Global HR Challenges : Work Force Diversity

INTRODUCTION to Work Force Diversity

The concept of diversity was initially originated from U.S in the late 1980’s (Shen et al., 2009; Meena & Vanka, 2013). However, last two decades has witnessed the development of diversity as a business strategy across the globe.  There are several reasons why diversity has become such a pressing concern now-a-days such as globalization, changing labor markets, teamwork strategies, shift from manufacturing to service economies, mergers and alliances, etc. (Cascio, 1998). Diversity initiatives enhance creativity, innovation, global understanding, flexibility and productivity in the organization and produces competitive advantage (Kundu, 2003. Procter & Gamble, Avon, Xerox, FedEx, etc. are the few examples of corporate who embrace diversity as an asset  to enhance their organizational effectiveness and performance (Henry & Evans, 2007).

Work Force Diversity and Strategic HRM


Social transformations in the last two decades have substantially increased workforce diversity and cross-culturality . Nevertheless, as Benschop (2001) argued, the majority of strategic human resource management (SHRM)models have implicitly assumed that work force sare“generic and homogeneous categories”, without considering cultural differences between employees. In this sense, the need to incorporate diversity in the SHRM debate has been considered one of the main challenges to be addressed in future research on the field (Curtis and Dreachslin, 2008.


Diversity Management :

In today’s world diversity management is an evolving concept. Managing diversity refers to a proactive approach intended to manage a heterogeneous workforce
(Cascio, 1998) in such a way so that the potential advantages of diversity are maximized while its potential disadvantages are minimized (Cox, 1993). It means enabling a diverse workforce to perform to its full potential in an equitable work environment (Kundu, 2004) where their individual differences are deeply valued to build a more effective and profitable organization (Bateman &Snell, 2008). Thus, to manage diversity effectively and efficiently, we should not just accept and accommodate individual differences, but also support, nurture and utilize these differences for organizations. A shared understanding between top management and HR managers is vital to learn and recognize these differences

Valuing diversity and developing a culture to support diversity initiatives are the key drivers for an effective diversity management (Shen et al., 2009)


REFERENCES :
Kundu S, Bansal J (2015)) Managing Workforce Diversity through HR Practices: A Review. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/273064900_Managing_Workforce_Diversity_through_HR_Practices_A_Review accessed 19.10 , 2018.6.27  .

Shen, J., Chanda, A., D’Netto, B. & Monga, M. (2009). Managing diversity through human resource management:
An international perspective and conceptual framework. The International Journal of Human Resource
Management,

Cascio, W.F. (1998). Managing human resources-Productivity, quality of work life, profits. Boston: McGraw Hill.


Kundu, S. C. (2004). HR diversity: A study of employees’ perceptions in Indian organizations. Asia Pacific Management Review, 9(1)

Henry, O. & Evans, A.J. (2007). Critical review of literature on workforce diversity. African Journal of Business Management, 72-76


Curtis, E.F. and Dreachslin, J.L. (2008), “Diversity management interventions and organizational performance: a synthesis of current literature”, Human Resource Development Review, Vol. 7 No. 1, pp. 107-34

Cox, T. Jr. (1993). Cultural diversity in organizations: Theory, research & practice. San Francisco, SF: Berrett Koehler

Bateman, T.S. & Snell, S.A. (8th ed.) (2009). Management: Leading & collaborating in a competitive. New Delhi, ND: McGraw-Hill