Diversity & Workplace Behavior

Diversity programs are important recruitment tools but do not necessarily increase productivity.

Diversity policies are important to recruitment and retention programs, but there is no compelling proof that they increase productivity. Nonetheless, there is evidence that culturally diverse groups are better in the long run at developing a wider range of solutions to the problems presented to them.

Definition

Many organizations define diversity as including a mixture of race, religion, age, gender, disability and sexual orientation in the workforce. Others, however, use a broader definition that encompasses differing communications styles, educational backgrounds and life experiences. The definition matters because it shapes the structure of the organization's diversity program.

Recruitment and Retention

Diversity policies are important to prospective employees.

Prospective employees often inquire about diversity policies. American companies have learned that having a strong diversity program in place is key to both recruitment and employee retention.

Productivity

There is no compelling evidence that diversity programs increase productivity.

There is no solid evidence that diversity programs increase productivity. Most diversity data is focused on head counts and not on outcome.

Group Dynamics

Over time, diverse groups produce a greater number of potential solutions to problems.

A 1993 study reported in the "Academy of Management Journal" found that homogeneous groups generally outperform culturally diverse groups in the initial weeks of a new task, but this difference disappears over time. After about 13 weeks, culturally diverse groups lead in the range of perspectives they consider and the number of alternative solutions they produce.

U.S. Military Example

The U.S. military's "Go Purple" experiment in integrating members of different branches of the armed forces into a joint command structure has been credited with great success on both the strategic and operational level.

References

• Braun Consulting News: Workplace Diversity: Does It Work?
• "The Leadership Challenge"; James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner; 1995
• "Academy of Management Journal"; Cultural Diversity's Impact on Interaction Process and Performance"; W.E. Watson, K. Kumar and L. K. Michaelsen; Issue 3, 1993