A project On

A Study of workforce diversity

Submitted towards the partial fulfillment of Ist Semester of M.B.A. & M.B.L. Degree course, for the subject

Principles Of Management and Organisational behaviour

Submitted to:

Submitted by:

Dr Vedantam Leela
Assistant Lecturer Faculty of Management Studies National Law University

Shaina Mittal
M.B.A. - M.B.L. Ist Semester

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PREFACE
No matter whether one is running a global company virtually from behind his desk or by doing regular visits to his overseas sites, managing a multicultural Workforce effectively is a big challenge. For the company and his career to thrive, he needs to know how to address the needs and concerns of those who work for him and be able to use the diverse talents available to him. Failure to do so can lead to high employee turnover, low productivity, poor morale, bad company image and more costly operations. For the manager or executive, it can also result in additional stress. Achieving sustained business growth in today's environment presents unique challenges. Demographic trends show rapidly increasing diversity in society and thus in consumers and in the workforce. Demographic change, the global marketplace, greater tolerance for differences, and government sponsored programs are increasing the importance of diversity in the workplace. In the near future, more women, minorities, and people with different ethnic backgrounds and lifestyles will enter the workforce. Companies will face the issues and problems in understanding and utilizing the full range of human potential in a diverse population. Organizations that do not manage diversity effectively will not be able to utilize the full potential of their workers, not to survive and grow under increasingly complex and competitive business conditions. Whether your company's market is local, national, or global, whether your industry is "old economy" or "new economy", whether you're a manufacturer or a service provider, Workforce diversity can help you achieve and sustain improved business results through workforce practices that generate high performance. The study underhand is therefore devoted to develop conceptual and empirical framework for the better use of diverse human resources in the Indian Organizations. In this reference I have conducted a survey to reflect the diversity needs in ICICI BANK.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
It is pleasure to express our profound gratitude and esteemed regards to our assistant lecture of faculty of management studies Dr.Vendantam leela, who has provided valuable information and scholarly guidance to complete this work. We would also like to convey our sincere gratitude to Dr.U R DAGA our DEAN for his care and guidance throughout this work. We also place our thanks to all the faculty members of the college for their care and affection. We all will be failing in our duty if we forget to record our gratitude to our parents whose best wishes and continuous pressure for excellence in whatever we do, encouraged us in our endeavor. We owe our gratitude to those persons who devoted their time and cooperated in the successful completion of our field study. Finally, we are thankful to the respondents and the individuals who directly or indirectly rendered their help in completion of this work.

SHAINA MITTAL

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CHAPTER 1

WORKFORCE DIVERSITY: THE CONCEPTS AND TYPES.

Workforce Diversity: The Conceptual Framework. Diversity in Workplace. Types of Diversity.

CHAPTER 2
Suits.

IMPACT OF WORKFORCE DIVERSITY

Diversity and Idea Generation, Growth, Image, Human Resources and Discrimination

Trends in diversity Challenges in diversity Benefits of diversity

CHAPTER 3

FIELD REPORT

Introduction Analysis

CONCLUSION
RECOMMENDATIONS BIBLIOGRAPHY ANNEXURE

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Origins of Diversity India is a land of contrast and diversity, land of fabulous wealth and abject poverty, of palaces and hovels of sadhus (saints) and scientists, where the smell of science mingles with the smell of cow dung and sewage. - (J.C. Hollick) Whichever theory one adopts to explain the genesis of the Indian culture, it is clear that its national diversity stems from the interplay of innumerous invasions, conquests, cultural assimilation and fragmentation seasoned by multiple religious beliefs and very diverse physical environment that generated the ethnic, linguistic, and religious diversity we witness today.

What is Workforce Diversity ? As we enter the 21st century, Workforce Diversity has become an essential business concern. In the so-called information age, the greatest assets of most companies are now on two feet (or a set of wheels). Undeniably, there is a talent war raging. No company can afford to unnecessarily restrict its ability to attract and retain the very best employees available. Diversity is generally defined as acknowledging, understanding, accepting, valuing, and celebrating differences among people with respect to age, class, ethnicity, gender, physical and mental ability, race, sexual orientation, spiritual practice, and public assistance status. "Workforce Diversity refers to the Diversity which is exhibited in the Workforce for any organization. The organization may be a business, a university, hospital or any one of a number of different organizations that exists in a society or community. The diversity which is to be found can be due to gender, age, style of working, cultural background, education, length of time in an organization, the nature of work that is performed by various individuals, religious affiliations of workers, geographic origin,

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sexual orientation and a variety of other differences amongst the members of the Workforce that may be the human resource of the organization. Workforce Diversity is an issue which has come to stay and must be correctly addressed, managed and resolved by an organization with an effort towards gaining benefits from such a Diversity.

The Four Layers of Diversity

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Reasons for the emergence of Diversity

Changing Workforce Demographics (age, gender,ethnicity & education) 2

5 The Recognition and Desire for Diverse Viewpoints

Legislation Law Suits.

