Motivating a Highly Diverse Group in a Work Setting - Coursework Example

Motivating a Highly Diverse Group in a Work Setting Introduction In this age of globalization, there is much controversy on the coming together of all kinds of people for a common purpose. Diversity is slowly becoming a common feature in schools, workplaces and communities. Due to this development, a lot of issues crop up such as acceptance of different races and cultures, sexual preferences, educational qualifications and changes in practices previously viewed as established norms. In the workplace, it takes various strategies to facilitate people from various backgrounds to work together towards the same goals. Motivation of people must be one strong quality of a great manager. This paper attempts to fuse the two concepts together as it discusses how to motivate a highly diversified workforce. Finding Harmony in Diversity The concept of diversity has been broadened to include all “individuals who bring unique perspectives or outlooks to the organization” (Schakelford, 2004, p.53). That means, it not only includes the traditional categories of race and gender, but also people with disabilities, gays and lesbians, and other non-traditional categories considered having “diversity of thought” or those from different disciplines, college degrees, socio-economic backgrounds, etc. It was Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. who inspired the concept of diversity when he advocated that people should be judged by their character, not by the color of their skin. This propelled lawmakers to come up with laws that provide equal opportunity to all (Mor Barak, 2000). These laws have been designed protect anyone from being discriminated against by reason of sex, marital status, ethnic or national origin, color, race, nationality, age, disability, religion, and differing terms of employment, including pay for jobs of equal value. “Equal opportunity” is a means by which a person receives equal access in society. “Equal opportunities approach” is premised on the principle that all people can avail of certain rights or privileges such as education, employment, health care or other welfare services without any discrimination or any preference whatsoever. Different organizations now apply various equal opportunity practices, which consist of a number of means used to provide fair conditions for all their members in the process of employment and work (Equal Opportunities, 2006). This current trend of the embracing of diversity has given birth to the concept of “the inclusive workplace”. Mor Barak (2000) defines it as one that: “values and uses individual and intergroup differences within its work force; cooperates with and contributes to its surrounding community; alleviates the needs of disadvantaged groups in its wider environment; and collaborates with individuals, groups, and organizations across national and cultural boundaries” (pp. 339-340). Progress has its drawbacks. One is people’s resistance to change, refusal to come out of comfort zones to embrace newness and integrate it in the familiar. This may lead to discrimination as a justification of such non-acceptance. In workplaces with highly diversified employees, conflicts are bound to ensue. These conflicts are mainly caused by managers’ and employees’ attitudes and behavior. Even in today’s “politically correct” environments, prejudice and stereotypes (biased views) and discrimination (biased behaviors) either overt or covert prevent the successful implementation of inclusive policies at the workplace. Such obstacles usually suffered by women, older adults, ethnic and racial minority groups, homosexuals and the disabled include lack of support in their career planning, guidance of these nontraditional employees that is necessary for job advancement and a lonely and unsupportive work environment (Morrison, 1992). In terms of cultural diversity, one needs to understand the culture where another comes from if harmony is to be achieved. Culture is defined as “the collective programming of the mind which distinguished the members of one human group from another… Culture, in this sense, includes systems of values; and values are among the building blocks of culture” (Hofstede, 1994). From this definition, one can perceive how much influence culture has on people. This is markedly felt in an international environment. If people are considerate and understanding other cultures, and makes the necessary adjustments to accommodate the needs of others, then they can earn the cooperation of others. On the other hand, if they insist on promoting their own culture and their value system, whether it agrees with others or not, then it can be surmised that sooner or later, the personal relationship will encounter major conflicts. This analysis is logical and general, but it goes without saying that there is more than meets the eye. As in any culture, there are sub-cultures which may reflect variations in beliefs, interpretations or communication of the main culture. An example is the Asian culture. There are some values upheld which may be “typically Asian”, such as honor and integrity. Within Asian countries, some interpretations