Diversity has become a popular phrase in organizations and organizational consulting. In for-profit organizations, diversity usually refers to one or more of the following three approaches to achieve change in the demographics and the culture of an organization: (a) increasing representation and equal treatment for previously underrepresented groups; (b) developing a business case for the inclusion and use of previously underrepresented groups; and (c) valuing the differences that employees bring to the workplace, such as race, culture, gender, sexual orientation, personality style, individual preferences, and experiences (Carter, 2000 p.
13).Many social change organizations have tied to address social differences present in the community and diversity issues by importing corporate models of managing social diversity (Carter, 2000 p. 214). Sexual orientation appears to be determined by a complex interplay of both biological and environmental factors. Research on neuroanatomy, twins, and genetic mapping suggest a heritable physiologic basis for sexual orientation.In broader context, sexual orientation and identity refers to the sense of emotional and psychological connection between an individual and a social or cultural group whose sexual orientation and values the person shares (Bernstein and Bernstein, 1996 p.
167-168). Many believe that the modern gay and lesbian era called Stonewall, along with other community members, rioted in response to police harassment and brutality directed against the gay and lesbian community. The modern era marked by this event has seen an increase in the visibility and strength of the gay and lesbian community (Bernstein and Bernstein, 1996 p. 67-168).Scope and Limitations Discussion about the diversity consulting challenges in terms of gay and lesbian community, ethical perspectives involved and its legal stand to explore interpersonal values concerning the value of gender equality, rationale of diversion, and the meaning of gender differences, to contemplate the philosophical foundations of such action, and validity of providing unjustifiable action with the sense of discrimination. By providing cultural and social stands, diversity consultation challenges in gay and lesbian is the primary subject of the entire research.
The following are the objectives imposed into the study in order to serve as the guidelines for conducting the research. a. To be able to provide justifications that shall negate the implementation of such actions and impose the overall negation based on moral and ethical considerations b. To be able to identify, discuss, analyze and evaluate the issues concerning the subject of euthanasia involving the positive affirmative and rebuttal points of the subject Purpose of the Research The study exemplifies the diversity consultation challenges in gay and lesbian as imposed by the community and social impressions.The purpose of discussion lies in awareness expansion and exploration of the internal feelings and ideas that shall justify the diversification. Furthermore, with the fact that such act is analyzed in non-bias perspective, the challenges of diversification should be well clarified and illustrated in the context of gender discriminations.
Discussion Diversity Consulting From mandates for affirmative action in the hiring of minority groups and women, the concept of a diversified work force began to emerge during the 1980s as an almost universally accepted social goal.During the 1990s, a diversity consulting and training industry came into being. Currently, most medium-size to large corporations have a formal commitment to promoting diversity and initiatives are commonplace (Higan, 2003 p. 53).
Diversity consulting has become a popular and recognized part of the management industry, and although consultants and consulting groups use different models and techniques for managing diversity, they all seek to achieve organizational change through long-term, planned, and expert-guided interventions.The models of change that support these efforts fit human resource development, to management-driven and organizational effectiveness paradigm (Carter, 2000 p. 215). Diversion is defined broadly; however, the primary components involves racial, gender, cultural and socioeconomic stands.
It is acknowledged to have a largely issue-specific or context-specific meaning. Although, discussions about diversity are generally understood more narrowly to encompass racial, ethnic, and gender diversifications.Diversity consultation is alive and well as a profession, and many individuals, recognizing that multiculturalism and diversity are increasingly on various organizational agendas, promote themselves as knowledgeable in these domains. Diversity efforts largely developed and implemented by the diversity industry. Corporate programs have now been around long enough that they have developed their own traditions, ideologies, customs, and leaders.
Many of those personally involved in diversity efforts – as human resources professionals, diversity managers, or personnel trainers – are themselves members of racial minorities, women, or homosexuals (Higan, 2003 p. 57). A remarkable diversity of personalities, clients, subjects handled, intervention methods and consulting firms’ philosophies is a prominent feature of the consulting profession. Due to this diversity, there are probably as many different paths to individual proficiency as there are consultants.Diversity Training and Practitioners Although the approach to diversity consulting may vary from region to region, or even from one company to another, some key elements have emerged that should be integrated into any diversity training initiative, such as visible management reports, diversity needs identification, integration in business strategy, and balance and objective approach (Meyers, 2004 p. 96-97).
