Diversity Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Diversity Management - Essay Example As argued by scholars, workforce diversity is an issue among people, which focuses mainly on the similarities and differences brought by people in the organization. Therefore, success of organization and workforce diversity are inseparable. Despite the role played by affirmative action policies and equal rights legislations in assisting marginalized groups to access various employment opportunities previously closed to them, the exclusion of such employees from influential work organization circles hinders them from fully benefiting and contributing to the overall objective of the organization. Diversity management programs and policies create an embracing environment for these groups that lacked access to employment, and particularly to jobs that are more lucrative (Thomas, 2004:20). One of the multinational corporations that value diversity is International Business Machines (IBM) and Google. Workforce diversity at IBM has been in existence even before the equal employment opportun ity and affirmative action policies became legal. Implementation of this has seen IBM record a notable positive progress for many years (Young, 2003:43). In support to this argument, the provision of information technology during this time when technology is ever evolving has challenged many and big organizations. Therefore, it is arguable that IBM’s ability to understand and implement workforce diversity is the core factor behind the large market share won by the company over competitors (Young, 2003:21). For instance, the organization employed its first female worker in 1899, long before women suffrage movements in the US. Moreover, the organization also hired a disabled employee in 1914, some 76 years before enactment of the disabilities act in the US (Thomas, 2004:20). Moreover, the organization had black employees nearly two decades even before the Civil Right Act came into play. Currently, IBM administration and design of benefit plans comply with all local, state, and federal laws on equal employment opportunity and affirmative action, as well as accommodating reasonable religious observances. Managers and executives in the company are responsible for ensuring that the working environment is free from harassment and discrimination of all forms. The company also carries out outreach and human resource programs to ensure opportunity and compensation for development and growth. Moreover, it adheres to the amended 1974 Veterans Readjustment Act (Thomas, 2004:20). IBM ranks workforce diversity among the top strategic objectives of the company. The current diversity policies were set rolling by Tom Watson Jr. during his tenure at the company. He sought to lead the company by his personal values and beliefs, acknowledging that an organization has to change all things except the basic beliefs in the corporate world if it seeks to meet and overcome the challenges of the changing business environment. He identified three basic beliefs that remain as the pi llars of the company’s business and diversity management approaches, which include respect for individuals, service to customer, and excellence as a way of life. Today, these values form the three tenets of diversity at IBM: equal employment, affirmative action, and work/life. The most prominent among the three is equal opportunity, which offers access to the harassment-free workplace that provides the tools for eliminating disadvantages and that appreciates the work/ life balance, enabling employees to be productive (Thomas, 2004:20). The current policies of IMB on diversity management were the result of eight tasks forces commissioned by CEO Sam Palmisano to understand the different groups