The critical idea of promoting cultural diversity in the workplace is to employ people of different religions, races, nationalities, native languages, genders, and ages. The most apparent benefit of cultural diversity is that colleagues with different worldviews propose different solutions to the same problem. This, in turn, could lead to the maximization of a companys performance. Nonetheless, it is rather challenging to unite people of different cultures because prejudices based on gender, race, or age are still flourishing in modern society.
Indeed, the study conducted by Patrick and Kumar (2012) reveals that the most widespread barrier to establishing cultural diversity in the workplace is discrimination followed by prejudice and ethnocentrism. The possible reason for this is that people of different gender and age have different attitudes toward inclusiveness per se. For example, Patrick and Kumar (2012) argue that women are more willing to accept new customs, and traditions and learn foreign languages in contrast to men. It is also easier for the employees 21 – 25 years old to work in a culturally diverse team than for the older ones (Patrick and Kumar, 2012). Nonetheless, there is a way to develop cultural competencies among the employees.
According to Arthur (2000), it is crucial to teach team members of stress management skills and decision-making strategies. Other effective strategies that allow solving troubles at the workplace are raising “personal awareness about views of conflict, moving beyond blame and viewing cultural norms as the source of conflict” (Arthur, 2000, p. 211). From this, it could be inferred that a critical component of establishing a productive atmosphere in the workplace with diverse employees, it is necessary to explain to them that their diversity is not a challenge but a great opportunity. Respect and freedom from prejudices are an inalienable part of the successful operation of a culturally diverse team.
References
Arthur, N. (2000). Career competencies for managing cross-cultural transitions. Canadian Journal of Counselling, 34(3), 204-17.
Patrick, H. A., & Kumar, V. R. (2012). Managing workplace diversity: Issues and challenges. Sage Open, 2(2), 1-5.