Anything Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Anything - Essay Example The growth of multiculturalism in the workplace imparts the need for the managers to understand the cultural, ethnic, and gender based differences of the workforce so that their conflicts can be resolved and their needs can be addressed. Challenges for Managers in the Contemporary Organizations Resolving Interpersonal Conflicts Over the passage of time, there has been an improvement in the discouragement of such notions as slavery, racism, and violence grounded in differences of race, gender, or ethnicity at all levels all across the world. However, although many people say that they condemn such practices, yet deep inside, they still cultivate certain negative perceptions about others who are not like them in terms of race, ethnicity, and such other variables. This sets the stage for the occasional conflicts among the diverse workers. Many a times, workers may not even like to cultivate such negative perceptions about others, but they still feel discomfort and irritation when they a re unable to understand or identify with the opinions, values, and beliefs of their peers and coworkers that are grounded in their respective cultures. â€Å"It's common to have friction with co-workers who have different values and work styles† (McGrath). ... Good public relations provide organizations with competitive advantage in the market that is overcrowded with organizations rendering similar services as they do. Conflicts based on the differences of cultures, race, or gender happening in the workplace can generate a very negative message for the stakeholders particularly the consumers in the society if they happen to learn about them. Managers face the challenge of not only resolving the interpersonal conflicts in the workplace, but also controlling the information leaking out to the stakeholders to keep the organization’s image from being tarnished in the public eye. Strategies of Conflict Resolution Learning Cultural Differences Addressing the cultural, ethnic, and gender differences of the workforce requires the managers to be more educated in these areas than they were ever before. Managers serving in the workplaces in the contemporary age need to acquaint themselves with all possible sources and causes of conflicts betw een the culturally and ethnically diverse workforce and have suitable strategies in place to resolve them effectively. In order to utilize their optimal potential, managers need to be proactive rather than reactive. Although managers may not primarily be educated in cultural diversity and the subjects that entail it like the study of different languages, the study of norms and values of different cultures, and the behaviors appreciated and condemned in them, yet it is recommendable for the managers serving in the contemporary organizations to undertake short courses in these areas or do self study of these subjects for the least. This would build up competency in the managers to analyze and understand things from a variety of cultural perspectives and identify the causes of conflicts among the