Diversity practitioners must possess technical skills that are best described as primarily interpersonal communication. These derive counseling preparation and are ones that can transcend and be adapted in different contexts.To recognize and manage resistance, practitioners require excellent listening, clarifying, facilitating, reframing, reflecting, tracking, perspective-taking, and summarizing skills. Practitioners must also keep in mind that consulting and counseling processes have similar and different expectations. In counseling, promoting insight and awareness building, and offering interpretations are normative practices.
Although, these strategies may be introduced in diversity management initiatives, it is important for the practitioner to recognize the nature of the relationship with diversified groups (Mio and Iwamasa, 2003 p. 00). Managing diversity also implies sensitivity to workplace environment and difficulties minorities and those sexually differentiated due to orientation are likely to confront. This may include developing a sexual harassment policy and encouraging participation in racial or sexual sensitivity training.Managing diversity also implies not using race, color, national origin, or any other protected characteristic of employees as a determining factor in layoffs, since doing so may result in liability in a reverse discrimination suit (Rabin, 1995 p. 78).
Diversity is the beliefs and behaviors, which is an aspect of organizational effectiveness, no less than teamwork or problem solving. Anyone specializing in diversity without knowing basic organizational development should have less effectiveness over management in social or cultural issues involved (Mio and Iwamasa, 2003 p. 100). The underlying expectation of the diversity training process was to provide an avenue of learning and create a level of awareness that would eliminate discrimination and harassment in the workplace.At first, diversity training seemed to be the needed answer and, over time, it developed a following. To update what happened in the movement and why, we first discussed the predicaments facing society, organizations, and individuals in the social environment (Mio and Iwamasa, 2003 p.
100; Hemphill and Haines, 1997 p. 47). As these scenarios played out, much to the dismay of those purchasing the training and those receiving it, diversity training failed to diminish discrimination and harassment behaviors in the workplace environment and social perspectives towards homosexuals.It is believed that the reason diversity training has failed to provide the much-needed answers is because its central focus places attention on ideas and ideologies rather than on behaviors and skills (Hemphill and Haines, 1997 p. 47).
Diversity training may give the impression that a company has dealt with diversity, when in reality the glass ceiling in discrimination and harassment remain intact.Some diversity trainers encourage people to discuss things in a group that they would not otherwise talk about and that later has been used as ammunition against them (Hemphill and Haines, 1997 p. 0). Companies have been sued and forced to pay heavy fines for comments made by trainers and employees in diversity training programs. Many companies sandwich diversity training between other social diversity programs or issues, such as sexuality orientations and quality improvement, without giving any thought to the importance of developing a comprehensive social policy to manage differences or consider diversity training's impact on these other training programs (Hemphill and Haines, 1997 p.
50).Diversity Challenges: Gay and Lesbian The homosexual community, represented by the lesbian and gay cultures, creates important issues for the United States as other issues of cultural diversity become increasingly important. Within the context of the heterogeneous U. S. nation-state, the problems of cultural diversity are far reaching.
The breadth of this problem imposes a need for flexibility and foresight in defining both culture groups and their status in contemporary American society (Naylor, 1997 p. 229).Many believe that the modern gay and lesbian era called Stonewall, along with other community members, rioted in response to police harassment and brutality directed against the gay and lesbian community. The modern era marked by this event has seen an increase in the visibility and strength of the gay and lesbian community. Terms such as gay and lesbian describe individuals who identify in this context as homosexual. Lesbians and gay men are a diverse group of individuals from all racial, economic, geographic, religious, cultural, and age populations.
Despite this diversity, gay men and lesbians have developed a culture of their own, replete with music, art, literature, history, spiritual beliefs, ethics and politics (Bernstein and Bernstein, 1996 p. 167-168). As the concept of cultural diversity increasingly shapes approaches to culture groups in education, community service, and public policy, the issues associated with them take on increasing importance for all minority groups, but particularly those that historically have been faced with much discrimination and marginalization (Naylor, 1997 p. 229). J.Palmer (1994) noted that diversity consultants help to create a high-performance, smoothly running organization in which members are neither penalized nor rewarded for the type of person they are perceived to be (Carter, 2000 p.
