Problem Identification
Discuss abotu the case study on the document entitled “Leading for Change: a blueprint for cultural diversity and inclusive leadership 2016” and the speech by doctor Tim Soutphommasane, Race Discrimination Commissioner entitled “Cultural Diversity in the Workplace 2015”.
The report is a case study on the document entitled “Leading for Change: a blueprint for cultural diversity and inclusive leadership 2016” and the speech by doctor Tim Soutphommasane, Race Discrimination Commissioner entitled “Cultural Diversity in the Workplace 2015”.
Firstly, this case study will examine the problems related to Leadership and actions to overcome this issue.
Secondly, the case study will examine how the problem of lack of accurate data leads to the escalation of problems for the organization. The report also displays the essence of updating the system of maintaining the proper information about the ethnic backgrounds of the employees.
Thirdly, the problems arising out of the intermixing of the different ethnic communities are also mentioned and ways are provided in which the racial profiling can be addressed in the Australian work places.
Diversity is a common thing in most of the nations of the world and majority of the nations in today’s world are multicultural nations where different ethnic communities coexist with each other. There are a lot of issues which emanate from the co-existence of different ethnic communities along with each. In the organizational structure, the problem is even more acute. The employees from different ethnic backgrounds have different cultures as well as beliefs and there is a greater probability of conflicts arising due to the clash of the different cultures with each. It therefore, becomes extremely important for the leadership of the organization to address these issues in a proper and effective manner to remove the barriers of diversity altogether.
Problem Identification
Leaders have an important duty to understand and comprehend cultural diversity in the modern day organization. Diversity is a common phenomenon in many countries of the world and more particular in Australia where half the population is the first generation Australian or the second generation Australian.
The Australian Human Rights Commission Leadership for Change (2016), leading for change publication has identified that the leaders in order to address the problem of leadership arising due to the multiculturalism in the organization have the duty to promote cultural unity in the organizations. Although, there are many positive aspects about the inclusiveness of the various diverse ethnic cultures in the countries, yet there exist a number of problems also. The multicultural societies, all over the world, are no strangers to the fact that social conflicts arise from time to time amongst the different members of the society and to prevent these tensions from escalating further, it is extremely important that the leadership of the nation or the leadership of the organization formulate such plans and policies so as to properly address these issues (Barak, Findler and Wind 2016).
Solution for the Problem
The AHRC Leadership for Change (2016), leading for change identifies that the systems of an organization need to be updated. The progress on addressing the cultural diversity will be slow if the systems and the data of the total diversity are not updated and available with the organization. In the absence of an increased data and figures of the organization, the organization has a high chance of being in a problematic situation due to the conflicts, which might arise amongst the employees hailing from different ethnic backgrounds (Torelli et al. 2014). The system gathering of the data therefore becomes an important duty for the organizational leadership as the better data collected will lead to better evaluation of the issues associated with multiculturalism (Leng and Yazdanifard 2014). Having an accurate estimate of the total employees as well as the accurate number of the ethnic backgrounds of the employees can be an added advantage for the organization as the organization can formulate better plans and policies in order to assimilate the employees into the fold of the organization and address the problems of conflicts arising due to the arising of the issues due to the diverse ethnic backgrounds (D’amato and Emery 2016).
In addition, the AHRC Leadership for change also argues that the problem of cultural bias and discrimination need to be addressed by the leadership of the organization. The members of the organization from the minority ethnic community can feel alienated and can be subjected to various forms of discrimination. These issues if not dealt with in the proper time can expose serious lapses in the society as well as the organizational structure. The Aboriginal communities as well as the Torres Strait Islander being prime examples of people facing discrimination in Australia (Lynch 2017). It therefore is the responsibility of the leadership of the organization to ensure that the discriminated communities are given due acceptance and respect and are provided enough opportunities so that they get the chance to rise higher in their sphere of work. The problem is that the various socially and culturally diverse ethnic culture can be increasingly at conflict with each other in the societies as well as the workplaces. There is a concern that the diverse cultures can be violent and pose a security challenge if they are in conflicting terms with each other (Welbourne, Gangadharan and Sariol 2015). Mr. Tim Soutphommasane has elaborated as in his speech about his personal reflection on the Cabramatta train station area and how the diverse Asian communities who were indulging in various criminal activities and were living in ghettos have now completely transformed into a completely different suburb. The area has now become a tourist hub where the Asian delicacies are easily available and the area tops the charts in the tourist destinations. The problem is not how the Cabramatta train station area transformed in a span of a few decades. The problem is can the conflicting issues be resolved in an environment of such diversity and exclusiveness.
