Advantages of diversity through career management in the workplace - Research Paper Example

?Advantages of Diversity through Career Management in the Workplace Table of Contents Introduction 3 Problem ment 5 ment of Objective Purpose Statement 5 Review of Literature 7 Conclusion 13 Recommendations 15 References 16 Bibliography 20 Introduction Workplace diversity is mainly concerned with the people issue that tends to bring similarities as well as differences in the organization. It is often said that the diversity tends to include various dimensions impacting the identities and the perspectives that the people of the organization bring such as parental status, profession, geographic location and education. The concept of workplace diversity is often sought to include everyone. It can be revealed that the workplace diversity is all about learning from others who are different regarding the dignity, respect for all and thus creating the environment that will motivate others as well to learn from various people in order to capture the benefits of the diverse views (Cornell University, n.d.). It is known that the workplace diversity tends to bring numerous gains to the organization. The overall success including the competitiveness rests upon the organization’s capability to encompass the diversity realizing the benefits provided by it. The organizations that evaluate as well as employ the diversity plans visibly derive benefits out of them. The first benefit that arises is the increased adaptability. The organizations that include diverse workplace can offer solution to the existing problems on a day-to-day basis. The employees from diverse background generally tend to bring with them individual knowledge and/or skill thus assisting in providing various ideas that can adapt to the changing markets demand. A person consisting of diverse skills tends to attract the customers on a global basis. The companies embracing the diversity in the workplace motivate the staffs to perform well and at the highest quality (Greenberg, 2006). It can be revealed that the diversity management programs need to have an impact upon the recruitment of the target groups. It must also have an influence upon the career development programs. The term career management is based on the assumption that the individuals can exercise power over their careers. It is to be remembered that proper career management may not only focus upon the skills as possessed by oneself as well as the nature of the work but also it is quite important to focus upon the decision making skills that can be improved as well as developed with the pace of time. It is the work diversity that shapes the career development plans of the individuals. It is because of the diversity at the workplace that forces an individual to manage his/her careers. It has been evident that the world is undergoing rapid changes and the changes have an effect upon the nature of the work. Embracing the changes may damage the careers of the individuals. The competitive aspect on a worldwide basis gives rise to the global businesses and the uncertainties in the global economy. Competition has further forced the organizations to perform acquisitions, reorganization as well as restructuring of the jobs. There have further been changes in the psychological relation among the employers and the employee (Greenhaus & Et. Al., 2009). A person pursuing his career plan in accountancy may experience numerous benefits. It can be demonstrated that the accountants possesses one of the finest job prospects. The individuals who have good interpersonal as well as the communication skills are the targets of the employers in the recent times. There are accountant who need to work on teams with others possessing different backgrounds. Therefore, these accountants must possess the ability to demonstrate and explain the accounting information in a clear and concise manner. This clearly relates to the workplace diversity. The accountants need to divert their skills and knowledge among the diverse cultural background groups which is referred as workplace diversity. Therefore, when opting for accounting as a career plan a person needs to mull over these factors which will make his career plan a successful one. Problem Statement This section of the overall report tends to focus upon the problem that needs to be solved so that the aims of the report can be fulfilled. In brief, it can be demonstrated that this section of the report is the description of the problems that must be dealt with. It will briefly address the questions of the report. It can be stated that the problem statement of this report can be addressed as follows: What is the advantage of diversity through career management in the workplace? Statement of Objective Purpose Statement This section of the report will summarize the specific topic and will tend to identify the goals of the documents. It will provide with an overview of the overall study. It can be demonstrated that the aim of the report is to identify the advantage of diversity through career management in workplace. It also aims at comprehending the impacts of the career plan in the diversity at the workplace. The study will stress upon the aspect of career management in accountancy. The diverse skills and/or knowledge necessary for an accountant will be identified. The type of work setting in which the personnel needs to work will be accessed. The report will try to comprehend the meaning of the workplace diversity. The future prospect of choosing accountancy as a career plan will be identified and the importance of the career plan will be further demonstrated. It can be stated that the aims as well as the objectives of the research will be attained via literature review. The report will attempt to research on the previous