Nahid Final

8/18/2019 Nahid Final

1/62

Nahid ul Islam, ID: 111 111 244

DiversityManagement

at Workplace

1


2/62


issertation On

Diversity Management at Workplace

Submitted to:

Faculties name

Assistant professor

School of Business and Economics United International University

Submitted By:

Nahid Islam

ID: 111 101 103

a!or: "inance

Bachelors in Business administration

Date of Submission:

2


3/62


Letter of Transmittal

To

Faculties name

Assistant Professor

School of Business & Economics

!"TED "!TE#!AT"$!A% !"E#S"T'

Su()ect* %etter of Transmittal

Dear Sir,

I am delighted to submit this Internship report on the “Diversity Management at

Workplace”

While completing this project, I have tried to put my level best effort to make this paper a

comprehensive one. Still this project is a shortcoming one due to my limited knowledge about

the company as I have been there only for a few months. Nevertheless, I have tried with my full

effort to make this term project a complete one. All my efforts will be fulfilled if this term project

is able to clarify and satisfy all the reuirements which were assigned to me.

I would therefore like to submit this term project to you and hope that you would show

your complete kindness by accepting this report. I would also like to thank you for your kind

consideration.

'ours o(e+iently,

--------------------

!ahi+ "slam

"D* ... ./. ./0

3


4/62


A12!$W%ED3EME!T

I would like to e!press my regards and heartiest gratitude to "A#$%&I'S NA(', "aculty, School of

)usiness and 'conomics, $nited International $niversity, for his continuous supervision, guidance,

necessary instructions and counseling to complete this study.

I am also grateful to everyone who helped me build this dissertation with all their knowledge and

valuable advice in preparing this report.

I again e!press my sincere thanks to all who have directly or indirectly cooperated me in furnishing

this task.

NA*I+ IS%A(

- -

4


5/62


5

Diversity Management atworkplae


6/62


Contents!"strat######################################################################################################################$

%hapter 1 & Introdution############################################################################################# '

1#1 Introdution##################################################################################################### 1(

1#2 )akground o* the study#################################################################################11

1#3 +ro"lems and ypothesis################################################################################ 11

1#4 -esearh .uestions o* the study#####################################################################12

1#5 Desription o* Materials and /oures##############################################################12

1#0 -esearh Methodology#################################################################################### 13

1# imitations o* the study###################################################################################15

%hapter 2 iterature -eview####################################################################################10

2#1 Introdution##################################################################################################### 1

2#2 ators to onsider in adopting a diverse work*ore#######################################1

2#3 etive Mentoring +rogram########################################################################### 1$

2#4 6he onepts in diversity management##########################################################1'

2#5 !dvantages and Disadvantages o* diversity management#############################22

2#0 -e.uired tools *or managing a diverse work*ore###########################################25

2# %ultural Mentoring as a tool *or managing work*ore diversity#######################20

2#$ %harateristis o* a good mentor####################################################################20

2#$#1 !wareness o* the outside world################################################################2

2#$#2 aving a 7lo"al 8ision##############################################################################2

2#$#3 +roessing a positive attitude###################################################################2

2#$#4 aving networking e9periene##################################################################2$

2#$#5 +ossessing some pro*essional harateristis###########################################2$

2#' -easons *or diversity management in organiations#######################################2$

2#'#1 6alent shortage#########################################################################################2$

2#'#2 -ange o* onsumer need##########################################################################2'

2#'#3 7lo"aliation############################################################################################# 2'

2#1( )arriers to eetive diversity management##################################################2'

2#11 %hange management#################################################################################### 3(

0


7/62


%hapter 3 %ompany +ro;le ###########################################################32

3#1 7reen =nitwear################################################################################################33

3#2 7lo"al Diversity vision at 7reen =nitwear#######################################################34

3#3 7lo"al Diversity hallenges at 7reen =nitwear###############################################35

3#4 Diversity Management tools at 7reen =nitwear##############################################30

%hapter 4 & %ompany +ro;le ############################################################3'

4#1 Diversity management and its dimensions#####################################################4(

4#2 %ost "ene;t o* diversity################################################################################## 41

4#3 !pproahes and /trategies *or Managing Diversity#########################################42

4#4 +aradigms o* Diversity Management###############################################################44

4#5 Nasir 6e9tiles? way o* Diversity Management##################################################454#0 Nasir 6e9tiles Diversity and Inlusion Model####################################################40

4# Dealing with Inreasingly Multiultural @ork*ore###########################################4

4#$ 7ender Non&Disrimination#############################################################################4

%hapter 5 & Disussion and omparison###################################################################4$

5#1 %onerns a"out -elia"ility###############################################################################5(

5#2 %onerns a"out 8alidity###################################################################################5(

5#3 %onerns a"out 7eneraliation#######################################################################5(

%hapter 0 & indings o* the study##############################################################################51

%hapter & %onlusion and -eommendation##########################################################53

%hapter A -e*erenes############################################################################################ 5

%hapter $ & !ppendi9################################################################################################02

$#1 %over etter#################################################################################################### 03

$#2 Buestioner#######################################################################################################03


8/62


Abstract

&he subject matter of this paper is workplace diversity. &he study is conducted to e!plore how

/arments0 Sector manage workforce diversity and its conseuences to the company1s e!istence

as well as e!amine how /arments deal with challenges that comes with employees from diverse

cultural backgrounds. &he research therefore answers the uestion 2*as workplace diversity

contributed to organi3ational success2. )ecause diversity covers a wide range of human attributes

and ualities, the research is limited to the reuired tools for managing workplace diversity,

advantages and disadvantages of managing a diverse workforce. As I did my internship at /reen

4nitwear, I have studied and conveyed my research on that company in order to acuire answers

to the uestion that is being focused on. &o gather the reuired data for this thesis, the author hasmostly used the current material that contains *uman 5esource (anagement studies. 6ualitative

research method has been used to gather and analy3e the data on the companies. &o answer the

research uestion as well as obtain and practical and relevant information on each company, the

author conducted an interview on /reen 4nitwear, and gathered information from the internet as

well. &he result shows that workplace diversity plays an effective role in /arments Sector.

*owever inadeuate mentoring and guidance could cause a company low productivity. "or this

reason, there must be regular improvement in ways to effectively manage a diverse workforce as

the world keeps advancing. In the conclusion, the findings of the thesis were indicated, which

states that workplace diversity has contributed to more productivity but some factors such as

differential treatment could hinder its successful implementation and hence company success.

)ig companies are more passionate about diversifying their workforce and see its

implementation as a norm and continuously strive to improve diversity management, whereas

small companies see it as a choice and evitable when they feel it a burden or cannot effectively

manage it.

$


9/62


Chapter 1 -

Introdctio

n'


10/62


1!1 Introdction

+iversity can generally be defined as recogni3ing, understanding and accepting

individual differences irrespective of their race, gender, age, class, ethnicity,

physical ability, race. Se!ual orientation, spiritual practice and so on. /robler

78--89:;< also supports this view by adding that each individual is uniue but also

share any number of environmental or biological characteristics. +iversity can be

classified into two dimensions. &he primary dimension such as age, gender, se!ual

orientation and so on, e!hibits the main differences between various individuals.

