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Running Head: DIVERSITY

Diversity

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DIVERSITY

Diversity

Diversity can be defined as the state of possessing different characteristics, forms or

elements. This makes diversity to be at times difficult. In the United States, a lot of time has

been used on the conversation around diversity. The justices of the supreme court have even

disagreed on the virtues of diversity. Not only has it been difficult for a country to manage

diversity, but also organizations and corporations. Many have spent millions of dollars not

only to attract but to manage diversity internally and externally. Despite the investment,

however, discrimination still persists and the ranks of leadership in the business world are

dominated by the whites.

Diversity has different aspects and this is very important. Some organizations have

expressed how diversity has been an integral part of their success. Whether it is an

organization or a nation, diversity plays a critical role. Fr some colleges, diversity has been

existing for a long time. Many children teachers agree that kids who have been exposed to

different cultures in the classroom are able to develop different points of view and this is a

crucial part of learning. Diversity in the classroom is so critical to the development of a child.

This is because when the child is exposed to different cultures, they are able to understand

themselves better and also appreciate the difference in others (Pearson, 2008). They are also

able to question their belief and get an insight into how their culture influences the way they

view the world.

There are many places that diversity is not encouraged. Some cultures encourage only

contact between members of the same culture, race or religion. This happens to individuals

who have not been persuaded that there’s is a need for one to experience a diverse setting.

This should not be the case. This is because the world has become a global society and one

requires understanding other people and also what to expect. Workplaces now have people

who come from different genders, ethnic groups, and religion. That is why most schools in

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the curriculum teach children about other countries and cultures. For schools that have

children coming from varying social cultures, it has been found that it is a positive experience

for both the teachers and the learners. Also for the organizations that value diversity, it is

beneficial to the workers and the communities within which they operate (Pearson, 2008).

Diversity is not just about the background from which one comes from. It is the

unique difference that is found between people. The difference is what makes people have

diverse experiences, beliefs, and perspectives. This is why educational experience is

enhanced when there are people from diverse backgrounds. Though there might be a

difference of opinion, one gets to listen and possibly be persuaded by being presented with

alternative opinions. This promotes healthy personal growth.

For one to better understand diversity, it is important to know the Newcomb’s theory

of social attraction. According to this theory, similar attributes such as attitudes values and

beliefs enhance interpersonal attractions and liking. The opposite is also true according to this

theory. Diversity is therefore beneficial but it is not the case if an individual only takes a

liking to another who just like them. Whether it is with regard to race, attitude, view or belief.

In a research carried out by Harry C. Triandis, it was found that people who came from

cultures that were not similar were not likely to be attracted to each other. They also had

more difficulties communicating with one another as compared to members who came from

the same cultural background. Persons from different cultural backgrounds find it

uncomfortable to share what they believe because the other person might not be sharing the

same beliefs. This makes it hard for them to share due to the fear of being judged by the other

person from a different background.

Diversity can be examined from various perspectives. If for example, one is thinking

of building a new car, it would not be possible without designers, engineers, and experts of

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quality control. This would, therefore, call for the diversity of expertise. There is also the all-

important social diversity. What benefits could be realized from having a diversity of gender,

ethnicity or race. According to some studies, it has been found that when there is diversity in

a group, it can be a source of discomfort, mistrust, interpersonal conflicts, poor interactions,

little cohesion among many other challenges. However, for one to realize a team or

organization that is innovative, diversity is a necessity because it enhances creativity ("Why

Is Diversity in the Workplace Important to Employees?", 2018). It motivates the search for

new information and perspectives. This leads to the better making of decisions and finding a

solution to problems. It can help improve a company’s bottom and lead to new discoveries

and innovations. The exposure to diversity can even change one’s view of things. This has

been found to be the case after decades by researchers from various fields such as

psychologists, sociologists, and demographers (Phillips, 2014).

One of the concepts that can enable us to understand how diversity can have positive

influence is informational diversity. When people get together to find a solution as a group,

they provide opinions and perspectives that are varied. This makes sense especially when

there is interdisciplinary diversity. It however also applies to social diversity. Individuals who

are from different ethnic groups, race or gender can provide unique information and

experience to help accomplish the task at hand (Sarkar, 2010). For example, a male engineer

can have a different perspective from that of a female engineer. This could be beneficial in

tackling a problem.

Most of the research that has been conducted on the most innovative organizations

have confirmed the benefit of diversity. An example is a study that was conducted by

University of Maryland professor Christian Deszo and Columbia’s University Professor

David Ross. The two made a research on the effects of gender diversity on the leading

organizations in Standard & Poor’s composite 1500 list, a group which provides a reflection

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of the of the overall United States equity market. In their research, they first looked at the

firms’ size and gender composition starting 1992 to 2006. They then examined how those

firms had been performing financially. After the findings, they concluded that on average

when there is a female representation at a firm to management, the firms value increases by

up to $42 million. They also examined the firms’ innovation intensity by calculating the ratio

of research expenditure to that of assets. Their findings were that companies that prioritize

innovation make greater financial gains when part of the top leadership are women (Phillips,

2014).

