Diversity management in contemporary organisations: A case study of Watoto Child Care Ministries (WCCM)

Abstract

This study focused on diversity management in contemporary organizations. The study was undertaken to examine the factors that necessitate diversity management, strategies for diversity management and their effectiveness and challenges faced in managing diversity in contemporary organizations with specific focus on Watoto Child Care Ministries (WCCM).

Organizations today face challenges in promoting the much needed teamwork amidst a diverse team of employees with various cultural and ethnic backgrounds, age, gender, race, education religion among others. Such differences in the workforce can be a source of an organization’s competitive advantage and innovation. However to achieve this, there is need to harmoniously manage the diverse workforce and direct its effort towards the achievement of organizational goals and objectives.

This study adopted both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The study used a cross-sectional survey design collecting data across respondents who were employees of WCCM. The researcher designed questionnaires and interview guides that were used in data collection, following identified common themes and items on the main relevant subject areas of focus. Quantitative data were analyzed for descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentages with the help of SPSS while qualitative data were analyzed manually following common themes.

The study findings revealed that increasing number of educated women and youths are ready to compete for the same jobs as men and the old respectively. Diverse backgrounds of employees and advancement in technology also necessitate management of diversity. It is further revealed that; fostering an attitude of openness in the organization, structuring roles and responsibilities for employees, fair compensation for employees, diversity in leadership positions, structured income levels, team building activities and equal opportunities are some of the strategies for managing diversity. However, the study established that limited top management commitment, failure to understand the meaning of diversity, difficulty in balancing the individual and organizational diverse needs and strong religious beliefs are some of the challenges faced by WCCM in managing diversity.

The study concluded that due to a multicultural workforce, emerging legal concerns on employment and increased competition across the globe, diversity management is now on top of the corporate agenda and relevant strategies such as structuring income levels, team building activities, diversity in leadership positions, and openness to staff should be linked to the strategic goals of an organization.