Increasing Diversity in Todays Organization 4 Competitive Pressure

Rapidly Growing increase in International Business

A major reason for the emergence of diversity as an important challenge is changing demographics. Older workers, women, minorities, and those with more education are now entering the workforce in record numbers. However, for now it can be noted that the composition of todays and tomorrows workforce is and will be much different from the past. For example , USA Today calculates a diversity Index ( based on population racial and ethnic probabilities ) that shows now almost 1 out of 2 people randomly selected in the U.S. are racially or ethnically different ,(up from 1 out of 3 in 1980. at the more micro level ,of an organization ,assuming talent and ability equally distributed throughout the population and that every one has an equal opportunity , this means that there should be diversity at every level of organization. Another pragmatic reason for diversity in todays organizations stems from legislation and lawsuits. The political and legal systems have compelled organizations to hire more
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broadly and to provide equal opportunity for all employees. Although legislation going as far back as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited discrimination in employment, only recently have the full effects of that landmark law and other more recent legislation, such as the following, had an impact. 1. Age Discrimination Act of 1978. This law at first increased the mandatory retirement age from 65 to 70 and then was later amended to eliminate an upper age limit altogether. 2. Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978. This law give full equal opportunity protection to pregnant employees. 3. American with Disabilities Act of 1990. This law prohibits discrimination against those essentially qualified individuals challenged by a disability and requires organizations to reasonably accommodate them. 4. Civil Rights Act of 1991. This law refined the 1964 act and reinstated burden of proof falls on employers to eliminate discrimination and ensure equal opportunity in employment to employees. It also allows punitive and compensatory damages through jury trials. 5. Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993. This law allows employees to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for family or medical reasons each year.

These laws, along with lawsuits and the threat of lawsuits, have put teeth into diversity. Individuals and groups that have found themselves excluded from organizations or managerial positions can bring and have brought lawsuits in an effort to overcome discriminatory barriers and ensure themselves equal opportunity in employment. For example, successful lawsuits with resulting multimillion dollar penalties have in recent years been brought against Texaco, the City of Seattle, Mitsubishi, Boeing, Deenys and Safeway.

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Still another reason for the emergence of the importance of diversity to organizations is the realization that diversity can help them meet the competitive pressures they currently face. Firms that aggressively try to hire and promote women and minorities are going to end up with a more talented and capable workforce than those that do not take such a proactive, affirmative action approach. For example, a recent large study by the American Management Association found that the more accurately the senior team of a company represents the demographics of its market, the more likely it is that the company will design products, market services, and create ad campaign that score a hit. Moreover, companies that gain a reputation for celebrating diversity are more likely to attract the best employees regardless of age, gender, or ethnicity. The most talented and qualified people will feel that opportunities are better with these firms than with others. In other words, diversity can provide an organization with competitive advantage. For example, a recent study examined the relationships among racial diversity, business strategy, and firm performance in the banking industry. It was found the racial diversity interacted with business strategy in determining company performance as measured in three different ways: productivity, return on equity, and market performance. This study concluded that the results demonstrated that diversity not only adds value but, in the proper context, also contributes to a firms competitive advantage. Stimulated by competitive pressures, organizations now recognize and strive to obtain diverse viewpoints in their decision-making processes and teams. Recent academic research points out the complex linkage between work group diversity and work group functioning. But there is also growing practical evidence that diversity leads to innovation and often breakthrough competitive advantages. For example, women working for Reebok pointed out that there was no good shoe available for aerobics. The firm took this advice and began marketing aerobic shoes, which became very profitable and served as a breakthrough for Reebok in the very competitive athletic shoe industry. Another example occurred at the giant chemical firm DuPont, which used input from

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African-American employees to develop and successfully market agricultural produces for small farmers in the South. A final major reason for the emerging challenge of diversity is that more and more organizations are entering the international arena. A natural by product of going international is increased diversity, in this case cultural diversity. If domestic organizations have and promote diversity, then, as they expand globally, they will be accustomed to working with people who have different cultures, customs, social norms, and more. For example, a multicultural team at DuPont is given credit for gaining the firm about $45 million in new business worldwide. Among other things, this diverse team recommended an array of new colors for countertops that was very appealing to overseas customers. The international arena is not a threatening place for diverse firms, a fact that is particularly important because of the major role that international operations and sales will play in the growth, and even survival, of companies in the global economy. As we pointed out that the percentage of overall revenues from international operations and sales is increasing dramatically. Trade developments. Such as NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement), the EU (European Union) and an increasingly unified AsiaPacific rim, are a sign of the times. The advantage of multinational companies that have a value cultural diversity becomes abundantly clear in this global interconnected economy.

Review of available research Workforce Diversity is inevitable aspect of any organized endeavor. Mobilization of human resource has resulted in heterogeneous Workforce available for different organization. People from different class, creed, religion, and etc. are found working in an organization. This situation has made the study of the nature and causes of Workforce Diversity and its impact on industrial productivity necessary. The purpose of this research project was to explore management practices that successful multinationals employ in India to manage diversity. Success in the study of the nature and causes or Workforce Diversity and its impact on industrial productivity necessary.
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Diversity in the Workplace : Diversity in the workplace means creating an environment where people from dissimilar backgrounds can work productively together. Therefore it is important to manage Workforce Diversity. Diversity if positively managed, can increase creativity and innovation in organization as well as improve decision making by providing different perspective on problems. But when Diversity is not managed properly there is a potential for higher turnover, more difficult communication and more interpersonal conflicts.