differ. To illustrate, in one country, being able to look straight into the eye of another person when speaking, means that the person is sincere while in another country it denotes defiance and disrespect especially if the gaze is directed to a person of higher authority. Even within a specific country, there are sub-cultures. Not to mention individual differences of members of the sub-groups stemming from influences from their family, gender, age and psychology. These nuances need to be carefully taken in consideration in a culturally diverse environment. Most conflicts that surface in a culturally diverse setting are caused by miscommunication and misunderstanding. Ethical considerations are subject to interpretation. “The reason there are cultural differences is because there are differences in how the situation is understood. Almost everyone agrees that ‘ethics’ is doing the ‘right thing’ but how to reach an ‘ethical’ decision is open to debate.” (Brisbane Institute, 2005). Coming up with a final business decision depends on situational factors such as organizational goals, organizational codes of ethics, the legal environment and the perception of the other party. Organizational goals may be set but people from different cultures may have different approaches in reaching them (Brisbane Institute, 2005). There will also be cross-cultural differences in how code of ethics are understood depending on the familiarity with, and tradition or longevity of, codes of ethics within individual business organizations.” (Brisbane Institute, 2005). That is why it is essential that no matter who they are, employees’ values must be aligned to the company’s. Differing values create conflict and will impede goal achievement. According to Mishra and Morrissey (1990), the following factors propagate trust: open communication; giving workers a greater share in decision making; sharing of critical information and true sharing of perceptions and feelings. Management must be consistent in communicating to each worker its philosophy, mission and vision. Each worker should be able to feel that he is part of a great team that sets high goals and successfully attains them. “Creating the conditions that engender knowledge transfer entails significant structural and cultural changes by top leadership, which will require leaders to be convinced that the benefits of knowledge transfer outweigh the costs. In the absence of this commitment, it is unlikely that attempts to increase knowledge flow will succeed (Burgess, 2005). Having established that conflicts are bound to surface in highly diverse environments, how can these be mediated, if not prevented? It is vital that the source of conflict is examined. Personal backgrounds need to be studied to be able to understand where the conflict is coming from and to predict future behavior. Explaining differences in a non-threatening manner may just be the key, if conflicting parties are mature individuals. In more complicated situations, Dr. Gillian P.S. Khoo identifies five types of handling conflicts, namely Dominating, Compromising, Integrating, Avoiding, and Obliging conflict styles. Research further shows that “European Americans have been found to dominate conflict situations while Asians and Asian Americans tend to either avoid conflict or to oblige the other party. A high degree of individualism has been attributed to the use of a confrontational- oriented style among Euro Americans, while greater collectivism and a desire to avoid loss of face have been attributed to the use of more passive and accommodating conflict styles among Asians and Asian Americans.” (Khoo, 1994). Hofstede and Peterson assert that “collectivism implies a link between the individual’s self-identity and a collective, whereas individualism implies that the two are more fully distinct” (2000, p.408). It must be noted, however, that the individualist sees the distinction between self and other as the defining characteristic of social interaction, whereas the collectivist sees the distinction between in-group and out-group as paramount in social interaction. This results in the notion that collectivists do not believe that social interaction is fundamentally universal in nature; there is always a self (in-group in the collectivist’s case) and an other (out-group) that allow an individual in any type of society to identify more closely with some (Hofstede and Bond, 2000). A lot has to do with the personality and cultural upbringing of the conflicting parties. Strong personalities usually dominate and crush the conflict into oblivion by claiming their stake. More cooperative parties integrate their ideas and compromise for a “win-win” solution to the problem. Some subservient ones just oblige in spite of their own opinion to avoid conflict. Whatever mediation business people use to minimize conflicts in a diversified organization, it is important to accept that there will always be differences among people involved in the organization. Instead of focusing on its possible liability, why not extract its strengths and its possible contribution to the interests of the organization? Motivation Everyone needs motivation to do something, whether