literatures that has been presented by the scholars and the researchers on the relevant topics. This will assist the researcher in enhancing his career plan. In addition to enhancement of the career plan, it will also assist the researcher to support the research question. It is to be pointed that the literature will be sought with the aim of providing solution in a comprehensive manner. This report tries to make the career oriented individual aware of the various job requirements and thus assist him in equipping with those necessary skills so that he can apply the knowledge in his workplace. Review of Literature In the present era, the managers of the companies are trying to include the most dominated individuals who were excluded from managing their diversity. Most of the organizations tend to enhance the inclusiveness of this group by putting their efforts via motivation and training to administer the diversity. It is noticeable that there are quite a few organizations attaining positive results from the management of diversity strategies. However, it is worth stating that there are a range of antecedents as well as results of the successful administration of the term diversity (Gilbert & Et. Al., 1999). There are innumerable obstacles that are noted in the promotion of the diverse groups, employment, and retention along with the development in the workplace. There are furthermore diverse factors that have impacts upon the diversity plan. The prime reason behind the administration of the diversity is to enhance the output and thus maintaining the competitive position. The other reasons behind them have been the formation of the better relation among the employers and the employees, improvement of the social responsibility and to locate the legal concerns (Wentling & Palma-Rivas, 2007). The role of the human resource management is being transformed. There is need of the highly qualified managers with the pace of time when an organization intends to globalize its operations. Prior to hiring the employees, the organization tends to consider their human resource base. They further consider the pros as well as cons of possessing a multicultural along with diverse organization. It is quite important for the managers as well as the employees to learn regarding the diversity, comprehend it and thus respect it on a routine basis when dealing with the people from diverse locale (Aghazadeh, 2004). It can be stated that the goals of the career as well as talent management are to diminish the turnovers, enhance the experience of the employees, expansion of knowledge and/or skills for remaining competitive and thus accomplishing the goals of the business enterprises. It can be stated that the career management strategies of the individuals have an impact upon the dedication of the employees towards the organization. It is demonstrated that the career management policies of an organization tends to impact the career satisfaction of the employees including organizational dedication. The organizational career management strategy dominates the impact of the career management strategy of the individuals upon the career contentment as well as the dedication of the organization (Liu & Deng, 2010). It can be demonstrated that because of the internal changes that are taking place at a rapid pace, there is tremendous impact upon the traditional careers of the individuals. Most of the people face difficulties in their attempt to adjust to the uncertainties of the career life. After having a careful look at the difficulties most of the authors have begun to suggest that the individuals need to have control over their careers. There is need for them to be more flexible in their knowledge and/or skills. They further needs to accept the change that is surmounting day by day. In addition to this the individuals need to play an active role in shaping their life while being at work. It is apparent that the organizations, increasingly appears to be free from the responsibility of managing the careers for remaining versatile and their readiness to shift with the environmental changes, however, it can be established that the individuals along with organization requires change as well as stability. Pluralistic approach can be suggested to the organizations for managing the careers that tends to focus upon the diverse concepts of the career success. By adopting the pluralistic approach the organizations will be able to assist the different needs of the workers and concurrently it will also assist the organization to recompense as well as preserve the diverse competencies of the workplace. In simpler terms it can be stated that the individuals needs to be quite flexible in their skills and/or knowledge. Not only academic qualification but also possessing of the diverse skills will assist the individuals to sustain for a longer time period in his particular career (Brousseau & Et. Al., 2005). It is pragmatic that there is link among the fulfillment of psychological contract as well as the organizational and individual’s way of administrating their careers. It is the fulfillment of psychological contract that tends to play a major role to intervene the relation between the career management related help and the diverse attitudes along with behaviors (Sturges & Et. Al., 2005). The tools used for the purpose of the training and development of the professionals at the organization are mentorship which tends to be an old concept. Most of the occupations embrace the term mentorship as the development process. It has been found that the role of the mentor has been formalized and they are expected to suggest and advice on the career success related matters. The mentors are rewarded for serving. However, the ethics entails that it is the role of the manager to develop the talents at the