Types of diversity Manager need to recognize the ways in which the Workplace is changing, evolving, and Diversifying. Managers have to shift their philosophy from treating everyone alike to recognizing differences & responding to those differences in ways that ensure employee retention & greater productivity while at the same time, not Discriminating. Since Managing Diversity remains a significant organizational

challenge, managers must learn the managerial skills needed in a multicultural work environment. Supervisors and managers must be prepared to teach themselves and others within their organizations to value multicultural differences in both and customers so that everyone is treated with dignity. This is make essential that managers know various types of Diversities and their implications on organizational working.

Diversity is divided into two parts: Primary categories:It includes genetic characteristics that affect a persons self-image and socialization. Secondary categories:It includes learned characteristics that a persons acquires an modifies throughout life.

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These categories arent independent. they are interrelated to each other. For e.g- a woman(gender) with children( parental status) is likely to be directly affected by an organization with family-friendly or family-unfriendly policies and attitudes. The family friendly attitude would be your job must always come first if you are to get ahead in the organization.

Primary categories:-

Age: The number of years a person has been alive and the generation into which she/he was born(e.g., depression era, baby boomers or generation X in the united states) Race: The biological groupings within human kind, representing superficial physical differences like eye form, skin color. Race accounts for less than 1% of the difference in a persons genetic heredity. Ethnicity: It is identification with a cultural group that has shared traditions and heritage, including national origin, language, religion, food, customs. some people identify strongly with these cultural roots and some may be not. Gender: It is the biological sex as determined by XX(female) or XY (male) chromosome. Physical abilities and qualities: It includes a variety of characteristics like physical size, facial features, specific abilities or disabilities and visible or invisible physical and mental talents or limitations. Sexual orientation: It includes feelings of sexual orientation toward members of the same or opposite gender such as heterosexual, homosexual or bisexual.

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SECONDARY CATEGORIES:-

Education: It includes individuals formal and informal learning and training. Work experience: The employment and volunteer positions the person held and the variety of organizations for which the person has worked. Income: the economic conditions in which the person grew up and his current economic status. Marital status: the persons situation as never married, married, widowed or divorced. Religious beliefs: fundamental teachings received about deities and values acquired from formal or informal religious practices. Geographical locations: the location(s) in which the person was raised or spent a significant part of her life, including types of communities and urban areas versus rural areas. Parental status: having or not having children and the circumstances in which the children are raised, such as single parenting and two-adult parenting. Personal style: tendency of the individual to think, feel, or act in a particular way.

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DIVERSITY AND IMAGE Organizations have to be concerned with their image, i.e., what the public thinks of it and the kind of feelings evoked when its name is mentioned. Firms will spend a great deal of money on public relations to create a positive image for themselves and their products. A favorable image helps a firm attract investors, customers, and employees. Being known as a firm that values diversity can do wonders for a company's image. Companies that are sued for discrimination generate a great deal of negative publicity for themselves. E.g-Texaco's image was severly tarnished when The New York Times ran a front-page story quoting a recording of executives that was derogatory to black employees; the company settled eleven days later. As part of the settlement, the firm agreed to pay $115 million to black employees and to do penance. This penance involved establishing an "Equality and Tolerance Task Force" and to implement a cultural transformation of Texaco (Rosin, 1998).

DIVERSITY AND HUMAN RESOURCES Firms that want to ensure an adequate supply of labor have to wake up to the fact that over the next two decades, women and minorities will account for almost all of the growth in the labor force. This means that firms that want to survive had better plan on recruiting more minorities. It is well known that people are more comfortable hiring others that are similar to them. This means that it is considerable easier to hire women and minorities once you already have a significant number of them working in your firm. Furthermore, women and minority employees prefer working in firms that are committed to corporate diversity. Incidentally, it is a good idea to make sure that the Human Resource Department in a company is itself diverse if a firm wants to attract other than just males.

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DIVERSITY AND DISCRIMINATION SUITS There is another practical reason for diversity. Firms that employ very few women and nonwhites will find themselves extremely vulnerable in the case of a discrimination or sexual harassment suit. Imagine a firm in which almost all the employees are male. First of all, this is the kind of business environment in which sexual harassment is quite likely. Secondly, if a women does sue for harassment, the first question that will be asked is why the firm has done such a poor job with diversity. The fact that there are so few women employed in the firm might be seen as evidence that the firm is not interested in the rights of women. Indeed, in the current discrimination case against Microsoft, one piece of evidence being presented by the plaintiff is that only 83 of its 5,000 managers are black, and there are only 500 blacks in a workforce of between 21,000 and 25,000. It should be noted that the possibility of being sued for discrimination is not that remote. In the United States, approximately 24,000 workplace discrimination lawsuits are filed every year in federal court and many more in state courts. The average award for compensatory damages is over $2,50,000. Some recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions (e.g.,. Beth Ann Faragher v. City of Boca Raton and Burlington Industries, Inc. v. Ellerth) make it clear that employers that wish to defend themselves against a discrimination lawsuit had better be able to demonstrate that they made a serious attempt to create a friendly, non-hostile environment for women and minorities.

