Qu'est-ce que la diversité et quelle est votre expérience de la diversité? (document en anglais)

1. What is diversity and what is your experience about diversity?

The definition of diversity is the state or quality of being different or varied. Differences between people are not seen as good because the other has not the same values and the same identity as yours. Diversity is everywhere because nobody is identic; diversity is present in the age, gender, religion, culture…etc.

The first thing we think about, when we speak about diversity, is cultural diversity. Cultures are different between countries and are sometimes really opposed. Going to another country is not easy because it’s possible to act some facts which have others consequences than in your own country. The way to say “hello”, by shaking hands or having a hug, is so different between cultures.

My first experience of diversity is my summer jobs. Because it was the first time I was working with others students who didn’t come from the same school, and also because I met adults who did others jobs before. It was really interesting because I saw the work in another way than the one taught by my teachers.

Then, my business school count 1/3 of international students, and also teachers coming from 27 different countries. This experience is good because teaching methods are not the same, and are sometimes better than ours. Moreover, it compels to meet people from other countries with their way to manage, speak and also their cultures.

Finally, my Erasmus exchange in Finland let me meet people from others countries, like my roommates who are coming from Ethiopia and Korea.

To conclude, I think diversity is a good thing because it shows realities from another point of view. I also think that you learn more from people who are different than from people who are like you.

2. What is diversity management?

Diversity can be found in companies. Actually, diversity is not only about genders, age or nationality, but also about personalities. Indeed, skills and capacities are different between people and a company has to take care about the personalities of their employees.

Diversity management is, to my mind, the capacity to manage with different minds, different views and different characters of each worker.

First of all, it’s important for the manager to know the workers in the company in order to manage them well and to improve the possibilities by using each quality of each worker. To my mind, differences could be qualities if they are well managed in order to use the advantage of everyone.

It could also be used to maintain a sane environment in the company. Diversity means differences and can create conflicts between people. The management of diversity is also about managing these conflicts.

Diversity management is finally about methods used to be able to manage in a cross cultural environment. Hofstede’s dimensions are one of these methods, which enable to compare dissimilarities between cultures and countries.

A good definition could be: The management and leadership of a workforce with the goal of encouraging productive and mutually beneficial interactions among the employees of an organization. Managing diversity aims at providing employees with backgrounds, needs,

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