&hese primary differences also has the most impact on initial encounters and can

be easily noticed and serve as filters through which people view the world. &he

secondary dimensions such as religion, education, geographical location, income

etc, are those ualities that are not noticeable in the first encounter and can even

change throughout different encounters. &hese ualities are only noticed after some

interactions occur between individuals. 7Ashton 8--minded in the marketplace

worldwide with competition coming from almost everywhere in the continent.

+iversity can be a problem to an organi3ation but could also be a solution, It also

comes with its disadvantages but also benefits and dangerous but also constructive.

&he challenge then is to e!tract the very essence of diversity and tactically manage

it for the improvement of the people and the organi3ation. (ost organi3ations intheir own perspective, adopt diversity at their workplace or organi3ation to become

more creative and open to change. Increasing and improving workplace diversity

has become an important issue for management in the recent years due to the

recognition of how the workplace is changing. Since managing diversity still

remains a challenge in organi3ations, managers tend to learn managerial skills

1(


11/62


needed in a multicultural working environment and prepares themselves to teach

others within their organi3ations to value cultural differences and treat all

employees with dignity. "or some business leaders and managers point of view,

diversity is a big challenge to them although it knows no organi3ational boundary

and has no limitations.

1!" #ackgrond of the stdy

As a student of )usiness Administration, I had to complete a 5esearch =roject with

any organi3ation. (y attachment was with /reen 4nitwear %imited and I studied

there from ?th @uly September Bth. And that period, I collected information

regarding preparing a report on CWorkplace +iversification of /reen 4nitwear

%imitedD> a 5eady (ade /arments. In the process I compared /reen 4nitwear%imited0s workplace diversification with a Nasir &e!tile. Another giant in the 5(/

Sector of )angladesh. As a student of ))A, it is very much necessary for me to

know about the formal process of (erchandising. I have studied in factory and

head office which helped me to get myself familiari3ed with the official and

factory environment in a garments industry for the first time. &he rationale behind

this research is to e!amine the different ways of dealing with work place diversity

as well as to provide management with the necessary guidelines for effective

diversity management in 5(/ Sector in order to show the reader how to build an

effective workplace diversity by applying different diversity management tools.

1!$ %roblems and &ypothesis

It points out that, countless studies have been conducted on work place diversity.

&his study is provoked by the necessity of completing the credit hours reuired to

complete Internship from $nited International $niversity. In recent years +iversity

(anagement and workforce diversity have been substantial and as such have

forced companies to embrace these concepts in their companies with the aim of

increasing productivity and profit. &his forced integration has created divergenceand uncertainty in the workforce, as management is not skilled enough to control

the concept of diversity management and its ethics, and so managers are finding it

difficult to effectively practice diversity management, which in turn has become an

albatross on their neck. (anagers find it difficult in knowing the factors that

contribute to effective diversity management or the e!act leadership tasks that can

11


12/62


be achieved to effectively and efficiently deal with issues related to workplace

diversity. In completing this study, relevant theoretical works are considered in

order to ascertain the factors that could lead to the formation of a favorable

working environment that pertains to diversity management. In reality, it is also

important to establish the implications this has had on companies so as to create a

very conductive working atmosphere through workplace diversity management.

1!' (esearch )estions of the stdy

&he research uestion of the study is C*as workplace diversity contributed to

5(/0s successD. In order to answer the research uestion the author defined the

following objectives of the study9

. +iscuss the evolution of workforce diversity

8. '!plain benefits and limitations of workplace diversity.

. '!plore the reuired tools for managing workplace diversity.

:. Study the views of various companies regarding the choice and implementation

of workplace diversity.

&he study will be useful for the companies under discussion nevertheless it shall

also be helpful for people who want to know more about workplace diversity, andhow to manage it.

1!* Description of Materials and +orces

It is germane to state that this research work is based on the facts and information

e!tracted from relevant academic books, proven online sources and feedbacks from

interviews conducted on companies. &he author is sure that workplace diversity is

one necessary issue to consider during management and needs constant managerial

improvement, therefore in writing the theoretical analysis of the thesis, the author

tried to adopt the most up>to>date information available. *owever some of the

chapters contain older studies due to the knowledge acuired from the degree.

/enerally, the thesis consists of four different parts. &he theoretical framework

includes three parts and the fourth part contains the empirical research of case

companies. &he basis of the research makes provision of current studies on

workplace diversity.

12


13/62


&he first part of the theoretical study discusses the concept of workplace diversity

and e!plains to the reader why /arments of today should consider it.

&he second part of the study e!plains the advantages of workplace diversity as well

as the disadvantages and challenges that may prevent the successful

implementation of workplace diversity in the company.

&he third part discuses the reuired tools and reasons for workplace diversity

management, and the major role players in workplace diversity.

&he fourth part of the study is an empirical research that describes workplace

diversity of /reen 4nitwear.

&he information and facts were carefully evaluated and critically screened to

provide the needed data for the research as well as to enhance the flow of relevant

and reliable information. Interview uestions can be found as an appendi! at the

end of the thesis work. &he later part of the report points out the finding and

critiues of the research.

1!, (esearch Methodology

5esearch can be defined as e!ecuting an investigation to acuire an additional

knowledge or idea to add to an e!isting understanding and knowledge of a

particular discipline. 7(yers 8--E, p ;


14/62


interaction for knowledge production, and emphasi3es on the social situations of

research data.D It is usually conducted for an idea or information and also serves as

a reference for future purposes. &he uestions will concentrate on finding out the

company1s view on workplace diversity, the main challenges of managing a

multicultural workforce and other relevant uestions regarding the company1s

operations and company culture. &he interview uestions set for the interview were

phrased clearly 7some technical terms is e!plained< in order to make it easy for the

interviewee to read and understanding, In order for the interviewee to have an

ample time to read and review the interview uestions, it was sent to the company

before hand. Some measures was put in place to overcome interview bias, and also

uestions that are more personal and sensitive are put on the later part of the

interview uestions so that the interviewee will have much time to access the

company culture and company1s activities before giving his thought or opinion.

&his served as a good way to determine the reliability and authenticity of the

information. &he use of semi>structured interviews in the ualitative research

enabled the author reveal and understand the FwhatF and the FhowF but also to place

more emphasis on e!ploring the FWhy2 75obin, 8--89GEstructured interview is adopted in order tounderstand the relationships between the various points raised in the concept.

Secondly, the ualitative research method is used to enable the author analy3e the

result in interpretative and subjective manner. &he secondary research method was

conducted through surfing the Internet, books and other relevant academic reports

to acuire relevant information for this thesis work.