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TRENDS IN WORKFORCE DIVERSITY These are the following steps that are used by world-class organizations to enhance workforce diversity in their organizations:Assessment of diversity in the workplace Top companies make assessing and evaluating their diversity process an integral part of their management system. A customizable employee satisfaction survey can accomplish the assessment for the company efficiently and conveniently. It can help the management team to determine which challenges and obstacles to diversity are present in the workplace and which policies need to be added or eliminated. Reassessment can then determine the success of the diversity in the workplace plan implementation. Development of diversity in the workplace plan - Choosing a survey provider that provides comprehensive reporting is a key decision. That report will be the beginning structure of the diversity in the workplace plan. The plan must be comprehensive, attainable and measurable. An organization must decide what changes need to be made and a timeline for that change to be attained. Implementation of diversity in the workplace plan - The personal commitment of executive and managerial teams is a must. Leaders and managers within organizations must incorporate diversity policies into every aspect of the organizations function and purpose. Attitudes toward diversity originate at the top and filter downward. Management cooperation and participation is required to create a culture conducive to the success of your organizations plan. As the economy becomes increasingly global, our workforce becomes increasingly diverse. Organizational success and competitiveness will depend on the ability to manage diversity in the workplace effectively. Therefore the company should evaluate organizations diversity policies and plan for the future.

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Challenges of workforce Diversity Organizations face challenges of a diverse workforce which are as follows: 1. Language differences: Communication is difficult or impossible if employees cant understand each other. Employees cant train each other or work together if they cant communicate. Translators may be used for hiring but for the day to day Communication that fosters a friendly, informal and productive work setting, language barriers create a real and often serious problem. Such problems may lead to misunderstandings regarding performance goals, work methods, safety measures and other essential working conditions.

2. Formation of natural ethnic groupings: The formation of natural ethnic groupings within an organization is a tendency that needs to be managed. For example if employees dont speak English they may seek out others of same ethnic group for assistance. In an hotel a large percentage of its housekeeping staff is from north India. With English as a secondary language, these employees often seek out other north Indians rather than a supervisor for help. They dont want to embarrass themselves because of their inability to speak English fluently. Natural ethnic groupings may create a strong sense of togetherness but they are unable to promote working with others who dont share the same language and cultural heritage.

3. Attitudes and Cultural Differences: Most people have developed attitudes and beliefs about others by the time they seek a job. However, some attitudes and beliefs create frustration, anger, and bitterness in those at whom they are aimed. Managers and others who want to foster employee tolerance recognize that major changes are required. In some organizations, women and minorities are bypassed when important, formal decisions are made. Informally, these people are left out when others go to lunch or a sporting event. These informal get-togethers often

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give older employees a chance to counsel younger employees about coping with problems- an advantage not shared by those left out. 4. Resistance to change: There are always employees who will refuse to accept the fact that the social and cultural makeup of their workplace is changing. The weve always done it this way mentality silences new ideas and inhibits progress. 5. Implementation of diversity in the workplace policies : This can be the overriding challenge to all diversity advocates. Armed with the results of the employee assessments and research data, they must build and implement a customized strategy to maximize the effects of diversity in the workplace for their particular organization. 6. Successful Management of Diversity in the Workplace : Diversity training alone is not sufficient for your organizations diversity management plan. A strategy must be created and implemented to create a culture of diversity that permeates every department and function of the organization.

It was found that diversity can reduce the cohesiveness of the group and result in increased employee turnover. It seems that males working in homogeneous environments were more attached to co-workers and to their jobs. As heterogeneity increased, however absenteeism and turnover increased among males. Interestingly, it was found that this negative reaction to diversity existed among males, not women or minorities. This problem can be solved by changing the culture of the organization so that employees understand the value and importance of diversity and of focusing on the goals of the organization rather than individual needs.

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Benefits of Workplace Diversity An organizations success and competitiveness depends upon its ability to embrace diversity and realize the benefits. When organizations actively assess their handling of workplace diversity issues, develop and implement diversity plans, multiple benefits are reported such as: 1. Increased adaptability: Organizations employing a diverse workforce can supply a greater variety of solutions to problems in service, sourcing, and allocation of resources. Employees from diverse backgrounds bring individual talents and experiences in suggesting ideas that are flexible in adapting to fluctuating markets and customer demands. 2. Broader service range: A diverse collection of skills and experiences (e.g. languages, cultural understanding) allows a company to provide service to customers on a global basis. 3. Variety of viewpoints A diverse workforce that feels comfortable communicating varying points of view provides a larger pool of ideas and experiences. The organization can draw from that pool to meet business strategy needs and the needs of customers more effectively. 4.Creativity increases: When people with different ways of solving difficult problems work together towards a common solution. There is no one best answer to any question--the more ideas you can obtain from different people, the more likely you are to develop a workable answer. Other cultures can offer insightful alternative. This is a tremendous advantage of diversity in the workplace.

