Diversity as a Business Asset
Organizations and managers view diversity from various prisms. Some view it as a problem that needs to be mitigated to attain organizational goals. Such leaders look for ways to minimize challenges that may arise from misunderstandings, insensitivity, and prejudices of a diverse workforce. Other organizational leaders view diversity as an asset. Although it may bring about a few challenges, it will help organizations attain their goals if managed correctly. This paper discusses the benefits of Apple’s diversity practices, the need to prioritize diversity in an organization, the strengths of diverse teams, and the weaknesses of lack of diversity.
Benefits of Apple’s Diversity Practices
Apple is among the companies that practice diversity in all areas of business. The company views diversity as an enabler, but not as many other companies see it. Most organizations practice diversity by including people from diverse backgrounds in their ranks. However, the case is different for Apple Inc., which views diversity as an innovative tool that will help improve business. The company not only includes people but also invites diverse perspectives into its ecosystem to be as diverse as the world around them.
Creating Opportunities for Career Development
One of the benefits of diversity practices at Apple is that it creates opportunities for members’ career growth. Companies with a diverse culture attract the most talented and ambitious workforce (Stahl, 2021). That is because most people research their potential employers on the internet before joining a company. Apple’s diverse culture attracts the best employees worldwide. These employees come with diverse skills, perspectives, and ways of doing things, which enriches an organization’s current workforce. Since Apple draws its employees from all parts of the world, teammates can learn from each other’s cultures to improve their competencies.
Better Decision Making
Diversity also encourages better decision-making. Research shows that diverse teams are 87% more likely to make better decisions than non-diverse teams (Stahl, 2021). Teams are likely to make better decisions compared to individuals, which improves progressively as a team becomes more diverse. Diverse voices are important because they help teams beat hard-wired biases that may be affecting productivity. At the organizational level, diverse teams will contribute to improving profitability by introducing new ways of doing business and handling orders (Biro, 2016). Besides, the fact that Apple has a diverse workforce enables it to benefit from a diverse customer base, which translates to more profits. Diverse teams can break through cultural walls and group different demographics according to their needs.
Improves Innovation
Another benefit of Apple’s diverse culture is that it enhances innovation. People from different cultures have different life experiences (Stahl, 2021). They see the world in a multi-faceted manner and can bring different perspectives to the table when there is a need. Besides, people coming from different cultures can avert the cultural bias that may hinder creativity by bringing a handful of solutions. Notably, this may be impossible if an organization only relies on a single individual to make critical decisions.
Should Diversity Become a Priority?
There is a need for organizations to make diversity a priority. Although the primary goal of business organizations is to make profits, diversity has proved to be an important practice in today’s environment. After all, diversity efforts will not hinder a company’s ability to make profits but support the efforts. The following are some of the reasons why diversity should become a priority.
Meeting Workforce Requirements
Embracing diversity will help an organization attain workforce requirements. For instance, data from the US shows that 47% of the current workforce is female (Dike, 2013). This implies that organizations that fail to embrace diversity miss out on some of the most talented employee pools. Diversity ensures a company absorbs the best talent pool regardless of gender, race, or place of origin.
Understanding Consumer Needs
Working with people from diverse backgrounds enables a company to understand its customers’ needs (Dike, 2013). For instance, a company that sells items to young black and white men must have people from the two cultures. Such a workforce is crucial in giving firm insights into consumers’ needs. Besides, Apple sells most of its devices to the Chinese market. Therefore, the company must include employees of Chinese origin across its ranks to better understand the needs of Chinese clients.
Gaining a Competitive Edge
An organization with diverse teams can also stay ahead of the competition. This is because a diverse team includes better decision-makers, more talented employees, and more innovative ones (Dike, 2013). Such a talent pool comes in handy, especially when implementing new technology or developing new products. They can leverage their competencies to develop cutting-edge products that will enable a company to stay ahead of its competitors.
