WORKFORCE DIVERSITY

In most organizations, many changes in the composition of the workforce have already taken place. These organizations’ workforces are much more diverse than they were just ten years ago, and there are many reasons to believe that we will see continued growth in their diversity; this is particularly true in developed countries that have laws against discrimination based on age, race, sexual orientation, gender, or gender identity. The growing emphasis in technical and management education on the inclusion of minorities and women is another major contributor to workforce diversity. The age range of the workforce is going to go up, the gender balance is going to shift, and the workforce is going to include more transgender and ethnic minority people. Overall, most organizations will have increasingly diverse workforces with respect to every important characteristic of human beings.

Different age groups think about careers, and the features of organizations, in different ways. This seems to be a product of not only aging and maturation but also of the reality that people from different generations have different experiences at any given age. As a result, they look at work differently at any given point in time. Every new generation is likely to think, act, and look at work and careers differently when compared to how previous generations did when they were that age, because the world is in a constant process of change.

Organizations are just beginning to feel the full impact of age discrimination legislation and increases in life expectancy. These factors are leading more individuals to continue working into their seventies and eighties, and to a workforce that has more age diversity. This is likely to become even more common as health care delivery systems improve and people have longer life expectancies—particularly in lessdeveloped countries as their health care systems improve. Another contributor to longer work careers is likely to be the need to earn enough money to “afford” retirement.

Organizations can no longer assume that they are dealing with a homogeneous group when it comes to the many features of individuals that are age related. They need to be able to manage and organize adults of virtually all ages.

Overall, organizations must be able to manage individuals that differ in age, gender, race, sexual orientation, and national origin. As a result, there will be very few organization and talent management issues for which there is an effective “one size fits all” approach.