it is as simple as eating, as motivated by hunger, or as complex as working very hard, as motivated by ambitions to succeed. Motivation may be defined as “the driving force that account for an individual’s intensity, direction, and persistence of effort toward attaining a goal”(cite source). It is characterized by a person’s intensity, or how hard a person exerts effort in a certain task that motivates him; direction, or to which particular goal the motivation is headed; and persistence, or how long a person tries to stay within that motivated path. Since motivation is such a powerful force in human interactions, several theories have been conceptualized to understand it better and to be able to use it to one’s advantage. Maslow’s celebrated model of the hierarchy of needs is one theory that dissects a person’s progression in his motivations to survive. As one’s more basic need is fulfilled, he moves on to a higher one. Chronologically, the hierarchy of needs is as follows: physiological needs; safety needs; belongingness and love needs; esteem needs and need for self-actualization. People in a group have their own level of need to fulfill and this is manifested in their motivations. The needs that are externally satisfied are the physiological and safety needs, while needs that are internally satisfied are the social, esteem and self-actualization needs. Maslow theorizes that everyone aspires to reach the level of self-actualization, where all other needs have been met. On the issue of needs, another theorist, Clayton Alderfer authored the ERG Theory, as an acronym to three groups of core needs namely existence, relatedness and growth. Existence represents material needs necessary to survive, relatedness is the need to establish relationships and growth is the desire for personal improvement. Alderfer believes that such needs may be operative at the same time, however, if a higher need cannot be fulfilled, the individual intensifies the desire to satisfy lower-level needs. David McClellan has another theory regarding motivational needs. His framework is a tripartite model premised on the need for affliation, parallel to Alderfer’s relatedness needs, the need for achievement or the drive to succeed, and the need for power, or a position where others will behave with respect towards that individual who has it. Douglas McGregor came up with an opposing theory known as Theory X and Theory Y. Theory X assumes that employees dislike work, lack ambition, avoid responsibility, and must be directed and coerced to perform, while on the other hand, Theory Y assumes that employees like work, seek responsibility, are capable of making decisions, and exercise self-direction and self-control when committed to a goal (lecture notes). This is reflective of how people view employee attitude, depending on their personal perspectives. Frederick Herzberg theorized that job satisfaction is depended on worker motivation. His Motivation-Hygiene theory explains that intrinsic factors are related to job satisfaction, while extrinsic factors are associated with dissatisfaction. So this means that a worker must be internally fulfilled in order to be motivated to work better. Also, he theorizes that workers are always after good working conditions conducive to work. He termed factors—such as company policy and administration, supervision, and salary as hygienic factors, and when these are just adequate in a job, it makes workers happy. When factors are adequate, people will not be dissatisfied. It is evident that scholars have thoroughly studied motivation. However, what is its value in relation to managing diversity in work settings. This shall be discussed in the following portion. Motivating a Highly Diversified Group Fusing diversity and motivation may be a tall order. However, having a deep understanding of the two concepts makes it possible for a manager to be successful in motivating a diverse group. “An inclusive workplace allows, encourages, and facilitates the inclusion of individual employees who are different from the "mainstream" in the organizational information networks and decision-making processes. Valuing diversity goes beyond the golden rule of treating others as you wish to be treated yourself, because it involves a higher behavior, one that is receiver-centered rather than self-centered” (Mor Barak, 2000, p. 344). It entails treating others the way they wish to be treated. This may be a huge challenge to management, however, if it is not willing to confront the overwhelming task of moving toward an inclusive workplace, then diversity-related goals may not be appropriately set. The many theories of motivation offer various alternatives suited to different people. These theories offer implications in the workplace that management and the human resources team may find worthy to consider. One way to motivate employees is to match the rewards with the needs of the employees. In every employment, employees consciously or unconsciously expect a kind of “psychological contract” apart from the expectations the job usually presents – benefits and compensation for a particular job description. This psychological contract usually includes open and honest