In conclusion, socially diverse communities are a strength for the organization as well as the societies. They are not to be discouraged but need to be encouraged and promoted as a viable option to safeguard the smooth running of the organization.
There are various solutions, which can be used for the rectification of the various issues posed by multiculturalism as well as ethnic diversity in the workplace.
The AHRC (2016) leading for change publication proposes that the cultural diversity problem of discrimination can be overcome by the active leadership skills. The leaders who are extremely successful in the resolving of diversity issues understand that multiculturalism is beneficial for both the moral as well as the business perspective. The different communities who work in the organization are competitive with each other and this works for the benefit of the organization and this competency factor can be beneficial for the organization as a whole. The organization can rein in the benefits accruing from the positive competition of the different employees of the organization who come from different ethnic backgrounds (Lambert 2016). The leaders also understand that inclusion and cultural diversity in the workplaces can ensure the employees to learn a lot from each other rather than being in a homogenous work culture.
The Leadership of Change (2016) also argues that in order to maximize the efficiency of the organization as well as the better management of the employees and the other staffs of the organization, the systems needs to be updated. The systems of the organization can help in the better implementation of the plans and policies of the organization. The organization can have a better access over the diversity of the organization with the organizational leadership having access over the information regarding the remuneration, family and ethnic backgrounds (Farndale et al. 2015). These data can facilitate the organization to plan regarding the escalation of conflict amongst the different ethnic groups and how the different ethnic groups can be better managed (Sims 2017). There are various organizations and agencies, which volunteer in providing data for the different organizations. Agencies such as the Australian Bureau of Statistics play a major role in the dissemination of data regarding the different ethnic backgrounds of the organization (Gröschl and Bendl 2015). The organization can also acquire the services of thee different data collection agencies, which help to manage the organizational framework and establishment by providing a blueprint for the effective management of the organization. These data and figures prove extremely effective in the long run as the organization is better equipped to steer itself clear of any such situation wherein conflicts and discrimination might arise amongst the different ethnic communities in the organization (Rawat and Basergekar 2016). The organization can also manage the different ethnic communities so that the diverse workforce adds up to the benefit of the organization. The statistics available from the Stanford University as well as the University of Chicago has revealed that multiculturalism helps in the overall productivity of the organization.
In addition, the Leadership of change also argues that the different ethnic and cultural diversities can be promoted by the organization as well as the country to display the different talents and strengths, which these diverse communities possess. As the example cited by Mr. Tim Soutphommasane of his personal reflection about Cabramatta train area suggests, the different communities deciding to coexist with each other and resolve their conflicts and work for mutual benefit addressed the issue. The ethnic Asian communities of Cabramatta are now efficiently contributing in the tourism sector and are known for the Asian culinary delicacies, which they provide. According to the statistics provided by the economists from the Stanford University and the University of Chicago revealed that the productivity of organization can be increased by almost 20% after reducing the racial discrimination (Martin 2014). The efforts, which are wasted in spreading hatred amongst one another, can be utilized for defiantly working with each other in order to earn benefits and rewards for the organization.
In conclusion, the leadership has an immense role to play in the organizational setup and the leadership must ensure that the different procedures to ensure the different ethnic communities in Australia feel a part of the nation as well as contribute towards the overall functioning of the organizational structure and to achieve the targets and goals of the organization (Trax,Brunow and Suedekum 2015). The different leaders must look after the needs and aspirations of the different ethnic groups and must make sure that the different groups exist in harmony with each other.
It is recommended that the leaders can take the advice and the suggestion of the senior leadership of the organization to efficiently manage the organization.
It is recommended that the leaders should promote inclusiveness in the organization.
