© Mujtaba, 2007 Workforce Diversity Management Dr. Bahaudin G. Mujtaba

© Mujtaba, 2007 Workforce Diversity Management (Bahaudin G. Mujtaba, 2007) Chapter 1 – Diversity: What is it? Chapter 2 – Diversity Management in Academia Chapter 3 – Socialization and Stereotypes Chapter 4 – Discrimination in Practice Chapter 5 – Technology, Gender and Appreciative Inquiry Chapter 6 – Affirmative Action Chapter 7 – Culture and Management Chapter 8 – Generational and Spiritual Diversity Chapter 9 – Managing for Diversity in Public Agencies Chapter 10 – Organizational Learning and Knowledge Chapter 11 – Power and Leadership Chapter 12 – Gender and Management Hierarchy Chapter 13 – Teamwork and Synergy Chapter 14 – Listening and Conflict Management Skills Chapter 15 – Training Programs: Preparation and Evaluation Chapter 16 – Diversity: The Engine for Success

© Mujtaba, 2007 The Public Sector Public organizations tend to serve diverse consumers and most often some public agencies are staffed with diverse employees. Yet, one must acknowledge that the public sector in the United States is facing a dramatic number of retirements over the next 20 years. While exact figures are difficult to obtain, it is estimated that nearly three-quarters of the federal government’s top executives are now eligible to retire. This same figure is probably reflective of state and local governments as well. –Given these projections, how ready is government at all levels to replace this vast numbers of talented and skilled employees that will be leaving the public sector? –While this question is daunting enough, the public sector is faced with another challenge that arises from the number of immigrants that will be entering this country in the coming decades. –Will the public sector be able to transform itself to be reflective of this rapidly changing population?

© Mujtaba, 2007 Baby Boomers Retiring Today as more “Baby Boomers” reach retirement age, pressure is mounting on public agencies at all levels to prepare for their anticipated exodus from the workforce. To understand the extent of the problem, the U.S. Census Bureau (2002) reported that over 21 million individuals were employed by federal, state and local governments in Out of this number, it is estimated that between 50 to 60 percent are age 45 or older and soon eligible for retirement (Office of Personnel Management, 2004). –At the federal government level, the General Accounting Office estimates that 71 percent of the Senior Executive Service personnel are eligible to retire. –This figure translates into a retirement rate that is 20 percent higher than in the previous decade (U.S. General Accounting Office, 2000).

© Mujtaba, 2007 Immigration Trends

© Mujtaba, 2007 The Impact of Immigration on Public Agencies The success of the public sector in absorbing women and minorities will be challenged in future years by the need to absorb a rising tide of immigrants to the United States. The Center for Immigration Studies estimates that immigration will account for about 63 percent of U.S. population growth over the next 50 years. Put another way, immigrants who have not yet arrived, but who will come to this country between now and 2050, will add the equivalent of the combined current populations of California, Texas, and New York State to the United States over the next 50 years.

© Mujtaba, 2007 Gender-based job segregation is still a fact of life in the public sector. For example, street workers are more often men than women, while finance departments often are staffed predominately by women. The question to be answered can be: is this gender-based occupational segregation connected to the policy functions of the government or to other reasons?

© Mujtaba, 2007 Progress Around the World The Commissioner for Public Employment Supporting Material of South Australia noted that, “Diversity data provides valuable information for the development of government employment policies and service arrangements. The establishment of a comprehensive data set on the characteristics of the workforce enables a more responsive employment framework to be developed and targeted strategies to be identified” (South Australia, 2002, p. 4). The South Australia government created the Workforce Profiling Project with the objective of establishing a standardized set of core data to be used for monitoring and reporting on the diversity of the public sector workforce across South Australia. The Commissioner further noted that, “The project outcomes are essential to achieving a consistent, longitudinal approach to collecting and managing diversity data across the South Australian public sector” (p. 5).

© Mujtaba, 2007 Keeping and Measuring Data The establishing of benchmarks and then the monitoring of progress toward achieving those benchmarks is an important first step in ensuring a diverse public employment workforce. Some of the types of data that should be collected and shared by governments are: –Age of employee by range. –Sex of the employees. –Educational attainment of the employees by categories. –Ethnicity of the employees by general categories (e.g., similar to those used by the US Census Bureau). –Experience in public administration or outside of government service. –General background information. –Tenure of the employee with the agency. –If the employee has a disability (by category). –If the employee is multilingual.

© Mujtaba, 2007 Professionalism: The Bridge to Harmony Just like most other employees, public sector officials and managers can also face complex challenges when it comes to behavior alignment in the workplace, especially when their personal values are in direct conflict with the department’s expectations. –Public sectors professionals, as well as those in the private sector, must understand that there can be no question as to a manager’s responsibility regarding fairness, diversity awareness and being culturally competent in managing a diverse workforce. –As a professional manager or agent of an organization, one must treat people with respect and dignity and ensure that internal customers (associates and vendors) treat each other with respect and dignity.

© Mujtaba, 2007 Personal Values, Tendencies and Inclinations Professionalism and Industry Skills Organizational Values and Expectations Workforce Diversity Training, Awareness and Expectations Teamwork, Synergy, and a Productive Workforce

© Mujtaba, 2007 Personal Inclination and Alignment Personal inclinations are responses based largely on personal feelings and values. Professionalism (or the bridge between personal inclination and organizational expectations) is about having the requisite skills and experiences in a particular field, industry and profession. Personal alignment is about adapting one’s personal behavior to be compatible with the character and values of the organization. In such a case, one is not required to change his or her values; however, one must align his or her behavior in the workplace to meet the standards established or expected by the organization or agency.

© Mujtaba, 2007 It’s what is inside that makes a difference! Learn well, take chances, and remember that together we can move the world!

© Mujtaba, 2007 Reference Mujtaba, B. G. (2007). Workpalce Diversity Management: Challenges, Competencies and Strategies. ISBN: Llumina Press; website; (phone: or: ).

© Mujtaba, 2007