Diversity in the Workplace

Vicki Taylor's article "Leadership for service improvement: Part 3" discusses numerous aspects of leadership roles and reviews diversity in the workplace. Taylor includes citations from authors that participated in the 2002 survey conducted by the Social Services Inspectorate (SSI) and an international study regarding race. The article offers facts from the SSI survey which includes gender, race, and ethnicity differences in the workplace. Taylor exposes that sexual and racial discrimination may be the cause as to why men generally rule over women in the workplace. (2007, Taylor).

Opinion
Taylor doesn't specifically state an opinion regarding the sexual and racial discrimination within the workplace, but by reviewing her quotes it seems obvious as to how she feels. In the beginning of the article she suggests charismatic individuals have an increased chance of being promoted than dull and shy workers. Taylor continues to say that many of the charismatic leaders will be women but few will earn the respect and be promoted to a superior position. (2007, Taylor). I do not agree that the majority of charismatic individuals will be women because that statement is very sexist and judgmental. I do agree that many women are overlooked for superior positions because of their gender. However, this is not the case in every situation but I do believe it is a factor. I think if companies and businesses could ignore gender that their company would be positively impacted. I also agree that race plays a major role in supervision positions, especially for black women.

Utilizing Information
It would be wonderful if companies and businesses could ignore a person's gender, appearance, and race while focusing solely on their personality, character, qualities, education, and experience. Unfortunately it's common for diversity in the workplace to be avoided because someone is racist and/or sexist. I think owners and bosses would benefit from reading Taylor's article and reviewing the statistics based on discriminated in the workplace. Does it really matter what body parts or skin color someone has? Qualified individuals should be reviewed and not discriminated against. Taylor's article states, "A review of international studies of gender differences in management behavior and style shows inconsistent results however: some studies find women to have a more supportive style, or to be more relationship- and participation-oriented than men, while others find them equally or less so. (Vinkenburg et al 2000)." (2007, Taylor). Just because women are considered more involved doesn't mean they will not be able to make appropriate management decisions. Also, just because a man may not be as personable doesn't mean he doesn't care and is bitter. I believe people are stereotyped because of their gender and race with no factually based evidence to make it right. Taylor's article expresses several authors' opinions taken from the SSI survey and international study that would be helpful for owners to understand that incorporating diversity in the workplace should be encouraged.

References
Taylor, V. (2007). Leadership for service improvement: Part 3. Nursing Management. Vol 14, Issue 1, pp. 28-32. Retrieved April 24 2007 from EBSCOHost.