As Redmond (2014) mentions in the PSU OLEAD 497B Lesson on Diversity that sometimes deep-level diversity can change based on a surface-level diversity experience and while they can certainly be difficult to change as we are creatures of habit and our familial upbringing and environments that we were surrounded by played a huge role in creating the way we act towards others.
Business has long suffered due to deep-level diversity issues as the makeup of the labor market can be disparate with the management creating a hostile work environment and failing to maximize employee potential because of the lack of education towards a diverse workforce. ¹
Migrant workers are a key example of how we can adapt and accept change and diversity to help get the job done. Global leaders who understand things like “root causes of immigration” and the push and pull factors that arise from it can help educate the audience of the host country to encourage them to be more humane and play a critical role in helping the common man work for a better life. Moran et al (2011) concludes that one of the global trends to recognize is the desire of peoples everywhere for the protection of their human rights, including at work.²
Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, Inc. spoke to his employees in the 2014 Divesity in the Workplace report stressing the importance of transparency and committing to being as innovative with advancing diversity as they are at developing products.
If leadership can push middle management to implement diversity workshops and awareness to make sure the “satisfaction of our universal needs and concerns” are interdependently linked then it will make a more harmonious work environment and combat conflict. Also helpful are resolution skills that can be implemented when there is either stereotypical assumption of the other party or a conflict with disputes originating from some deep seated issue towards the diverse group. It’s also a moral issue that ties in the virtues that we should pledge to uphold as good corporate citizens. Subordinates watch leadership closely to see how they act; taking cues for how they should act and that influence on ethics can over time help to create the surface level diversity appreciation eradicating the deep-level issues towards diversity.³
Moran, R. T., Harris,P. R., Moran, S.V. (2011) Managing Cultural Differences Leadership Skills and Strategies for Working in a Global World. Oxford: Routledge
Pennsylvania State University. (2014). OLEAD 497B: Lesson 3 Diversity. Retrieved at: https://cms.psu.edu
Purcher, Jack. (2014). Apple Publishes their 2014 Divesity in the Workplace Report. Retrieved at: http://www.patentlyapple.com/patently-apple/2014/08/apple-publishes-their-2014-diversity-in-the-workplace-report.html
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