Equality and diversity represent two different approaches to manage differences existing between members of an organization; Equality is based on the avoidance of discrimination, considered fundamental to create an equal system and develop equal opportunities in order to produce benefits to the company and to the harmony of the organization. Differences are minimized, everyone is treated in the same way and discrimination is made unlawful. Diversity consider differences between members of the organization a potential factor that, managed in the right way, can motivate employees to produce an important effort in order to reach some goals; diversity factors are race, religion, age, gender, culture and a disability at work. Diversity approach allowed members of a group to perform according to their potential and their abilities, in other words manager receive from employees the effort they have the right to expect and, therefore, they can receive everything employees are able to provide. Differently from the equality, differences are not just an issue of the HR department, but instead represent a concern for all the employees, and differences are seen not just as an impediment to reach equal opportunities, but is also a concept influencing more aspects of the company such as the culture and motivation, managing them in a careful and correct way is possible to obtain positive results.
The article showed Margaret Mountford point of view about woman and their position at work, in her opinion, women should achieve senior position only for merit, without positive discrimination. On the one hand it is a right point of view, discrimination can cause problems in both ways, negative and positive, that is why, women should make more efforts to gain certain results and obtain higher position just by themselves, through the improvement of their performance; take advantage from a situation that, in the past and even nowadays, is really dramatic, is not respectful for those people who fought and still fight to obtain equal opportunities for women; finally, an equal environment should be formed on a solid basis made of equal opportunities, parity between genders and identical working conditions and treatments. On the other hand, people should motivate managers to start to employe more often women, this behavior in fact can create a chain reaction which can be really useful in order to improve the women position in the working environment; proposing women to get senior position, is not a meaning of positive discrimination, but is instead a way to avoid any sort of discrimination, offering an opportunity usually reserved for men; finally, considered the particular and different behavior of a woman, is correct to sets flexible work conditions in order to guarantee to women a system more appropriate to their needs.
Age represent an importan diversity factor, and both young and old people are victim of discrimination just based on the age they have, old people are commonly considerate inefficient, unreliable and oblivious, in opposite, young people are considered not experienced, unskilled and unprepared. An organization which want to face this problem, should start creating internal teams which involve both young and old people, spending time together in fact, differences and incomprehensions will be minimized; an other solution could enable old people to be involved in the training process, in this way, relations among young and old employees should become base on other aspects such as faithful and respect.
B&Q offers innovative equal conditions, is listed in the top50 companies where women want to work for four consecutive years, and, more than 15 years ago, removed its retirement age.
Sainsbury's strongly declare that it believe in diversity as a motivational factor and a meaning of improvement in the performance, equality is guaranteed to each member and equal treatments are considered the basis for an efficient working environment; all these aspects are proved by diagrams and focused analysis.
Speaking about differences, people normally think about something having just a negative aspect, this is not true in working environment, organization take advantage from the developing of a system based on diversity, there is no discrimination, every one is able to provide a different service according to personal abilities. Nowadays, companies developed methods and system to avoid discrimination, providing equal condition is the basis of the companies themselves and organizational initiative receive a considerable effort by managers in order to maintain the current situation and constantly developing this process that is not completed yet.
References:
-B&Q (2010) Our Ethics [online] Avialable from: http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/corporate/content/environment_ethics/ethics/index.jsp [Accessed 25 April 2010]
-Mullins, L. (2007) Management and Organisational Behaviour. 8th ed. Pearson Education Limited: Harlow
-TheTimes (2009) Business [online] Available from:http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/career_and_jobs/article6830916.ece [ Accessed 25 April 2010]
-Sainsbury (2010) Corporate Responsibility [online] Available from: http://www.jsainsburys.co.uk/cr/index.asp?pageid=53 [Accessed 25 April 2010]
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