iso-NEWS - Institut für Sozialforschung und Sozialwirtschaft eV

Ingrid Matthäi: ’Managing Diversity’
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Fig. 3: Tools and Instruments for ‘Managing Diversity’ in Organizations
Targets Instruments
Pluralism Diversity trainings, language trainings, integration programs for new
employees, variety in decision-making processes and steering
committees, implementing diversity in models
Structural integration/ Qualification tools, career planning, affirmative action programs,
HRM
innovative developmental concepts in HRM, diversity oriented
performance management, flexible working times, work-lifebalance,
incentive systems, code of conduct, transparent and
neutral selection and recruitment procedures
Integration in informal
Mentoring programs, organizing social events
networks
Defeating any kind of
discrimination
Equality-trainings, awareness trainings, transparency in information
and knowledge systems, skill-building trainings
Identification with the All tools and instruments, integrity and fairness codes, culture of
organization appreciation and estimation, proving equal opportunitites
Conflict management Survey feedback, conflict trainings
Process/Change
Management
When a company wants to implement
that concept, diversity, however, brings
challenges that an organization must
overcome. First, diversity is a long-term
change process. Change is difficult to
implement because people have to learn
and accept it, management has to adapt
and incorporate it, and there has to be a
permanent steering and evaluation process
in order to control the efforts. Second,
there might be some resistance especially
in the dominant group that might loose
privileges or career options. Third, managing
diversity needs high promotors in the
company to be successful, therefore it has
to be a top-down-process. In the end diversity
management creates a basic
High promotors, top-down process, evaluation process, steering
committee, diversity audit, measuring diversity progress, linking
diversity with strategy and business goals
change in organizational culture. It
switches from the idea of a homogenous
culture to the ideal of a multi-cultural organization.
The following chart (fig. 4)
views the main differences between
‘mono-cultural’ and ‘multi-cultural’ organizations.
iso-Mitteilungen Nr. 3/August 2004 57