Apple's Diversity Experience

Question 1: Apple’s Diversity Policies 

APPLE multinational technology as a company is committed to cultivate, foster, and preserve a culture of inclusion in diversity. The company’s most treasured asset is its human capital. Welcoming the diversity of individual’s life experiences, inventiveness, knowledge, unique capabilities, innovation, and talent represents a significant part of our culture and achievements as well as the company’s reputation. Markedly, our company encourages and embraces employees' differences in race, age, ethnicity, disability, gender identity, marital status, language, nationality, physical and mental disability, religion, political affiliation, social-economic status, veteran status, and many other characteristics that make our employee unique.

Correspondingly, APPLE multinational technology company has established diversity approaches. The policies apply to the policies and practices on recruitment, benefits, and compensations, professional training and development, promotions, transfers, terminations, social and recreational programs. In addition to the ongoing expansion of a work environment built on the basis of diversity and gender equity that encourages cooperation and proper communication amongst employees (Hewlett et al. 2013). Similarly, the initiative encourages teamwork and employee participation at work places, therefore, allowing representations of all groups.

On the same note, all APPLE employees have a duty and responsibility to appreciate and treat others with respect and dignity at all times. In essence, the staffs must exhibit proper conduct that reflects inclusivity at work, off the work sites, and any other participative and company-sponsored events. Any employee reported to have exhibited inappropriate conduct against others is subjected to the company's disciplinary actions. Besides, employees who have been subjected to discriminations that violate the company's diversity initiatives are free to seek assistance and guidance from the HR representatives; the approach is to improve the existing company's diversity policies.

Question 2: Diversity inspires innovations 

Embracing diverse experiences from different cultures in the company can instigate creativity and initiate innovation because culture influences the manner in which people perceive the world. The multi-cultural international team provides a wider range of viewpoints and perspectives that offer ranging professional and personal experiences, which may inspire employees to view the world and workplaces differently (Hewlett, Marshall, & Sherbin 2013). Different employees thought has given birth to creativity and driven innovation, hence, helping to resolve problems thus meeting customers' demands in exciting new ways.

On the same note, the company becomes innovative because of a wider range of options offered by a culturally diverse talent from the pools that allows the organization to attract the best talents in the market and retain their veterans in the company. Furthermore, diverse groups promote creativity and innovation because the team can think out of the box. Similarly, diversity allows and enables an organization to understand its customer base correctly, as a result of creativity to meet the customers' needs. Likewise, diversity provides staffs that are likely to have a different thought process, cultures, backgrounds, and beliefs, which are paramount to creativity and innovations hence brings change in an organization. Also, a diverse group gives a company people who think differently and can make customers and the organizations to see an idea in a new way.

Question 3: Comparison of Apple’s Diversity Policies to Samsung’s 

Apple close competitor is Samsung Company that also provides a wider range of products that include mobile phones. Notably, the company's diversity policies are slightly comparable to our Company. First, Samsung has established a rotational job schedule because they believe that diversity in organizations is not limited to gender, sex, or race but is also due to employees knowledge about other departments and job functions. To them, job rotation enables their staffs to learn what their colleagues do and how their work contributes to the overall success of the company, which, in turn, motivate employees to respect each other and build relationships from their diverse workplace environments.

Moreover, Samsung hosts a monthly cultural celebration apart from the known Christmas and Thanksgiving holidays, to welcome diversity of their employees’ backgrounds, religions, and values. Additionally, the company teaches their employees one foreign language, which is Spanish because it is one of the most spoken languages in Europe, as their way to welcome diverse. To Samsung teaching their staffs a new language enriches their perception on diversity and enlightens them on the importance to appreciate other people.