214). Diversity training programs emphasize various other needs, such as managing differences or avoiding lawsuits. Although most diversity training programs are designed to comply with affirmative action regulations, selecting a general program without matching it to the particular needs of the individual company proved counterproductive and only complicated the problem (Hemphill and Haines, 1997 p. 9).Diversity facilitation is less effective when the diversity profile of the facilitators does not mirror the principle of representivity. The legacy of racial segregation and the perceptuation of informal separation in the workplace, social environment or sexual diversities, coupled with the sensitive nature of diversity facilitation, would render group categorizations in an awkward position of not being able to relate and provide support to group members who are different from them (Meyer, 2004 p.
94; Hemphill and Haines, 1997 p. 49).Given an example of situational analysis in terms of sexual orientations, if the majority of participants are homosexuals, they are likely to feel that they are seen as the problem and their level of resistance will probably be greater. Straight employees or appropriately oriented individuals might question the legitimacy of such facilitation. Conversely, if the majority of the participants are straight, the participants, in all likelihood, might view diversity as “straight issue”, which can also result to diversity resistance training (Meyer, 2004 p. 95).
Diversity facilitation initiative should lack legitimacy if the vast majority of the participants are from one particular group. Many heterosexuals do not accept homosexuality because they link gay sexual behavior is unnatural or it contradicts their religious beliefs. Other people are afraid of contact with gays because they associate Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome with homosexuality. Results of research studies show that in general, women hold fewer negative attitudes and beliefs toward homosexuals than men do, and exhibit fewer anti-homosexual behaviors (Alters, 2005 p. 43). Diversity consultations are faced with problems that institutes superficial or over-comprehensive facilitations.
In the former instance, diversity is presented from a very simplistic perspective or an oversimplification of various world-views of different cultures; hence, may predispose the rejection of other sub-variables, such as sexual orientation and preferences (Hemphill and Haines, 1997 p. 49; Meyer, p. 94-95).On the other hand, diversity facilitation is too comprehensive when cultural and other sexual-orientation differences are presented so much detail that it contributes to further stereotyping and generalizations based on differences.
While sexual preferences are a reality, each individual is different irrespective of socio-cultural or sexual orientations; hence, unique product of many possible variables and influences (Meyer, 2004 p. 94). Some companies run diversity workshops, which are not integrated into the strategic plan of the organization.No clear indication is given of how diversity training relates to strategic objectives, such as increasing market share or globalization.
This creates the impression that diversity training is a soft programme, which does not contribute to the bottom line of the business (Meyer, 2004 p. 94; Naylor, 1997 p. 229). Furthermore, the interrelationship between affirmative action, employment equity and diversity is not clear, which creates further confusion and unnecessary duplication of programmes and activities.As a result, the diversity facilitation intervention is seen as a short-term project. The ongoing implementation of a comprehensive and holistic diversity management strategy is therefore not apparent (Meyer, 2004 p.
95). Homosexuals may feel isolated and have low self-esteem as result of hostility and rejection from their families and other members of society (Alters, 2005 p. 143). In many organizations, a lack of change management regarding employment equity and diversity is evident, which manifest itself at two levels (Meyer, 2004 p.
96): First, facilitator-participant level; The facilitator does not have the necessary knowledge and skills to deal with resistance to change. By actively trying to avoid, discount or break down resistance, more harm than good is done. In some cases, by using threats and attempts to induce guilt, facilitators may even evoke more a deeper resistance. • Secondly, at the organizational level; Diversity facilitation is introduced as quick-fix approach without considering the importance of supporting and managing change from an organization develop0ment perspective.Subsequently, diversity does not become part of the culture the organization.
The challenges of diversity consulting are mainly the implementation and further reinforcement of change in the society in terms of homosexual acceptance and considerations. Diversity consultations may possess the forehand mentioned inconsistencies and variations that predispose its failure of ineffectiveness; however, considering the probabilities of improvements in these areas, the change goals can be grasped.Conclusion Diversity consulting is one of the major trends of diversity management in the current century, and with the advent of this multicultural and diversion management; the sociological aspects of diverse groups are faced with challenges and problems that needs to be resolved. With main analysis of their managerial proceedings, the practical and primary challenge obtained is the presence of change acquirement. Other challenges faced by these firms are the diverse and biased structures imposed in these groups, which, consequently, hinders the goals of diversification management in the group.Homosexuals are one of the considered diversity in the social-cultural domain of the community.
Considering this group in the management of diversity, discrimination and social pressures are still implicated in this group as manifested by the current social trend of treatment for these individuals; hence, the resolution of discrimination is considered as one of the biggest challenges of diversity consulting groups.
