Running Head: SINGH M 1.

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Singh M 1.1

Michelle Singh

Medaille College

Author Note

This paper was prepared on May 21, 2017 for Diversity and Multiculturalism MOL-627E-12

taught by Marianne Sullivan.

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While the word diversity can mean a number of things depending on context, the

appropriate context for this course has been outlined in the text on the very first page. In this

book, diversity is defined as real or perceived differences among people in race, ethnicity, sex,

age, physical and mental ability, sexual orientation, religion, work and family status, weight and

appearance, and other identity-based attributes that affect their interactions and relationships.

(Bell, 2012, p. 4) The text goes on to further explain that some of these are inherent and some are

chosen or can change over time.

When looking at diversity in contexts of countries other than the US it is important to

take into considerations the factors which may exist in the country that cause real or perceived

differences in mobility and acceptance. These may include historic divisions that still impact a

person such as the enslavement of a particular group, historic treatment of women in certain

religions or political environments. Each country or region or sub-culture will have a unique

context in which diversity must be evaluated, what is true of one place may not be true of

another.

While there can be many reasons to embrace diversity, according to Blake and Cox there

are six primary business reasons for organizations to value diversity. (Bell, 2012, p. 13-24) The

first of these is cost. If diversity is not a focus then people within minority groups in an

organization may feel marginalized and uncomfortable. They can become less attached to an

employer and the cost will be high turn-over and all associated expenses of re-hiring, training,

benefits, and potential lost business or productivity. The study also shows that an increase in

diversity focus in an organization can have a similar impact on white male workers who may

become less attached to an organization that has more diversity. The second is resource

acquisition which is a companys ability to recruit the best people at the best cost from a larger
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pool. The benefit of recruiting for diversity is that you will attract the best people regardless of

subset. As a company that will recruit diversity you can also receive positive press which will

make your company stand out as a desired employer and people may compete to work for you

rather than you having to provide more incentives to find good people.

The third reason to value diversity is in marketing. By understanding and valuing

diversity you can reach a larger group of potential customers and avoid embarrassing mistakes

caused by inappropriate or inaccurate marketing assumptions. By diversifying your workforce,

you can also market to different target audiences through inclusion. The expense of marketing

blunders can be great and are best avoided. The fourth reason to value diversity is that it can

increase your creativity and problem-solving ability. People from different backgrounds will

have different ways of viewing, analyzing and solving a problem and can bring varied

perspectives. A homogenous group of people may miss key opportunities or potential solutions

because they may be missing a perspective that can make a difference in the situation.

Conversations and brainstorming between a diverse group of people can help each person think

more and reach further for ideas. The conversation overall can go further than if a homogenous

group is discussing because a homogenous group reach consensus sooner and miss where the

brainstorming may lead.

The fifth reason to value diversity is that it can increase cognitive flexibility. People who

are part of multiple groups or have multiple language or culture experiences tend to be more

open to new experiences and flexible in their thinking. This can be a benefit to a company in

some of the same ways as the added perspective and creativity that is brought by a diverse group

to a situation. The sixth reason is broken into smaller reasons including increased stock price

correlation, increased cooperation among different cultures in which this behavior is valued, and
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competitive edge in particular situations. Additionally, the moral and ethical reasons for

embracing diversity are mentioned in the text, although these are not strictly business-decision

driven they can still lower the potential cost of lawsuits or other negative impacts of being

viewed as a company that does not promote equality.

Other than the reasons stated in the text there are individual or personal reasons why

someone should embrace diversity. For me, I found that the more I let my mind be open to

different people and experiences the more I have been able to express myself in different

situations and with different groups of people. By embracing diversity, it also helps to see

beyond certain aspects that may be limiting if they prevent you from seeing beyond them. For

example, my best employee is a minority woman immigrant with a disability. She has been

unable to find steady work and much of this has been due to people not giving her a chance. By

embracing these differences in her rather than overlooking her out of discomfort or

misunderstanding I found in her the most adaptable person I have ever had on my team. She

sees things in such a different way than the others on my team that we have been able to tackle

some problems that before felt like dead-ends.

I think the best personal reason to embrace diversity is to open your mind to new

experiences and learning. Embracing diversity does not mean that you have to agree with or

adapt to new things, but the awareness of different experiences in this world can increase your

own ability to reason through problems and increase your creativity and the ability to see things

from perspectives other than your own.

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References

Bell, M. P. (2012). Diversity in organizations. Mason, OH: South Western.