Celebrating Diversity through Spirituality in the Workplace: Transforming Organizations Holistically

Abstract

Managing diversity effectively is the key to attract and retain a productive workforce. Research demonstrates that celebrating diversity leads to greater productivity, increased creativity, and heightened morale and motivation. Organizations often benefit from the differing perspectives and rich experiences a diverse workforce provides. Similarly, organizations can enhance their creativity by encouraging diverse perspectives and opinions. Thus, issues of managing diversity, valuing diversity, and celebrating diversity have assumed added importance. This paper suggests that diversity is not a problem, but rather a solution to most of the challenges organizations face such as employee engagement and participation. Managing workforce diversity effectively transcends meeting a company’s legal requirements and complying with equal opportunity and non-discrimination regulation. Leaders need to understand and deal constructively with their own biases and prejudices that hinder diversity. Celebrating diversity is the extension of healthy spirituality that leads us to celebrate our differences and view diversity as different manifestations of the underlying Unity that permeates every phenomenon. This paper discusses key advantages of celebrating diversity, pinpoints barriers to organizational diversity, and offers some perspectives to overcome barriers to inclusiveness. Introduction Diversity of workforce plays a significant role in the expansion of business at the global level as it provides unique competitive advantage (Griggs, 1995; Jackson, S., 1991; Jackson, Stone, & Alvarez, 1993; Cox & Blake, 1991; Gilbert, 2000: Kramer & Barker, 1991). Organizations try to attract, promote, and retain a diverse group of people in order to sustain a competitive advantage (Gilbert, 2000) as diverse groups produce higher quality ideas, are more likely to make better decisions (McGrath, 1984; McLeod & Lobel, 1992), and will most