Diversity

Diversity

Sara Young

11/09/2014

HRM 1725

INTRODUCTION

Diversity is any perceived difference among people: age, race, religion, functional specialty, profession, sexual orientation, geographic origin, and lifestyle, tenure with an organization or position, and any other perceived difference. (Mondy, 42) The list goes on and on. Diversity can also be defined as the sum total of these differences which make people who they are. For example I am a single (not married), 25-year old, white (Caucasian) female, a part-time student with a full-time job, and lives on the north end of town. These specific details about me make me no better or worse than the guy sitting next to me, the ladies I work with, or anyone that I interact with on a day-to-day basis.

The American society is diverse purely because of the existence of people. We are all unique. In my opinion, Diversity is not encouraged enough in the American society. Most cultures only want to have contact with their own family, race, or religion. A lot of people have a limited view of the world because of this. I can understand that people feel comfortable with people who share the same characteristics as they do, but in the ever changing workforce, people must broaden their horizons. Diversity is not an issue, it is an opportunity. It is about being inclusive. Being a diverse organization means making the most of everyone’s talents and contributions to gain a competitive advantage over other organizations. When the step in into today’s workforce they will surely find different genders, races, and religions. American society should be a society of individualism. We need to promote diversity and being unique. Especially in the workforce today. It isn’t surprising that CEOs of Fortune 500 companies have said that diversity is critically important. (Lussier, 412) American businesses compete with other businesses globally. So doesn’t being well diversified make sense?...