Design the WSBC (White Sea and Baltic company) diversity strategy

Managing a Diverse Workforce
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Managing a Diverse Workforce
* Introduction
The advancements in technology and the growth of the global economy have brought people of the world together than before. Businesses and other entities are establishing approaches of better serving their constituents. This details the need to understand how to attract and retain the best and most qualified employees within an organization. Organizations that have the capacity to employ and develop the necessary procedures and policies to attract and retain the best and qualified employees maintain their competitive advantagein the market(Milliken et al, 2003, pg.36). In this case, to achieve success and maintain a competitive edge in the market, organizations need to draw on the most essential and significant resources that include skills and competency of the workforce. With the increasing richness of diversity within the global economy and in the workforce, organizations need to expand their outlook and incorporate strategies aimed at integrating the benefits of diversity in their operations. Employees are considerably better placed in providing these resources, an aspect that denotes the rationale for this study. This paper gives a research report that recommends an effective diversity strategy to the managers of WSBC. This is evidently supported by WSBC’s management’s support of diversity strategies derived towards influencingthe organization's most fundamental objectives and long-term goals.
* Background of Company
The White Sea & Baltic Company Ltd (WSBC) is one of the leading UK based chemical distributors. The establishment was founded in 1880 as part of the Willington’s Group, a family owned business venture that was operated independently. The White Sea & Baltic Company Ltd (WSBC) currently provides employment to 13 employees, with 7 of these deployed in the sales department, 3 in the customer care unit, two accountants, and a single logistics manager. On the other hand, WSBC’s organizationfollows the flat structure that provides a clear distinction between the firm’s sales and customer care initiatives. The White Sea & Baltic Company Ltd (WSBC) is considered to have achieved its organic growth through the acquisition of other business ventures as an approach aimed at enhancing its portfolio. The company currently engages in the distribution of a broad range of chemicals to different markets. Exports have considerably raised the firm’s sales over the past five years, currently reflecting a 20% growth of the company’s total sales, hence attributing to the company’s growth (Kaplan, 2001, pg.356). The company needs a comprehensive diversity strategy that takes into consideration the company’s existing organizational practices and developmental plans for improvement. Factors to consider include the firm’s limitations in hiring due to low turnover, the laxity of the managers in training and development of employeesin order to the align to the company’s strategic plans among other issues.
* Diversity Management In the Workplace
A traditional definition of diversity focuses primarily on the differences that relate to ethnicity, age, gender, and race. Organizations subscribing to these definitions, therefore, support individuals from different backgrounds inclusively through programs that include training and affiliate groups that are targeted towards enhancing engagements within the organization. However, best practice organizations view diversity in broader terms that encompass the very differences existing between different cultures in different locations across the world (Miller et al, 2009, pg.756). The inclusion of a wider view on the concept of diversity opens a window to see diversity as an opportunity to learn and engage with others, thus leveraging multiple strategies to problem solving, innovation and creativity.
Managing different employees within a multicultural business environment may prove challenging for managers as established in the case of WSBC. However, increasing diversity within a workplace remains a beneficial aspect to an organization. Diverse employees provide a wider array of talents that relate better to various customers (Powell & Graves, 2003, pg.560). Dissimilarities among employees due to variables in their characteristics may erode an organization since unfair treatments to one sect or race are considered as immoral and may prove illegal. More so, diversity may help an organization maintain its competitive advantage through the utilization of a wider range of creative ideologies.
Diversity is considered as a growing reality that organizations, especially high end and large ones need to address explicitly through the organizational culture. It should be recognized, acknowledged, appreciated, and dealt with as a source of creativity, richness, and cross-cultural recognition. The management of diversity is not perceived only as a social, moral, or conscience aspect that affects the performance and results of an organization. This pushes stakeholders and the managers within the organization to establish effective approaches to handling diversity issues within the organization by rewarding the employees who deal correctly with the issue (Powell & Graves, 2003, pg.561). In other words, an organization's effort aimed at managing diversity means the acknowledgment of the differences that exist between people and recognizing that these variables are significant in enhancing sound management practices through the mitigation of discrimination and the promotion of inclusivity. Among some of the common consequences of non-diversity within a work environment is the inclusion of portions of individuals, thus risking a social gap, stereotyping, and fundamentalism in leading civil unrest.
Diversity management in general pertains to approaches aimed at tackling proactive actions that relate to an organizations climate in minimizing the threats of diversity and in maximizing the opportunities of this element. Thus the management of diversity requires a complete understanding that through diversity, an organization is in a position to achieve its goals since it culminates the differences and similarities between individuals with the aim of accruing an advantage (Powell & Graves, 2003, pg.564). Considering the growing trends towards teamwork, pushing employees to work more and efficiently would therefore profit an organization and its employees in taking advantage of the teams pluses and alleviating the minuses.
