ASSIGNMENT

Module 2: Diversity in organization and Motivation

1. Find out the importance of diversity in workforce.

Having a diverse and multicultural workplace is important as it brings several

advantages like,

Increased productivity: A diverse workplace allows for more ideas and

processes. This diversity of talent means a broader range of skills among
employees, as well as a diversity of experiences and perspectives which
increases the potential for increased productivity

Increased creativity: As various cultures and backgrounds work together, the

opportunity for increased creativity exists. This is because there are more
people with differing perspectives and solutions to problems, allowing for a
greater chance of a workable solution to a workplace problem.

Improved cultural awareness: A diverse range of cultures within the

workplace allows companies to deal with the different nuances within a
global marketplace. If a company does business with China, for example,
having an employee who can speak Mandarin is an asset and can lead to
improved workplace relations.

A positive reputation: Companies that have a diverse workplace are often

perceived as better employers. Potential employees want an employer who
accepts and is tolerant of all backgrounds and who treats their employees
fairly.

Increase in marketing opportunities: If potential employees or customers see

that a company represents a diverse workplace, it makes them feel like they
can relate to the company more. Using advertising that depicts mature-aged,
differently-abled, or ethnically diverse people encourages applicants to apply,
promotes a positive reputation, increases marketplace awareness, and
generates a more diverse client-base.

Achieving workplace diversity means you are bringing out the very best of
your employees and allowing them to reach their full potential. By doing so,
your workplace benefits as it encourages a more varied and innovative talent
pool.

2. What are the barriers to effective decision making?

There are a number of barriers to effective decision-making. Effective

managers are aware of these potential barriers and try to overcome them as
much as possible.

Bounded Rationality

While we might like to think that we can make completely rational

decisions, this is often unrealistic given the complex issues faced by
managers. Non rational decision-making is common, especially with non
programmed decisions. Since we haven’t faced a particular situation
previously, we don’t always know what questions to ask or what
information to gather. Even when we have gathered all the possible
information, we may not be able to make rational sense of all of it, or to
accurately forecast or predict the outcomes of our choice

Escalation of Commitment

Given the lack of complete information, managers don’t always make the
right decision initially, and it may not be clear that a decision was a bad
one until after some time has passed. For example, consider a manager
who had to choose between two competing software packages that her
organization will use on a daily basis to enhance efficiency. She initially
chooses the product that was developed by the larger, more well-
established company, reasoning that they will have greater financial
resources to invest in ensuring that the technology is good. However, after
some time it becomes clear that the competing software package is going
to be far superior. While the smaller company’s product could be
integrated into the organization’s existing systems at little additional
expense, the larger company’s product will require a much greater initial
investment, as well as substantial ongoing costs for maintaining it. At this
point, however, let’s assume that the manager has already paid for the
larger company’s (inferior) software. Will she abandon the path that she’s
on, accept the loss on the money that’s been invested so far, and switch to
the better software? Or will she continue to invest time and money into
trying to make the first product work? Escalation of commitment is the
tendency of decision makers to remain committed to poor decision, even
when doing so leads to increasingly negative outcomes. Once we commit
to a decision, we may find it difficult to reevaluate that decision rationally.
It can seem easier to “stay the course” than to admit (or to recognize) that
a decision was poor.

Time Constraints

Managers often face time constraints that can make effective decision-
making a challenge. When there is little time available to collect
information and to rationally process it, we are much less likely to make a
good non programmed decision. Time pressures can cause us to rely on
heuristics rather than engage in deep processing. While heuristics save
time, however, they don’t necessarily lead to the best possible solution.
The best managers are constantly assessing the risks associated with acting
too quickly against those associated with not acting quickly enough.

Uncertainty

In addition, managers frequently make decisions under conditions of

uncertainty—they cannot know the outcome of each alternative until
they’ve actually chosen that alternative. Consider, for example, a manager
who is trying to decide between one of two possible marketing campaigns.
The first is more conservative but is consistent with what the organization
has done in the past. The second is more modern and edgier, and might
bring much better results . . . or it might be a spectacular failure. The
manager making the decision will ultimately have to choose one campaign
and see what happens, without ever knowing what the results would have
been with the alternate campaign. That uncertainty can make it difficult for
some managers to make decisions, because committing to one option
means forgoing other options.

Personal Biases

Our decision-making is also limited by our own biases. We tend to be

more comfortable with ideas, concepts, things, and people that are familiar
to us or similar to us. We tend to be less comfortable with that which is
unfamiliar, new, and different. One of the most common biases that we
have, as humans, is the tendency to like other people who we think are
similar to us (because we like ourselves).7 While these similarities can be
observable (based on demographic characteristics such as race, gender,
and age), they can also be a result of shared experiences (such as attending
the same university) or shared interests (such as being in a book club
together). This “similar to me” bias and preference for the familiar can
lead to a variety of problems for managers: hiring less-qualified applicants
because they are similar to the manager in some way, paying more
attention to some employees’ opinions and ignoring or discounting others,
choosing a familiar technology over a new one that is superior, sticking
with a supplier that is known over one that has better quality, and so on.

Conflict

Finally, effective decision-making can be difficult because of conflict.

