efinition of diversity applies to and includes everyone; it does not rule out anyone. According to this definition, we are all diverse. Finally, this definition describes diversity as an asset, as something desirable and beneficial! When viewed from this perspective valuing diversity is openness, fun, and can even be a cause for celebrating in discovering how we can join together to create more as a united team than any one of us can on our own. It is vital to business survival that the workplaces strive to attain this ideal collaboration. Collaboration provides a logical structured and disciplined framework for creating a workplace where cultural change happens because members of a company accept responsibility for behaving differently, and they are willing to be held accountable to each other for that new behavior (Marshall, 1995, p. 60).The American workplace is changing and is expected to change at an even more accelerated rate in the near future. This change represents a move away from dominance by the white-Anglo male toward an increasingly diverse and segmented population. This workplace will include growing numbers of women, people of color, people of different ethnic backgrounds, aging workers, workers with a variety of physical handicaps, and people with alternative lifestyles. The workplace must endeavor to understand and use the full range of human potential within a very diverse population(Wentling & Palma-Rivas, 1998, p. 235). How well organizations deal with this demographic shift from a workforce made up primarily of the white-Anglo male, to one including more nontraditional and diverse workers will directly affect the bottom line. Only companies that have cultures that support diversity will be able to retain the best talent necessary to remain competitive.Diversity is not the same thing as employment equity. Employment equity is usually tied to legislation and focuses on preventing or correcting discriminato...
