Running head: INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES: MANAGING DIVERSITY 1

Individual Differences:

Managing Diversity

Crystal Grajcar

Brenau University
INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES: MANAGING DIVERSITY 2

Individual Differences: Managing Diversity

Managing in today’s workforce environment can be daunting task. The understanding and

appreciation of diversity in the workplace has become a non-negotiable competency that managers must

possess in order to lead productive, cohesive, and successful teams and to remain competitive in their

respective markets. Webster defines diversity as “the condition of being diverse, variety especially: the

inclusion of diverse people (as people of different races or cultures) in a group or organization”. The

term, however, has become much more dynamic in recent years. Diversity now includes not only culture

and race but also as Nelson and Quick (2009) explain “all forms of individual differences including

culture, gender, age, ability, religion, personality, social status and sexual orientation” (p. 45). Nelson

and Quick (2009) also foresee that “by the end of 2002, the workforce will be more culturally diverse,

more female, and older than ever” (p. 45). This evidence suggests that cultural, age, and gender diversity

are among the most emergent factors in workplace diversity.

Cultural Diversity

The demographic makeup of today’s workforce is an ever-changing entity. Never before have

managers had to be aware of such varying cultural identities among their team members. Aghazadeh

(2004) explains that, “according to the US Census Bureau, non-whites will represent more than one-third

of the US population by the year 2010, close to half in 2050 and by 2005 ethnic minorities will be 28% of

the worker population” (p. 521). The business advantages of harnessing the power of this emerging

phenomenon are numerous. Corporations seen as embracing cultural diversity are more competitive in

both the talent market and are seen as better, more relevant providers of products and services to their

customers. Aghazadeh (2004) also reports 77% of respondents in a recent SHRM study found that

focusing on diversity benefited their organizations in sourcing talent, 52% attributed their customer
INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES: MANAGING DIVERSITY 3

satisfaction ratings to diversity and 91% believe that diversity-sensitive polices made their organizations

more competitive in their markets (p.526).

The disadvantages of introducing cultural diversity in the workplace must be carefully identified

and understood before an organization enacts a diversity strategy. Some of the factors that demands

research and strategy include the costs of training, the possibility of an increase in turnover, and

absenteeism, and the possibility of creating reverse discrimination. The elevated probability of conflicts

in the work group and its impact on employee morale and job productivity is also a serious consideration

in the strategic planning of the organizations diversity initiatives. Companies can counter these by

focusing on constant learning, establishing clear and effective lines of communication, ensuring

recognition of cultural holidays and social practices, and finally, making diversity competencies and

results part of both employee performance appraisals and overall organization goals and objectives

(Aghazadeh, 2004, p.523). Kodak and Pitney Bowes are two examples of companies that are taking new

and innovative approaches to overcoming any obstacles in creating a diverse workforce in their

organizations. Pellet reports that Dan Carp, Kodak CEO, created an office of diversity led by a chief

learning officer separate from HR to ensure that diversity issues are not lost in the vast world of HR.

Michael Critelli, CEO of Pitney Bowes, ensures that diversity initiatives are an integral part of each

employee’s performance goal by “creating a balanced scorecard process to evaluate business units and

staff functions on achieving diversity goals” (Pellet, 2004, p.51).

Age Diversity

Just as the cultural environment of the workplace is changing rapidly, so is the environment as it

relates to age. Gladwell, Dorwart, Stone and Hammond (2010) provide that for the first time in history it

is now possible for all four representative generational groups (traditionals, boomers, Generation Xers

and Generation Yers) to be working side by side in the workplace (p. 1). Patota, Schwartz, and Schwartz

INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES: MANAGING DIVERSITY 4

(2007) suggest that each of these generational groups has specific characteristics and value systems that

make them assets to the organizations for which they work. Traditionalists draw on the most years of

experience, while boomers believe that hard work and long hours are the paths to achieving both personal

and organizational goals. The more recent occurrences of Gen X and Gen Y bring a high level of

acceptance and even an expectation of change in the workplace along with a sense of urgency to meet

goals while maintaining a rich and meaningful personal life (p. 6).

These strengths, however, can quickly become the source of conflict, frustration, and low worker

productivity. Traditionalists can be perceived as complacent or at times irrelevant or condescending.

