9 23 14 MGMT309 Chapter 6 Chapter 6 The Multi Cultural Environment Multiculturalism the broad issues associated with differences in values beliefs behaviors customs and attitudes held by people in different cultures Diversity when members of a group differ form one another Dimensions of Diversity and Multi Culturalism o Age Distributions average age of the U S workforce is increasing and will continue to do so for the next several years o Gender females are approx 47 of workforce The glass ceiling has a discriminatory effect on female managers o Ethnicity Arguments for Competitiveness o Cost Argument firms that learn to cope with diversity will generally have higher levels of productivity and lower levels of turnover and absenteeism o Resource Acquisition Argument firms who manage diversity effectively will become known among women and minorities as good places to work o Marketing Argument o Creativity Argument firms with diverse workforces will generally be more creative and innovative than those with less diversity o Problem Solving Argument diverse organizations have a better pool of information from which to draw and make decisions o Systems Flexibility Argument firms must become flexible as a way of managing a diverse workforce causing the overall organization to be more flexible Diversity Promotes Competitive Advantage by o Increasing o o o o o Sources of Conflict o Personnel actions being attributed to diversity status o Misunderstood misinterpreted or inappropriate actions between people or groups o Cultural differences in work hours personal styles interpersonal relations and conflict o Fear Distrust and individual prejudices Individual Strategies o Understanding the nature and meaning of diversity and multiculturalism o Developing empathy in understanding the perspective of others o Developing tolerance of fundamental cultural differences o Having a willingness to communicate and discuss diversity and multi culturalism issues Organizational Approaches o Organizational Policies Actively seek a diverse and varied workforce Positive responses to diversity problems Mission statement of commitment to diversity o Organizational Practices Support networks structured benefits packages flexible working hours and diversity in work groups and teams 09 23 2014 09 23 2014
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