Senario organization to be used: Starting a new product or service line that will require new kinds of employees Prochurus and Garner, a large, US-based consumer goods company, is to launch a new cosmetics line that targets Latinas and is sold exclusively via network marketing. The consumer who will be interested in selling the cosmetics via network marketing is a 24-year-old, Spanish-speaking female with limited sales experience.
The current plan is to use savings from reduced marketing and distribution costs for training.
Organisational Analysis - Diversity Management Think back to an organisation where you enjoyed working. What were the top three reasons that you enjoyed working there? For many, one of those responses is the people. Now, think about the people that were at that organisation.
Was everyone the same, or were they a diverse group of people. Within a diverse group, do you think team members would complement or detract from your skills and abilities?
As innovation processes depend on harnessing creativity, and while dynamic as well as supportive systems of management can elicit the best from staff, like-minded people will usually produce like-minded results.
Diversity in the workforce can, however, help companies to break this mould and the cycle of limited unilateral thinking and, in so doing, set them free to discover new products, markets, and ways of doing or leading business. (European Community, n.d.:4) Although you may understand the reasoning behind diversity within an organisation, it may be more difficult to explain to others who have primarily worked with like-minded people. As a manager, you may be called upon to train others about the purpose of diversity management within an organisation.
Consider how you would explain the benefits and costs of diversity management to your assigned organisation, as well the potential issues that may arise from your organisation building a more diverse workforce. In this Individual Assignment, you will analyse approaches to diversity management within your scenario organisation.
Individual Assignment:
Reflect on Edgar H. Schein's Model of Organizational Culture and the artefacts, values and deep-rooted beliefs that can play a role in diversity management. Refer to your scenario organisation and assess any issues related to diversity management that may arise during the upcoming transition in the scenario.
To complete this Individual Assignment: Develop an outline for a training session for managers about diversity management in your scenario organisation. Identify what approaches to diversity management you would recommend to build a more diverse workforce.
Explain the impact that a diverse workforce may have on your scenario organisation.
Explain how to manage potential issues that may arise while building your diverse workforce and propose solutions to ease the transition within your scenario organisation. Submit your training session as a PowerPoint Presentation, with presenter notes for each slide.