This denotes the need of harnessing the differences that exist between individuals in propelling the objectives of the organization. Diversity management in the White Sea & Baltic Company Ltd (WSBC) would, therefore, provide a wider pool of competencies upon proper management, an aspect that is likely to increase cohesion between teams and minimize internal conflicts within the work environment. Given this, it is significant to note that the success of the White Sea & Baltic Company Ltd (WSBC) in managing diversity would require the organization to secure better interpersonal communication approaches between its employees and an increase in the employee’s creativity and innovation (Powell & Graves, 2003, pg.565). On the other hand, the White Sea & Baltic Company Ltd (WSBC) may take consideration of approaches aimed at managing the manner in which it recruits and retains its employees and improve its employee’s performance for the satisfaction of its stakeholders.
* Key Organisational Diversity Strategy Goals and Benefits
WSBC’s limitations in fully incorporating the prospects of diversity in the functions of its organization, details the firms weakness and lack of capacity to hire and train its employees, thus positing the need for a diversity strategy.The regional and global changes regarding demographics and the continual growth of the organization remains dependent on attracting, training, and retaining qualified employees who have the capacity to offer different perspectives and understand the diverse backgrounds of the clients and communities they serve (Jackson & Joshi, 2004, pg.678). Managing diversity in an organization is a challenging task which is subject to several dynamics that requires managers to consider several approaches aimed at providing inclusivity to different individuals within the organization. WSBCneeds to work diligently towards incorporating an efficient diversity program into the workplace that includes:
* Developing a Diversity Program Aligned to the Organizations Strategic Plans
One of the key elements to WSBC’s long-term success in the inclusion of a diversity program remains in developing a diversity strategy through the use of the same goal-setting approach utilized in the formulation of its business goals. This will enable the organization to determine the goal of diversity in its operations that is geared towards enhancing the firm’s competitiveness through the advancement of innovation. This will additionally enable the organization to define its broad diversity focus and set strategic plans that involves the inclusion of strategic goals and specified timelines established to reach the benchmarks and measuring approaches of the progress(Mannix & Neale, 2005, pg.36). Additionally, this will considerably provide direction in promoting actions led by employees. In this case, having a well-defined strategy will help WSBC attain its organizational goal’s that rely on providing better services to its clients, creating an inclusive workplace culture, recruiting and retaining its highly qualified and talented diverse personnel, and implementing programs which will create a pipeline for the nurturing of future talents.
* Creating a Diversity Committee and Teams
Employee buy-in remains an essential element in accomplishing the goals of an organization's diversity program. In order for WSBC to achieve the employeebuy-in, the company needs to create a stand-alone diversity team and committee that provide representation to all the faces of the company’s workforce. This will not only include the firm's top executives but necessitating the need for the organization's leadership to play a significant role in the process(Bunderson & Sutcliffe, 2002, pg. 876). The leaders are consequently required to empower the diversity committee to develop a viable diversity statement which is consistent with the organization's goals, thus denying the need for effective communication and training in developing programs that support diversity. These programs may include diversity workshops, mentoring, and the creation of workplace affinity within employee resource groups.
* Encouraging Employee Participation and Involvement
WSBC leaders need to ensure that the employees are encouraged to participate in civic and professional activities such as training that promote diversity within the organization. Involvement in these activities provides an excellent platform that spurs networking among the employees, thus fostering collaboration among them, with this considered to be effective in enhancing a larger pool of diverse employees (Richard et al, 2004, pg.257). On the other hand, WSBC also needs to ensure the community is additionally involved in these programs since this benefits the organization by strengthening the relationships that exist between the employees and the clients serviced in the market. WSBC may develop approaches that would bring together other organizations in developing Diversity Recruitment Consortium that incorporate innovative programs, strategies, practices, and processes aimed at increasing the diversity of executive and professional talent in organizations.
* Ensure Deliberacy in the Hiring Practices
WSBC’s effort to grow a diverse work force may not just happen quickly, but requires the organization to ensure it makes a deliberate and intentional conduct towards hiring authentic (Sinclair, 2000, pg.243). In the event that the pool of qualified employees the organization is looking for fails to meet the thresholds of a diverse demographic of the region or the customers served, the company may alternatively choose to expand its search beyond its traditional hiring process.
*  Management Contribution in Achieving WSBC Business Objectives
The management plays a significant role in ensuring that the continual growth of an organization remains dependent on practices directed towards attracting, training, and retaining qualified employees who have the capacity to offer differe...