WORK-FORCE DIVERSITY – ANALYSIS OF CASES FROM SELECTED INDIAN WORK ORGANIZATIONS

In general, diversity refers to the ways that people in organizations differ. That sounds simple, but defining it more specifically is a challenge because people in organizations differ in many ways-races, gender, ethnic group, age, personality, cognitive style, tenure, organizational function, and more. Also in recent years the understanding of the term diversity has expanded to include not only organizational members but also people who constitute the external customers (suppliers, consumers, regulators, etc.) of the organization. Managing diversity means establishing a heterogeneous workforce to perform to its potential in an equitable work environment where no member or group of members has an advantage or a disadvantage. Effectively managing diversity helps organizations to identify and capitalize on opportunities to improve products and services, attract, retain, motivate and utilize talented people effectively; improve the quality of decision-making at all organizational levels; and reap the many benefits from being perceived as a socially conscious and progressive organization. The paper is an attempt to evaluate the structural process followed by the selected Indian corporations to initiate the diversity management practices to enhance its global competitiveness. Organizations in India have entered the fray with the right approach and are slowly but surely getting equipped, through their diversity management interventions, to take on the diversity challenge and turn it into a golden opportunity.