1! Limitations of the stdy

It is very significant to note that not much conclusive research has been done in the

field of diversity management. &herefore the weight of previous research

conducted has been practically evaluated in order to look into the subject matter. In

some situations the uoted theory may be more applicable than in other situations,

however this should not be regarded as the fact before more decisive research is

done. In this situation, the writer advises that managers who evaluate the research

findings should use discretion in following a particular course of action. It must

14


15/62


also be noted that the findings of this study will reflect the perceptions of the

#ompanies or /arments involved, therefore not be assumed to be universally

applicable to all /arments.

15


16/62


Chapter "Literatre

(evie.

10


17/62


"!1 Introdction

&his chapter presents the theoretical framework of the thesis, which could be

divided into three parts. "irstly, some factors to consider in the decision making

process of a company to adopt a diverse workforce and the second part discusses

the importance of cultural mentoring to effectively manage a diverse workforce

and thirdly the concept in diversity management in companies.

"!" /actors to consider in adopting a diverse .orkforce

&he concept of workplace diversity might differ from company to company

according to the rules and guidelines that have been stipulated for a particular

purpose and also the meaning a company gives to it and how it is often utili3ed.

CNo one wants to pay a company for services and not get value for moneyD, acompany that would employ a diverse workforce aims improve its productivity and

income. When considering to adopt a diverse workforce, some important factors

and attributes needs to be taken into account, which involves the following9

H #ompany type

H rgani3ational culture

H #ompany %ocation

Company Type

&he type of a company plays a significant role in the decision making process of

the company in determining whether or not to employ a diverse workforce.

#ompanies differ in si3e and activities, and come with its own rules and company

act. (ost public companies tend to employ more workers due to its si3e as

compared to private companies, the same applies to other types such as limited

liability companies, $nlimited companies, /overnment companies and so on. 7&he

times --, 8-< 'mploying diverse employees would mean, being convincedthat the company type will do well or much better with them on board.

Organizational Culture

rgani3ational culture could be defined as a set of values that are share in the

organi3ation, which reflects on the company1s activities. &here are five

1


18/62


components to organi3ational culture that involves its practices, vision, value,

people, place, and its history. 'ach organi3ational culture is uniue and different

from any other companies, therefore any decision made by a company about

workplace diversity is based on the company1s beliefs and norms, and must

therefore reflect on that company. 7#oleman 8-


19/62


state that the workplace diversity have the ability to improve workforce in a

company but comes with its disadvantages as well. It is true to assert that

workplace diversity has greatly encouraged employees to share their carious ideas,

as well as enabling companies to earn higher returns. )ut the uestion that has

remained unanswered is the implications on employees, especially the village ones.

*owever, it can also be argued that the sources found during the research makes it

more compelling to believe that workplace diversity is an effective way of

increasing productivity in a company.

"!' The concepts in diversity management

+iversity (anagement can be defined as the process of planning, directing,

organi3ing and applying all the comprehensive managerial attributes fordeveloping an organi3ational environment, in which all diverse employees

irrespective of their similarities and differences, can actively and effectively

contribute to the competitive advantage of a company or an organi3ation.

According to 4reitner, 78--9?< diversity CStands for the various differences in

individuals as well as similarities that e!ist among them.D 4reitner1s definition

emphasi3es on three crucial issues about diversity management9 +iversity applies

to all employees and do not only encompass certain range of differences but the

entire spectrum of individual differences that makes people uniue. &herefore

diversity cannot be viewed as only racial or religious differentiation, but it is the

combination of all differences. &he concept of diversity defines differences among

people and also their similarities. &he act of managing diversity reuires that these

two aspects be dealt with and managed at the same time. (anagers are therefore

e!pected to integrate the collective mi!ture of similarities and differences between

workers into the organi3ation. As such, diversity can be described as having four

layers 74reitner, 8--9B


20/62


Table 1. Some Personality traits of a diverse workforce

+C/I6I8 6-!I6/ N7!6I8 6-!I6/+atiene ainessonesty n*riendly-elia"le /el* enteredIntelligent -ude

6rusting C"no9ious

Internal dimensions9 &hese dimensions are characteristics that have a strong

influence on people1s perceptions, e!pectations and attitudes towards other people.

&hese include factors such as gender, se!ual orientation, ethnicity, age, physical

ability and race '!ternal dimensions9 &hese dimensions are personal traits that we

have a certain amount of control or influence over. &hey are factors such as

income, personal and recreational habits, religion, education, work e!perience,

appearance, marital status, and geographic location. rgani3ational dimensions9

&hese dimensions are relevant or significant to the organi3ation itself. &hey include

factors such as management status, $nit or division, work field, seniority, union

affiliation and management status. #urrently affirmative action is used as a method

of attaining a diversified and integrated workforce. 4reitner is of the view that

78--9:-< Caffirmative action is an artificial intervention aimed at giving

management a chance to correct an imbalance, an injustice, a mistake or outright

discriminationD and that it does not foster a need to change leadership1s thinking

about diversity management. @effery 7EE;9>< argues that although affirmative

action and black economic empowerment is necessary, the private sector should be

; allowed to focus on wealth and economic opportunity creation rather than just

giving jobs to the previously disadvantaged. A higher level of Cdiversity

awarenessD from affirmative action is known as valuing diversity. Kaluing

diversity emphasi3es the awareness, recognition, understanding and appreciation of

human differences. )y valuing diversity, employees feel valued and accepted, andare recogni3ed as a valuable resource that contributes directly an organi3ation1s

overall success 74reitner, 8--9:


21/62


due to its desires to gain competitive advantage by using the talents of a diverse

workforce. &he highest level of Cdiversity awarenessD is the discipline of diversity

management. It is the deliberate and focused creation of organi3ational changes

that enable all employees to perform up to their ma!imum potential 74reitner,

8--9:8


22/62


*igh level of =roductivity9 Increasing productivity at the workplace has been one

of the major challenges for managers and leaders and to the company in general.

+ue to the fact that every organi3ation has its own uniue company structure and

objectives, different strategies may be used to challenge or address the company in

order to increase productivity. ne of those strategies involves adopting workplace

diversity and managing it effectively. When management takes the welfare of its

workers at heart by means of offering them proper compensation, health care and

employee appraisal, It enables workers to feels they belong to the company

irrespective of their cultural background by remaining loyal and hardworking

which helps to increase the company1s productivity and profit.

'!change of varieties of ideas and &eam work9 In recent times teamwork is

increasingly advocated by businesses and organi3ations as a means of assuring

better outcomes on tasks and also for the delivery of goods and services. A single

person taking on multiple tasks cannot perform at the same pace as a team couldJ

therefore, each team member brings to the table different ideas and offers a uniue

perspective during problem solving to effectively arrive at the best solution at the

shortest possible time.

%earning and growth9 +iversity at the workplace creates an opportunity for

employee1s personal growth. When workers are being e!posed to new cultures,

ideas and perspectives, it can help each person to intellectually reach out and havea clearer insight of their place in the global environment and hence their own

surroundings. &he more time spent with culturally diverse co>workers can slowly

break down the subconscious barriers of !enophobia and ethnocentrism, thereby

encouraging workers to be more e!perienced members of the society.