It is recommended that the leaders must organize diversity and inclusion councils and boards to effectively manage the multicultural organization.
It is recommended that the leaders must lead from the front and set examples for the subordinates to follow.
It is recommended that the systems must be updated in order to have better and accurate data of the employees.
It is recommended that the agencies must be hired to provide accurate numbers of the ethnic backgrounds.
It is recommended that the organization must have better implementation policies of the data acquired after the system update.
It is recommended that the systems must be updated on a regular basis in order to better facilitate the different multiculturalism in the organization.
It is recommended that the leadership of the organization must safeguard the employees from the possible discrimination and racial profiling.
It is recommended that the leadership of the organization must make sure that the different ethnic communities interact with each other and there exists cultural exchange amongst the different ethnic communities.
It is recommended that the leaders of the organization organize cultural festivals to spread awareness about the different ethnic groups in the organization.
It is recommended that the leaders of the organization make sure that there always exists multiculturalism in the workplaces to make the workplaces more interactive and knowledge based.
Conclusion
From the above analysis, it is clear that the different ethnic communities existing in the different nations of the world can co-exist peacefully provided the leadership fosters a feeling of unity and bonding between them. The racial profiling as well as the prejudices and the discrimination of the different ethnic communities can be eradicated by the effective and efficient Leadership skills of the leaders. The Leaders must ensure that the different ethnic communities existing in the workforce get proper respect and acceptance in the workplace and they are not subjected to any form of harassment or discrimination. The statistical analysis has revealed that multiculturalism is beneficial for the organizational productivity and the different ethnic communities coexisting with each other in the organization compete with each other and this competition proves healthy for the organization in the long run. The organization therefore must promote multiculturalism and stop discrimination against the different ethnic communities. The Government of Australia must also address the issue of discrimination and the perpetrators of the crimes against the different ethnic communities must be booked and penalized immediately. The Anti Racial laws need to be made more stringent. Doing these will ensure trust and mutual unity amongst the different social and ethnic communities in Australia.
References
Barak, M.E.M., Findler, L. and Wind, L.H., 2016. Diversity, inclusion, and commitment in organizations: International empirical explorat
D’amato, A. and Emery, C., 2016. Learning Goal Orientation and cultural diversity: Unveiling the impact across generational cohorts.
Farndale, E., Biron, M., Briscoe, D.R. and Raghuram, S., 2015. A global perspective on diversity and inclusion in work organisations.
Gröschl, S. and Bendl, R. eds., 2015. Managing religious diversity in the workplace: Examples from around the world. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd..
GST Simplified Tax System: Challenges and Remedies, 1(1), pp.166-168.
Lambert, J., 2016. Cultural diversity as a mechanism for innovation: Workplace diversity and the absorptive capacity framework. Journal of Organizational Culture, Communications and Conflict, 20(1), p.68.
Leng, C.Z. and Yazdanifard, R., 2014. The relationship between cultural diversity and workplace bullying in multinational enterprises. Global Journal of Management And Business Research.
Lynch, F.R., 2017. The diversity machine: The drive to change the white male workplace. Routledge.
Martin, G.C., 2014. The effects of cultural diversity in the workplace. Journal of Diversity Management (Online), 9(2), p.89.
Rawat, P.S. and Basergekar, P., 2016. Managing Workplace Diversity: Performance of Minority Employees. Indian Journal of Industrial Relations, 51(3).
Sims, A., 2017. Workforce Diversity Curriculum Design Considerations for Diversity Certificates and Study Abroad Experiences. In Discrimination and Diversity: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications (pp. 113-135). IGI Global.
Torelli, C.J., Leslie, L.M., Stoner, J.L. and Puente, R., 2014. Cultural determinants of status: Implications for workplace evaluations and behaviors. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 123(1), pp.34-48.
Trax, M., Brunow, S. and Suedekum, J., 2015. Cultural diversity and plant-level productivity. Regional Science and Urban Economics, 53, pp.85-96.
Welbourne, J.L., Gangadharan, A. and Sariol, A.M., 2015. Ethnicity and cultural values as predictors of the occurrence and impact of experienced workplace incivility. Journal of occupational health psychology, 20(2), p.205
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