| IntroductionThe role of the Human Resource | | | | Manager needs to advocate a diverse workforce |
| Manager is evolving with the change in | | | | by making diversity evident at all |
| competitive market environment and the | | | | organizational levels. Otherwise, some |
| realization that Human Resource Management | | | | employees will quickly conclude that there is |
| must play a more strategic role in the | | | | no future for them in the company. As the HR |
| success of an organization. Organizations | | | | Manager, it is pertinent to show respect for |
| that do not put their emphasis on attracting | | | | diversity issues and promote clear and |
| and retaining talents may find themselves in | | | | positive responses to them. He/She must also |
| dire consequences, as their competitors may | | | | show a high level of commitment and be able |
| be outplaying them in the strategic | | | | to resolve issues of workplace diversity in |
| employment of their human resources.With the | | | | an ethical and responsible manner.Control and |
| increase in competition, locally or globally, | | | | Measure Results-A HR Manager must conduct |
| organizations must become more adaptable, | | | | regular organizational assessments on issues |
| resilient, agile, and customer-focused to | | | | like pay, benefits, work environment, |
| succeed. And within this change in | | | | management and promotional opportunities to |
| environment, the HR professional has to | | | | assess the progress over the long term. There |
| evolve to become a strategic partner, an | | | | is also a need to develop appropriate |
| employee sponsor or advocate, and a change | | | | measuring tools to measure the impact of |
| mentor within the organization. In order to | | | | diversity initiatives at the organization |
| succeed, HR must be a business driven | | | | through organization-wide feedback surveys |
| function with a thorough understanding of the | | | | and other methods. Without proper control and |
| organization's big picture and be able to | | | | evaluation, some of these diversity |
| influence key decisions and policies. In | | | | initiatives may just fizzle out, without |
| general, the focus of today's HR Manager is | | | | resolving any real problems that may surface |
| on strategic personnel retention and talents | | | | due to workplace diversity.Motivational |
| development. HR professionals will be | | | | ApproachesWorkplace motivation can be defined |
| coaches, counselors, mentors, and succession | | | | as the influence that makes us do things to |
| planners to help motivate organization's | | | | achieve organizational goals: this is a |
| members and their loyalty. The HR manager | | | | result of our individual needs being |
| will also promote and fight for values, | | | | satisfied (or met) so that we are motivated |
| ethics, beliefs, and spirituality within | | | | to complete organizational tasks effectively. |
| their organizations, especially in the | | | | As these needs vary from person to person, an |
| management of workplace diversity.This paper | | | | organization must be able to utilize |
| will highlight on how a HR manager can meet | | | | different motivational tools to encourage |
| the challenges of workplace diversity, how to | | | | their employees to put in the required effort |
| motivate employees through gain-sharing and | | | | and increase productivity for the company.Why |
| executive information system through proper | | | | do we need motivated employees? The answer is |
| planning, organizing, leading and controlling | | | | survival (Smith, 1994). In our changing |
| their human resources.Workplace | | | | workplace and competitive market |
| DiversityAccording to Thomas (1992), | | | | environments, motivated employees and their |
| dimensions of workplace diversity include, | | | | contributions are the necessary currency for |
| but are not limited to: age, ethnicity, | | | | an organization's survival and success. |
| ancestry, gender, physical abilities | | | | Motivational factors in an organizational |
| qualities, race, sexual orientation, | | | | context include working environment, job |
| educational background, geographic location, | | | | characteristics, appropriate organizational |
| income, marital status, military experience, | | | | reward system and so on.The development of an |
| religious beliefs, parental status, and work | | | | appropriate organizational reward system is |
| experience.The Challenges of Workplace | | | | probably one of the strongest motivational |
| DiversityThe future success of any | | | | factors. This can influence both job |
| organizations relies on the ability to manage | | | | satisfaction and employee motivation. The |
| a diverse body of talent that can bring | | | | reward system affects job satisfaction by |
| innovative ideas, perspectives and views to | | | | making the employee more comfortable and |
| their work. The challenge and problems faced | | | | contented as a result of the rewards |
| of workplace diversity can be turned into a | | | | received. The reward system influences |
| strategic organizational asset if an | | | | motivation primarily through the perceived |
| organization is able to capitalize on this | | | | value of the rewards and their contingency on |
| melting pot of diverse talents. With the | | | | performance (Hickins, 1998).To be effective, |
| mixture of talents of diverse cultural | | | | an organizational reward system should be |
