For an organization looking to cultivate a more diverse andinclusive workplace, it is important to understand what constitutesworkplace diversity (People Scout 2020). Workplace diversity refersto the variety of differences between individuals in anorganization (People Scout 2020). Diversity not only includes howindividuals identify themselves but also how others perceive them.Diversity within a workplace encompasses race, gender, ethnicgroups, age, religion, sexual orientation, citizenship status,military service and mental and physical conditions, as well asother distinct differences between people (People Scout 2020).

According to Scott (2017), the Strategies would I use to bringtogether people from a variety of backgrounds to work on a commongoal as following:

Shared Values: establishing a shared set of values is essentialfor bringing together diverse groups.

• Shared Goals: It is healthy for people to disagree on how toaccomplish a goal. In fact, it is often in the moment of dissentwhere creativity is born. However, it is critically important forpeople to agree on what the goal actually is. Unfortunately, out offear, people often assume their goals differ from the goals ofothers. As leaders, we must either make clear to people that theyshare the same goal, or if a shared goal does not exist, we mustcreate one. Such as, if you have two people who are divided,consider putting them on a project team together and assigning thema common objective. Often through interdependence and workingtogether, they discover they share more in common than they have indifferences. Also, make sure that you reinforce and often that yourpeople share the same set of organizational goals even if they comefrom different backgrounds or have divergent political beliefs. Ifwe lead by consistently reinforcing shared goals, the organizationcan become the glue that binds people together, even if some favorblue and others favor red outside of work.
• Balance the team. It is essential that your leadership teamreflect the diversity of backgrounds and beliefs in yourorganization.
• Create reminders of common identity: As leaders, we need tocreate reminders for people. As noted in"Artifacts andOrganizations: Beyond Mere Symbolism," (Links to an external site.)by Anat Rafaeli and Michael G. Pratt, which explores organizationalculture and identity, these reminders can range from physicalartifacts (e.g., office design), to symbols (e.g., awards), toinformal norms and routines (e.g., language, how you makedecisions). Furthermore, to bring people from diverse backgroundsand beliefs together, we need to create visible reminders of acommon identity, where people genuinely believe that despite theirdifferences they are, together, part of something special.
• Dividing does not conquer, and conquering isn't really the goalanyway: As leaders, we want to promote free speech, debate onimportant issues, and civic engagement. At the same time, it is ourresponsibility to align and mobilize a diverse group of people toaccomplish shared goals on behalf of the organization. It istherefore more important than ever before that we creatively remindemployees of their shared values and goals, and to work together onthe same side of the hedgerow – at least while they are atwork.

For leadership to effectively manage diversity in theworkplace they need to understand their backgrounds and how theirbehaviour and beliefs can affect their decision-making within adiverse environment (People Scout 2020). For managing workplacediversity:

• Communication: To manage a diverse workplace, organizationsneed to ensure that they effectively communicate with employees.Policies, procedures, safety rules and other important informationshould be designed to overcome language and cultural barriers bytranslating materials and using pictures and symbols wheneverapplicable.
• Treating: Avoid making assumptions about employees fromdifferent backgrounds. Instead, look at each employee as anindividual and judge successes and failures on the individual’smerit rather than attributing actions to their background.
• Encourage Employees to Work in Diverse Groups: Diverse workteams let employees get to know and value one another on anindividual basis and can help break down preconceived notions andcultural misunderstandings.
• Base Standards on Objective Criteria: Set one standard of rulesfor all groups of employees regardless of background. Ensure thatall employment actions, including discipline, follow thisstandardized criteria to make sure each employee is treated thesame.
• Be Open Minded: Recognize, and encourage employees torecognize, that one’s own experience, background, and culture arenot the only with value to the organization.
• Hiring: To build a diverse workplace, it is crucial to recruitand hire talent from a variety of backgrounds. This requiresleadership and others who make hiring decisions to overcome bias ininterviewing and assessing talent. If organizations can breakthrough bias and hire the most qualified people, those with theright education, credentials, experience and skill sets, a diverseworkplace should be the natural result.

Question:

Translate this into the world you are working in and/or theworking world currently present in the US. The world has changed alot in the last 5 years. What does might this mean to you as aleader?