organization. It is through mentorship that respect, power as well as technical support can be developed in the organization. There are evidences that prove the fact that mentors play a vital role in the career success of the young adult males. Therefore, it is through mentorship a young man is able to choose his career and thus search for his identity as well as mentoring patron (Hunt & Michael, 1983). There is requirement of the reorientation of the education of the accountant in most of the organizations because of the increasing versatile environment. This problem is a topic of interest among the accounting educators as well as the practitioners. The reorientation of the accounting education doesn’t mean that a person needs to equip himself with the accounting knowledge in a new manner. However, it generates the necessity of vocational skills to adapt to the changes that is occurring at a rapid pace. The various vocational skills include communication skill, problem-solving skill as well as interpersonal skill. It is noticeable that the employers of the management accountant have positioned greater significance to the vocational skills and/or knowledge. The employers face deficiencies in those capabilities that have been identified as significant. The deficiencies as per the views of the employers tend to persist before recruitment and on the professional qualification. It is identified and thus suggested by the employers that it is quite significant to develop the vocational skills so that adjustment with the altering needs become possible for the professionals. Along with this, it is to be remembered that the vocational training needs to be acquired in a coordinated manner (Montano & Et. Al., 2001). It can be demonstrated that the competency based view upon the career arrives from the competency-based models of the employer firm. Further, the connotation of boundaryless career is recognized in relation to the altering organizational context, industry community situation as well as the occupational situation. It is through these contexts that tend to enhance the boundaryless career behaviors (Defillippi & Arthur, 2006). The organizational careers can be comprehended as the relationship between the individuals and its organization. The organization tends to perceive that the people work for the monetary rewards, and are appointed to fill the particular positions. It is worth declaring that the concept of the career consists of the objective side or most commonly referred as the external side and the subjective side that is most commonly referred to as internal one. People in the recent times do not look for the keys that can lead to successful careers but focuses upon the career as the key to success. It is through career thinking that the individuals can adapt to the changes taking place in the organization. The organizations as well as the individual’s expectations are brought together in a coincidence of the interest. It can be demonstrated that the accountant needs to hold the essential skills to adapt with the diverse cultural backgrounds. Understanding each cultural background needs and/or wants is of top concern among the individuals in the organization. It is through diversity that a person can manage his career in a proper manner since diversity prepares the person to equip himself with the obligatory skills and/or knowledge and thus share the skills for the accomplishment of the common goals of the organization. It is the culture that assists an organization to become accustomed to the transformation taking place and thus mould itself with the modification along the external environment (Herriot, 1992). It can be stated that most of the people start to think regarding their career prior to their first job or at times when they tend to be dissatisfied. This urges them to take quick moves that may seem interesting. However, these may not add up to the career. It is the responsibility of the individuals to develop themselves through which the individuals as well as the employers both can enjoy the benefits. It can be mentioned that the employers tend to be benefited when the employee has known the significance of the career management. If the employee comprehends the career management then he is motivated to work well for the accomplishment of the goals of the organization and thus contributes to the organizational flexibility. Further, the employees are able to express their transferable skills as well as qualities. This recognition of the key values at work by the employee benefits the employer. The employers are benefited from having such motivated employees who take responsibilities and challenges in order to progress themselves. It enables the employer to save the cost of recruitment, thus ensuring that the talents in the organization are utilized to a larger extent (Syntagm Limited, 2010). There are various issues that relate to the diversity associated to human resource and the organizational diversity climates. ‘Positive climate for diversity’ (PCFD) can be understood as the climate where the organizational members tend to value the diversity related to human resource and the climate where the workers belonging from diverse backgrounds feel better to work. It is quite noteworthy to mention that the diversity climates have an impact upon the range of career along with organizational attitudes and perceptions (Hicks-Clarke & IIes, 2000). It is apparent that most of the organization is focusing upon the diversity in ethnicity, race, nationality and gender. It is this diversity that tends to bring benefits such as innovation and creativity, enhanced decision making as well as successful marketing to numerous kinds of the consumers. However, it has further been noted that the cultural differences in the organization is bringing cost in