the traditional sense of male and female employees. For example, you may sometimes hear the term “gender balance” used by companies trying to achieve a 50-50 balance between employees who identify as male and employees who identify as female. But, as gender is increasingly redefined, the term “gender diversity” may be more appropriate, since there are multiple variations in gender and sexual orientation.

Disability

There are various types of disabilities or chronic conditions included here, ranging from mental to physical. Companies often make reasonable accommodations to help people with disabilities integrate into the workplace, such as installing ramps for wheelchairs or providing mental health support. Some companies also adjust their hiring process to make sure it's inclusive.

Protected by law

The characteristics corresponding to these forms of diversity are protected by law in many countries: these “protected characteristics” are attributes that companies shouldn’t take into account when making employment decisions (especially adverse decisions, like terminating employees or rejecting job candidates). For example, you mustn’t decide to reject an applicant for a job simply because they’re Asian, female or a person with disabilities.

Conversely, it’s good practice to strive to have all these diversity categories in your workforce by eliminating biases and using affirmative action plans.

Additional types of diversity

Apart from protected characteristics, there are other important types of diversity, too, like:

• Socioeconomic background / Class diversity
• Education
• Life experiences
• Personality
• General worldview / opinions

Organizations that embrace diversity also need to ensure that there are policies and practices in place to protect employees’ rights and stay compliant with government regulations.

In addition to the written policies, it is also essential to ensure that the non-official “rules” of an organization are thoroughly explained to all employees to communicate company values and culture to all workers effectively.

How to Manage Diversity in the Workplace

Managing diversity in the workplace presents a set of unique challenges for HR professionals. These challenges can be mitigated if an organization makes a concerted effort to encourage a more heterogeneous environment through promoting a culture of tolerance, open communication and creating conflict management strategies to address issues that may arise.

For leadership to effectively manage diversity in the workplace, they need to understand their backgrounds and how their behavior and beliefs can affect their decision-making within a diverse environment.

Tips for managing workplace diversity:

PRIORITIZE COMMUNICATION

To manage a diverse workplace, organizations need to ensure that they effectively communicate with employees. Policies, procedures, safety rules and other important information should be designed to overcome language and cultural barriers by translating materials and using pictures and symbols whenever applicable.

TREAT EACH EMPLOYEE AS AN INDIVIDUAL

Avoid making assumptions about employees from different backgrounds. Instead, look at each employee as an individual and judge successes and failures on the individual’s merit rather than attributing actions to their background.

ENCOURAGE EMPLOYEES TO WORK IN DIVERSE GROUPS

Diverse work teams let employees get to know and value one another on an individual basis and can help break down preconceived notions and cultural misunderstandings.

BASE STANDARDS ON OBJECTIVE CRITERIA

Set one standard of rules for all groups of employees regardless of background. Ensure that all employment actions, including discipline, follow this standardized criteria to make sure each employee is treated the same.

BE OPEN-​​​MINDED

Recognize, and encourage employees to recognize, that one’s own experience, background, and culture are not the only with value to the organization. Look for ways to incorporate a diverse range of perspectives and talents into efforts to achieve organizational goals.

HIRING

To build a diverse workplace, it is crucial to recruit and hire talent from a variety of backgrounds. This requires leadership and others who make hiring decisions to overcome bias in interviewing and assessing talent. If organizations can break through bias and hire the most qualified people, those with the right education, credentials, experience and skill sets, a diverse workplace should be the natural result.

Answer 2

​​​​​Understand What Drives Your Employees

To understand your employees, you must first learn what drives them. Because no two employees are alike, and each is motivated to take -- or not to take -- action for a variety of reasons, ask your employees to complete an employee communication survey. You can download a sample survey or write your own. It is important that you reassure your employees that you will only use the survey as a development tool.

Respond to Your Employees' Needs

The key to getting your employees on your side is to respond to their needs. If a high percentage of your employees believe their complaints go unanswered by management, arrange one-on-one meetings with team members to discuss how the lines of communication can improve. To be effective, you must adapt your style of communication to each employee, keeping in mind that some employees prefer written communication whereas others prefer oral communication.

The Power of Validation and Praise

Commend employees for accomplishments as well as valiant efforts at success. Remember, not all employees enjoy public recognition, so monitor the individual's behavior or ask him if he is comfortable receiving praise in front of others. Whether you give praise in writing or at an office meeting, make it clear, specific and as close in time to the situation as possible.

Paint the Bigger Picture

Help an insecure or unmotivated employee gain a sense of focus by setting achievable goals and clearly explaining the timeline in which those goals must be met. It is important to explain how projects and assignments fit in the big picture and how each employee is vital to the overall company.

Create a Strong Environment

Every employee wants to work in a supportive environment. The best way to eliminate fears of failure is by encouraging employees to address their concerns and frustrations openly -- for instance, at the end of a weekly staff meeting or using an agreed-upon form of communication. Secrecy and ambiguity can foster mistrust between you and your employees.