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5. LANGUAGE SKILLS: Language skills are obviously needed in todays increasingly global economy--and diverse workers often have this proficiency. If a company needs specific knowledge or language skills, it may hire foreign nationals for help. To truly build relationships with the other people of the world, we must speak their language. It is a tremendous advantage of workplace diversity if we enable people from other cultures can help us understand not just their words, but also the meaning behind what they are saying. 6. NEW PROCESSES: New processes can result when people with different ideas come together and collaborate. In todays fast-moving world, there is no longer room for thinking, We have always done things this way and cannot change. The workers must bring multiple skills to the environment, think cross culturally, and adapt quickly to new situations. Those who meet these criteria are likely to do well, regardless of culture--even in tough economic times. 7. More effective execution: Companies that encourage diversity in the workplace inspire all of their employees to perform to their highest ability. Company-wide strategies can then be executed; resulting in higher productivity, profit, and return on investment.

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FIELD REPORT: INTRODUCTION

ICICI BANK LIMITED

ICICI Bank India is the largest private bank in India and the second largest in the entire banking sector (consisting of banks belonging to both public and private sector). Only State Bank of India (SBI), controlled entirely by the Government of India has a bigger business than ICICI Bank. It was founded in 1955 as Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India, ICICI Limited was established by the Government of India in the 1960s as a Financial Institution like Industrial Development Bank of India (IDBI) to finance large industrial projects. ICICI Bank is India's second-largest bank with total assets of Rs. 3,997.95 billion (US$ 100 billion) at March 31, 2008 and profit after tax of Rs. 41.58 billion for the year ended March 31, 2008. ICICI Bank is second amongst all the companies listed on the Indian stock exchanges in terms of free float market capitalization. The Bank has a network of about 1,308 branches and 3,950 ATMs in India and presence in 18 countries. ICICI Bank offers a wide range of banking products and financial services to corporate and retail customers through a variety of delivery channels and through its specialized subsidiaries and affiliates in the areas of investment banking, life and non-life insurance, venture capital and asset management.

Besides, ICICI Bank India had over 30,000 employees working for it. Today, ICICI Bank,India has the largest market share and value among all banks in retail or consumer financing. ICICI Bank is the largest issuer of credit cards in India. It was the first bank to offer a wide network of ATM's and had the largest network of ATM's till 2005, before SBI caught up with it.

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Managing Director & Chief Executive officer: Mr K V Kamath Address: ICICI Bank Towers C-15, G-Block, Bandra Kurla complex, Bandra(E), Mumbai. Pin: 400051 State: Maharashtra Phone number: +91-22-26531414 Website: http://icicibank.com/ Fax: +91-22-26531122/368/212

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ANALYSIS
Regarding to my Topic of the project I went to ICICI BANK LIMITED, JODHPUR for the purpose of field study. In the bank about 30 employees are working, out of those 15 persons are working at the managerial positions like Manager, Asstt. Manager, Dt. Manager. I contacted those Managers and other Managerial position holders and give them the Questionnaire. They gave me positive response and support me so much regarding to my questions. OBSERVATIONS AND FINDINGS:

Percentage of women in the organization:

Level of management Executive management Upper management Middle management Total Percentage 30% 30% 40% 100%

Level of management
30 40 Executive management Upper management Middle management

30

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People belonging to different religions:

Religion Hindu Muslim Sikh Christians Others Percentage 46.7 13.4 6 6 26.3

People belonging to different age groups:

Age 25-29 Years 30-34 Years 35-39 Years 40-44 Years 45-49 Years Total 24 | P a g e

Frequency 6 2 3 2 2 15

Percent 40 13.3333 20 13.3333 13.3333 100

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People belonging to different workforce demographics. Ethnic group North Indians South Indians North-Eastern Indians Women Other Percentage 13.33 13.33 0 40 26.7

Workforce demographics
North indians South indians North east indians Women Others

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Q. What do you think are the hallmarks of an organization that promotes diversity in the workplace?
Options Percentage of persons 26.7

Competitive pressure Changing 13.4 workforce demographics increase in 40 international business Recognition 20 and desire for diverse viewpoints

The response to this question was that the majority of the people are of view that increase in international business is the hallmark of an organization that promotes diversity in the workplace due to the globalization and the rapid changing environment.

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It can analyzed that there is an increase in international business and competitive pressure which increases the competition among the companies so the demand for the qualified, knowledgeable and skillful employees increases for survival of the companies in the global economy which in turn, helps in increasing the growth of the company.

Q. Do you support the creation of committee to address diversity-related issues in the workplace? The response to this question was that most of the people were in favor of the creation of the committee to sort out their grievances and to put forward their suggestions in front of executives. The committee ought to be a platform to put forward their demands. In contrast to this the upper level management was not in favor of the committee system as there would be groupings among the employees. Some of the upper level management was in the favor of the committee system so that there would be less disputes and the work of the organization is not halted due to the disputes. So it is clear from the findings that the creation of committee should be there to avoid the disputes from disrupting the normal operations of the organizations.

