Introduction
The culture is considered to be under the influence of constant changes connected with religious, ethnic, and social factors backgrounds and their development. The success of any business lies in covering these transformations in the process of companies’ operations development. Cultural Diversity in the workplace is considered to be a significant factor ensuring the success of any business plan in the modern period. Nowadays the enforcement of diversity training is perceived as an important element in companies’ working environment maintenance. The business sphere experiences the impact of cultural diversity increase affecting local communities, employees, and even the country in general.
The Significance of Cultural Diversity in the Workplace
It is necessary to underline the fact that the importance of cultural diversity in the workplace is to be identified through the term highlight; ‘diversity’ has the meaning of all experiences and characteristics defining every individual. Nowadays this concept covers work style, geographic origin, economic status, and organizational role. The basic goal of every modern company is aimed at making cultural diversity be an integral part of its operations and planning, as it impacts the level of business productivity, sustained competitiveness, and organizational effectiveness. One is to take into account that the recognition of diversity significance in the workplace has a direct attitude to the competitive advantage of the company. (Workplace Diversity: A global Necessity and an Ongoing Commitment. 2004).
Cultural diversity matters in the development of personal and professional aspects. It is necessary to highlight the idea that human resources making the diversity rich out country and make the community and industry survive. In the case of every social and cultural segment utilization, diversity benefits community development. It is necessary to underline the fact that nowadays cultural diversity in the workplace is getting more desired n most world countries. Life experience, ethnicity, and religion are taken into account in the working environment. The management and enforcement of diversity in the business sphere are to be fulfilled through the necessity to respect, recognize and follow the individuals’ backgrounds, taking into account their race, gender and ethnicity. The companies’ development of diversity should be based on the idea that cultural groups differ in their styles and values which may provide different effects on the way their business is performed. The analysis of modern cultural diversity role in the companies’ management allows outlining basic cultural factors discriminating against social opportunities in the workplace:
- Religious (it means that non-Christians are non-privileged in the American business sphere);
- The age should be 21-50;
- Sexual orientation (heterosexual is valued);
- Female gender (women have fewer opportunities to take a high position in the company.)
It should be taken into account that the promotion of diversity agenda in modern companies is the method of successful business objectives execution. The analysis of cultural diversity in some enterprises demonstrated the fact that some companies managed to create affinity groups covering employees, or diversity committees, contributing to the encouragement and fostering of diversity goals (Patterson, 2001).
The necessity to enforce cultural diversity in the workplace has a direct connection to the rate of business productivity and quality of performed work by employees. Most companies’ leaders started to develop diversity training impacting and supporting key diversity initiatives of any organization. This step is aimed at employees’ learning the ways of effective and appropriate interaction in the workplace; this method influences the development of new skills and abilities of the workers being important for their duties performance. It is necessary to underline the fact that the diversity training allows the company to create a common reference frame and identify certain foundations being helpful for the employees in understanding each other and eliminating barriers faced by the companies’ cultural inclusion promotion. Flexible training programs developed by most companies allow the employees to understand the importance of cultural diversity and influence the formation and perception of individuals’ cultural characteristics within the staff.
Cultural diversity is especially stressed within the top management of the company; most managers and supervisors are trained for the purpose of working atmosphere improvement through their direct influence on other workers. Usually, such companies strive to work out a special course for top management training them in a common understanding of diversity significance for the benefits of the company (Cultural Diversity in the Workplace. 2005).
It is necessary to underline the fact that business ethics and cultural diversity introduction in the workplace are interconnected with each other. The development of training of moral and ethical norms and standards within the company’s operating process is considered to be dependent on the way of cultural diversity promotion within the staff. Nowadays, it is important to work for a company taking into account the role of cultural diversity; this aspect is especially related to the people being of Asian or African origin. It is necessary to underline the idea that such companies always value the employees’ contributions to business operations; they grant the staff promotions and train the workers on taking more responsibility. Such a working atmosphere is considered to be stimulating and provides ambitions for the workers to put more and more effort into the job performance.
It is necessary to stress that cultural diversity enforcement in the workplace is the method of dissolving ethnic and racial prejudices in a business environment giving a chance to all individuals to express their skills and professionalism through their work. For example, Asian Americans, who are perceived in modern society as low skilled specialists, have an opportunity to take higher positions in case of demonstrating true professionalism (Schlegelmilch, 1998).
Conclusion
The analysis of cultural diversity’s role in the workplace allowed evaluating the reasons for the necessity of its enforcement. The working environment is closely dependent on the productiveness and quality of employees’ work performance. Business ethics is considered to be an integral part of companies’ successful operations and the effectiveness of their functioning. Business leaders are to create balance and respect through cultural diversity enforcement as it impacts the development of workers’ skills and abilities, as well as the introduction of an appropriate working environment. The cultural diversity respect within any organization is the basic step to effective cooperation with the customers and productiveness of the manufacturing and service fields.
The role of cultural diversity can be considered significant through its functioning as the link in ethnic, religious, national, and social harmony. It is the principal method of uniting the company’s employees making them work for one common purpose.
References
- Cultural Diversity in the Workplace. (2005).
- Patterson, Th. (2001). Cultural diversity in the United States: a critical reader. Wiley-Blackwell.
- Schlegelmilch, B. (1998). Marketing ethics: an international perspective. Cengage Learning EMEA.
- Workplace Diversity: A global Necessity and an Ongoing Commitment. (2004). The Career Advancement Subcommittee of the FCC’s Advisory Committee on Diversity for Communications in the Digital Age.