Question 4, part 1: Strategies to improve Diversity 

Identifying new pools of talents beyond the company's traditional hiring sources is one strategy that aims to search for fresh talents beyond organizations and university graduates at times of talent scarcity. Markedly, identification of new pools of recruitment provides a wider range of options for the company to leverage and identify new talents externally and internally (Morgan& Várdy 2009). The company needs to attract recruits and retain veterans by accommodating their diverse differences as well as avoid the command and control culture, which is a hindrance in most corporate environments. Furthermore, the company must provide the necessary training and support that will enable all employees to assimilate and be successful.

The company should embrace diversity as part of the company's brand to show the world that our Company is united in spite of our staffs' diverse backgrounds, thus is a sign of welcoming all groups at our work place. Therefore, the best way to show is by embracing diversity as a brand. Meaning, the company can develop a strategy to invest in diversity by offering internship and scholarship programs to some if not all unrepresented groups of people in the society. Alternatively, the company may create a Facebook page or blogs that will highlight our awards for our inclusivity and support of diversity in our organization.

Looking beyond compliance is the initial step to building an inclusive organization, which understands that diversity is beyond compliance with affirmative action initiatives and filling quotas. Means that organizations need to establish a workforce which is diverse just like their customers base, then use it to drive their business. It is evident from various reports that whenever people from different cultures, backgrounds, and belief systems are properly integrated brings with them a wider range of perspectives, thought processes, and work styles that spark creativity and expands innovation as well as enable the company gets closer to customers.

Question 4, Part 2: Managerial Challenges due to Diversity 

Poor communication among employees is a major challenge to managers, as a diverse work environment is composed of different age groups, ethnic groups, religions, and sexes among many others (Green et al2011). The differences come with a variety of communication styles that become barriers within organizations. The hindrances result in misunderstanding amongst employees due to their different backgrounds, which then leads to poor relationships and misinterpretations in the office.

Resistance to change by employees is another major problem for managers. Staffs resist diversity plans because of the changes it is likely to bring even when the changes are positive in their working environment. Conversely, other employees are reluctant to embrace the managers' diversity plan, which has made implementation and maintenance of the plan harder to companies. Instead of enjoying the multicultural advantage, negative attitude by some employees' damages morale, slows down change, and reduce productivity in the organization.

The other problem is the management of diversity in the company. It is a challenge to effectively manage the changes in policies once the diversity plan is implemented. One problem that causes mismanagement is due to the adoption of inappropriate approach in solving diversity problems.

Question 4, Part 3: Benefits of diversity 

Several reports indicate that diversity has more benefits other than the benefit it adds to the company's image; in that case, it is evident that diversity increases the levels of innovation in an organization. In a diverse group, people are likely to contribute their different perspectives, which lead to better and effective decision making in an organization. Due to diversity, people are willing to share their unique experiences; this sparks employees to adopt a sympathetic and holistic approach to problem-solving in companies, thus, increasing innovations. As a result, employees become smarter due to their heterogeneous status.

Insight and knowledge of the local market make a business more profitable and competitive in a multicultural environment. Arguably, products must be properly adopted for them to be accepted overseas; therefore, understanding local regulations, laws, customs, and competitive landscape helps businesses to thrive. Furthermore, understanding cultures, native language skills, and local connections boost and help business to develop exponentially at international level.

Local knowledge, insight, and cultural diversity results to the production of high quality and establishment of effective marketing strategy. For instance, culturally sensitive and high-quality translations of brochures, websites, and other assets are essential yet can be disregarded without the help of a native speaker.

References 

Green, K. A., López, M., Wysocki, A., & Kepner, K. (2011). Diversity in the Workplace.

Hewlett, S. A., Marshall, M., & Sherbin, L. (2013). How diversity can drive innovation. Harvard Business Review, 91(12), 30-30.

Hewlett, S. A., Marshall, M., Sherbin, L., & Gonsalves, T. (2013). Innovation, Diversity and Market Growth. Center for Talent Innovation.

Morgan, J., & Várdy, F. (2009). Diversity in the Workplace. The American Economic Review, 99(1), 472-485.