communication, managerial support and challenging and interesting work. Employees are becoming increasingly aware of the non-monetary rewards that companies can provide them. It is generally important that the job not only fulfills their economical needs, but their socio-emotional needs as well. “This implies that recruiters need to go beyond a discussion of compensation and benefits and highlight aspects of their organization that job candidates will find intrinsically satisfying.” (Lester, Clair & Kickul, 2001, n.p.) Employers must be cognizant of and responsive to their employees’ perception of their psychological contracts with the company. Things such as meaningful work, recognition, creative freedom and opportunities for personal growth are desired by all employees. Management must maintain open and honest communication with employees, bearing in mind their socio-emotional needs and concerns, and being encouraging enough to boost their self-esteem. Lack of communication is ultimately problematic because it suggests to employees that management may be susceptible to perceived psychological contract breaches across a variety of areas because the basic issue of communication is not met. Employers must be able to invest more time developing and strengthening healthy relationships with their employees in various districts so they are kept abreast of their progress in both personal and professional areas. Offering employees a choice of rewards is likewise very motivating. People have different needs at different times, and the rewards that are appropriately suited to a particular need will be very much appreciated. For instance, in a diverse set up, people from different backgrounds could have special holidays in their culture or faith. Management may opt to respect these and offer to celebrate it with a day off or simple commemoration of the holiday at work. Another example is the Flexible benefit scheme wherein employees tailor their benefit program to meet their personal need by picking and choosing from a menu of benefit options. Keeping in mind that for some employees, rewards do not necessarily come in form of money, benefits such as more flexible work schedule, scholarships for further studies, promotions, child care support, work-life balance may be enough to motivate them to maintain their good work. Financial rewards come with the job, however, experts advise managers to limit the use of financial rewards as a source of motivation. Alfie Kohn (1999) theorized that rewarding people with money and other status symbols such as titles, promotions, larger offices, etc. actually reduces motivation. This seems counter-intuitive, however, Kohn explains that every time people are rewarded for doing something, they are motivated externally. In doing so, it inevitably reduces people’s inner motivation – and it is this motivation that eventually guarantees quality and performance (Kjerulf, n.d.). To address the human need to belong, employees become motivated to work when they are called to be involved in some of the organizational projects. An “Employee Involvement Program is a participative process that uses the entire capacity of employees and is designed to encourage increased commitment to the organization’s success” (lecture notes). Examples are being part of a quality circle, and being part of an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP). Participation in the decision-making process has been linked to job satisfaction, especially if the diverse, nontraditional members are asked of their opinions. Not only does this increase their self-esteem and sense of belonging, but it can potentially affect their retention and effectiveness on the job (Mor Barak, 2000). Being acknowledged for one’s creative contributions to the company motivates an employee to think up of more. An employer may be instrumental in awaking that creative spark by advocating for dynamic ideas from the employees, who, coming from diverse backgrounds, may be the best people to rely on. Another application of the motivational theories is appropriate job matching with individual needs of the employees. Inclusive environments allow people to have the freedom to keep their uniqueness to bring in different ideas to either enrich what is existing or challenge what is entrenched. When they become too assimilated in a homogeneous culture, they lose their uniqueness and true value to themselves and the organisation which made them attractive candidates to the organization in the first place (Young, 2007). Creating an inclusive environment involves organisation culture and culture change (Young, 2007). It takes re-evaluation of long-held beliefs and practices to accommodate such change. For instance, power distance may intimidate some minority groups from being participatory in the organisation. In a typical hierarchal organisation, the dominant groups control the resources and hold the power to set rules. Organizational change shortens the power distance form the top to the bottom of the pyramid (Young, 2007). Another cause of disharmony in the highly diverse setting is uncertainty avoidance. Uncertainty avoidance describes the reaction of a group to that which is different