Cultural Diversity Strategies

Cultural Diversity Strategies in the Workplace

Cultural Diversity is something that all organizations need to be aware of and address. By embracing cultural diversity, an organization creates and fosters an environment that employees and customers will want to excel in and interact with. Strategies to implement workplace cultural diversity are numerous and have been at times both a success and a failure. This paper will examine some methods to integrate cultural awareness in the writer’s workplace.

Cultural Awareness, which is defined as the existence of a multiplicity of sub-cultures and different value systems in a plural or multicultural society or other setting (BusinessDictionary.com, 2014), can be implemented in many areas and in many ways. The writer has participated in, or been aware of many. Amongst these, there are: Communication, Team-Building, implementation of a Cultural Calendar, implementing and recording workforce data and trends, and setting goals for recruitment and promotion. Before an organization can implement any plans for improving cultural awareness, there must be clear data on what cultures are represented within the organization and to the clients the organization serves. This can be done through implementing and recording workforce data and trends. By having that data, an organization is better prepared to successfully implement cultural awareness programs within the workplace.

For any organizational endeavor to succeed, it is vital to have effective communication. By having a clear grasp on the cultural identities within the organization, leaders have the ability to communicate in a way that will be understood more efficiently by the employee and customer which will allow a more complete transfer of information. Without effective communication, efficiency plummets. Utilizing a cultural calendar can also create opportunities for cultural diversity. By creating such a calendar, an organization creates opportunities for dialog...