Managing Diversity -Understanding differences

A brief history of diversity

Problems with managing diversity are not new — they existed even in medieval times, hundreds of years ago. The middle ages imposed a rigid structure on society: if a person was born into a particular class, they generally remained in that class for their entire life. Below the king, the hierarchy ran through nobles, knights, clergy, tradesmen, and peasants or commoners.

This hierarchy went back even further than medieval times, and was further stratified within each class. Peasants were among the most impoverished people in the medieval era, and "serfs" — the poorest of the peasant class — were effectively a form of slave, hired by royalty for menial tasks such as heating bathwater or emptying chamber pots. A young woman in charge of cleaning toilets, in other words, would never be promoted to head of the treasury.

Over time, monarchies gave way to other forms of government. Later still, leaders such as Adolf Hitler rejected diversity altogether: his hatred of people who were different from him plunged the world into turmoil, and his regime was responsible for pointless wars and the loss of countless innocent lives.

South African history tells a similar story. The apartheid era left no room for diversity — racial segregation and white supremacy were central to South African policy for decades. It took a long struggle to dismantle that system, which had affected every facet of life in a country shaped by generations of discrimination and racism.

These past rulers and leaders failed to see the consequences of mismanaging diversity. Fortunately, we can learn from these unfortunate events. Today, managing diversity well is one of the greatest tools for building a happy and successful life. It fosters togetherness, builds better relationships and creates a more secure future in every aspect of life.

Managing diversity should carry the same label as glass: "fragile — handle with care." This holds true for people in any work environment, and especially for career practitioners. Diversity affects every aspect of our daily lives — even simple acts, like going to work or buying groceries, require us to relate to people who are different from ourselves.

Diversity defined

We often hear the term "diverse", but do we fully appreciate its depth and meaning? Diversity means different things to different people, and each person adds to its complexity through their own interpretation. To understand the concept fully, we need to understand what diversity means in a global context.

Broadly speaking, diversity includes the different characteristics one might observe within a group of people — this could refer to eye colour, complexion or height. Diversity is an evolving concept, shaped by the society that defines it, and refers to everything that makes us different from one another, including factors such as race, gender, religious belief and sexual orientation.

Everyone is unique, regardless of their cultural background. Each person has their own skills, views and experiences, even if they come from the same ethnic group.

To understand diversity more deeply, it helps to consider its most common dimensions. We are diverse in terms of:

- Culture

- Racial group

- Religion

- Sex or gender

- Sexual orientation

- Disability or special needs

Cultural diversity

Cultural diversity relates to a person's ethnicity and the norms of their cultural group. This information is usually passed down through generations, and people learn about their culture through family values and the rules that culture defines.

Race diversity

Race refers to people who are grouped together by shared habits, characteristics, interests or physical appearance — including complexion, features and physical traits. In South Africa, these groupings are typically recorded as Black, Coloured, White and Indian; in the United States, groupings often include Caucasian, Latino, Asian and African American.

Religious diversity

Religious diversity refers to the faith that people practise. Religion provides a way of life and a source of guidance for many, and norms, codes of behaviour and personal identity are often deeply embedded in religious belief. Many wars throughout history have arisen when one religious group has claimed supremacy over another.

Age diversity

Age diversity refers to the many different ages of people living in society, including the generations commonly referred to as Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials and Generation Z. Each generation is shaped differently by its era and can sometimes be misunderstood by others.

Sex and gender

Sex generally refers to a person's biological characteristics — typically categorised as male or female, though some people are intersex. Gender refers to a person's internal sense of identity, which may or may not align with the sex they were assigned at birth. As understanding of gender has evolved, forms increasingly include an "other" or self-describe option alongside "male" and "female". Gender diversity, therefore, includes a range of identities beyond a simple male/female binary.

Sexual orientation

Sexual orientation refers to the pattern of emotional, romantic and physical attraction a person feels toward others. This might mean attraction to people of the same sex or gender identity, a different sex or gender identity, more than one sex or gender identity, or, for some people, no one at all. Sexual orientation is commonly grouped under the acronym LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning), though individual experiences of orientation and identity vary widely.

Disability or special needs

Diversity sometimes extends beyond the more commonly recognised differences. Among diverse groups are people with disabilities, whose experiences can range across mental and physical conditions. South Africa has made progress in recognising that people with disabilities have historically been mistreated, and has sought to address this through corrective education and employment policies. Education and employment must be inclusive of people with disabilities and additional special needs.

Additional dimensions of diversity include:

- Socioeconomic background or class

- Educational level

- Life experience

- Personality

Benefits of embracing diversity

There are real benefits to embracing diversity in a multiracial country like South Africa:

- Diversity brings a variety of perspectives, which offer more ideas for solving problems.

- It increases creativity.

- Recognising diverse opinions leads to increased productivity.

- People feel less afraid to express their differences, which leads to increased engagement.

- There is more tolerance among people.

Conclusion

South Africa is still healing from past atrocities, and intolerance among people remains common. As a growing and increasingly diverse nation, we continue to attract people from other countries, and we need to embrace difference in order to build a harmonious and productive society. Diversity is not limited to how we look, speak or worship — it is far broader than any single definition can capture.