requisites of high turnovers, communication breakdown as well as interpersonal conflicts. For taking advantages of the benefits of the diversity and to lower the cost associated it would be advisable for the leaders to supervise the change processes towards the creation of the multicultural organization (Cox, Jr., 1991). Conclusion Career management can be comprehended as the enduring process whereby the resources are invested in order to achieve the career goals. The concept of career management resembles financial management. It is to be kept in mind that if a person makes a disciplined investment constantly then the person is likely to gain better returns. The career management puts more emphasis upon the two most significant investment assets that need to be managed throughout the working years of the person namely the association of the relationships and personal lifelong learning (Career Vision, 2004). It is found that the numerous benefits of diversity can be acquired from the career management. When a person manages his career in a proper manner then he is able to manage the diverse cultural backgrounds in an effective manner. Stimulation of pluralism and thus looking for diversity from career management as well as recruitment can be taken as a vehicle for improvement. It assists in making the company quite efficient in terms of performance and thus improves the labor-management relation in the organization. However, it is quite difficult to lead the team when the organization embraces cultural differences. It hampers the career of the people. The management of the career becomes utmost difficult in light of the tremendous changes that are taking place. This rapid changes calls for urgency to adapt to such changes and thus equip oneself with the necessary skills and knowledge. The changes have forced the companies to look for people who are quite competent and versatile. They look for vocational skills that comprises of the problem-solving skills, communication skills and interpersonal skills. When opting for accountancy as a career plan, a person needs to have diverse skills so that he fits in any organization offering the accounting jobs. In addition to the vocational skills there are other skills as well that the person needs to be equipped with prior to joining the place of work. These diverse skills include strong educational background on accounts, computer skills, professional experience, and various achievements in life. Adapting to the changes is the most vital and necessary skill of the accountant. An accountant possessing diverse skills is able to transfer his knowledge and thus make the other employees understand the particular skills. Accounting is a subject that is completely practical based and is quite time consuming. The job requires organizational skills and talent that consist of knowledge on scheduling along with multitasking. A person needs to have the capability to manage several tasks concurrently so that he is capable of understanding the exact time for completion of the project which can be effectively communicated to the clients. The task of accounting may be solitary in nature, however when the projects seem to be larger, the task requires team work. Therefore, an individual is required to have the ability to collaborate and communicate in lucid and effective manner so that the necessary and the important data can be brought together to complete the task of accounting. He needs to be prepared for enduring learning for making himself capable of developing himself as per the requirement of the organization. It can be concluded that it is the knowledge and skills and the planning that can make the career of the individual progress towards prosperity. Without proper planning one might not acquire anything significant in his life. Therefore, before entering into the professional life one needs to have a self assessment that describes the necessary skills for the individuals. The self assessment will guide him to make planning for his career. Recommendations Since the previous few years there is rise in the demand of accountants. It can be considered as one of the accepted as well as rewarding occupations requiring various skills. A person pursuing Masters in Accounting and Control will develop quality knowledge on accounting and thus will be ready to apply it for the various jobs related to accounting. This degree can assist in boosting the career. MBA degree in Finance can be of great help since lot of the organizations opt for a professional having this degree. This degree can be an excellent way to move towards the accounting jobs. In addition, if a person has a few years of experience in the related field then the person will find a number of career growth opportunities. There are tremendous opportunities for such individuals. However, it is quite important for the individual to conduct personal analysis and gap analysis. This stage will assist the individual to comprehend the skills that the person possesses and the necessary skills that he requires to equip himself with. SMART objectives must be set so that the gap can be filled within the stipulated period of time. One needs to be passionate regarding his career so that he can adapt to the diversities that impacts his career. In addition to this, the employers also need to take care of the employees once they have been recruited. Continuous education to all the categories of the employees will be of tremendous help in this regards. The education needs to focus upon the enhancement of the professionalism, openness as well as mobility in the employees, ensuring the professional ethics in the employees so that the work of the employees can be monitored on a continuous basis. References Aghazadeh, S., (2004). 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