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Darwin was right then, and he’s right now. In these
roller-coaster times of change, companies need to look
to their internal strengths to hold their own. The secret
is to recognize those strengths and convert them into
bottom-line benefits.
An organization is nothing if it’s not the strength
of the many different people in it. Many organizations
need to make a real effort to recognize their people
as an asset, not a deficit. When you realize that the
US workforce is the most diverse in the world, you begin
to see the advantage of harnessing that strength. One
way of doing that is to learn about diversity, learn
to work with individual differences, and understand
those differences to improve work relationships in a
dramatic way.
This is a business issue – it means learning about
people who are different and using that understanding
to be more effective. Improved relationships means improved
communication and improved productivity. And that means
raising your bottom line. If you leverage the potential
of all your employees, you’ve got the competitive edge
in a global economy.
If your company is aware of and manages diversity
effectively, it is a company that attracts and retains
the best employees. It’s a company that through its
culture nurtures creativity and innovation. Teamwork
thrives there and quality is maintained at high levels.
Your company, as a result, serves its customers better
and so gets ahead in the marketing game. Its image is
strong and positive.
Training a workforce in the value of diversity is
not a transient process - diversity management and awareness
is an all-embracing change in company culture and the
behavior of employees. Leadership needs to manage and
sustain such a change in culture. In short, actions
really do speak louder than words. So . . .
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