'ffective #ommunication9 Workplace diversity can immensely strengthen a

company1s relationship with some specific group of customers by making

communication more effective. #ustomer service department is one of the areas

where effective communication is crucial. A customer service personnel orrepresentatives can be paired up with customers from their specific area or

location, making the customer feel at home with the representative and thus with

the company.

+iverse '!perience9 'mployee and their co>workers that come from a diverse

background bring to the table some amount of uniue perceptions and e!perience

22


23/62


during teamwork or group tasks. =ooling the diverse skills and knowledge of

culturally distinct employees together can immensely benefit the company by

strengthening the responsiveness and productivity of the team to adapt to the

changing conditions. 'very diverse culture has its own strengths and weaknesses,

therefore in addition to their individuality, every diverse employee possesses a

uniue strengths and weaknesses that is derived from their culture. When each

workerF uniue trait is managed properly and effectively in the organi3ation, it can

leverage the strengths and complement its weaknesses to highly impact the

workforce.

Disadvantages

*igh #ost of +iversity (anagement9 &o increase job satisfaction, workplace

diversity management could sometimes be very costly, when an organi3ation

strives to effectively manage the diverse workforce, it undergoes a mandatory

diversity training during which supervisors, employees, and managers receive

lessons on the best way to interact with employees and clients. In recent times,

there are lots of +iversity management program available where companies could

choose from, taking into account the si3e of the company and its employees. Some

training programs reuire a high travelling and participation cost.

+iscrimination9 ne significant disadvantages of working with a diverse workforceis discrimination in the part of both managers and employees. It can e!ist but

hidden aspect of a poorly managed workplace. When a worker is being

discriminated, it affects his ability to perform well and it also affect the perception

of euity and raises issues of litigation.

#ommunication issues9 Workplace diversity can negatively impact communication

in the company. It can place an obstacle in the way of effective communication,

which can cause a decrease in productivity and dampen the cohesiveness among

workers. 'ven though spending time with employees by getting to know themhelps reduce and in some instances eradicate communication barriers during a

long>term, co>workers orientation periods and an individualFs first impressions can

be difficult to control when culture clash.

(yriad Accommodation9 Although the premise of workplace diversity is mutual

respect, making way to accommodate each diverse workerFs reuest can be

23


24/62


burdensome of employers, which makes it difficult to manage diversity. Some

employee work constraints such as race, religion, country of origin and gender can

sometimes be overwhelming if the diversity in the organi3ation tends to be so

much to the e!tent that the company has to employ a fulltime staff to keep track of

accommodating the employees needs. "or e!ample, some (uslim employees may

decide not to work on "ridays, as it is a special day for prayers. In such instances

employers has to make provision for someone to take their shift when the need

arises.

Incorporation issues9 Social incorporation at the workplace cannot be influenced to

the ma!imum degree. "orming e!clusive social groups is often a natural process

that cannot be controlled sometimes. &herefore, companies tend to e!perience

some degree of informal divisions amongst their workers thereby creating

conditions where diverse employees avoid having contact with each other during

leisure times and when work is over. Although this scenario doesnFt seem

fundamentally wrong, it can reduce the effectiveness of knowledge sharing

amongst teams and hence decreasing productivity. 75uth (ayhew 8-<

"!, (e)ired tools for managing a diverse .orkforce

(anaging diversity reuires that managers should recogni3e certain skills that are

vital for creating an effective and successful diverse workforce. %eaders and

managers must understand that understanding discrimination and its conseuences

will always prevail in the organi3ation. (anagers must recogni3e their own

cultural preferences. &hey must see diversity as the differences among individuals

and support the fact that each individual is uniue in a special way. (oreover,

managers must be ready to change the organi3ational culture when the need to do

so arises and learn how to effectively manage the diverse workforce in order to be

successful in the future. 74elli A. /, (ayra %, Allen W, and 4arl 4 8-


25/62


personal prejudices. A one day session of training is not enough to change people1s

mind and behaviors, therefore organi3ations need to constantly develop,

implement, and maintain ongoing training and awareness creation. +iversity

management entails much more than providing same opportunity for employment.

(anagers should reali3e that change occurs in a slow pace, but yet should continue

to encourage change. +ealing with diversity also reuires providing a secure

environment for managers and workers to communicate, such environments

includes social gatherings and business meetings where every member feels

comfortable to be and creates a friendly atmosphere to speak freely as well as

listen to others. (entoring programs should be implemented to guide employees

on how to access information. #onstructive feedbacks should be given to the

employees after they have learnt about their mistakes and when they are successful

in implementing the lessons learnt to achieve success.

"! Cltral Mentoring as a tool for managing .orkforce

diversity

In the global environment, culture can be defined as the way people live and the

attributes they portray such as their behaviors, believes, values, and symbols that

they accept generally from generation to generation. In a )usiness sense, every

company has its F#ompany culture2 that entails different form of activities for

various working positions as well as a general guide to the company. A cultural

mentor1s task is to help both older staff and new recruits understand the culture in

the new conte!t. In particular, it is the duty of the cultural mentor to e!plain to the

mentee how things are done in the company, and how behavior should be

interpreted. Some companies usually regard the *uman 5esource +epartment or

*uman 5esource (anager as a company mentor. Whereas other companies invite

or in some cases employ an individual or group of people to serve as mentors to

the company from time to time. &he ultimate goal of a mentor is to be able to help

the participants or employees reali3e their own potential to enable them toeffectively utili3e it.

&o become a successful cultural mentor, a person needs to find out the areas in

which he or she is much more informed and comfortable with and could e!cel.

&hose areas would incorporate as well as represent the personFs image. )ased on

the above views and e!planations, a #ultural mentor can be defined as an

25


26/62


individual or a group of persons who serves as a role model to formulate an

objective.

"!2 Characteristics of a good mentorA good mentor portrays certain ualities and uniueness. +ue to the e!istence of

individual differences, some of the ualities that a particular mentor may process

may differ from another mentorsF ualities. *owever most mentors have some

common similarities. (entors could as well come in different forms such as a

group of people, mentoring conferences, Associations and so on. Some

characteristics of a good mentor are listed below9 7%int center for national security

studies, Inc. 8-to>day operation of the company. *e or She usually looks

beyond the ordinary and consider the company1s operations as a whole to knowwhere it is currently, where it is heading and more importantly, where it should be

going. An ideal mentor is aware that there is usually a reuisite that surpasses the

task at hand. A person having such a global vision looks ahead to the necessities of

the +epartment with which heLshe has been appointed for or the company in

general over a set period of time.

20


27/62


"!2!$ %rocessing a positive attitde

=rocessing a positive attitude about the goals and objectives of mentoring is an

important attribute of a good mentor. A successful leader may not always be a

successful mentor. &he mentor is very competent and believes that the mentees or

workers can substantially benefit from participation, and willingly shares these

beliefs with other multi cultural mentee. &he mentor must also not dispute the fact

that one culture is as important as the other and therefore must portray the same

attitude towards all workers.

"!2!' &aving net.orking e5perience

Networking entails the ability to make and maintain a wide contact with business

partners and leaders and benefit from the partnersF offerings and ideas in a variety

of career areas, level of management, and organi3ations over a long period of time.

