Benefits of a Diverse Workforce to an Organization

Diversity and Perceptions

Diversity in the workplace refers to the development of an inclusive environment with regard to individual differences. Organizations that embrace diversity therefore recruit employees with from different gender, religion, race, age, cultural background, sexual orientation, and among other differences. As such, the term diversity is not all about different ethnic or cultural backgrounds but also encompasses other employee differences. A diverse workforce may have various benefits to an organization. The video highlights some of the benefits an organization may realize from having a diverse workforce. The following are some of the benefits highlighted in the video.

According to the video, diverse employee teams tend to perform better than homogenous teams in terms of creativity, innovations, and group processes. Organizations that have diversity workforce have higher innovation levels compared to those with more homogenous workforce. Working alongside employees from different social backgrounds and with unique working styles and experiences promotes the development of creative concepts. The employees are in a better position to analyze different ideas and adopt the most promising idea. For instance, one employee may be good at developing new ideas while another one may be good at executing the idea.

Indeed, innovation is a key aspect of diversity. From Trader Joe’s case study, embracing diversity has been the key to the success of the food retailer. Trader Joe’s embraced diversity in the food industry by preparing dishes from different cultural backgrounds. The reasoning behind this is that consumers have a higher chance of trying exotic dishes while they are on holiday. The case states that, “shopping at Trader Joe’s is less a chore than it is immersion into another culture” (Osborn, Schermerhorn, & Uhl-Bien, 2013). As such, embracing foods from different cultural backgrounds has been key to the success of the retailer.

Diversity creates the talent pool for an organization

Diversity creates the talent pool for an organization. As an organization encourages diversity, it attracts a large pool of candidates to fill vacancies. Such an organization portrays an image of being a progressive organization that attracts individuals from different backgrounds. As such, the organization has a better chance of landing job applicants with great talents or creativity. Employees from different backgrounds offer an organization different skills, experiences, talents, and ideas. All these are critical to the success of the organization in the current competitive global market. A diverse workforce improves employee engagement. Employee engagement is an approach whereby the organization seeks to create the best working conditions for all employees so that they may realize their maximum productivity. Employees are more comfortable in work environments that promote diversity and inclusivity. As such, employees in such environments are likely to be more productive.

Diverse workforce in an organization helps in creating customer orientation

Another benefit of a diverse workforce in an organization is in creating a customer orientation. Customer orientation relates to the ability of the organization to reflect the diversity of the customers they serve. The organization must seek ways of relating to its customer base, which comprise of people from different cultural backgrounds, race, age, and other differences. By embracing diversity, an organization truly reflects its diverse customer base. The ability of the organization to relate with people from different backgrounds increases its market share. Trader Joe’s management encourages its employees to relate with customers in order to obtain feedback about their products (Osborn, Schermerhorn, & Uhl-Bien, 2013). On numerous occasions, customers have recommended particular items. By embracing diversity, Trader Joe’s management is likely to develop new items basing on customer recommendations.