Benefits of Workplace Diversity in Travel Businesses
Discuss about the Diversity Training Programme Outcomes.
Workplace diversity is the difference among the employees in an organization that makes them different and unique from each other. Promoting workplace diversity can bring several benefits to an organization (Hekman et al. 2017). However, it can be extremely tough for the organizations to retain the diverse employees. Hence, organizations should always approach the hiring process holistically for retaining the diverse employees. Workplace diversity entails the differences among the employees in terms of gender, age, race, culture, personality, education, tenure, religion and many other factors (Alhejji et al. 2016).
This study is mainly concerned with promoting workplace diversity in travel business. Travel business has been selected specifically for conducting this research, as various people from different cultural backgrounds come together to work in this sector. In this way, travelling business has been highly characterized by workplace diversity because of its increasingly diverse workforce and its effective manner to retain and manage the diverse workforce. Workplace diversity can lead to unique business ideas from the diverse employees towards attracting the travelers. This research proposal will build literature review regarding the research topic. On the hand, the research proposal will also select appropriate data collection method for collecting authentic research information.
- To recognize the benefits and opportunities of workplace diversity on travel business
- To assess the challenges and barriers that can prevent the scope of workplace diversity in travel business
- To identify several ways of promoting workplace diversity in travel business
The scope of the project lies in indentifying various barriers and challenges of workplace diversity in travelling business. It will help the travelling business to be concerned about the issues related to their workplace diversity. On the other hand, the project will also highlight on the opportunities associated with workplace diversity in travel business. The major focus of the research is to highlight the best techniques of managing workplace diversity. Hence, such techniques will encourage the travelling businesses to promote workplace diversity.
Workplace diversity effectively fosters business innovation for improving the business condition. According to Guillaume et al. (2017), workplace diversity brings innovative business ideas in travel business through the unique ideas of the diverse employee set. Hence, it becomes easy for the managers to adopt the best business ideas for leading high level of competitive advantage. While comparing with homogeneous employees, the heterogeneous or diverse employees can lead to excellent business performance through diverse set of business ideas. On the other hand, Graham, Belliveau and Hotchkiss (2017) opined that workplace diversity is extremely helpful for knowledge transfer among the employees. Diverse employees are having different types of knowledge regarding the business aspects. In such situation, the diverse employees can effective share their knowledge with each other towards broadening their overall knowledge. In this way, the organizations can better manage their knowledge base towards leading successful travel business (Bond and Haynes 2014). Moreover, the employees from different backgrounds can bring varieties of solutions towards achieving common organizational goals.
Challenges of Workplace Diversity in Travel Businesses
Employee from diverse culture, languages, religions and race can understand the unique customer needs having different backgrounds. Furthermore, Sabharwal (2014) opined that hiring employees, who can converse different languages can help the travel businesses in dealing with global customers leading to successful global business. Hence, such diverse employees can provide customized solutions to different kinds of customers leading to high level of competitive advantage. On the other hand, Peretz, Levi and Fried (2015) opined that workplace diversity builds positive reputation for travel businesses in the job market. Moreover, diversity creates a perception among the potential job candidates the organizations treat their employees fairly regardless of their backgrounds. Hence, the organizations having workplace diversity can better attract top talents from the job market. Giving equal values to the diverse employees give a feel of fair treatment for them (Davis, Frolova and Callahan 2016). In this way, workplace diversity can even lead to high morale of the diverse employees in travel businesses. Moreover, feeling valued actually improves the morale of the employees and promote positive culture in the workplaces of travel businesses.
Workplace diversity has numerous benefits and opportunities on travel businesses. However, some organizations have attained disappointing outcome with their diversity in the workplace. Such travel organizations have faced assorted challenges for their workplace diversity. According to Downey et al. (2015), the employees having workplace diversity face extreme issues in communicating with each other due to their different language and cultural backgrounds. For example, the migrant workers in Asia may face difficulties in dealing with the local employees of USA. In such communication, diverse cultural backgrounds provoke cultural misunderstanding leading to ineffective communication. On the other hand, Leslie (2017) opined that workplace diversity also raise the issues of employee discrimination that the lower the morale of the employees. Moreover, the diverse employees often get unfair treatment from their supervisors based on unsubstantiated and unfair category. Hence, such workplace diversity lowers the morale level of the employees at their workplace.