Boomers can be seen as workaholics with unreasonable expectations, while Gen Xers seen as lazy or

unmotivated (Patota et al., 2007, p. 6). Finally, due the high exposure to technology, Gen Yers can be

seen as impatient and rigid (Nelson & Quick, 2009, p. 48). To counter these possible conflicts, managers

must become experts in the competency of leadership flexibility, taking a situation-based approach to

individual needs (Wagner, 2007, p. 9). Patota et al. (2007) term the types of people that excel in a multi-

generational environment as the Super Employee and the Super Manager. Super Employees identify and

appreciate generational differences and evolve into productive employees through these practices. A

Super Manager is adept in identifying motivation factors for each generational type, and gives feedback

and rewards based of these factors (p. 3). The benefits of mastering these behaviors are “increased

productivity, improved team efficiency and effectiveness, decreased conflicts, improved retention of best

employees, reduced or eliminated need for liaison groups to facilitate intra-group communication, and

increased job satisfaction” (Patota et al., 2007, p. 10).

Gender Diversity

The last emergent factor of diversity in the workplace is gender diversity. Pai and Vaidya (2009)

reports that “a federal study in 1995 found that males held 95 percent of all top management

INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES: MANAGING DIVERSITY 5

positions….an amazing statistic considering that women accounted for 45.7 percent of America’s jobs”

(p. 106). Later studies show even although women were 48% of working Americans, only 8% were in

executive positions (Pai & Vaidya, 2009, p. 106). Women bring many strong competencies to the table.

Cheung and Halpern (2010) suggests that women rise to success because of their different, more

relational leadership style further stating that they “generally have a more democratic, participative,

and collaborative style of leading” (p. 190). The values and behaviors that are foundation for this

management style transform women into a more conservative, more ethical business leaders (Krishnan &

Parsons, 2007, p. 66). Organizations that embrace gender diversity reap the benefits of this leadership

style. Krishnan and Parsons (2007) also “finds that Fortune 500 companies with a large number of

female executives exceed industry median on three separate measures of profitability” (p. 66 ). Also,

Herring (2009) shows that “gender diversity is associated with increased sales revenue, more customers,

and greater relative profits” (p. 208).

There is little evidence of negative effect of gender diversity on the organization. Gender diverse

companies must implement sexual harassment and discrimination policies to ensure that employees are

educated about the consequences of their behavior. Women in higher level positions are subjected to

different choices about work life issues. Cheung and Halpern (2009) show that “almost half of the

women in the United States with salaries greater than $100,000 have no children” (p.185). Furthermore

they often are not supported by their spouse with responsibilities such housework, caring for children

and/or aging parents. Organizations can use these factors as ways to attract women by emphasizing

work-life balance as a culture and offering initiatives like flexible work arrangements and day care.

As the demographic of the workforce continues to change it is imperative that managers commit

to a culture of education and acceptance, ensuring that the needs and motivation factors of employees are

met. The commitment to this type of organizational environment will ensure that employees feel

INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES: MANAGING DIVERSITY 6

recognized and appreciated, leading to higher job satisfaction and employee productivity. Companies that

accomplish the goal of maintaining a diverse work force will benefit by attracting the best pool of talent

and be successful in filling the product and service needs of their customers.

Crystal, overall a well structured paper. However, you should review in text referencess in the APA

Manual. Throughout your paper, you mixed direct quotes with paraphrasing. Be careful with this. Direct

quotes must have quotation markes and the page number, paraphrasing does not require a page number.

Also, your paper title should not be repeated in the body of the paper. Be sure to put this in the header.

Reference citations in text are covered on pages 169-179 of the 6th edition

Publication Manual.

GRADE: 88
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Cheung, F., & Halpern, D.. (2010). Women at the Top. American Psychologist, 65(3), 182-193. doi: 10.

1037/a0017309.

Gladwell, Nancy J., Dorwart, Catherine E., Stone, Charlsena F., & Hammond, C. Andi. (2010).

Importance of and Satisfaction with Organizational Benefits for a Multigenerational Workforce.

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Herring, C.. (2009). Does Diversity Pay?: Race, Gender, and the Business Case for Diversity.

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Krishnan, G., & Parsons, L.. (2008). Getting to the Bottom Line: An Exploration of Gender and

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Pellet, Jennifer. (2004, May). Driving Diversity. Chief Executive, (198), 48-52. Retrieved 26, 2010,

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9. Retrieved October 27, 2010, from ABI/INFORM Complete.

Webster, Merriam. (n.d.). Diversity. Retrieved October 30, 2010 from

http://www.britannica.com/bps/dictionary?query=diversity.