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Organisations in the new millennium - challenges and opportunities
Edited by Vidhi Agrawal
Introduction
Global diversity is changing the way the world is populated and the way we view the world. Whether a company is global or not, global diversity is evident and it impacts all of us either directly or indirectly. Cross-cultural teamwork and collaboration are essential for an organization to succeed. If people are to function productively, they must learn to see their differences as assets, rather than as liabilities ([7] Black Enterprise, 2001). The labels we apply are far less important than what they represent. Diversity management, while based on cultural change, is a pragmatic business strategy that focuses on maximizing the productivity, creativity, and commitment of the workforce, while meeting the needs of diverse consumer groups ([7] Black Enterprise, 2001). Affirmative Action focuses on getting people into an organization rather than changing organizational culture ([7] Black Enterprise, 2001).
As we entered in the twenty-first century, more companies are formally linking diversity to their strategic business plans. They were developing diversity strategic plans that addressed both short-term and long-term diversity issues, more diversity accountability guidelines for managers were established; quantitative and qualitative diversity performance measures were developed; numbers of women and people of color in management positions increased; diversity strategies were approached in the same way as other business strategies; and diversity mission statements were established.
"For successful businesses, diversity is much more than a buzzword or the 'right thing to do.' In thriving companies throughout the world, diversity is an essential tool that creates a competitive edge in today's marketplace" ([64] www.DiversityInc.com, January 2001, USA).
In simple terms, diversity is "otherness," or those human qualities that are different from our own and outside the groups in which we belong ([55] University of Southern California, 2004). There are various qualities that differentiate one individual from the next. (Stoller and Gibson (as cited in [55] University of Southern California, 2004) Webster's Dictionary defines diversity as: differing from one another and having distinct or unlike elements or qualities ([38] Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, n.d.). In the workplace, this means the diversity among people related to such factors as age, culture, education, employee status, family status, gender, national origin, physical appearance, race, regional origin, religion, sexual...