As per Roberson, Holmes and Perry (2017), workplace diversity often leads to prejudice, discrimination, racism and lack of respect creep into the work environment. Such animosity at the workplace can even turn into violent and explosive. As per the statistics, 26% hospitality workforces in United Kingdom are nomad and 6% of total nomad population of the country has come into the employment of hospitality industry. Hence, the managers of UK travel businesses are to maintain effective cultural understanding among the diverse employees for better managing workplace diversity. On the other hand, Lu et al. (2015) opined that the employees of travel businesses are often reluctant to accept the individual differences others having different backgrounds. Such employees usually do not provide respect to the employees having different backgrounds. In this way, workplace diversity can lead to lack of respect among the employees at the workplaces. Apart from that, the employees from minority backgrounds often face harassment at their workplaces.
Managing Workplace Diversity in Travel Businesses
Travel businesses can create diverse task forces at the workplaces, where each taskforce will be focusing on the specific areas like age, ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation. According to Prause and Mujtaba (2015), the managers of travel businesses should consider differing views from the diverse employees for generating diverse business solution. In this way, the employees will feel valued at their workplace, while their opinions and ideas are given importance for organizational success. On the other hand, Davis, Frolova and Callahan (2016) opined that the travel business organizations must have effective diversity policies for managing the workplace diversity. Furthermore, the organizations should also include ramification or proper disciplinary actions for the failure to follow diversity policies. The managers should also be concerned with increasing communication among the diverse employees of the organizations. The more the diverse employees would communicate with among each other, the more they will understand their differing culture. It actually increases the cultural understanding of among the diverse employees.
Proper communication of organizational goals and objectives can encourage the diverse employees to accept the diverse organizational culture. Moreover, Walton, Murphy and Ryan (2015) stated that the organizational managers should communicate proper organizational goals and objectives to the diverse employees. In this way, the diverse employees will be encouraged to work together regardless of their backgrounds for achieving the common organizational goals and objectives. On the other hand, Mor Barak (2015) opined that diversity training the most effective way of managing workplace diversity in travel businesses. Moreover, the managers of travel business organizations should provide effective diversity training to the employees having different backgrounds. In such training, the trainers will provide different cultural and language session to the diverse set of employees. It will help the diverse employees to understand the culture and language of each other. In this way, diversity training enhances the cultural understanding among the employees by minimizing cultural gaps within them.
- What are the benefits and opportunities of promoting workplace diversity on travel business?
This research question is associated with the core purpose of the research paper. This research question will gather the core information of the research topic that will actually enhance the quality of ultimate research outcome. In this way, the research question will directly be associated with the main purpose of the research by gathering information about importance of promoting workplace diversity in travel business.
- What are the challenges and barriers that can prevent the scope of workplace diversity in travel business?
This research question will actually collect the contradicting information within the research area. Hence, such information will help in assessing the solidity and accuracy of the research variables. In this way, this research question will enhance the authenticity of the overall research outcome.
- How to promote workplace diversity in travel sector for better enhancing travel business?
Research Question and Purpose
This research question will actually mitigate the issues of the research. Moreover, the information collected from this research question will resolve the research issues. In this way, it will mainly serve the core purpose of the research paper.
- Recognizing Research Problem
- Literature Review
- Data Collection
- Interpreting and Analyzing Data
- Assessment of Data Quality
- Research Reporting
Reliability assesses the quality of measurement procedures that are actually applied in data collection process. A measurement procedure is regarded as reliable, when it provides consistent and equal result repeatedly (Lewis 2015). Inter rate reliability is used for measuring the reliability of the collected data. Furthermore, the purpose of assessing validity of information is to assess the accuracy and solidness of the collected data. Effective validity test results in most accurate and authentic research result. Internal validity approach will be applied in this research study to measure the solidness and accuracy level of the collected data. Such validity approach will remove any confounding independent variable associated with the research topic for reaching at most authentic research result.
Sampling is the most efficient method of choosing right observations and individuals for collecting relevant information about the research topic (Choy 2014). In this research, simple random sampling technique will be used for selecting sample size. In this sampling, all the participants will get equal chance of being involved in the process of data collection. Moreover, all the participants will have equal probability to be selected in data collection method. In this sampling process, the chosen participants are gathered in a place as per their convenience level. Hence, it becomes easy to gather relevant information smoothly.
The determination of sample size is the act of selecting numbers of observations and individuals for purpose of gathering information related to the research topic (Dumay and Cai 2015). Proper selection of sample size is extremely important for reaching at authentic research result. In this research, 5 managers of travel business of Australia will be chosen for collecting qualitative data.
Data collection is the most significant method of collecting authentic information regarding the research topic. The research paper will require both primary as well as secondary sources of data for reaching at accurate research result. In case of secondary information, the research will assess most authentic journals, books and websites for collecting accurate research information. However, the research will be mainly based on primary research, where both qualitative as well as quantitative data collection technique will be used. In quantitative method, the research will apply survey method to gather data. However, in case of qualitative information, the research will conduct interview with the managers of travel business in Australia. It will help in collecting core information regarding their workplace diversity policies.