Diverse Teams Focus On Facts
Another reason organizations need to prioritize diversity is because diverse teams focus on facts more than non-diverse teams (Rock & Grant, 2016). That means they are less likely to make avoidable errors that could be detrimental to the organization. Diverse groups reexamine decisions to make sure there is no chance for avoidable errors. The case may be different if an organization is embedded with a homogenous workforce since they may transfer their biases into the decision-making process. The potential biases that are entrenched in their way of thinking will go a long way to negatively affect productivity.
Strengths That Come with Diverse Teams and Weaknesses from Lack of Diversity
Strengths
A key benefit of diversity in a team is that it enhances a sense of belonging among members. A diverse team draws members from diverse cultures, races, ages, and sexualities, among others (Cletus et al., 2018). When a perceived minority group member becomes part of a much more diverse team, they will develop a sense of belonging. Research shows that employees with a high degree of belonging turn out to be more productive. For instance, an LGBTQ member working in an environment of some LGBTQ and heterosexual peers feels safe and will deliver optimally.
Diversity in a team also enhances a sense of trust. Environments that encourage diversity and inclusion often have higher levels of employee engagement (Cletus et al., 2018). Engaged employees have a higher level of emotional safety and, thus, higher levels of productivity. This is particularly important as organizations shift to remote and hybrid working models. In addition, trust helps employees feel secure and more engaged while reducing turnover.
Weaknesses
A lack of diversity in the workplace creates a hostile environment that is likely to cause a higher turnover. If employees feel like they do not fit in, they may leave the organization, leading to high turnover. The case is different for an organization that has diverse teams. Employees are attracted to an organization if they know they will meet one of their own in an organization.
Also, the lack of diversity in the workplace may lead to tone-deaf deliverables. Tone-deaf deliverables refer to brand names that may offend a segment of a company’s audience. For instance, the H&M apparel brand released a shirt brand named ‘Monkey Shirt.” The branding drew huge condemnation on social media, particularly from black audiences offended by the brand name. The company had no ulterior motives, but the absence of a diverse team to identify the derogatory branding affected the company’s reputation.
Conclusion
In summary, diversity is a crucial organizational asset. An organization that embraces and manages diversity effectively benefits from the strengths of a diverse team. Some of the benefits include enhanced innovativeness and better decision-making. Emotionally, a diverse group improves members’ sense of belonging and trust levels. On the flip side, the lack of diversity leads to workplace hostility and tone-deaf deliverables, among other negative workplace and business outcomes.
References
Biro, M. M. (2016). Apple’s Diversity and Inclusion Report Offers Lessons for All Brands. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/meghanbiro/2016/08/09/apples-diversity-and-inclusion-report-offers-lessons-for-all-brands/?sh=6028cbcf34d8.
Cletus, H. E., Mahmood, N. A., Umar, A., & Ibrahim, A. D. (2018). Prospects and Challenges of Workplace Diversity in Modern Day Organizations: A Critical Review. HOLISTICA – Journal of Business and Public Administration, 9(2), 35–52. https://doi.org/10.2478/hjbpa-2018-0011.
Dike, P. (2013). The Impact of Workplace Diversity on Organisations.
Rock, D., & Grant, H. (2016). Why Diverse Teams Are Smarter. Harvard Business Review; Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2016/11/why-diverse-teams-are-smarter
Stahl, A. (2021). 3 Benefits of Diversity in the Workplace. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/ashleystahl/2021/12/17/3-benefits-of-diversity-in-the-workplace/?sh=a3dcab622ed2.
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Question 
Unit Seven Assignment
Due 11:59 pm Sunday (EST)
In our final assignment, you will illustrate how human behavior, the many areas of diversity, our legal system,
Diversity as a Business Asset
marketing, and HR concepts are relevant to understanding and managing diversity in the workplace.
Refer to the attached document for full details and the grading rubric.
HRM305 Unit 7 Assignment and Rubric.doc HRM305 Unit 7 Assignment and Rubric.doc – Alternative Formats