If yes, then committee should be formed on the basis of

5 5 4 4 3 2 1 1 0 0 Age Sex Religion Nomination

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It can be concluded from the graph that the majority of people want committee to be formed on the basis of nominations in order to avoid conflicts, misunderstanding an discrimination among the employees. The committee members can serve as mentors and resources for people of diverse backgrounds. The employees have chosen nomination because all the people have equal opportunity to be selected for the committee. Some of the people preferred age as the basis of their selection due to their work experience and they want more authority.

q Q. What is the criterion for selection for the selection of committee members?

Criterion Performance Work experience Religion Other (ability, knowledge, skills etc)

Percentage 40 40 10 30

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The graph shows that the committee members be selected on the basis of the performance and the work experience of the employees. Because it adds more value to the organization by inhibiting new creative ideas for the progress of the bank. The employees were of the view that the committee members should not be selected on the basis of religion, age, ethnicity etc. It should be fair and equitable selection. Some of the employees wanted performance as the basis of the selection committee because they want responsible and talented people to take charge of the committee so that their grievances could be handled in a better manner whereas some preferred work experience because they have better understanding of the company diversity policies and they can understand the problems of the members better as they have been with the company for a long time.

Q. Indicate how well you believe your company meets the goals of the corporate diversity program set forth by your CEO?

GOALS We meet less than 50% of the program goals We meet 50%-79% of the program goals We meet 80%-99% of the program goals We meet all of the program goals Dont know

PERCENTAGE 13.3333 20 33.3333 13.3333 20

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A companys vision of diversity and the level of success in promoting diversity initiatives must start from the top. As the company head, the CEO must play an active and visible role in enforcing diversity initiatives throughout the company. Nine of the 15 respondent companies indicated that their CEO had a fairly significant role in personally championing diversity efforts by actively participating in the companies diversity effort. . It was held their management executives accountable for promoting diversity through an employee performance appraisal process whereby a managers level of diversity success is linked to his/her short-term compensation.

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Q. Has your organization ever:

AGREE 1.Installed specialist facilities for diverse groups. 2. Allowed more flexibility in working hours. 3. Allowed more flexibility in jobs, tasks and duties. 4. Closely examined your job criteria to ensure that you are not discriminated in selection decisions. 5. Offer extra pay and holidays to part time workers. 5 4 5 4

STRONGLY DISAGREE STRONGLY AGREE DISAGREE 4 2 4 6 4 6 3 3 2 2 3 4

After examining the above graph, it shows that the bank provides various facilities to their employees like offer extra pay and holidays to part time workers. It act as a motivating factor for the employees which in turn helps in increasing productivity of the bank. They closely
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examined the job criteria of the employees so that they are not discriminated in selection decisions which help in reducing the differences among the employees. Managers give more flexibility in working hours as compared to less flexibility in jobs, tasks and duties. So that they can easily do their tasks. Bank employs specialist facilities for diverse groups as it helps in reducing communication barrier among the employees.

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OVERALL ANALYSIS:-

During the field survey I found that organizations in Jodhpur are still not sensitive and aware of the concept of Workforce Diversity. This is probably because Organizations in Jodhpur are small in size and working styles are still traditional. However according to the views of the organization( ICICI BANK) it plays vital role to help business growth. As in todays competitive scenario when corporates excel in very large geographical areas, the Workforce Diversity concept helps to tackle different segments of a task and area of operations. Thus, it also help in increasing knowledge and skill of employees as well as help to establish better and cordial inter-personal relationships between them and by this people with less skill or knowledge can also get help from others who are specialized in their work. It is a way to give an organizations multiplicate skills & specialisations. Overall, the concept of Workforce Diversity though new but will definitely help in smooth and effective working of an organizations. As the companys head, the CEO must champion diversity by infusing it into all of the companys processes to ensure that diversity is integrated into the core values of the company at all levels. To achieve workforce diversity, the CEO must set diversity as an important goal and position the responsibility for diversity with senior executives. In addition, as the visionary force, the CEO must play an active and visible role in enforcing diversity throughout the company. The CEO views diversity as fundamental to the culture of the business, and considers it an essential component to the success of the company in the marketplace. The executives create Diversity Committee with an overall goal of increasing opportunities for women and minorities so that they may then assume greater responsibility and opportunities in management.

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The CEO or senior executives serve as the unofficial Diversity Committee to ensure that the companys vision is effectively communicated to the rest of the company. The company does have diversity program but it is not the part of the shareholders report. Conducting diversity training for all employees is a priority at one communications business so that no language barrier arises while communicating. Through diversity training, a company can create a common frame of reference and establish a solid foundation upon which employees can understand each other and eliminate biases and barriers that often impede on the companies overall ability to effectively promote a culture of inclusion. The bank has diversity policy regarding hiring, promotion, retention etc to ensure it continues to be enriched with talented employees from different walks of life, and that those employees are prepared to take on new challenges and opportunities as they arise. But few people think that it adheres to its diversity policy. The employees of the bank has very little knowledge about the legislation and lawsuits provided for prohibiting discrimination among the employees.