or unfamiliar (Hofstede and Peterson, 2000). Typically, those cultures that are allowed more freedom to define themselves as individuals experience a lower level of uncertainty avoidance, whereas cultures that stress conformity tend to experience higher levels of uncertainty avoidance. Culture and group formation themselves are the result of a desire to reduce uncertainty, as membership in a particular group defines value systems and provides a framework for behavior. Part of effective communication within a diverse organisation is the sharing of knowledge and ideas that will ultimately redound to the benefit of the organisation. However, there is usually a breakdown in the transfer. “Motivational barriers to knowledge transfer included a lack of extrinsic rewards, stronger levels of group versus organizational identification, reciprocity norms, and the view of knowledge as a means of achieving upward organizational mobility.” (Burgess, 2005). Workers will be more encouraged to transfer knowledge to another member however different that individual is if this sort of behaviour is rewarded by management either by external means such as merit or salary increases or internal means to boost their self-esteem such as praise or simply appreciation. In line with understanding employees’ needs and concerns, employers should be ready to invest in their professional and personal development. Full-fledged diversity management, as opposed to a mere sensitivity training class, requires a radical upending of basic assumptions, patterns, and structures (Carnevale & Stone). Also, regular trainings and participation in seminars or enrollment in courses shouldered by the company (whether partial or full) may be perceived as part of the job, but it should be communicated to the employees that although application of their learnings will highly profit the company, ultimately it will redound to their own benefit. This knowledge from trainings is bound to increase their market value. Being aware of diverse employees’ gripes and complaints as well as constructive suggestions may be brought up to the proper authorities and dealt with seriously. Regular evaluation of company performance should include the assessment and feedback of employees of their employers and employment. Managers should not be remiss in this duty of bridging communication or else employees may perceive management to be incompetent. “This negative perception could also lead to widespread problems satisfying other psychological contract obligations. This may be particularly troubling because it may often be the responsibility of an employees manager (acting as the organizations agent) to see that the individuals psychological contract is fulfilled.” (Lester, Clair & Kickul, 2001, n.p.) Finally, employees appreciate some down time from work and team-building events. Leisurely activities such as sportsfests, family trips, etc. relax employees from the demands of work and enable them to relate to one another as simple human beings. Conclusion When people have a clear idea of where they are heading and how they fit in to serve the company’s goals, they become motivated to perform well. Trust is essential as well as a very open climate and a lot of freedom. (Kling & Goteman, 2003) Mead (1994) summarizes some guidelines in managing diversity in the workplace and motivating these diverse workers in the performance of their tasks in the organization. First is to value the exchange of alternative points of view. This fosters thinking “out of the box” and brings fresh perspectives into the organizational thinking. Another guideline is to tolerate uncertainty in group processes. This may even strengthen the bond of the members as they strive to pursue best options together and cooperating to come up with a group decision is key. Still another one is to respect each other’s experiences and share one’s own, as this enriches each other’s knowledge and possibly increase understanding and tolerance of differences. Finally, use the exposure to other cultural values as opportunity for learning. Everyone stands to gain from learning about others. In sum, to motivate employees in organizations, the following guidelines must be followed on top of considering the diverse backgrounds of the workforce: Recognize individual differences. Use intrinsic motivators. Use goals and feedback. Allow employees to participate in decisions that affect them. Link rewards to performance. Check the system for equity. Global trends point to the formation of inclusive organizations that welcome people from all walks of life to contribute their ideas, talents and efforts to the pursuit of organizational goals. It may be a challenge to sustain such a diverse organisation, but if people learn to accept, respect and appreciate others no matter how different they are, then it is a huge step to achieving the elusive harmony in a totally diverse environment. References Brisbane Institute, Business Ethics, 2005 Burgess, D. 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(2007) “Organization Culture Change: The Bottom Line of Diversity” The Diversity Factor, Winter 2007/ The Changing Currency of Diversity Volume 15, Number 1 Read More