Through making a conscious attempt to look beyond immediate personality preference, the manager can benefit the small or medium business by cultivating not only his own, but the rest of the employees' intercultural undersatnding and empathy.
To do this, it is suggested by HR Magazine (2005) to focus on the skills needed to do the job rather than a specific personality type to "fit in" with the company culture. If the company is to diversify and grow - issues that are important to the small or medium business - it is important to change paradigms and widen perceptions in terms of race, religion and culture.
The Quest for Equality (within organizations)
Equality is perhaps the greatest and most long-standing quest of the American nation ever since its inception. It has also been one of the most difficult ideals to achieve. The pursuit of the great "American Dream" has left many a hopeful immigrant in degradation and poverty. One needs only to examine the literature - both fiction and non-fiction - to come to an understanding of the wide scale suffering undergone by many minorities.
This is still a painful issue in many minority circles and can lead to issues such as the above-mentioned perceived racism even when not intended. When employing persons from these groups, it is therefore necessary to cultivate paradigms that result in problem solving rather than problem creation.
Trust, Respect, Equality = Problem Solving
From a minority point-of-view, the African, Hispanic and Asian-American can gain great benefits from working for an employer that values diversity. This means that the specific traits and values inherent in every specific individual in terms of race and other minority paradigms will be determined and used for the best advantage of the company. This can take many forms, from determining customer requirements, to creative thinking in terms of problem solving (Lockwood, 2005).
Minority employees working in small to medium businesses can contribute in many valuable ways if there is mutual trust and respect. The contribution of such employees may lead to valuable expansion opportunities for the company and in turn bring individual promotion opportunities for the employees themselves. Furthermore, such performance in an environment of trust and respect may also lead to enhanced performance from colleagues, regardless of racial or religious differences. This can then lead to the ultimate equality that is the ultimate American ideal.
Some indications of whether a company values diversity have been found to include diversity at the top management levels, the highest salaried employers, and the workforce as a whole. This diversity, if reflecting the environment within which the company operates, is likely to cultivate the most beneficial environment for a minority person to work. As mentioned above, this is more easily achieved in the small to medium, relatively young business. These businesses are likely to be in touch with the most recent of business and employment requirements.
As equality and trust are becoming increasingly important in general American society, these issues are also becoming vital to the survival and growth of a new business. Indeed, many a large business have been taken to court over matters of discrimination...
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