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Strategy for Managing Diversity

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Strategy for Managing Diversity
Doug Cheatum
HRM/498
March 14, 2016
Chris Healy

Strategy for Managing Diversity
Stereotypes that employees hold about certain groups in society is one of the biggest challenges facing companies and managers dealing with diversity today (Mello, 2015). Stereotypes are often learned by individuals at a very young age and are reinforced by family, religious and educational institutions as well as society in general.
The Big Question
The question becomes “How do managers deal with these stereotypes, and should they encourage open discussion about them?” Most would say it is better to talk about our differences and learn from one another instead of pretending there are not any differences. Others might say that this type of discussion has not place in the work environment and each individual should just concentrate on their job and not others. The best approach is probably a combination of both. Yes, everyone should concentrate on their jobs, but they are also human and can’t help but notice the differences and possibly stereotype others. Doing this could lead to unwanted behaviors between co-workers and it could affect production because of low morale and hostility.
Some companies have gone as far as creating a Chief Diversity Officer position that only deals with diversity in the workplace. Diversity management is becoming more and more one of the most important functions in a company today because of how diverse the work force is becoming. Older people are staying in the work force longer and more minorities and women are entering the workforce than before.
Training and Dialogue
With the workforce becoming more diverse it is imperative for companies to encourage open discussions about stereotypes and differences among their workers. Companies would be well advised to go as far as conducting training on how to appropriately

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