Communication and Diversity Challenges in the Workplace - Research Paper Example

  Communication and Diversity Challenges in the Workplace Communication is significant for adequate and efficient operation in all units of an organization. Communication links maintenance, production, personnel, finance, production, and marketing departments and eases organizational success. The significance of adequate and efficient communication cannot be overemphasized because all aspects of an organization incorporate communication. Communication is necessary to create novel products, enhance efficiency, enhance quality, and satisfy customers (Picardi 2001, 12). On the other hand, workplace diversity entails the range of dissimilarities among individuals in an organization. Diversity incorporates background, race, education, gender, organizational function, ethnic group, cognitive style, age, tenure, personality, among other components. Diversity also entails how individuals perceive themselves and other people. These perceptions have an impact on the interaction of individuals. The human resource department in an organization should adequately deal with issues, for example, change and adaptability, and communication for a large number of workers to work properly in an organization. Moreover, profitable organizations realize the significance of rapid action and are willing to utilize resources so as to manage diversity in their organizations. This paper will look at communication and diversity challenges in the place of work. Effective and efficient communication is extremely essential for the success of organizations that every member of an organization should be proper communicators. A manager has a duty to ensure all workers have efficient communication skills. In addition, adequate communication in an organization plays a significant part in establishing everlasting worker motivation. Organizations that have well established communication benefit from enhanced relationships between individuals. It is essential that both management and workers have efficient communication between them because this will ensure organizational functions run smoothly. In addition, proficient communication skill will help members of an organization enhance time management in their places of work. The ability exists for a manager to supervise his own time as well as keeping the workers concentrated on deadlines. Comprehending the communication course opens numerous opportunities to enhance productivity (Eunson 2007, 51). Organizations face a number of communication challenges in the workplace. First, language barrier may turn into a communication problem. There may be language barrier between individuals of different levels of work experience, ages, and ethnic background. Language barrier may create a misunderstanding or slow down communication that makes communication inadequate. Second, Effective and efficient communication in the workplace depends on professional connection aimed at helping in the continued development of the organization or everyday functioning of the organization (Gerson and Gerson 2007, 78). When workers allow personal concerns to have an impact on company communication, a communication difficulty arises and could exist for long before being discovered and resolved. Individuals who decline to communicate on the basis of personal conflicts may destroy the organization’s capability to engage in business and as a result, slow or deter the development of the organization. Third, one direction communication may result into an inadequate way of exchanging information all around the company. Managerial staff and workers should give feedback every time so as to enhance the quality of information being passed on and the way in which the information is communicated. For instance, if the human resource department frequently communicates information in a way that is confusing to other individuals in the organization, then the human resource department needs to be made aware of the communication issues or else the information coming from the human resource department will continue to cause a communication challenge. Fifth, when new workers are hired by an organization, they need to get a proper orientation into the effective manners to communicate in the organization (Ludden 2007, 33). Organizations that do not incorporate communication training in their programs may be compelled to strive with new workers who are obliged to be taught correct communication procedures by a hit and miss procedure. Sixth, Stout listening techniques are significant to efficiently understanding and communicating the information being shared. Individuals who do not know how or fail to listen to their counterparts are most probable to not know what is happening or miss information. Seventh, factually-based communication is significant to adequate communication in the workplace. If individuals in an organization pass information they are not sure about or communicate false information, they are probable to cause setbacks in the completion of functions. Managers who pass information without verification or share false information are likely to distress the workers (O’Hair, Friedrich and Dixon 2011, 36). Eighth, Minimal communication in the workplace is confidential. Communication that is conveyed through verbal means is effortlessly heard by other people in the workplace. Also, instant messaging in the computer and email messages are vulnerable to hacking. Other workers may also read documents and become aware of confidential communications. Disclosed private communication causes accountability concerns and may negatively affect the operations of an organization. Organizations also face diversity challenges in the place of work. During the 1950s, over 60% of the people working in America constituted males from the white race. These people were characteristically