| backgrounds, genders, ages and lifestyles, an | | | | based on sound understanding of the |
| organization can respond to business | | | | motivation of people at work. In this paper, |
| opportunities more rapidly and creatively, | | | | I will be touching on the one of the more |
| especially in the global arena (Cox, 1993), | | | | popular methods of reward systems, |
| which must be one of the important | | | | gain-sharing.Gain-sharing:Gain-sharing |
| organisational goals to be attained. More | | | | programs generally refer to incentive plans |
| importantly, if the organizational | | | | that involve employees in a common effort to |
| environment does not support diversity | | | | improve organizational performance, and are |
| broadly, one risks losing talent to | | | | based on the concept that the resulting |
| competitors.This is especially true for | | | | incremental economic gains are shared among |
| multinational companies (MNCs) who have | | | | employees and the company.In most cases, |
| operations on a global scale and employ | | | | workers voluntarily participate in management |
| people of different countries, ethical and | | | | to accept responsibility for major reforms. |
| cultural backgrounds. Thus, a HR manager | | | | This type of pay is based on factors directly |
| needs to be mindful and may employ a 'Think | | | | under a worker's control (i.e., productivity |
| Global, Act Local' approach in most | | | | or costs). Gains are measured and |
| circumstances. The challenge of workplace | | | | distributions are made frequently through a |
| diversity is also prevalent amongst | | | | predetermined formula. Because this pay is |
| Singapore's Small and Medium Enterprises | | | | only implemented when gains are achieved, |
| (SMEs). With a population of only four | | | | gain-sharing plans do not adversely affect |
| million people and the nation's strive | | | | company costs (Paulsen, 1991).Managing |
| towards high technology and knowledge-based | | | | Gain-sharingIn order for a gain-sharing |
| economy; foreign talents are lured to share | | | | program that meets the minimum requirements |
| their expertise in these areas. Thus, many | | | | for success to be in place, Paulsen (1991) |
| local HR managers have to undergo | | | | and Boyett (1988) have suggested a few |
| cultural-based Human Resource Management | | | | pointers in the effective management of a |
| training to further their abilities to | | | | gain-sharing program. They are as follows:A |
| motivate a group of professional that are | | | | HR manager must ensure that the people who |
| highly qualified but culturally diverse. | | | | will be participating in the plan are |
| Furthermore, the HR professional must assure | | | | influencing the performance measured by the |
| the local professionals that these foreign | | | | gain-sharing formula in a significant way by |
| talents are not a threat to their career | | | | changes in their day-to-day behavior. The |
| advancement (Toh, 1993). In many ways, the | | | | main idea of the gain sharing is to motivate |
| effectiveness of workplace diversity | | | | members to increase productivity through |
| management is dependent on the skilful | | | | their behavioral changes and working |
| balancing act of the HR manager.One of the | | | | attitudes. If the increase in the performance |
| main reasons for ineffective workplace | | | | measurement was due to external factors, then |
| diversity management is the predisposition to | | | | it would have defeated the purpose of having |
| pigeonhole employees, placing them in a | | | | a gain-sharing program.An effective manager |
| different silo based on their diversity | | | | must ensure that the gain-sharing targets are |
| profile (Thomas, 1992). In the real world, | | | | challenging but legitimate and attainable. In |
| diversity cannot be easily categorized and | | | | addition, the targets should be specific and |
| those organizations that respond to human | | | | challenging but reasonable and justifiable |
| complexity by leveraging the talents of a | | | | given the historical performance, the |
| broad workforce will be the most effective in | | | | business strategy and the competitive |
| growing their businesses and their customer | | | | environment. If the gain-sharing participants |
| base.The Management of Workplace DiversityIn | | | | perceive the target as an impossibility and |
| order to effectively manage workplace | | | | are not motivated at all, the whole program |
| diversity, Cox (1993) suggests that a HR | | | | will be a disaster.A manager must provide |
| Manager needs to change from an ethnocentric | | | | useful feedback as a guidance to the |
| view ("our way is the best way") to a | | | | gain-sharing participants concerning how they |
| culturally relative perspective ("let's take | | | | need to change their behavior(s) to realize |
| the best of a variety of ways"). This shift | | | | gain-sharing payouts The feedback should be |
| in philosophy has to be ingrained in the | | | | frequent, objective and clearly based on the |
| managerial framework of the HR Manager in his | | | | members' performance in relation to the |
| her planning, organizing, leading and | | | | gain-sharing target.A manager must have an |
| controlling of organizational resources.As | | | | effective mechanism in place to allow |
| suggested by Thomas (1992) and Cox (1993), | | | | gain-sharing participants to initiate changes |
