Managing a Diverse Workforce 107
The increase of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities in
the workforce is going to continue. The attitudes, beliefs, values, and customs
of people in society are an integral part of their culture and affect their
behavior on the job. Research has found that men, women, and minorities
do not have a common culture or organizational life; rather, each group
identifi es, defi nes, and organizes its experience in the organization in
unique ways that infl uence group members ’ reactions to work assign-
ments, leadership styles, and reward systems (Fine, Johnson, & Ryan,
1990). These differences create the potential for communication problems,
which can lead to increased organizational confl ict.
Management must balance two confl icting goals: get employees to
accept the dominant values and encourage acceptance of differences.
Robbins (1994) calls this the “ paradox of diversity ” (p. 259). It is impor-
tant for new employees to accept the organization ’ s culture; otherwise,
they are not likely to be accepted. But at the same time, management
must acknowledge and demonstrate support for the differences that these
employees bring to the workplace. Valuing diversity means recognizing
and appreciating that individuals are different, that diversity can be an
advantage if it is well managed, and that diversity should be encouraged.
Accepting diverse ideas encourages employees to be more creative, which
leads to greater fl exibility and problem - solving capabilities (Fine et al.,
1990; Ospina & O’Sullivan, 2003; Page, 2007).
Strategic Human Resources Management
Implications for Managing Diversity
Employers must understand that compliance with equal employment
opportunity and affi rmative action does not necessarily mean that incumbent
employees will respect or accept new entrants. Employers need to value
the different knowledge and experiences diversity brings to the workplace.
Diversity is often addressed in terms of visible differences, such as race,
gender, age, or disability. But an employee ’ s sexual orientation, religion,
inconspicuous disability, education, work style, lifestyle, and culture are
not as readily visible, and various combinations of differences can exist in
one person. Even differences of parenthood or responsibility for elderly
relatives are components of diversity that need accommodation through
parental leaves, fl exible work schedules, or child care or elder care assis-
tance. Employers and employees must understand the many dimensions
of diversity.