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CONCLUSION Diversity is everywhere! It's the spice of life! We all are different. Some of us are thinkers, others are doers, some are passive, and still others are aggressive. Mix in the different categories of professional status, ethnicity, generations, gender and it makes for an interesting melting pot begging for mutual respect. Companies are beginning to adopt a broader concept and definition of the word diversity to include most characteristics that individuals possess that affect the way they think and perform tasks. Traditionally, diversity has been defined to include Today,

characteristics such as race, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, and disability.

diversity also includes less conventional traits such as cultural background, sexual orientation, class and marital status. By focusing on behavior, employees are introduced to a deep experience as they explore how individual behavior heats up or cools down the emotional climate of the work environment. It is extremely important for firms to understand that workforce diversity works. It helps create a work environment in which female and minority employees and customers feel welcome. Senior executives have difficult jobs. They must compete for talented people, give them the tools and resources to do their jobs, assure the financial stability of their organizations, push innovation in times of rapid change and guarantee that the organization performs well against its goals. The manager have to ensure that their diverse employees have the opportunity to develop their potential In work environments where differences in gender, race, religion, or other cultural aspects are not addressed, undue tension results. Bridge the gap among the employees

by enhancing individual awareness of diversity in the areas of knowledge, understanding, acceptance, and behavior. Leading organizations acknowledge that working successfully with others who dont share the same background, beliefs or traditions is a top priority in
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the new workplace. Employees need help assessing their behavior toward people who are different from themselves and the training program will provide a very personalized approach to help them. ICICI BANK provides a supportive, positive forum for developing, sharing, and exchanging information and ideas. They support strategic work force objectives by:

Attracting and retaining a highly talented diverse work force. Creating and maintaining an inclusive work force environment. Providing a voice to leadership regarding barriers and opportunities. Providing a support system and forum for exchanging information and ideas.

Thus the Diversity improves recruitment, retention and morale; increases employee relations and productivity; improves customer relations and brand loyalty; enhances relations with key community leaders and external audiences; and increases minority and female market share. The workforce diversity Team is responsible for designing and implementing workforce diversity strategies, positioning diversity as a strategic initiative that seeks bottom line results and promoting inclusion for all of its companys stakeholders, and creating, producing and distributing Affirmative Action programs for specific business units.The company should encourage employees to continue to learn new skills in dealing with and managing a diverse workforce. Diversity is full of many problems. In order to succeed, not only globally, but domestically also, the world has move beyond their prejudices. There are businesses that have begun to do just that and some that have not seen the light. Diversity is not going to stop or even slow down. We all must realize that in order to manage diversity successfully, you must invest one assettime. Diversity is about celebrating the differences and similarities that all of us bring to the work.

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RECOMMENDATIONS

Workforce diversity is among the new trends and issues that are affecting and forcing the ways managers do their jobs.

1. The benefits of having a diverse workforce cannot be all quantified and qualified; The benefits are enormous particularly when it is properly managed. Therefore, all organizations should strive to create a diverse workforce using the recruitment and selection exercise.

2. The management in organizations should identify the differences in the people they employ, manage them in accordance to those differences. This entails the incorporation of diversity management policies into the organizational policies.

3. In order to capture the potentials from all age groups, organizations should see to it that they employ people from all age groups. The needs and interests of all the different age groups should be taken seriously.

4. Organizations must put in place some retention strategies for their employees so that they are able to stay in the organization for several years. Competent employees who have approached the fixed retirement age should be handled with care and be relied on for their tacit knowledge, experience and skills. This group constitute the needed corner stone in a building project, and are indeed, the organization's memory. Separation occasions, therefore, must be done and managed with utmost care.

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5. The religious beliefs of the employees in an organization should be identified, respected and accommodated to a reasonable extent. Employees whose religious functions are not recognized nationally as holiday may be given the option of adding such days from an individual's annual leave.

6. Possessing and portraying an international character (by the nature of composition in terms of ages, race, ethnicity and nationality) gives an organization a higher and brighter picture and thus gives it a competitive advantage over others. This advantage is a strong pull factor for patronage of the organization services.

7. Organizations should consider the needs of working men and women especially in regard to family support benefits. Child care support is very essential. In as much as the women (who have given birth to a baby) are qualified for maternity leave, the man (whose wife has given birth) should be granted a paternity leave to help out.

8. For an organization to operate in an area, it should first consider the socio cultural cum health and safety conditions of the environment. This is necessarily because no organization operates in a vacuum. There is always some interactions with the environment. These interactions have both direct and indirect effect on the employees of the organization.

9. Since all organizations have diversification among the workforce, the need to recognize and properly manage this diversity to further productivity can only be understated and under stressed. Therefore, all organizations should understand, appreciate and try to overcome the challenges of workforce diversity.

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10. Disseminate an anti-discrimination policy. The policy must be a formal, written one that prohibits all forms of national origin discrimination, including harassment. The policy must include a grievance procedure that employees may use to report any type of national origin discrimination. It also should delineate disciplinary procedures for violations of the policy. The company should abide by these procedures with no exceptions.