| there are several best practices that a HR | | | | in work procedures and methods and/or |
| manager can adopt in ensuring effective | | | | requesting new or additional resources such |
| management of workplace diversity in order to | | | | as new technology to improve performance and |
| attain organizational goals. They | | | | realize gains. Though a manager must have a |
| are:Planning a Mentoring Program-One of the | | | | tight control of company's resources, |
| best ways to handle workplace diversity | | | | reasonable and justifiable requests for |
| issues is through initiating a Diversity | | | | additional resources and/or changes in work |
| Mentoring Program. This could entail | | | | methods from gain-sharing participants should |
| involving different departmental managers in | | | | be considered.Executive Information |
| a mentoring program to coach and provide | | | | SystemsExecutive Information System (EIS) is |
| feedback to employees who are different from | | | | the most common term used for the unified |
| them. In order for the program to run | | | | collections of computer hardware and software |
| successfully, it is wise to provide practical | | | | that track the essential data of a business' |
| training for these managers or seek help from | | | | daily performance and present it to managers |
| consultants and experts in this field. | | | | as an aid to their planning and |
| Usually, such a program will encourage | | | | decision-making (Choo, 1991). With an EIS in |
| organization's members to air their opinions | | | | place, a company can track inventory, sales, |
| and learn how to resolve conflicts due to | | | | and receivables, compare today's data with |
| their diversity. More importantly, the | | | | historical patterns. In addition, an EIS will |
| purpose of a Diversity Mentoring Program | | | | aid in spotting significant variations from |
| seeks to encourage members to move beyond | | | | "normal" trends almost as soon as it |
| their own cultural frame of reference to | | | | develops, giving the company the maximum |
| recognize and take full advantage of the | | | | amount of time to make decisions and |
| productivity potential inherent in a diverse | | | | implement required changes to put your |
| population.Organizing Talents | | | | business back on the right track. This would |
| Strategically-Many companies are now | | | | enable EIS to be a useful tool in an |
| realizing the advantages of a diverse | | | | organization's strategic planning, as well as |
| workplace. As more and more companies are | | | | day-to-day management (Laudon, K and Laudon, |
| going global in their market expansions | | | | J, 2003).Managing EISAs information is the |
| either physically or virtually (for example, | | | | basis of decision-making in an organization, |
| E-commerce-related companies), there is a | | | | there lies a great need for effective |
| necessity to employ diverse talents to | | | | managerial control. A good control system |
| understand the various niches of the market. | | | | would ensure the communication of the right |
| For example, when China was opening up its | | | | information at the right time and relayed to |
| markets and exporting their products globally | | | | the right people to take prompt actions.When |
| in the late 1980s, the Chinese companies | | | | managing an Executive Information System, a |
| (such as China's electronic giants such as | | | | HR manager must first find out exactly what |
| Haier) were seeking the marketing expertise | | | | information decision-makers would like to |
| of Singaporeans. This is because Singapore's | | | | have available in the field of human resource |
| marketing talents were able to understand the | | | | management, and then to include it in the |
| local China markets relatively well (almost | | | | EIS. This is because having people simply use |
| 75% of Singaporeans are of Chinese descent) | | | | an EIS that lacks critical information is of |
| and as well as being attuned to the markets | | | | no value-add to the organization. In |
| in the West due to Singapore's open economic | | | | addition, the manager must ensure that the |
| policies and English language abilities. | | | | use of information technology has to be |
| (Toh, R, 1993)With this trend in place, a HR | | | | brought into alignment with strategic |
| Manager must be able to organize the pool of | | | | business goals (Laudon, K and Laudon, J, |
| diverse talents strategically for the | | | | 2003).ConclusionThe role of the HR manager |
| organization. He/She must consider how a | | | | must parallel the needs of the changing |
| diverse workforce can enable the company to | | | | organization. Successful organizations are |
| attain new markets and other organizational | | | | becoming more adaptable, resilient, quick to |
| goals in order to harness the full potential | | | | change directions, and customer-centered. |
| of workplace diversity.An organization that | | | | Within this environment, the HR professional |
| sees the existence of a diverse workforce as | | | | must learn how to manage effectively through |
| an organizational asset rather than a | | | | planning, organizing, leading and controlling |
| liability would indirectly help the | | | | the human resource and be knowledgeable of |
| organization to positively take in its stride | | | | emerging trends in training and employee |
| some of the less positive aspects of | | | | development. |
| workforce diversity.Leading the Talk-A HR | | | | |