Today's diverse workforce and customer base presents us with both opportunities and challenges. Diversity offers organizations opportunities to tap into this new growing culture of workers and consumers. However, differences in backgrounds, values, and norms can also result in conflict, disruption, and loss of productivity. While some organizations may understand the need to have their employees be representative of its customer base in order to stay competitive, they may not know how to integrate diversity into the overall business strategy. They may hire more people of color and women, but do not address systems and processes for recruitment, retention, promotion, mentoring and leadership. Success depends largely on how a workforce and customer base is managed. DIVERSITY CHALLENGES How many of the following diversity challenges exist in your organization? Charges of discrimination in promotions, pay, and performance reviews Resistance to working with members of another ethnic, racial, or cultural group Little or no social interaction between members of different groups Ethnic or racial slurs or jokes Frustration about staff speaking other languages on the job Accusations of cultural incompetence amongst staff members Recruitment and retention difficulties Discontent due to perceived favoritism Negative comments about the work habits of members of other groups Insufficient participation at staff meetings Limited input from specific groups Loss of customer base, due to inability to communicate Loss of customer base, due to perceived cultural incompetence Copyright © 2003-2007 Mariza Vazquez & Assoc.