We know we have achieved leading practice in managing cultural diversity in Australian organisations when organisations are able to respond in a positive manner to questions such as:
- Does the composition of our businesses and workplaces reflect the ethnic, racial, or national background composition of the general community?
- In an environment of skills and labour shortages, are we tapping into the broadest possible talent pools at all levels?
Benefits of cultural diversity in the workplace
In today’s global economy, cultural diversity plays a critical role in customer service, supply chain logistics and talent management. If Australian organisations are to fully realise the business benefits of cultural diversity, they must develop a sophisticated understanding of cultural diversity, what it is and how it shapes market demand and economic and workforce behaviour.
Creating the culturally inclusive organisation
Creating a culturally inclusive organisation involves adopting a strategic cyclical organisational development approach, consisting of:
- Organisational preparation
- Needs assessment
- Strategy development and implementation
- Evaluation of progress
When culture/ethnicity/race is your key diversity dimension of interest, this will be the focus and guide the actions you take for each of these four steps.
