Managing Diversity and Equality - Essay Example

Managing Diversity and Equality Reflective Paper Managing Diversity and Equality has been a very interesting which has truly made methink about work and personal things in a whole different way. Diversity and equality belongs to everyone and it is apparent from all of the reading that we have completed in this class that diversity is extremely important to the corporate world if they are going to continue to be a part of a global marketplace. This paper will reflect on some of those things that have been learned in this class and how those might be applied to future use.

It is obvious that there is plenty of legislation out there to create an equal work place. However, as in the article reviewed for the essay, legislation may not be the answer. Legislation may only put the figure in the boardroom for example but without the same accountability and power, as well as pay, the figure means nothing. Legislation has mandated equal salaries for equal positions yet there are no true definitions as to what an equal position is. Women, for example receive very little middle management training so is their salary not worth less when they are moved up to the boardroom The answer here, again, may not be the legislation.

In the last 30 years, the global market place has become the way of business. To survive in that marketplace corporations must be diverse and able to use every bit of knowledge and ability that is contained within their very diverse staffs. Only those that are able to do this will be able to survive. Women are not only a major part of the workforce throughout the world but are also a major part of the purchasing force. Therefore, to not put them in an ideal position is a mistake. They know what is going to be purchased and what is not.

Their ideas of how to work with other women, how to motivate them, and how to move their corporations forward will be essential. Leverage is a word often used by corporations throughout the world. It means using whatever is necessary to give your company a boot up. Cultural diversity is the leverage that many companies is overlooking. If corporations would truly begin to understand how to use this kind of leverage above and beyond legislation, they would find that boot up in the world. This is what this class has taught on the management side.

Diversity in ideas is the most important thing an organization can use at this point and leaders and managers need to know how to use that to the advantage of the company(Kirton, 2007). Managers need to learn how to hire for diverse reasons and train for diverse reasons. Managers who are able to learn to do this will be very valuable over the next few year (Miller & Katz, 2006). Leadership provides employees with and inclusive environment but also with a environment of respect for differences and diversity of thought.

This includes recruiting, system structures, employee development, performance management, employee retention, leadership succession, and coaching/mentoring (Miller & Katz, 2006). In conclusion, what has been learned in this class can barely be covered in a paper this size. However, the understanding of diversity as well as the understanding of the managers need for understanding has come from this class. Legislation is important but only a small fraction of the whole story and though every manager must be able to work with present legislation, it is more important that they understand that hiring, firing, training, and leveraging the uniqueness of any corporation comes not from legislation but from the diverse employees that it has on its teams.

References Kirton, Gill (2007) Managing Multi-Culturally in Organizations in a Diverse Society.Work, employment and society Vol 2, 4, Dec. Miller, F.A., Katz, J. (2006). Redefining the imperative for leveraging diversity and Inclusion: A fresh look. Link and Learn. April.