MANAGING WORKPLACE DIVERSITY: ISSUES AND CHALLENGES

Course overview

Course Description: This course is based upon material published in the journal Sage Open and is available as an open access article. ABSTRACT Diversity management is a process intended to create and maintain a positive work environment where the similarities and differences of individuals are valued. The literature on diversity management has mostly emphasized on organization culture; its impact on diversity openness; human resource management practices; institutional environments and organizational contexts to diversity-related pressures, expectations, requirements, and incentives; perceived practices and organizational outcomes related to managing employee diversity; and several other issues. The current study examines the potential barriers to workplace diversity and suggests strategies to enhance workplace diversity and inclusiveness. It is based on a survey of 300 IT employees. The study concludes that successfully managing diversity can lead to more committed, better satisfied, better performing employees and potentially better financial performance for an organization. This course on managing workplace diversity is designed for professional counselors, social workers, psychologists, nurses, and substance abuse counselors who do work in a multicultural environment. Given the focus on management, this course is ideal for supervisors and managers of all levels. This course is appropriate for beginning, intermediate and advanced level practitioners who wish to develop their understanding of workplace diversity. The course is based on a journal article which includes research. As such it contains statistical analysis and data which some clinicians enjoy reading and others do not. One of the benefits of reading research based articles for continuing education is that it allows the practitioner to keep current on the latest findings in their field. Authors: Patrick and Kumar Learning Objectives: This course will provide the practitioner with detailed information regarding management of workplace diversity. Specifically, a professional will: ¿ Describe current literature on workplace diversity. ¿ Identify barriers to workplace diversity. ¿ Describe strategies to enhance workplace diversity. Citation: Patrick, H.A. and Kumar, V.R. (2012). Managing workplace diversity: Issues and challenges. Sage Open, April-June 2012: 1¿15