the single breadwinners in the family. Current studies show that almost 68% of new employees in America are individuals of color, and members of the female population and both these groups have different driving forces and expectations than male members of the white population. This mounting diversity makes a comprehension of diversity concerns in the work environment essential. Workplace diversity can develop business communication, but matters enclosing it can also obscure and complicate the process of communication. An organization may constitute individuals from different social, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds. These disparities may have an impact on all aspects of an organization, for instance, news releases, interviews, memos, or meetings (Harvey and Allard 2012, 393). Therefore, comprehending the concerns of diversity can assist in understanding its effects on the workplace. First, language, perceptual, and cultural barriers need to be dealt with for diversity agendas to be successful. In effective and inefficient communication of significant organizational goals results in decreased morale, lack of teamwork, and confusion. Second, there are workers who will always decline to recognize the idea that the cultural and social structure of the wok environment is shifting. This attitude suppresses new thoughts and limits development. Third, diversity in the work environment can cause discrimination. This occurs when diversity is not adopted in a company, on numerous occasions because of different forms and levels of discrimination. Some of forms of discrimination whish are evident are cultural or economic class background, gender, disability, race, religion, and sexuality. Fourth, preconceptions and stereotypes are challenges of diversity in an organization. It occurs when individuals dispense an identity to a whole grouping, instead of criticizing every person on his own worth (Harvey and Allard 2012, 394). This causes challenges to the organization because these views are frequently incorrect. Fifth, an organization is faced with a challenge when it attempts to embrace a comprehensive environment. This is because it is demanding to assimilate an individual from outside the dominant population. Several professionals have investigated the relationship between discursive actions, ideology, and power which function to support the hegemonic constitution of organizations. Everything in an organization, for example, stories, rituals, and symbols, function to sustain the situation of power possessed by the dominant population. A strenuous tension arises between an acceptance of cultural diversity and socially developed organizational norm where an organization tries to promote or hire people who are not members of the dominant population into management places (Harvey 2012, 52). Frequently, these people are coached and mentored to gain the required components for addition into the privileged population as opposed to being accepted for their dissimilarities. The assimilated are not given the chance of articulating their original selves in the work environment. They are compelled to hide large parts of their existence within a social setting that makes up a sizeable component of their everyday interactions with other individuals. A 2002 research conducted in Fortune Corporation indicated that only1.6% of top-earner and corporate positions were filled by women of color. In addition, women from the Black race filled 1.1% of these ranks, women from the Latino population filed 0.24% of the positions, and women from the Asian America population filled 0.29%. This is proof that organizations are reluctant to promote diversity. Sixth, in organizations, there are a number of lifestyle, cultural, and gender differences among others (Harvey 2012, 54). In this case, the difference is as a result of gender. This issue may have resulted from a presumption that members of the female population are less productive than those of the male population. In addition, the company’s management may have also used the women’s’ race as a determining factor in their employment. Finally, these diversity concerns can complicate and influence the way individuals deal with organizational communication. All individuals in the organization exhibit sole cultural, social, and ethnic backgrounds (Harvey 2012, 55). In addition, all dealing with all aspects in an organization may be challenging, from dealing with a disagreement to sealing an agreement. For instance, an employee from Britain advocates for a resolution of conflicts, indicating the cultural value of Britain. In contrast, an employee from Italy may prefer avoiding a conflict than resolving it, highlighting the Italian cultural value. In conclusion, organizations should devise ways of ensuring everyone communicates in an effective manner. They should also address challenges that result from communication and diversity issues. This will help enhance organizational productivity. References Eunson, B. (2007). Communication in the Workplace. New Jersey: Wiley. Gerson, S. J., & Gerson, S. M. (2007). Workplace Communication: Process and Product. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall. Harvey, C. P., & Allard, M. J. (2012). Understanding and Managing Diversity (5th ed.). New Jersey: Pearson Education Incorporation. Harvey, C. P. (2012). Understanding and Managing Diversity. New Jersey: Pearson Education Incorporation. Ludden, M. (2007). Effective Workplace Communication: Skills for Success in Life and On the Job (3rd ed.). Indianapolis: JIST Works. O’Hair, D., Friedrich, G., Y. & Dixon, L. (2011). Strategic Communication in Business and the Professions. New York: Pearson Education Incorporation. Picardi, R. P. (2001). Skills of Workplace Communication: A Handbook for T & D Specialists and Their Organizations. Connecticut: Quorum Books. Read More