Leading in Diversity

The importance of diversity in the workplace is growing daily with the increased globalization. In a workplace setting, employee diversity has a significant role in the performance of an organization. From a leadership perspective, diversity in the workplace entails creating an inclusive environment, accepting everyone’s individual differences, enabling employees to achieve their full potential, and facilitating the ability of a business to reach its full potential (Coleman, 2012). Cultural diversity is a strategy developed to maintain the leadership of a company and keep its goals and objectives afloat. An organizational culture acts as a guide for all employees, managers, and other stakeholders of the company. This explains why it is important for a leader to embrace cultural sensitivity and intelligence by putting up measures that encourage other personnel to adhere to them.

As a leader in my organization, I have developed a strategic plan to help me push the agenda of organizational culture and to enable me to lead in a culturally sensitive and intelligent manner. Among the things included in this strategy are proper communication, diversification of hiring practices, zero tolerance for stereotypes, encouraging teamwork, and focusing on employees’ welfare (Hopkins & Hopkins, 2009). These practices have brought the organization great success as well as painting a positive image of organizational culture and its importance.

Improving communication has contributed to employees’ productivity and boosted the functionality of all departments. As a leader, I pushed the idea of open communication, and we set up a few hours before the beginning of each week to discuss the developing issues. This strategy has encouraged the members of staff and management to discuss the issues concerning the company as well as personal matters that could inhibit productivity. For example, to push the culture of rewarding productive employees, I brought up an open discussion for the people to talk about how they’d prefer to go about it. Some said that they’d prefer to be rewarded behind the closed doors of their workspaces since they are not bold enough to take it in the presence of other people, while others found it okay to do it right there. This may seem trivial, but it has proved that even the things we consider little matter to others. It has yielded results, and it shows that the organizational culture was created to encourage inclusivity, and nothing does that better than proper communication.

Another tactic that has enabled me to lead in a culturally sensitive and intelligent manner is the diversification of hiring practices. We not only hire the best talents in the market but also those applicants who understand the importance of cultural diversity. Before I took up leadership, the company was famous for hiring people who strictly fit a specific description, and the same hiring criteria were used every other time. This made the workforce saturated with people who only carried out their tasks as a routine, without showing any signs of life beyond their assignments while in the office. Once we started embracing diversification while hiring, our workforce developed from robot-like employees to a collection of team players who are always up to learn new things. They are not only working to beat deadlines and pocket their paychecks but also to empower themselves and build careers.

Under my leadership, the organization has managed to get everyone on board to embrace zero tolerance for stereotypes. We deal with people who think that some individuals can’t do certain things or identify them stereotypically. Every employee is entitled to a healthy working environment and must be treated equally. People showing signs of being stereotyped are challenged to see others equally and not identify them according to what popular opinion says concerning those people’s genders, sexuality, race, and physical appearance, among others. This strategy has enabled staff members to respect each other irrespective of their personal differences.

Encouraging teamwork and employees’ welfare are two other plans that have yielded positive results in the company. Through proper communication, I have managed to encourage the members to come out and talk about the changes they’d like to see in the company to improve their welfare. Some preferred to talk in groups, while others preferred to make personal visits to the members in charge of executing this strategic plan. I also came up with a “suggestion box” system of communication, where people could write their thoughts on paper, place it there and action would be taken despite their anonymity. In the case of encouraging teamwork, I developed this strategy to boost the culture of diversity. A team comprises different people with diverse personalities who are after a similar goal. For the goal to be met, they have to combine their diverse perspectives and come up with a strategy that will put them on top. This plan has driven my idea of culturally sensitive and intelligent leadership forward.

The leader in charge of production in our organization has one strategy that she has adopted and incorporated for all the employees under her leadership to work by. She believes in winning against all odds, even when it means being inconsiderate of the welfare of her juniors. In comparison to my strategic plan, her strategy has brought her different leadership awards, but in contrast, her juniors’ welfare keeps deteriorating to the point that they are no longer happy working in the production department. Two employees in her department have already resigned from the company, and more seem to follow suit. This has raised an alarm to the top management, and plans are underway to make several changes. I wouldn’t consider her strategic plan to be culturally sensitive and intelligent, owing to the negative results it has yielded.

References

Coleman, M. (2012). Leadership and diversity. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 40(5), 592-609.

Hopkins, W. E., & Hopkins, S. A. (2009). Diversity leadership: A mandate for the 21st-century workforce. Journal of Leadership Studies, 5(3), 129-140.

Hunt, V., Layton, D., & Prince, S. (2015). Diversity matters. McKinsey & Company, 1(1), 15-29.

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Leaders are challenged to lead in diverse cultures.

Leading in Diversity

In a 2-3 page paper, develop a strategic plan for how you would lead in a culturally sensitive and intelligent manner. Compare and contrast your plan with a current leader in your organization or one regarded nationally.