11. Focus diversity training on an appreciation for the differences among cultures. Make a department or a group of employees responsible for this training, including the establishment of a diversity mission based on input from all employees. The training should cover how cultural differences need to be understood so that they do not have a negative impact on the workplace. Effectively managed diversity will produce the following benefits: Individual: 1.Increased employee self-awareness of biases, stereotypes, and prejudices 2. Increased employee understanding and tolerance for people who are different 3. Employees who are more flexible and able to deal with change Team: 1. A variety of approaches to thinking and problem-solving 2.Maximised innovation and productivity on complex tasks 3.Improved communication skills and the ability to work productively in teams Organizational: 1) Access to a range of competencies not previously available 2) Increased flexibility, adaptability and pro-activity within the organisation 3)Access to a diverse range of markets, customers, suppliers and distributors, translating into bottom line results
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4)External recognition as an employer of choice and accompanying recruiting advantage 5)Increased knowledge of diversity issues (stereotypes and prejudices in the workplace) 6)Fewer grievances, complaints and lawsuits; less staff turnover and absenteeism; cost savings Customer: 1) Products and services that better meet customer needs

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BIBLIOGRAPHY Robbins P. Stephen, Organization Theory Prentice - Hall India , 3rd edition, January 2003. Luthans Fred, Organizational behavior Mc Graw Hill , 9th edition, 2002 Greenberg and baron, Behavior in organizations , 8th edition, 2005 Hellriegel and Slocum, Organizational behavior, 10th edition,2002 Ivancevich Mattesion, Organization behavior and management Mc Graw Hill, 5th edition Gregory Morehead and Ricky W Griffin, Organizational behavior http://www.netmba.com/ http://www.wikepedia.com/ http://www.moxiesearch.com/ http://www.managementparadise.com/ http://www.icmrindia.com/ http://www.icicibank.com/

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ANNEXURE QUESTIONNAIRE NAME: AGE: SEX: DESIGNATION: Rank the following options in the order of priority: 1- excellent priority 2- very good priority 3- good priority 4- satisfactory priority 5- no priority Q.1 What do you think are the hallmarks of an organization that promotes diversity
in the workplace? Criterion Competitive pressure Changing workforce demographics Increase in international business Recognition and desire for diverse viewpoints Any other, please specify Rank Specific reasons

Q.2What are your workforce demographics in the following areas? Ethnic group Percentage North Indians South Indians Western Indians Eastern Indians Women Other ethnic group 42 | P a g e NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, JODHPUR

Q.3 What percentage of women belong to: Level Middle Management (i.e. line managers/supervisors, division/branch managers, etc.) Upper management(i.e. directors, operations managers etc.) Executive management(i.e. vice president, senior vice president, president, CEO etc.)

Percentage

Q.4 Do you support the creation of a committee to address diversity-related issues in the work place? Please explain. Q.5If yes, then committee should be formed on the basis of: -age ( ) ( ) -sex -religion ( ) -ethnic groups ( ) -any other (please specify) Q.6 What is the criterion for the selection of committee members? Criterion Performance in the company Work experience Religion or ethnicity any other (please specify) Rank Specific reasons(if any)

Q.7 Does your company have a corporate diversity program in place and is it part of your shareholders report? -Diversity program exists and appears in the shareholders report ( ) -Existing diversity program, but not part of the shareholders report ( ) -No diversity program in place ( ) Q.8 Does your company have: -a diversity officer or director -a diversity department -staff dedicated solely to diversity 43 | P a g e

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-none of the above

( )

Q.9 Have you ever felt mistreated by co-workers or any other person within your organization because of factors related to diversity? If yes then how? Q.10 Did you communicate your experience to a co-worker or any other person connected to the organization? .... Q.11 Does the CEO set clear standards and endorse the corporate diversity program? ( )Yes ( )No Q.12 On a scale of 1 to 4, indicate how well you believe your company meets the goals of the corporate diversity program set forth by your CEO. 1-poor, 2-moderate, 3- good, 4- excellent Goals We meet less than 50% of the program goals. We meet 50 - 79% of the program goals We meet over 80 - 99% of the program goals. We meet all of the program goals. Ranking Specific reasons(if any)

Q.13 Has your organization ever:

AGREE 1.Installed specialist facilities for diverse groups. 2. Allowed more flexibility in working hours. 3. Allowed more flexibility in jobs, tasks and duties. 4. Closely examined your job criteria to ensure that you are not discriminated in selection decisions. 5. Offer extra pay and holidays to part 5 4 5 4

STRONGLY DISAGREE STRONGLY AGREE DISAGREE 4 2 4 6 4 6 3 3 2 2 3 4

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time workers.

Q.14 Do you think you would benefit from the creation of a support group where you could share your concerns about diversity-related issues with others in your organization who may have similar concerns? Please explain. . .. .. Q.15 Do you have any knowledge about the legislation and lawsuits provided for prohibiting discrimination among the employees? Yes ( ) No ( ) Q.16.If yes, then about which laws are you aware about? - Age Discrimination Act of 1978 ( )

- Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 - American with Disabilities Act of 1990 - Civil Rights Act of 1991 -Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993

( ( ( (

) ) ) )

Q.17 Do you know if your organization has a diversity policy(example regarding hiring, promotion, retention)? If so, do you think your organization adheres to its diversity policy? Please explain. Q.18 What are the practices employed by the manager to reduce differences among the employees?

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