Diversity And Demographic Characteristics

Diversity and Demographic Characteristics

Introduction

Diversity relates to gender, age, language, ethnicity, cultural background, disability, sexual orientation or religious belief, including that people are different in other respects such as educational level, job function, socio-economic background, personality profile, marital status and whether or not one has family. Diversity and demographic differences can impact individual behavior by creating conflict in the workplace. The success of an organization depends on the workforce of the organization. A workforce made up of diverse individuals from different backgrounds can bring the best talent to an organization. There are many types of diversity and demographic characteristics and each one has an impact on individual behavior. Ethnicity, gender, age and personality traits diversity will be discussed along with an examination of the impact each of these have on individual behavior.

Ethnicity

Today, there are more and more ethnic people joining the workforce of the United States. Since the United States is considered the land of opportunity, more people from different backgrounds have migrated to our country over the past 100+ years to obtain work. Now, due to an increase in globalization and companies becoming more diverse, we are seeing even more people of ethnic backgrounds relocating to the United States for opportunities. With the increase in education, this is bringing forth many individuals of whom tend to have a great deal of input into organizations that otherwise would not have happened. These individuals bring a vast array of knowledge from their culture and beliefs. They tend to see things differently and have afforded companies to understand the needs of people throughout the world.

Gender

Gender characteristics are one the most visible of the diverse and demographic characteristics within an organization. Historically speaking, women truly have not been a part of the workforce for very long yet they often bring new and refreshing ideas and approaches. Debra Burrell, the regional training director of the Mars-Venus Institute in New York says, "Women managers tend to have more of a desire to build than a desire to win. Women are more willing to explore, compromise, and to solicit other people's opinions." By contrast, men often think if they ask other people for advice, they'll be perceived as unsure or as a leader who doesn't have answers. Debra Burrell says, "Men tend to be quicker at making decisions, compared to women. Male managers are also more adept at forming what management psychologist Ken Siegel calls "navigational relationships," or temporary teams set up to achieve short term goals." Men also tend to be decisive, logical, aggressive, and often more independent than woman. As men and woman work more closely together, they are learning from one another and picking up characteristics from one another; thus improving the quality of working relationships and becoming more productive.

Age

With the fact that today's workplace has individuals that vary in age; most employees can be placed into one of 4 categories: Mature, Baby Boomer, Generation X'ers and Millenials. The members of each group, based on age, are generally easy to identify; however definitely have different characteristics. The Mature group consists of people born prior to 1946. Generally speaking, members within this group have a high respect for authority, place duty before pleasure, are patient, avoid challenging the system and are dedicated to the project or job once he or she accepts the job position. They also place a high value on honor and integrity. The Baby Boomers are primarily characterized by a sense that they live to work, maintain a sense of optimism, willing to go into debt, count on future income, and strive for convenience and personal gratification. They also are team and process oriented. Additionally, many are taking steps to try to preserve their youth. The Generation X'ers are born between 1965 and 1980. Their characteristics are work to live - not live to work, view jobs more in terms of a contract, and believe in clear and consistent expectations. They usually stay at jobs longer if there are promotional opportunities. They also desire versatility. The Millenial's characteristics are almost at the other end of the spectrum from that of the Mature group. Millenials appear to be living in the moment, rely on technology to perform as much of the assignment as possible, "demand" clear and consistent expectations to ensure productivity and either question or challenge many things. This group is the most diverse demographically.

Personality Traits

There are several types of personality traits that are used within an organization. A person's personality consists of not only mental traits, but physical traits as well. Understanding a personality, although difficult, is important as

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