Assessing Reliability and Validity
Independent Variable: Workplace Diversity
Dependent Variable: Organizational Performance
- Setting Research Questions
- Establishing Key Research Ideas
- Choosing Appropriate Research Method
- Selecting Appropriate Research Framework
- Adapting the Audience
- Research Design
- Analysis of Data
- Research Reporting
Research instruments are techniques and method applied in research for collecting useful and relevant information regarding the research topic (Choy 2014). The most frequently used research instrument is primary method of data collection is survey method. Likewise, the particular research will use survey technique for collecting most useful information concerning the research topic. In this method, a set of structured questionnaires will be designed and distributed among the selected respondents. The structured questionnaires will be closely related to the topic of research. Such structured questionnaires will be distributed among the employees of travel business of Australia. The respondents will be allowed to answer to these questionnaires from their own point of view.
Data analysis is extremely important for extracting actual meaning of the data collected from the respondents. It is highly significant for converting the generalized information into specific information for the purpose of enhancing the quality of research result (Dumay and Cai 2015). In this research paper, SPSS tool will be used for analyzing the data gathered from the respondents. Moreover, the research study will use Chi-square test for assessing the purposeful meaning of the collected data. This data analysis technique is extremely useful in recognizing the independence of the categorical variables, which determines the relationship between these variables. It actually fit between the actual research result and the expected research result of the research study. In this way, such analysis technique leads to authentic research result.
In case of quantitative research method, this research will apply simple random sampling technique for collecting data from the chosen sample respondents. In this sampling technique, the selected respondents will be provided with equal chance of being included in the data collection process. Furthermore, the chosen respondents will be gathered as per their convenience level for collecting data smoothly. In this research, 100 employees of travel business organizations in Australia will be selected as the sample size to conduct survey.
Questionnaire design is the act of designing the questionnaires, which are to be distributed among the selected respondents (Lewis 2015). The research questionnaires of this research will be designed with all open ended questions and these questionnaires will be distributed among the selected respondents. The selected respondents will be asked to response to these questionnaires by saying only “yes” or “no”.
Reliability measures the consistency of the collected data, which will actually contribute in the quality of the ultimate research result. Internal reliability approach will be applied for assessing the reliability level of the data collected from the respondents (Dumay and Cai 2015). Furthermore, the purpose of assessing validity of information is to assess the accuracy and solidness of the collected data. Effective validity test results in most accurate and authentic research result. In case of quantitative data, this research paper will use convergent validity for assessing the solidness and accuracy of information through comparing the data with other variables.
Any flaw or limitation in the research paper actually reduces the quality of the ultimate research result. This research study is associated with some limitations that can diminish the quality of ultimate research result. Moreover, the research paper may actually face time and budget limitations. The research paper may face lack of access to most authentic sources of information related to the research topic. Hence, lack of authentic information may reduce the quality of ultimate research outcome. On the other hand, the research paper may also face the budget constraints. Due to budget constraints, the research paper may not get access to authentic more numbers of authentic data sources. It can actually hamper the quality of research result.
Conclusion
While concluding the study, it can be said that promoting workplace can have both positive as well as negative impact on organizational performance of travel business. Moreover, diverse set of employees bring innovative and unique ideas for business progress. However, there is high potential for employee conflicts in the organizations having workplace diversity. Hence, the managers of travel business organizations should effectively manage the workplace diversity for getting best ideas and input from the diverse employees. The managers should initiate diversity training for minimizing the gaps among the employees having diverse backgrounds. Furthermore, open communication among the employees can also lead to better cultural understanding among the diverse employees.
Reference List
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Choy, L.T., 2014. The strengths and weaknesses of research methodology: Comparison and complimentary between qualitative and quantitative approaches. IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 19(4), pp.99-104.
Davis, P.J., Frolova, Y. and Callahan, W., 2016. Workplace diversity management in Australia: what do managers think and what are organisations doing?. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, 35(2), pp.81-98.
Downey, S.N., Werff, L., Thomas, K.M. and Plaut, V.C., 2015. The role of diversity practices and inclusion in promoting trust and employee engagement. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 45(1), pp.35-44.
Dumay, J. and Cai, L., 2015. Using content analysis as a research methodology for investigating intellectual capital disclosure: a critique. Journal of Intellectual Capital, 16(1), pp.121-155.
Graham, M.E., Belliveau, M.A. and Hotchkiss, J.L., 2017. The View at the Top or Signing at the Bottom? Workplace Diversity Responsibility and Women’s Representation in Management. ILR Review, 70(1), pp.223-258.