Diversity in Workplace

A big chunk of community is now of the view that it is actually a good thing to have diversity in the workplace. Diversity gives access to a wide range of talents as the organization does not need to stick to people of a specific ethnicity. Many organizations now claim that diversity results in success and more profit. But easier said than done, as diversity in the workplace is difficult to achieve. As this requires sincerity to the cause and from the making of policy to the implementation there are so many complications that it seems impossible. There are organizations achieving goals in diversifying the environment and they should be followed as how their plans are yielding results. The first thing which should be considered is the realization of this arduous task and there are so many possibilities to miss the target because of this work’s nature. Some organizations have achieved their targets in diversification and inclusivity but one should understand that mere copying their models can never give good results because the culture and context of every organization is different. Then comes the implementation of the plan which is as important as planning itself. As the saying goes, first plan for work and then work for the plan. It may be very helpful for the organizations if they get to understand the good, they will achieve after achieving inclusivity and diversification.

A good theoretical approach for diversity management is given by Michelle Mor Barak in her article “The Inclusive Workplace: An Ecosystems Approach to Diversity Management”. This approach is for an organization which is not only focused on diversifying the workforce but also active in community and collaborated across national boundaries. The inclusive workplace is defined as the one which respects and encourages differences in ethnicity, cooperated and contributes to communities across national boundaries. By inclusion means to not just include people from diverse backgrounds but also to make them involved in policy and decision making. The model for a workplace inclusion can be based on values. As humans run by a code of values so do the organizations. And the model introduced by Mor barak has four levels i.e individual/group level, organizational communities’ level, government level, international level which ranging from micro to macro. At inside level, inclusive organization engages with the employees in a direct manner and facilitate the new comers. At community level, these organizations are encouraging employees to work for the community and praise their involvement in community service. At the third level, the organization engages in programs that are uplifting the people and the policies are for welfare. At the international level, the companies try to leave impression overseas and encourage their overseas office to follow the same open policy of diversity. This approach demands that all are treated the way they wish to be treated. It also helps the community by supporting females in the organization and thus helping the unemployed women who are half of the community and also the minorities which face huge employment barriers. The inclusion reaches perfection when the employees are provided with the decision-making power. Research shows that such actions lead to a better work environment and shows more enthusiasm by the employees as they feel themselves to be a part of organization. This increases the indicators like low turnover, low absenteeism, better chances at having the best talent (women and minorities are considered) and positive image for the organization.

In this article we have taken the case of McKinsey & Company. It is management consulting firm and we are to analyze and assess the management methods and policies of McKinsey itself and how it has achieved results in diverse and inclusive ecosystem. It is a company which has spread worldwide and provides consultant services for many renowned institutions around the world and covers almost all sectors in the international market which have a lion’s share in the world GDP. This company has such truthful insights in the case of diversification and inclusivity as it says that the companies have regarded diversification as a competitive advantage while for some it is a matter of CSR and growth strategy for others. They claim that a diverse pool of human resource results is increased competitiveness as all have so many approaches and perspectives. Let us see how McKinsey works as an organization and what areas of diversity and inclusion it excels at. Also see the diversity of then organization from the lens of Inclusive Workplace Model.

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