Networking can also help provide relevant information, insightful views and

career>enhancing contacts. An effective mentor do not only participates in

networking, but also understands how employees in the organi3ation can benefit

from networking. A mentor ensures that the mentee learns the importance of

networking irrespective of their cultural differences, in order to begin to establish

his own networks in his position of work in the company.

"!2!* %ossessing some professional characteristics

A cultural mentor must process professional characteristics as respect, duty,

loyalty, personal courage, integrity, condor, compassion, competence and

commitment. &hese characteristics are of heightened importance and must be

strictly observed and applied during the daily routine. In addition to applying these

ualities on the job, the mentor guides the new multi>cultural employees by setting

a positive e!ample, through encouragement and open communication.

"!6 (easons for diversity management in organi7ations

"!6!1 Talent shortage

ne reason to diversify a workforce is talent shortage. In an era of critical talent

shortages, organi3ations are finding that they must attract, motivate, retain, and

utili3e their valuable employees effectively if they are to be competitive. +iversity

management can reduce unwelcomed turn over and reduce absenteeism. In order to

get the best out of the workforce, companies should not e!clude any particular

2


28/62


group by gender, race, or religion, the company will be e!cluding the person that is

going to produce the ne!t famous and successful product or someone who is going

to contribute in another useful way in marketing, computing or engineering or

elsewhere.

"!6!" (ange of consmer need

In recent years, organi3ations have recogni3ed that they can best serve different

customer groups in many different markets in more diverse workforce even if the

locality or home base of the organi3ation is located in a culturally imaginary

market, there may be substantial customers that are located in other more diverse

communities either in its home country or abroad. In communities where other

languages dominate, organi3ations benefits from hiring employees who speak the

dominant languages. &hey could also have diverse workforces design products that

attract diverse consumers or customers.

"!6!$ 3lobali7ation

/lobali3ation can be defined as a process where organi3ations or businesses start to

operate in an international scale. #ompanies are more open to internationali3e their

operations, they choose an efficient location to operate. =rices of inputs vary all

over the world, which attracts companies to shift some of their production to

countries with cheaper inputs such as labor in developing countries but are usuallylimited to save countries. Workforce diversity is a critical measure to companies

who seeks to establish themselves. 7/lobali3ation and business 8-<

"!18 #arriers to eective diversity management

(anaging a diverse workforce comes with potential challenges that mentors and

leaders must overcome. Some common barriers to implementing diversity

management are 74reitner, 8--9G


29/62


H An unsupportive and hostile working environment for diverse employees9

+iverse 8G employees are e!cluded from social activities and are thus prevented

from forming networks among other employees.

H "ears of discrimination9 =eople fear of being discriminated upon and therefore

are reluctant to apply for jobs where there are different nationalities than theirs.

H +iversity is not seen as an organi3ational priority9 'mployees may not view

diversity efforts as work contributing to the success of the organi3ation.

H 5esistance to change9 =eople resist change for reasons such as fear of failure,

mistrust and peer pressure. It is up to leadership to overcome these challenges by

properly informing and managing changes and the perceptions when they feelthreatened.

"!11 Change management

+ue to the implication of a change in people1s perception to change, leadership

may need to adhere to change management principles 74reitner, 8--9;;B


30/62


H 'ffectively communicate the change vision9 &his goal and vision must be

consistently communicated in clear terms to all affected in order for them to have

the clear idea of the change and come to term with it.

H 'mpower broad>based action and generate short>term wins9 &he barriers to

diversity management must be addressed and eliminated. Also Small achievable

goals should be set to ensure its successful implementation.

3(


31/62


Chapter $Company

%ro9le:3reen

;nit.ear<31


32/62


$!1 3reen ;nit.ear

/reen 4nitwear %imited is a newcomer industry in )angladesh that manufactures

and e!ports "abrics and /arments. It is a partnership firm came into e!istence in

8--;. &his industry is involved in dyeing and printing on different kinds of fabric

targeting mainly e!port markets but also keeping a small presence in the local

industry.

A continuous balancing, moderni3ation and replacement have been taking place in

the organi3ation trying to make it one of the leading e!porters of its si3e. With the

dynamic leadership of its +irector, Md. Rafiqul Islam and a dedicated team of professionals in the finance, marketing, (erchandising and technical departments,

"/S 4nitwear %imited has been able to make uality products and has increased

its e!ports sales in the last years.

Name /reen 4nitwear %imited

Mear of 'stablishment 8--;

%ocation +haka

Number of =roduct %ines -

=referred )ank for &rading Shahjalal Islami )ank %imited

Status =rivate %imited #ompany

#orporate ffice *ouse ;, 5oad (irpur +haka>8-,

)angladesh

"actory Same as above.

)usiness %ine (anufacturing and '!porting %adies and

/ents &> Shirt and polo shirt

'!port utlets /ermany, "rance, $4, $SA

Number of =artners - 7three<

32


33/62


Stock '!change %isting No

rgani3ational =osts+epartment wise

+irector>operations(erchandising +ept. Administration +ept. =roduction +ept. Accounts O "inance +ept.

Sample section #ompliance 4nitting O +yeing

(arketing O Sales *uman 5esource 6uality #ontrol=urchase section Store =rinting

Security "inishing

#utting

Sewing+esignation wise

+irectorL#'

"abric /arment=roduction /( (erchandising (anager Admin. (anager =roduction /( Accounts (anager

4nitting O +yeing (erchandisers Security in charge =rod. (anager Asst. (anager

(anager #ompliance fficer 6# (anager*5 fficer

Store in charge

. Asst. 4nitting (anager Asst. (erchandisers Accountants

8. Asst. +yeing (anager Store fficer6# in charge

6# Supervisors

6# #ontroller

$!" 3lobal Diversity vision at 3reen ;nit.ear

&he vision of diversity and inclusion of /reen 4nitwear is to maintain diversity

and inclusion environment. In order for /reen 4nitwear to achieve its vision and

strategy, it identified G strategic focuses that involve9

+iverse workforce9 'mploying people from all over the world irrespective of their

race, gender, ethnicity, age, disability to contribute to the company1s success story.

5espectful and Inclusive Work 'nvironment9 A working environment where noone is left out but instead all is included in the decision>making process as well as

opinion sharing. And also a mutual respect for each individual1s culture believe

and their personality.

33


34/62


%eading the Way9 &o ensure that /reen 4nitwear stands Pon top of the chartD

above other reputable companies, by moving one step further from them in terms

of workplace diversity and productivity as a whole.

Work life Integration9 &his integration involves workers making choices as well as

e!ercising control of their lifeFs challenges in order to meet their goals. In

recogni3ing the impact of the work life integration strategy, the company designed

a conducive>working environment for workers to successfully combine personal

lives with their working life, thereby motivating them to work productively and

efficiently.

'!ternal =artnerships9 /reen 4nitwear created partnership sales group, which aims

at giving large discounts to employees, retirees and spouses of eligible partner

companies to serve as goodwill and a means to promote workplace diversity.

