Managing diversity: A local government perspective. (Management & Careers).

Over the past 25 years, the growth rate of the labor force has slowed, resulting in increased immigration to both the United States and Canada. During the same period, the source of new immigrants has also changed, with the growth in the number of immigrants coming from Asia, Africa, and South America outpacing that of European immigrants. While this trend has provided a greater supply of skills and abilities from different parts of the world and from different segments of the population, it has also increased the need to harmonize the resulting differences within organizations.

As local governments look for ways to reduce expenditures, they should not overlook strategies that maximize staff performance. One such strategy is to make sure that employees of different backgrounds, genders, beliefs, and orientations can effectively work together toward a common purpose. Over the last few years, these efforts have assumed various labels, including valuing diversity, celebrating diversity, embracing diversity, and managing diversity Regardless of the label, the underlying philosophy is the same: organizations should make whatever changes are necessary in their systems, structures, and management practices to eliminate any barriers that might prevent people from achieving their full potential. Among other things, this means fostering a workplace in which individual differences and similarities are respected.

Managing diversity is not about treating everyone the same. It is about recognizing and accommodating differences, and making sure that those differences do not create barriers to professional growth or service delivery. Managing diversity is all-inclusive; it includes empowering employees to develop and use their unique skills and talents.

The basic premise behind the diversity initiatives underway in many public and private organizations is that when employees feel they are being treated with fairness and dignity, and without discrimination, they will reciprocate in terms of their commitment to organizational goals. The opposite holds true when employees suffer discrimination or harassment in the workplace. Not only can this type of behavior undermine employee performance and productivity, but it can also damage an organization's image and lead to expensive litigation.

Because workplace diversity impacts employee performance and productivity and, by extension, organizational performance and service quality, it is imperative that finance officers familiarize themselves with this concept. For a number of years, diversity initiatives were considered the exclusive domain of human resources personnel. The role of the finance officer was seen as a technical and control function that did not involve direct managerial responsibility. This perception is beginning to change, especially in the wake of the negative publicity over the misguided financial practices of a number of large corporations. These days, the finance officer is expected to play a pivotal role in organizational life. As such, the ability to work with and lead a diverse group of employees and stakeholders has assumed added significance.

IMPLEMENTING A DIVERSITY PROGRAM

The mechanism by which organizations deal with the demographic realities of the modern workplace is usually referred to as a diversity initiative or program. While the objectives of a diversity program can vary from one organization to another, it is important to establish simple goals at the outset. For example, the goals of a local government diversity program might include the following: