Diversity issues are dealt with through a workplace diversity management process, which incorporates and values differences of employees, thus enabling every employee to be used optimally (RSA National DPSA, 2010). Given that organisations evolve over time with changes that usually affect the demographics, functions, and other crucial components of the organisation, it is imperative that organisations continuously find ways to reinvent, self-reflect, and evaluate their structures, culture and systems (Brooks, 2007). These self-reflections should coincide with the changes organisations experience so that diversity measures and workplace diversity are also addressed. Moreover, self-reflection of organisations must be aligned to new changes and developments of an organisation, so that it also allows the organisation to stay relevant within its current context. In support of Brook’s (2007) views of diversity management, Veldsman (2013) highlights that diversity management initiatives aim at balancing the effects of exclusion in the work environment caused by inborn and learnt individual attributes and/or diversity dimensions.
In light of the above discussion on diversity, it is important to note that diversity and diversity management are not synonymous concepts. The concept of diversity informs how organisations should ideally enforce diversity management in organisations. There is an inherent practise for organisations to focus on differences when engaging in diversity management issues. Race and gender are the primary focus of corporate diversity management programmes. According to Cilliers (2007:33):
[D]iversity management is behavioural science research, theory, and methods used to manage organisational change and stability process that support diversity in organisations. It is aimed at eliminating oppression based on race, gender, sexual orientation and others human differences.
The aim of diversity is to redress biased disparities within organisations and the contributing factors of the disparities. Therefore, one can conclude that diversity management aims to reduce activities and relationships that heighten boundaries within organisations, thereby creating a process of integrating whilst managing differences in order to co-exist, function and work with and amongst each other harmoniously. As a
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result, diversity management is an essential process in the re-engineering of the culture and practises in organisation, as it catalyses the required change for an integrated workforce and interventions (Dickens, 1994). According to Brooks (2007:30-31), in order to ensure effective diversity management in the workplace there are five guiding principles that should be adopted by an organisation:
a) Ensure that management is held accountable for failure and/or the success of full implementation of diversity;
b) Continuously align, reassess, exam and restructure the culture, structures and system of the organisation to fit its current context and/or demographics;
c) Staff profiling should be monitored and used as a fundamental guide to achieve a diverse workplace;
d) Capacitate employees with diversity workshops and/or training so that they are able to embrace and understand inborn and secondary attributes of individuals;
e) Have internal advocacy programs and forums that continuously spearhead a leading role in ensuring workplace diversity is attained and sustained.
The biggest challenge for diversity management in any given context is entrenched social behaviour acquired through socialisation. Veldsman (2013:36) asserts,
“Organisational attention to contextual factors, including managerial values, levels of minority representation in management is necessary to enhance the efficacy of diversity initiatives”. For an organisation to effectively continuously operate and serve within diverse communities, diversity management is an essential component that needs to be managed. Moreover, Mazur (2010:9) argues that:
Organisations that are able to attract, retain, and keep faith of minority groups in their employment through fair and equitable career advancement treatment gain competitive advantage and derive high quality human resources dividends.
2.3.1 Advantages and Disadvantages of Diversity
Like any other phenomena in society there are a number of advantages and disadvantages that are experienced by heterogeneous organisations relating to diversity.
It is therefore essential that management take measures to ensure that diversity within
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the work environment is managed effectively, to minimise the negative effects. Mazur (2010) summarises some advantages as follows:
Attract and retain the best talent;
Be able to serve diverse communities and clientele;
Better problem solving;
Have a better chance of being able to extract and expand meaning and display multiple perspectives and interpretation in dealing with complex issues; and
Possess more organisational flexibility thereby is able to better adopt to change
Conversely, Mazur (2010) also notes that diverse organisations that do not manage diversity effectively are more prone to experience challenges, such as:
Problem solving may be costly in times and resources due to getting a broader consultation process;
May be difficult to arrive to a particular agreement;
May have higher turnover and absenteeism;
Low employee morale; Continuously divert financial and human resources to deal with disputes; and
Loss of good employees, which results in having to defray additional resources to identify and recruit new talent to replace them
In light of the above, according to Schuman, Steeh and Bobo (1997), cited in DiTomasa, Parks-Yancy & Post (2011) diversity management could also be categorised under the principles of equal treatment verses implementation of equal treatment as the two measures are not synonymous nor does one translate to the other. In practise, individuals who in theory are supportive of principles of equal treatment can simultaneously oppose the implementation of policies, initiatives, and programmes, such as EE, affirmative action, and gender equity and/or gender equality measures designed to enhance equal treatment (DiTomasa, Parks-Yancy & Post, 2011). As a result, diversity management in the workplace should focus on addressing and redressing issues of diversity optimally, by adopting a process of inclusion that involves and enables organisations to leverage diversity.
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Notwithstanding the above discussion and given the definition of diversity and diversity management noted above, the next section will briefly discuss concepts, theories and phenomena that affect the primary dimension of subject identities informed by primary unique inborn attributes, such as gender. It will specifically discuss gender equality in the labour market as it effects women’s advancement into senior positions with reference to specific theories, concepts, and phenomena that enhance and/or challenge gender equality measures.