Change Management and Workplace Diversity

The objective of this paper is to present different issues related to Human Resource Management. The specific focus of the paper is on the role that innovation plays in the execution of change strategies for companies. In addition, the paper focus specifically in the manner in which technology facilitates change implementation in the contemporary corporate world. Thirdly, the paper explores issues of workplace diversity, including how an extant workforce may benefit from welcoming workplace diversity and the benefits and opportunities that such a workplace may experience because of diversity. The paper finds that innovation provides a mechanism for dealing with the ever-changing world without deviating from the real objectives of change even while new issues keep emerging. An additional finding is that is found that the use of technology could of critical importance in dealing with both external and internal pressures and expectations. Lastly, workplace diversity, as the paper notes, is useful in orientating the workforce to the pressures of globalization from which it stems. 

Strategic innovation is among the most citied topics within the world of business in the contemporary world. Managers and leaders alike have a problem of dealing with change management for the fact that the corporate world is characterized by a continuous flux, and that things are transforming at a very fast pace, including client expectations, best practices, and markets. The challenge in this issues is that it is usually appears that ideas change shape or something new comes up in terms of an alternative as soon as managers and leaders wrap their head around it (Pisano, 2015). Therefore, this trend suggests that leaders and managers need the skill of innovation if they have to strike a balance between the business objectives of their institutions and the forces of change that affect their operations. Research on the topic role of innovation in change management reports that innovation is fundamental in developing of organizational culture needed for effective change management (Pisano, 2015). According to this perspective, innovative managers find the best ways of rallying their staff to support their ideas of change. Put simply, innovation is a useful ingredient in effective change management. 

Change is the only thing in the contemporary turbulent business world that appears to remain constant (Kearns, 2014). Competitive, economic and social pressure are now compelling businesses into rethinking and reengineering the manner in which they provision their products and services. Such pressures stem from external sources such as clients and competitors to ensure that the companies provide more products for lowered prices as well as managerial pressures to improve quality, maximize efficiency, and reduce costs. The use of technology could of critical importance in this regard since it provides a means of attaining such goals. As Kearns (2004) notes, legacy systems could be more costly and too inefficient when compared to the modern technological solutions. The innovation of technologies needs organizations to have the relevant new skills as well as knowledge for the same. Managers are supposed to infuse the right technologies into their change strategies while hoping to reduce the costs of operation and maximizing the customer value through provision of high quality products and other expectations. The role of technology is not limited to such issues but extends to the improvement of managerial efficiencies in terms of Human Resources Management through scientific approaches to management (Kearns, 2014). In addition, technology plays a critical role in the improvement of the levels of innovation for managers, which resonates with findings in extant literature on the role of technology in innovation such as (Kearns, 2014). 

Globalization has emerged as one of the trends in business management in the recent years, and it has been occasioned by the development of technologies for social networking such as the internet. It means that companies now have a broader base for recruitment of workers than they used to have in the past. Such a scenario brings into consideration the issue of workplace diversity. Although there could be other definitions for the same, workplace diversity refers to the recognition and valuing of the diverse background of employees in terms of issues such as their cultural backgrounds, their gender, sexual orientation, age, marital statuses, religion, and other issues (Bedi, Lakra and Gupta, 2014). Though there are challenges associated with it, it is worth mentioning that employees are bound to benefit from a diverse workplace in different ways. One of the most obvious and widely reported benefit of a diverse workforce is the fact that it contributes to innovativeness, which studies argue that it offers a way of offsetting talent shortage (Bedi, Lakra and Gupta, 2014). To this point, it should be noted that diversity at the workplace is useful because it brings people of different beliefs, perceptions, and understandings that could be useful during problem solving. In addition, the same cited study indicates that having a diverse workplace allows the employees to learn of the real pressure and benefits of globalization. For instance, the employees are likely to learn that globalization places pressure on them to improve constantly and create a strong competitive advantage of their institutions. 

A more diverse workplace is likely to create opportunities that will improve the workplace. One of such opportunities is the ability of the workforce to learn of the diverse needs of their clients (Bedi, Lakra and Gupta, 2014). Specifically, having a diverse workforce would mean that firms have first-hand information concerning the cultural beliefs and other aspects associated with their target market, which the diverse employees represent. This factor, according to extant literature, provides an opportunity for the creation of a strong competitive advantage (Bedi, Lakra and Gupta, 2014). Competitive advantage has emerged as a compulsory factor for firms that want to stay productive in the dynamic and competitive environment of business and outdo stiff competition. A more diverse workplace offers opportunities for effective decision-making, which is occasioned by the existence of different perspectives towards potential solutions to one problem (Bedi, Lakra and Gupta, 2014). During brainstorming the possible solutions to a single problem, the process may benefit from the existence of different ideas obtained from diverse experiences. It means, therefore, the employees have opportunities for self-improvement because of the learning experiences they obtain from their interactions with individuals from different backgrounds. 

In summary, the complexities of the workplace stem from the dynamics of the corporate world. For example, globalization comes with real pressure for companies to change some elements of their strategies. This factor calls for change management, which could be challenging when dealing with diverse workforces. However, innovation is useful in solving such a challenge since as reported in this work, it provides a mechanism for dealing with the ever-changing world without deviating from the real objectives of change even while new issues keep emerging. Despite the challenges of a diverse workforce, it presents a mechanism for understanding the real forces of globalization while offering chances for workers to learn from each other. Such experiences are useful especially in the development of competitive advantages for companies, which is one of the compulsory factors for continued productivity in the modern corporate world. 

References

Bedi, P., Lakra, P., & Gupta, E. (2014). Workforce diversity management: Biggest challenge or opportunity for 21st century organizations.  Journal of Business and Management ,  16 (4), 102-107.

Kearns, B. (2004). Technology and change management.  School of Computing, Dublin Institute of Technology .

Pisano, G. P. (2015). You need an innovation strategy.  Harvard Business Review ,  93 (6), 44-54.