Benefits realized from having gender diversity can also be realized from having racial

diversity. In one study conducted by the University of Texas professor Orlando Richard in

2003, a survey was carried out on executives heading 177 national banks in the United States.

Professor Richard then created a database that enabled to look at the financial performance of

the banks, their racial diversity and the emphasis that the bank's presidents put on innovation.

He found that for those that were innovation-focused, an increment in racial diversity led to a

better financial performance.

Not only has the benefits of diversity been found in the United States, but also in

other regions. In 2012, Credit Suisse Research Institute researchers provided their findings

after examining 2360 companies from across the globe. The research had been made between

2005 and 2011 and had intended to determine whether there was a relationship between

financial performance and gender diversity in the top management of the companies. The

results of the studies found that firms which had one or more women at the top level

management had their average returns on equity being higher and their average growth was

better (Phillips, 2014).

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The above studies used large data sets which have some limitations with the major

one being that they show diversity as being correlated with better performance. It can

therefore not be concluded that diversity causes better performance. There is, however, some

studies that have been carried out in small groups on racial diversity that draw causal

conclusion. Research from such studies has made it clear that for groups that prioritize

innovation, diversity is critical. In 2006, University of Illinois professor Gregory Northcraft

and Stanford’s University professor Margaret Neale conducted a study to determine how

racial diversity impacts decision making in a research where sharing of information was

required. The subjects in the study were undergraduate student’s perusing business-related

courses at the University of Illinois. The researchers put up three-person groups with some

groups being made up of members who are whites only while others had two whites and a

nonwhite. The groups were then given a murder mystery exercise. The researchers ensured

that all groups had similar information. However, each member was provided with important

clues known to nobody else. To determine who had committed the crime, members of each

group had to share all the information that each one had in the discussion session. The

findings of this study were that groups which had racial diversity performed better than the

groups without diversity. This can lead one to think that when they are with the other, they

hold similar information and also share the same perspective. This is what made all the white

group not to effectively process the provided information.

In another study, Professor LisingAntonio of Stanford graduate school of education in

collaboration with other colleagues in the University of California carried out a study to

examine racial influence and opinion composition in a group discussion. Students from three

universities participated in this study and they were requested to discuss an ongoing social

issue for quarter an hour. The researchers gave dissenting opinions which were delivered to

the various groups by black and white participants. It was noted that when a black person

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gave a dissenting view to a group consisting of whites only, their perspective was perceived

as more novel. This led to a broader thinking and led to consideration of more alternatives

than when the same dissenting opinion was presented by a white. This makes it clear that a

different opinion is presented by someone different from us; it is more thought provoking

than when it comes from somebody who is like us.

The effects of diversity are only limited to race. it also leads to high-quality scientific

research. Professor Richard Freeman of Harvard and his comrade studied the ethnic identity

authors to 1.5 million scientific papers. The papers were those written between 1985-2008.

Their findings were that scientific papers that were written by a diverse group received more

citations and had higher impact factors compared to papers from researchers who had the

same ethnicity. It was also found that high-quality papers had an association with a bigger

number of author addresses. When there is more geographical diversity, therefore, it leads to

more intellectual diversity.

Diversity is not just about people having different perspectives. When there is social

diversity in a group leads people to believe that there could be different perspectives and this

makes them behave differently. Members from the same background, however, have a view

that they will not differ with one another and that they comprehend each other’s perspective.

and thus can easily come to an agreement. When members of a group, however, realize that

they come from diverse social setups, the expectations they have change. Their anticipation is

that there is going to be different opinions and perspectives. They have a perception that they

have to work hard so that they can get into an agreement. This logic enables us to understand

both the benefits and the challenges of social diversity. The major benefit of social diversity

is that people work hard both cognitively and socially when they are in environments that are

different from theirs (Pearson, 2008). Whether the hard work is voluntary or not, it leads to

better outcomes.

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From a study of researchers which have been conducted and from personal

assessment, diversity promotes hard work and creativity because it encourages considerations

of alternative ideas even before interactions at the interpersonal level can happen. The

challenges that are associated with diversity can be looked at as the difficulties that one

undergoes during physical exercise. One has to feel pain in order to grow their muscle. It is

from feeling the pain that one can realize the gains of the training. It is the same that diversity

is needed in companies, corporations and in the whole society for there to be innovation,

growth, and change.

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References

Pearson, D. (2008). Diversity. [Philadelphia]: Xlibris Corp.

Phillips, K. (2014). How Diversity Works.

Sarkar, S. (2010). Diversity: A Philosophical Perspective. Diversity, 2(1), 127-141. doi:

10.3390/d2010127

Why Is Diversity in the Workplace Important to Employees?. (2018). Retrieved from

http://smallbusiness.chron.com/diversity-workplace-important-employees-10812.html

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