Most individuals dislike conflict and will avoid it when possible.
However, the best decision might be one that is going to involve some
conflict. Consider a manager who has a subordinate who is often late to
work, causing others to have to step away from their responsibilities in
order to cover for the late employee. The manager needs to have a
conversation with that employee to correct the behavior, but the employee
is not going to like the conversation and may react in a negative way. Both
of them are going to be uncomfortable. The situation is likely to involve
conflict, which most people find stressful. Yet, the correct decision is still
to have the conversation even if (or especially if) the employee otherwise
is an asset to the department.
 3. Explain the role of work motivation for performance.
Motivation is imperative for an organization’s growth. Here are a few
benefits of motivation in an organization:

 Increases productivity: Motivators like promotions create a drive for

employees to work to the best of their capabilities. As such,
motivation in an organization will lead to an increase in the
productivity of an employee, who will contribute more compared to a
disheartened employee.
 Ensures organizational efficiency: Motivators can also help in
changing the work culture of an organization. With better rewards to
look forward to, employees will be more dedicated to their work and
more motivated to reach their targets. This can increase overall work
efficiency and the attitude of an entire organization.
 Promotes loyalty among the employees: Motivating your employees
to do their best and rewarding their hard work can also be beneficial
in igniting a sense of loyalty towards the company. A well-motivated
workforce is loyal and has higher levels of morale, being more
committed to the organization and its goals. Ensuring your staff are
motivated can also reduce employee turnover and therefore the
company costs of hiring new people.
 Facilitates direction: Direction is an important aspect of any business.
It involves the creation and implementation of specific plans and
strategies, contributing to the organization’s main goals. A motivated
workforce will be enthusiastic about helping to develop and innovate
the company. They will also be more likely to suggest strategies or
direction that can help the company expand further.
 Ensures a proactive workforce: For any business to be successful, it
requires its employees to adapt to dynamic changes in the work
environment. You cannot take a financially prudential decision that
could harm employee interests without them being completely
committed to the company’s goals and visions. As such, motivation
among employees reduces the resistance to difficult organizational
decisions.

The role of motivation within a company is often underrated. It is a powerful

instrument that not only helps establish a successful career, but also induces
positive changes in your personal life.

4. Can a good communicator be a good manager of workplace diversity?

Indeed effective communication not only manages organizational diversity but

also leads to a positive ambience at the workplace. There are situations when
some or the other misunderstandings among team members might arise, but it
is always better when employees sit face to face, talk and clear the same at the
earliest. The productivity is in fact more when employees communicate
effectively with each other which in turn makes the manager a good manager.

5. What factors can contribute to success of diversity at workplace?

Here are five clever ways to improve employee engagement through

diversity-focused initiatives and operational processes for your workforce.

1. Educate Managers on the Benefits of Diversity in the Workplace

The relationship between managers and employees is a critical one. Most

people quit their jobs specifically because of a disconnect with their
managers.

Don’t assume that managers understand the importance of workplace

diversity, or that they know how to hire and manage a diverse group of
employees. Empower them with the skills necessary to grow and nurture a
diverse team. Scheduling cultural and other sensitivity training is a great
first step.

2. Create More Inclusive Workplace Policies

As you move to become a more diverse organization, do a deep-dive of

your current practices, and conduct a comprehensive evaluation of your
workplace. Facilitating workplace diversity may mean creating new
policies or amending current ones system-wide, from recruitment to
performance evaluations and promotions.

For example, when posting job openings, position descriptions should be

tailored to reach broader audiences. Consider posting these position
descriptions and sending recruitment specialists to a wider range of job
fairs, community hiring offices, and outreach programs.

Other inclusive strategies that support diversity and inclusion in the

workplace include:

Allowing employees to take off work for religious holidays that may not
be officially observed by the company
Offering on-site daycare
Review your office set up to ensure an inclusive facility, such as the
availability of non-gendered restrooms
Extending the option for flexible work hours
Using a mobile workforce app with a translation feature so every
employee can communicate in his or her preferred language

3. Communicate Clearly and Create Employee-Led Task Forces

Creating workplace diversity policies isn’t enough. Clear communication
and follow-through is necessary to ensure initiatives are effective. That
means policies should reflect the unique needs of everyone in your
organization.

Employees should feel comfortable coming to their managers with any

concerns, especially about their treatment in the company due to their
gender, ethnicity, sexuality, age, or other factors.

Managers should feel confident in their internal communication with

employees by avoiding making any assumptions and using inclusive
language. This is a great initial way for managers to set up open and
respectful internal communication channels.

Regularly ask for feedback from your diverse workforce and create
dedicated diversity task forces with team members from every department
for candidate recruitment and training. This ensures transparency as well
as ownership and buy-in from the whole team.

4. Offer Meaningful Opportunities for Employee Engagement

If your company has multiple locations, consider allowing employees to

visit other locations in another city, state, or country. Poll your workforce
with an employee survey to find out where they like to spend free time or
volunteer, and arrange both work-based activities and external employee
engagement outings.
Additionally, they are able to see how other locations deal with similar
problems and situations in a completely different way. This may
encourage your employees to learn to think outside the box—and bring
that thinking back to their own teams.

Some companies, like Salesforce, have their employees volunteer together

in their communities to give back as well as to forge deeper connections
with one another. This kind of exposure is a great way to let employees
experience and participate in other environments and creates opportunities
for your diverse workforce to understand each other better.

5. Create Mentorship Programs

Hiring a diverse workforce is important, but mentorship programs are a

key component of workplace diversity programs to ensure that everyone
has the opportunity to advance. Employees with high potential should be
offered mentors regardless of their age, race, sex, or other factors. If a
company-sponsored mentorship program isn’t feasible for your company,
there arother ways of providing similar opportunities, including:

Support professional development opportunities by contributing to

employees’ continuing education. The more they know the happier they
are and the more productive they are as employees.
Connect employees to outside resource groups, like those dedicated to
young professionals and women’s leadership.
Make sure your leadership team reflects diversity as well by hiring and
promoting diverse candidates into those roles.

6. Offer Workplace Flexibility :

Workplace flexibility means giving employees more agency over when
and where they work. Offering this to your team can help make your
workplace more inviting and accommodating to working parents,
commuters, or folks who may need to work remotely.