Advantage of Having a Diverse Workforce

An advantage of having a diverse workforce, says Dr. Lisa Newland, chair of the social work department at Molloy College, is the opportunity for learning from each other.  An example of this is an open conversation that took place in a leadership class I attended this semester.  While Dr. Newland presented a marvelous presentation on diversity, the conversation that took place afterwards was extremely valuable.  We all opened up and shared our experiences with diversity and how we could explore more opportunities for conversations with others who are different than us, whether in thought, culture, religion, educational background, etc.  The key is to remain open.

"Building cultural diversity into the business plan can help a company expand its market" (DuBrin, 2016)  Why is this important?  In today's world, one must be more than globally aware; we must be globally diverse thought leaders.  One advantage of being a diverse workplace is the inclusivity of others who are different from you.  This allows for open dialog and opportunities for personal and professional growth.  It also brings substance to team exercises when there are different ways of looking at things.  Team building is a very important component in today's workplace.  Having diversity among teams greatly adds to the richness of conversations and better outcomes due to expanded opinions.

However, I do have one area that I could use some assistance with:  language barriers.  Recently, I have been working on a project with someone in my organization who is from India.  While he is highly intelligent and a good collaborator, I find it hard at times to understand him.  I feel bad when I ask him to repeat himself but he happily does.  I could use some tips on how to better handle this communication barrier.

This week's activities have greatly helped me grow in my expanding knowledge of diversity.  For example, the generational diversity exercises have been extremely helpful.  While I am aware there are differences between generations, until now, I have not been able to articulate how I can learn from other generations and how I can use this knowledge to assist me with guiding other generations in understanding me.  In addition to generational diversity, I have also learned how to consider the diversity of dimensions in cultural values that each of us bring to the table everyday.  While I may have a strong time orientation, those who work for me may not.  I need to continue to pay attention to these nuances when interacting with not only my staff but others I come in contact with in work teams or other situations.


DuBrin, Andrew (2016). Leadership: Research Findings, Practice, and Skills (page 449). Mason, OH. Cengage Learning.