$!$ 3lobal Diversity challenges at 3reen ;nit.ear

/reen 4nitwear had encountered numerous challenges and has since continued to

improve on their strategies to manage these challenges in order to continue with

their success story regarding workplace diversity. )elow are some of the

challenges9

"orming A Structure and /uideline for +ifferent 5eligious groups9 ne of thechallenges that /reen 4nitwear encountered the ability to effectively form a

structure and the best guideline that all workers from different religious

backgrounds could fit in some way, and could accept and follow irrespective of

their believe. It took some time to overcome, due to the fact that workers took into

consideration how to work with their own faith and support others with different

faith at the same time.

+eveloping solutions and new strategies9 ne of the major challenges at /reen

4nitwear is to continuously develop new diversity solutions and strategies to

manage workplace diversity, as well as e!plore new and effective methods of

doing things.

34


35/62


&o be fair to all9 /reen 4nitwear has been making a tremendous effort to battle the

challenge of being open and fair to all workers, by creating eual opportunity for

all employees to portray their full potentials in the various roles they play.

'ffective +iversity 'ducation9 &o effectively educate workers on diversity and it

practicalities have been one of the challenges at ford as the company strives to

ensure successful diversity implementation.

$!' Diversity Management tools at 3reen ;nit.ear

&o successfully manage a diverse workforce as well as continue to promote its

diversity initiative, /reen 4nitwear has established various meeting and outreach

groups that aims to educate and serves as a tool to address diversity challenges as

well as guide employees through the day>to>day activities both at work and their

personal lives. &o mention but a few, some of the groups are e!plained as follows9

+isabled 'mployees 7"'+A


36/62


diversity due to the nature of our corporate culture, and it has gone a long way to

contribute to our successD.

H )ased on the uestion CWhat do you see as the most challenging aspect of adiverse workforceQ C, the manager further e!plained that the language barrier is

one of the challenging aspects in the services department of the company1s.

'specially it1s branch in +haka, but their mentoring program has been tackling it

successfully.

H )ased of the uestion CWhat steps have you taken to meet these challengesQD

+ue to the si3e of its workers, the company has a routine online conference

meeting. Workers handbook that states the code of conduct of the company also

serves as a guide for each worker.

H )ased on the uestion CWhat do you see as the advantages of working with

employees from a diverse cultural backgroundD the response was that the workers

bring to the table different ideas.

H )ased on the uestion CWhat kind of e!periences have you had working with

others with different backgrounds than your ownQ C he respondedJ all the diverse

workers always seem to have their own different significant opinions on a given

task, so it helps in the decision making process of a particular task, as the best ideais considered and improved upon for a successful outcome. It is more fun to work

with diverse employees as well.

H )ased on the uestion C*as there ever been a situation where an employee was

not accepting other employee1s diversity, if yes how did you handle the situationQ C

the manager answered yes and added two years ago, a female employee was

promoted to the position of a senior sales officer, and a male employee complained

that he deserved the post because he felt that CAs a man he is much stronger both

mentally and physically to e!cel than the femaleD. &he manager e!plained to him

how important it is for the company to practice gender euality, and respect of the

right of each diverse employee.

H )ased on the uestion CWhat strategies have you used to address diversity

challengesQ What were the positives and negativesQD &he response was that we do

30


37/62


not have an official laid down strategies to address any challenges, but instead try

to deal with it as it comes, according to the situation at hand which makes it more

difficult to solve problems.

It can be inferred from the interview responses that workforce diversity has

contributed to the success of /reen 4nitwear. &he following were the summery of

the results obtained from the responses9

HWorkplace diversity has contributed to high productivity in the company

HWorkers bring to the table different ideas.

H&here is no laid down strategies to deal with diversity management problems

H%anguage barrier and discrimination is one of the challenging aspects in the

services department of the company. /ender discrimination has also been a

challenge.

&he overall outcome of the interview response regarding the company1s diversity

management and the impact it has on the company were positive. *owever the

company lacks ideas to successfully manage diversity.

3


38/62


Chapter ' -

Company%ro9le

:=asirTe5tiles<

3$


39/62


riginated by two brothers from #hittagong, *elal Al Nasir and (onsoor Al Nasir. Nasir &e!tile was established on the st of (arch, EEG. #orporate office at +haka,

)angladesh, the company has long been admired for its products, ethics, business

innovations, and competitive spirit.

&oday, Nasir &e!tile is the country0s one of the giant seller of &e!tile 5aw

(aterials.

&he company is employing over 8-,--- employees with an Annual 5evenue of

$S+ (illion > $S+ 8.G (illion.

It has great managementJ great product lines and great market share. Nasir &e!tiles

designs, manufactures, and services products and systems for measurement,computation, and communications. &he company0s main products are #otton

/reige, #otton "abric, *ousehold O *otel "abric, =rinted O +yed "abric, 6uilt

and 6uilt #over.

In fact, Nasir &e!tiles initiates its diversity management policy from the very

beginning as Nasir &e!tiles follows the famous Ropen corporate culture1 7##


40/62


not present in homogenous work groups. &hus managing diversity means

understanding its effects and implementing behaviors, work practices and policies

that respond to them in an effective way 7#o!, 8--


41/62


managed, organi3ation can benefit from both synergistic and culture specific

advantages including enhanced creativity, fle!ibility, and problem solving skills

7illar, E?8, *ayles and 5obert, EB8


42/62


developing organi3ational systems 7Adler, EB-


43/62


people are real, substantial and conseuential and therefore important for how we

should treat each otherJ differences should be acknowledged and valued in daily

interactions 7=laut, 8--8


44/62


affirmative action.

&he Access and %egitimacy =aradigm believes on the acceptance and celebration

of the differences. &he common characteristics of this paradigm is that such

companies almost always operate in a business environment in which there isincreased diversity among customers , clients or the labor pool and therefore a

clear opportunity or an imminent threat to the company. Nasir &e!tile stuck to this

paradigm in the E-s by creating an inclusive work environment that values all

employees.

&he %earning and 'ffectiveness =aradigm organi3es itself around the overarching

theme of integration. &his new model for managing diversity lets the organi3ation

internali3e differences among employees so that it learns and grows because of

them. Indeed, with the model fully in place, members of the organi3ation can say,

Rwe are all on the same team, with our difference snot despite them1. It is clear that Nasir &e!tile follows this paradigm in 8st century. It ensures diversity by putting

differences to work at the market place, work place and community. So in our

opinion, Nasir &e!tiles now adhered to this paradigm but it has achieved this

through years of e!perience and initiative.

