MANAGING ​DIVERSITY & PROMOTING INCLUSION in ORGANIZATIONS

Diversity Management is:

1. Voluntary

Unlike legislation that is implemented through sanctions, diversity management is a voluntary organizational action. It is self-initiated by organizations with a workforce from different ethnicities, religions, nationalities, and demographics. There is no legislation to coerce or government incentives to encourage organizations to implement diversity management programs and policies.

2. Provides tangible benefits
Unlike in the past when diversity management was viewed as a legal constraint, companies use the diversity strategy to tap into the potential of all employees and give the company a competitive advantage in its industry. It allows each employee, regardless of his/her race, religion, ethnicity, or origin to bring their talents and skills to the organization. A diverse workforce enables the organization to better serve clients from all over the world since diverse employees can understand their needs better.

3. Broad definition
Diversity not only includes how individuals identify themselves but also how others perceive them. Diversity within an organization encompasses race, gender, ethnic groups, age, religion, sexual orientation, citizenship status, military service and mental and physical conditions, as well as other distinct differences between people. And while legislation and affirmative action target a specific group, diversity management uses a broad definition since the metrics for diversity are unlimited. The broad definition makes diversity programs more inclusive and has less potential for rejection by the members of the majority group or privileged sections of the society.

4. Proactive rather than reactive

Diversity management is organizational action taken to promote the greater inclusion of employees across a variety of backgrounds. Its overall goal is to promote equality and diversity in the workplace through the social, cultural, and ethnic diversity of employees, by employing policies and strategies that are responsive to it. Diversity is proactive rather than reactive, and it requires a change in the organization. People from diverse cultures, backgrounds, and beliefs bring a range of work styles, thoughts, and perspectives that an organization can use to improve efficiency and encourage creativity in product development.

The Importance of Diversity Management and Inclusion programs in the workplace

Workforce diversity is a reality in Ireland.  Accommodation issues for our diverse workforce, such as childcare, elder care, flexible work arrangements, disability accommodation, and literacy are being addressed in the workplace.

A diverse workplace helps organizations in a variety of ways. Mainly, it serves as a reflection of a diversifying world — thanks to demographic changes, globalization, and digitization, workplace diversity can help teams become better attuned to the many needs of their customers.

​ICTIDC Diversity Management and Inclusion programs support organizations to:

• Developing inclusive hiring plans and processes
  
• Overall working policies that expand beyond simply hiring
  
• Providing diversity training and learning opportunities for all employees
  
• Playing the role of facilitator when it comes to communications
  
• Encouraging interactions that help promote workplace diversity
  

• Manage diversity in the workplace, providing a distinct advantage in an era when flexibility and creativity are keys to competitiveness. 
  
• Manage heterogeneity that promotes creativity and heterogeneous groups to produce better solutions to problems and a higher level of critical analysis. 
  
• Provide effective management of diversity and build inclusive strategies for organizations and businesses to develop a reputation as an employer of choice, attracting the best talent from a shrinking labor pool and saving time and money in recruitment and turnover costs.
  

In addition to training and coaching your staff, our efforts could be directed to preparing managers to be able to invest in the  concept of diversity, positively impacting not just on work issues but also  on sensitivity to customers’ needs, legal compliance, business’ ethical issues,  profitability and even social cohesion.

After a careful needs assessment and a raw of consultancy meetings with your organization, our diversity management experts will design a Diversity Management Program for your management and employees. 

​​Please contact us for more details on existing programs and terms of reference. ​