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DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT PROPOSAL 7

Diversity Management Proposal

Brittany Ranck

Rasmussen College

Author’s Note: This paper is being submitted on Friday, February 24, 2017.

Diversity Management Proposal

Problem

1. Description of the problem

The fact that the workplace is populated with people from different generation cohorts that include the Generation X, baby boomers and the millennial is no longer news. The millennial that are the youngest started to enter the workforce in the past one decade, and just like any other generation, the older generation was thrown for a loop by the younger generation. Conflicts concerning communication, values and other work processes have been inevitable in many corporations (Lyons & Kuron, 2014). The workforce has different expectations based on their age, and when the expectations are not met due to the generational gap, conflicts arise thus affecting the normal operation of the business.

1. How the problem is a diversity issue

The generational gap is a diversity issue because it involves people from different generations who live their lives differently and have different goals and expectations in the workplace (Lyons & Kuron, 2014).

1. What is lost when solution offered is not adopted

Despite the fact that people can never be the same in a corporate environment, the issue of the generational gap if not solved may affect the working relationship of employees within a firm and the aftermath is the company’s productivity and performance being negatively affected.

1. Analysis of the factors contributing to generational gap issue

The diversity issue of generational gap affects both the employees and the management within a business. The most affected part of the discussions as a result of the generational gap is the working relationships that influence productivity. The problem of the generational gap has always been there as generations keep on changing due to technology. Business implications include poor productivity and failure to gain competitive advantage. For instance, conflicts within the company due to different goals may hinder the workforce to maximize their full potentials.

Solution

My proposal will help Robinson company to bridge the gap between the various generations in the enterprise.

1. The solution

The solutions include keeping the workforce engaged and connected, creating mentoring opportunities, when assigning tasks, the company should look beyond experience and skills and find productive ways of dealing with conflicts (Miller, 2014).

1. Top three criteria for selecting the solutions

The solutions are cost effective as all of them do not require financial resources to implement, it is time-saving as they can be aligned with other functions of management and be applied simultaneously. Miller (2014) indicates that they do not possess an external specialized skill as any leader in the organization can be assigned the task. In the case that the company would choose to employ people from the same generation as a solution, the implications would be that the chosen generation may not be more productive and productivity involves pooling skills from a variety of individuals from diverse backgrounds.

1. Objections

Possible objection includes the effectiveness and sustainability of the solutions. However, the solution offered captures the cultures, and they focus more on pooling skills rather that age.

1. People to be involved in the solution

The solution includes the management and the employee’s efforts.

1. How the solution will make generational gap better

The solution will improve the effects of the generational gap by bridging the diversity among the employees.

1. Why the solution should be implemented

The solution should be applied as it will help generations see past their biases and embrace working together towards achieving a common objective (Ricco & Guerci, 2014).

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The plan

1. Implementation

In using the solution, it will follow the following stages; planning and preparing the solution, implement and monitor the solution and finally review and analyze the success of the action (Ricco & Guerci, 2014).

1. Specific deadlines

Planning and preparations will take place the first three days, implementation and monitoring will follow for another three days and reviewing and analyzing the success of the solution will be held within two months after implementing and monitoring.

1. Possible challenges

Employee’s resistance to change that will be solved by providing training for the upcoming changes. Lack of consensus which will be solved by engaging the company’s management so that they can get onboard if they have reservations.

1. Measuring success

The success of the solution will be measured through comparing the firm’s performance before and after the solution implementation.

Conclusion

1. Summary

The solution offered include keeping the workforce engaged and connected, creating mentoring opportunities, assigning tasks without being biased, and find productive ways of dealing with conflicts will be implemented. The deployment will be through a three-stage strategy that involves planning and preparing the solution, deploy and monitor the solution and finally review and analyze the success of the action will be undertaken.

1. Call to action

To create an enabling environment, implementing the proposed solutions is primary (Sarma, 2014). Through the program, Robinson Company will achieve an environment that encourages rational and kind behavior which solely depends on respect rather than age.

References

Lu, A. C. C., & Gursoy, D. (2016). Impact of job burnout on satisfaction and turnover intention: do generational differences matter?. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 40(2), 210-235.

Lyons, S., & Kuron, L. (2014). Generational differences in the workplace: A review of the evidence and directions for future research. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 35(S1), S139-S157.

Miller B. (2014) “How to bridge the workplace generational gap.” Entrepreneur. Retrieved from: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/234314

Riccò, R., & Guerci, M. (2014). Diversity challenge: An integrated process to bridge the ‘implementation gap’. Business Horizons, 57(2), 235-245.

Sarma, K. A. D. J. J. (2014). Generation gaps revisited. Foundations of Genetic Algorithms 1993 (FOGA 2), 2, 19.