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Startup
Guide
 Have
a big idea? Dreaming of ‘Kab Banega Crore pati’?
Driving down the road…and flash! You hit upon an idea that
could change the world. An idea that will put you into the annals
of history as a pioneer…but how and where do you start? I’ll
help you find out.
Diversity
Management
Diversity
in an organisation can act as a motivating force or a source of
conflict. Motivation, because of the competition it inspires,
and conflict, because of the friction that may be caused between
people of diverse backgrounds.
There are
a number of demographic characteristics contributing to diversity.
The most widely recognised are:
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Age
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Gender
•
Education
•
Social
norms
Age:
Values, and beliefs vary among people of different ages, and hence,
the way they are treated must also vary.
Gender:
Gender bias is a common problem in many companies. Studies show
that women are paid lesser when compared to their male counterparts.
Education:
Another reason for diversity is the different educational
backgrounds that the employees have. This exists at multiple levels
in the same organisation and has to be dealt with carefully. This
is because highly qualified people cannot tolerate to be put into
the same bracket as lesser-qualified employees.
Social
norms: Employees in an organisation may belong to different
social groups. For example, some people might prefer to play a
sport at a club, while some people would prefer spending quiet
evenings with their families. This would make the employees think
differently and perceive things differently. The manager needs
to understand the societal background of people and cater to their
needs accordingly. If employees feel that the management cannot
provide them the kind of lifestyle they lead, then there would
be a high degree of job-dissatisfaction
With so many
parameters of diversity existing in one place, there should be
a strategy to tackle it. It would be wise not to treat all employees
in a homogeneous manner. Each individual is unique and should
be treated such.
How do
you manage diversity?
An individual
approach to managing diversity takes two forms:
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Learning
•
Empathy
Learning:
It is imperative for supervisors to know about their employees
before they deal with them. Most managers are unaware of their
biased attitude towards employees. To avoid this, managers must
communicate openly to all the employees to understand them better.
Empathy:
Empathy is an important way to deal with problems at work. A manager
needs to understand the situation of the problem and deal with
it effectively. For example if a woman is sexually harassed at
the work place and lodges a complaint with the manager, then he
needs to understand that the problem is serious. By learning how
to empathise with the team and by giving them sufficient encouragement
and guidance, a manager can effectively manage diversity.
Managers need
to make vigorous attempts to overcome cultural, social and gender
biases. Internationally, the issue has been recognised as one
that needs to be managed seriously and in a diplomatic manner.
Managers need to initiate programs that ensure the complete elimination
of built-in biases.
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