by Leigh Goessl

Created on: September 17, 2008   Last Updated: September 08, 2011

As today's business environment continues to move towards a global platform, organizations made up of a diverse group of individuals are growing at a rapid rate. Establishing diversity initiatives in an organization is of great value, and organizations embracing diversity often show many levels of success and growth.

Diversity is about setting a mindset of valuing the differences in people and recognizing the similarities, it is not only about achieving results. Once this way of thinking is established, the benefits of cultural diversity in the workplace tend to come naturally.

There are many good reasons to establish solid cultural diversity initiatives in the workplace. When you have a diverse cultural group of employees, it shows the organization recognizes and celebrates the differences which exist in different backgrounds. It is important to realize the value of all people and what worthy contributions each individual can bring to the workplace.

In addition to these humanistic values, there are also some tangible business reasons for managing diversity. Actively pursuing to achieve diversity in the workplace can directly impact productivity and profitability. Investing in diversity can create a larger pool of talent which can provide a business with a competitive edge in their respective industry.

When an organization is comprised of groups of people with different experiences and backgrounds, more innovative and creative ideas are a distinct result. It is only natural people who have varying life experiences and perspectives would be able to come up with unique solutions to problems which may not arise from groups who think similarly; this is of great value to an organization. The dynamic exchanges which occur between people with different perceptions often yield creative results.

Many organizational studies have come to conclude promoting diversity lowers absenteeism rates, can lower employee turnover costs and decrease liability in discrimination lawsuits (Robinson and Dechant, 1997). All of these issues which plague a company are costly, but by taking the time and resources to invest in diversity initiatives, many of these problems can be alleviated. Ultimately it equates to cost savings on the bottom line, which is an obvious solid business argument for promoting diversity.

Organization investing in cultural diversity it better reflects today's business environment because you have faces representing different populations. Employees are a valuable

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