'!* =asir Te5tiles? .ay of Diversity Management

Nasir started its diversity management policies at the very beginning which it

called Ropen corporate policy1. &heir management style is known as Rmanagement

by walking around1 and the motive is Reveryone in the organi3ation wants to do a

good job1 7(enke et al., 8--;


45/62


@omen and minority *ous groups held to involve employees

irst 6ehnial @omen?s %on*erene held

%C issues a statement valuing diversity

?1(s

Domesti partner "ene;ts esta"lished

Dea* E ard o* earing orum held

mployee Network 7roup guidelines esta"lished

eadership, duation and Development +rogram esta"lished

@orkFli*e initiative esta"lished

arassment&*ree work environment aGrmed

Moving into the 21st entury

-einvented 7lo"al Diversity organiation to support "usiness suess 9pandeddiversity *ous to inlude the marketplae, workplae and ommunityDevelopment o*

olla"orative partnerships internally and e9ternally 7lo"al !lliane *ormed to assess

diversity and inlusion needs worldwide

'!, =asir Te5tiles Diversity and Inclsion Model

Nasir &e!tile diversity and inclusion model is well understood by the figure ; and ?

as both of the figures show Nasir &e!tiles policies and achievements towards

diversity over the years. At Nasir &e!tiles, employees believe that diversity and

inclusion are key drivers for creativity, innovation and invention. &hroughout the

time, they are putting their differences to work to connect everyone to the power of workforce. #reating a diverse, inclusive environment has been an ongoing journey

of continuous action for many years. It has been a journey guided by deeply held

values and norms with strong leadership. Nasir &e!tiles perceive R+iversity1 as the

e!istence of many uniue individuals in the workplace, marketplace and

community. &his includes men and women from different nations, cultures, ethnic

groups, generations, backgrounds, skills, abilities and all the other uniue

differences that make each of the employees e!ceptional. )y RInclusion1 Nasir

&e!tile means a work environment where everyone has an opportunity to fully participate in creating business success and where each person is valued for his or

her distinctive skills, e!periences and perspectives. Inclusion is also about creating

a global community where Nasir &e!tile connects everyone and everything through

its products, services and its winning workforce.

At Nasir &e!tiles, it is recogni3ed that creating a diverse, inclusive work

45


46/62


environment is a journey of continuous renewal. 'ach step in the process has an

important significance to remember as it moves forward into the 8st century.

&ogether the steps create a diversity value chain upon which it is building its

winning global workforce and workplace.

'! Dealing .ith Increasingly Mlticltral Workforce

As Nasir &e!tile has grown and e!panded, its work force has become more diverse

and this diverse work force helps the company reali3e its full potential. &he

company benefits from the creativity and innovation that result when employees at

Nasir &e!tile who have different e!periences and perspectives work together. &his

is what drives invention at Nasir &e!tiles. &he increasingly diverse and high>

achieving workforce is the sustainable competitive advantage that differentiates Nasir &e!tiles to be a giant in the 5(/ Sector. ver the years, Nasir &e!tiles

ensures an inclusive, fle!ible work environment that values differences and

motivates employees to contribute their best.

'!2 3ender =on-Discrimination

Nasir &e!tile non>discrimination policy includes electronic job posting,

harassment>free work environment and employee network groups. Since its

founding, Nasir &e!tiles has demonstrated an ongoing commitment to people and

to fair employment practices. Nasir &e!tiles0 policies and supporting practices

include a set of values that consist of a strong belief that all employees should be

treated with dignity and respect. In accordance with this, Nasir &e!tiles does not

discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race,

religion, gender, disability, or age.

40


47/62


4


48/62


Chapter * -

Discssionand

compariso

n4$


49/62


&he theory of the study which was discussed in 7chapter 8< of the research workreviewed that organi3ations that are able to e!plore successfully in diversifying

their workforce by taking into account the concept in diversity management,

consider the advantages and disadvantages, and the reuired tools in managing a

diverse workforce consistently work to locate and address the barriers that are

entrenched within the practices, policies, services and programs that

unintentionally ignore some individuals within a community. &hese theories were

evident in the findings of the research work conducted on /reen 4nitwear in

7chapter < as all the companies practice the theories in one way or the other. &he

study also provided the means that an organi3ation uses in integrating diversity andinclusion, values and practices into e!isting processes that allows organi3ational

development and results to be measured. It also sought to tackle the systemic

obstacles that impede building a diverse and an inclusive workforce that are

generally represented by the citi3ens within the communities that the companies

operate. &he research revealed that organi3ation1s success when they decide to

diversify the workforce is contingent upon the kind of commitments and the

willingness to dedicate time and resources crucial to safeguard the accomplishment

of the Implemented =lan. "urthermore, this study indicated that workplace

diversity is about euipping staff at all stages with the tools and support essential

for creating an innovative workforce that contributes to improve the competitiveadvantage in an increasingly viable labor market. It was also discovered that

diversity management tools and techniues that /reen 4nitwear uses have been

successful. Whereas when it comes to Nasir &e!tiles, although Nasir &e!tiles has

tried to adapt with emerging paradigm of diversity management and to create

cultural synergy in the work place, still it has room for improvement. (anaging

diversity itself is a comple! phenomenon. &o achieve sustainable competitive

advantage from diversity, it needs to continuously monitor and change its strategy

towards diversity issue and try to update its founding principles.

In this chapter, section :. describes the background upon which the study wascarried out. Section :.. discusses the concerns about how reliable the

information received is. Section :..8 e!plains the validity of the information

receivedJ :.. of the chapter also discusses how far the information received could

be generali3ed.

4'


50/62


*!1 Concerns abot (eliability

#oncerns are raised about how reliable the data gathered is. &he findings derived

from using non>standardi3ed research methods should not necessarily be used to

analy3e another. 7(arshall and 5ossman, EEE


51/62


Chapter , -

/indings of the stdy

&he outcome of the study discusses the findings of this research work, reflecting

on the research uestion Chas workplace diversity contributed to organi3ational

successQD the Author is of the opinion that the rationale behind an organi3ation or a

51


52/62


company1s decision to diversify or not to diversify their workforce completely lies

on the company1s organi3ational culture and its business strategies, since

workforce diversity could have a positive and negative impact on an organi3ation.

Nevertheless, it is up to the company to figure out the best strategies that will

successfully fit into the target market of the organi3ation. If the organi3ation then

feels diversifying its workforce is the best strategy to improve productivity, then it

has to implement it. &he outcome compares and discusses the e!tent to which the

companies view diversity at the workplace, and also the reasons for the variation in

managing diversity in /arments at 5(/ Sector as well as for a different company

in that specific sector, i.e. Nasir &e!tiles.

So we can come to the decision that workplace +iversity is very much important in

5(/ Sector.

52


53/62


Chapter -

Conclsionand

(ecommen

dation53


54/62


&he objective of this thesis was to create the awareness as well as the influence

diversity management has on a healthy working environment whilst considering

some practical companies view in order to ascertain the impact diversity have had

on the companies.

&he main objective of the research is to e!amine the different ways of dealing with

work place diversity as well as to provide management with the necessary

guidelines for effective diversity management in 5(/ Sector in order to show the

reader how to build effective workplace diversity by applying different diversity

management tools. Also, to identify the trends and perception of diversity

management as it is in some demographical segments, the advantages and

disadvantages and then suggest some recommendations that management can

apply which shall be centered on the various influential trends and factors within

an organi3ational framework. &he research emphasi3ed on the implications

management should be mindful of in order to build a healthy working environment

within the circles of workplace diversity. (ore so, the research suggested that

managers have a more positive and proper perception regarding the

implementation of workplace diversity. #ompanies constantly device ways to

effectively manage diverse employees.

