CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN WORKPLACE AND ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE

ABSTRACT

In work environments, people of different cultures and backgrounds have to work together, so they are able to interact and communicate on a daily basis. This can be exciting and interesting, yet it also brings about frustrations and uncertainties at times. It therefore becomes essential for any progressive organization to continuously seek ways to embrace and address these changes. Therefore, the study examines the effects of work place diversity on organizational performance of teaching and non-teaching staff of Babcock University. The study adopted survey research design. The study adopted a simple random sampling technique to sample the employee from the population. The data for the study were collected through the use of questionnaires. The data collected were analysis using descriptive statistics and regression which were use to test the effects of work place diversity on organizational performance. All the analyses were carried out using SPSS. The result of the analysis reveals that employee culture has significant effect on organisational productivity; employee personality has effect on organizational profitability and employee behaviour has significant effect on organisational efficiency. The recommend that the environment and top management should be equally supportive for both teaching and non teaching staff otherwise, the Organizational Performance can be declined. The study concludes that work place diversity has effect on organizational performance.

Keywords: Organizational Performance, Cultural Diversity, Productivity, Profitability, Efficiency, Workplace Cultural Diversity, Culture, Personality, Employee Behaviour, Organizational Performance Elements.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1. Background to the Study

Globally, in the business world of today, most businesses and organizations are faced with several problems as relating to their organizational or business performance. One of such problems is in the area of human management which refers to the utilization of human resources effectively and efficiently in order to achieve an organizations goals and objectives. An organizational performance lies on the overall efforts of its employees, that is, how well an organization manages its workforce towards productivity and overall business performance.

In USA, there is difficulty blending multiple personalities into a cohesive and unified team. This can be an enormous issue, regardless whether the team is part of the executive suite, special project team in an R&D lab, or an operating team in a production facility. People’s personalities vary widely, and the diversity of backgrounds, opinions, views, and experiences can cause challenges for teams. This creates a unique set of potential issues and opportunities. If an organization can get people to come into alignment to support common objectives, a diverse team of leaders can produce amazing results, take on the demands of customers, and meet the threat of competitors. However, if organizational leaders stay in their silos, protect their own “turf,” fail to share information, refuse to collaborate on shared problems, or lack the ability to think with an entrepreneurial mindset, the organization will under-produce, (Zammuto, 2012).

In Europe, some organizations have a lot of hardworking people who have good intentions. However, despite their experience in the service industry, their technical talent and the that many leaders bring to the table, creating a high-performance organization is often still out of reach, (O’Sullivan, & Lazonick, 2006). Sometimes leaders are aware of their behavioral shortcomings; in other cases, they are blind to their leadership deficits. People inside the organization are often afraid to candidly say what they think, and helping enormously successful leaders with their Achilles heels can be tricky. Leading and managing an organization is a complex task that requires a unique mix of skill leaders who have to utilize their natural strengths, they also have to search relentlessly for ways to close their own performance gaps and improve their behavior. Without continuous improvement, an organization’s capabilities will be severely limit In short, if leaders don’t constantly raise their game, they will suck all the energy and employ engagement out of an organization. Leaders need to be constantly aware of and working on their personal opportunities for improvement.