)ased on the information gathered and the responses given by various personnel

with regards to the interview uestions, the Author noticed certain areas where/reen 4nitwear is lacking and needs some improvement. &hese aspects consist of9

H &he inability of some managers to effectively manage diversity due to the nature

of the company and its activities.

H Some of the managers do not have enough knowledge about how to manage their

workforce effectively.

H &here is lack of open communication between managers and employee. +ue to

the means manager use to communicate to its workers.

H &he 'mployee 5esource /roups that are created by the big companies to guide

the employees are not enough to eradicate diversity management challenges While

managers are positive about the e!istence and implementation of workplace

diversity, one of the interview uestions 7uestion 8< raised some concerns that

54


55/62


involve barriers to effective diversity management. 6uestion Ga also raised some

concerns due to the fact that at times there had been some bad e!periences with

employees accepting each other1s culture and religion. *owever some of the

employees felt they have been discriminated upon as e!plained by the managers.

#ultural mentoring is one of the proven ways to orient manager and employees

both new and old to cope with the working environment and their responsibilities.

So many benefits are derived from a mentor of whom some are as follow9

H &he mentor could give counseling about personal problems as well as job related

ones.

H &he mentor could provide opinions or suggestions to the company when thingsgo wrong

H (anagers or employees tend to perform very well by developing more self>

confidence when they are being mentored. With regards to the lack of knowledge

on the part of managers about workplace diversity management, the companies

could sponsor their managers to attend workshops and annual conferencesJ 5egular

internal emails should create Awareness when the need arises.

H (anagers need to communicate more to employees, to give the workers the roomto confide in them with their challenges.

H (anagers should be prepared to change some part of their company techniues,

when the diversity management techniues adopted are not working effectively but

before doing so, the vision for the change must be communicated effectively.

H (anagers should adopt some change management principles to guide them on the

decision making of the change. Some of the Steps involve constantly developing

the company1s Strategy and vision, appointing a person with high influence to lead

the change.

H "inally the company should give tangible reason as to why managers and

employees should accept the change.

H We found Nasir &e!tiles as an ideal e!ample of diversity management in the

workplace.

55


56/62


Accordingly, Nasir &e!tile can be a pioneer in diversity management for

)angladeshi large corporate firms. As in recent years, we have observed more and

more diversified people come together in the same workplace, their team spirit,

cultural diversity, multi>disciplinary background and efficient diversity

management helps the organi3ation to be more successful. "urther research can be

conducted by taking a )angladeshi company into account and compare its diversity

management issue with translational or multinational company and also taking care

of socio>cultural and economic circumstances of the host country.

Chapter @

(eferences50


57/62


)lommaert, @. and @. Kerschueren 7EEB


58/62


#oleman, @. 8-, *arvard business review. ; may 8-. @ohn #oleman9 )log.

http9LLblogs.hbr.orgLcsL8-L-GLsi!TcomponentsTofTculture.html 7Accessed

may 8-<

&he times --. 8-, Strategy theory.

http9LLbusinesscasestudies.co.ukLbusinesstheoryLstrategyLtypes>of>

businesses.htmla!338KsA*Bd5& 7Accessed on (ay 8-<

@enner, %. 7EE:< R+iversity management9 What +oes It (eanQ1 *5 "ocus,

@anuary, p.

4oonce, 5ichard. 78--


59/62


4reitner, 5 O 4inicki, A, 8--, rgani3ational )ehaviour9 Gth 'dition, New Mork9

(c/raw>*ill.

5. 5oosevelt &homas, @r., )uilding on the promise of diversity, how we can moveto the ne!t level in our workplaces, our communities and our society

5. 5oosevelt &homas, @r., )eyond race and gender. $nleashing the power of your

total workforce by managing diversity. %ois @. achary, 'd.+. , %eadership

+evelopment Services, %%# l3acharyUleadservs.com

Sykes, W. 7EE< R&aking stock9 issues from the literature in validity and reliability

in ualitative research1, journal of (arketing 5esearch society, 9, >8

+iversity in the Workplace9 )enefits, #hallenges, and the 5euired (anagerial

&ools 7http9LLedis.ifas.ufl.eduLpdffilesL*5L*5-88--.pdf< $niversity if "lorida I"AS

'!tension 7Accessed on 8: "ebruary 8-<

(yers, (. +. 8--E, 6ualitative 5esearch in )usiness O (anagement, %ondon9

SA/'

&homas, +. A. and 5. @. 'ly 7EE;ctober, pp. ?E>

E-.

/rummit, @. 7EB-< Interviewing skills, %ondon, Industrial Society.

'sty, 4atharine, 5ichard /riffin, and (arcie Schorr>*irsh 7EEGincreasing>

diversityworkplace>8:?.html< 7Accessed on - "ebruary 8-<

+avid Ingram http9LLsmallbusiness.chron.comLadvantages>disadvantages>diversity>

workplace>-:.html 7Accessed on 8B April 8-<

5'


60/62


Some personality traits http9LLe!amples.yourdictionary.comLe!amples>of>

personalitytraits.html 7Accessed on 8- march 8-<

Strategic areas of "ocus 7http9LLcorporate.ford.comLcareersLdiversityLford>diversity>::GpQreleaseIdV8::?G:?::OccodeV"I< Accessed on B April 8-

Work life Integration http9LLwww.employeralliance.sgLworklifeTintegration.html

7accessed .-:.8-<

@ames @. =adilla, &he )usiness #ase for +iversity, pp ;>

http9LLwww.nae.eduL"ile.asp!QidV-:? 7Accessed on B.-:.8-<

'mployee 5esource /roups

7http9LLcorporate.ford.comLdynamicLmetatagsLarticledetailLergs>::8p< 7Accessed on

: April 8-<

0(


61/62


Chapter 2 -

Appendi5

01


62/62


2!1 Cover Letter

+ear Sir,

=lease your company has been selected to participate in a research project that isaimed to determine how your company manage diversity. Mou are in no way

compelled to complete this uestioners but your assistance will be beneficial and

highly appreciated.

&he uestioners will be used to complete a research project in $nited International

$niversity. It should not take more than 8- minutes to complete it. 4indly provide

your honest opinion.

&hank you so much for participating.

Nahid Islam

2!" estioner

. +o your company has a diverse workforce and promotes its implementationQ

8. What kinds of e!periences have you had working with others with different

backgrounds than your ownQ

. What do you see as the advantages of working with employees from a differentcultural background

:. 7a< What do you see as the most challenging aspect of a diverse workforceQ

:. 7b< What steps have you taken to meet these challengesQ

G. 7a< *as there ever been a situation where an employee was not accepting other

employee1s diversityQ 7Mes L N-<

G. 7b< If yes, how have you handled a situation when a colleague was not accepting

of others1 diversityQ

Documents

Nahid Final