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Faculty of Management Sciences

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Subject: search.filters.subject.Diversity in the workplace

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    An evaluation of the diversity management training programmes of eThekwini Municipality
    (2023) Mbatha, Nondumiso Lilian; Govender, Saths
    In terms of gender, ethnicity, religion and unique sexual orientation, today's workforce is becoming increasingly diversified each day. As a result, there has been a need to formulate and implement diversity management programmes in all organisations to manage diversity effectively. Diversity management concerns itself with practices, programmes and policies directed at incorporating the combinations of multiple social identity groups with the view of ensuring maximum organisational output. The eThekwini Municipality has formulated programmes to equip managers with the right skills to manage diversity. Such programmes, including workshops and seminars, have improved awareness about diversity management. However, these interventions have still not had the desired impact in significantly contributing to equipping managers with the necessary skills to manage diversity to the maximum advantage of the organisation. There is still the need to provide effective programmes with the relevant content that would provide managers with skills and information to manage a diverse workforce. Managing diversity is an ongoing process that needs collaboration from all departments within an organisation. The unavailability of a steering committee of employee representatives and management to monitor and evaluate diversity management programmes, contributes to ineffective diversity programme implementation in organisations. If there is a lack of implementation, then there is a lack of employee morale. Therefore, there is a need to assess the effectiveness of the existing programmes in the eThekwini Municipality to ensure continued employee performance for increased organisational productivity and improved service delivery. The study's overall objective is to identify and analyse the effectiveness of diversity management training programmes at the eThekwini Municipality, with specific reference to disability and sexual orientation. The researcher sees the need to focus on these two categories because she is of the belief they are often not taken into consideration during the formulation and implementation stages of training programmes. The research methodology used in the study was the qualitative research method. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 12 participants from the target population of human resource employees from the Department of Human Resources at the eThekwini Municipality. The position of the participants ranged from management to graduate trainees. After the data was collected, it was then analysed using thematic analysis. The participants acknowledged that they had knowledge of diversity management, and that the municipality recognises it. They all also stated that the training programmes are a good initiative but that there still exists ample room for improvement, as there are gaps in the implementation. Most of the responses on discrimination gave the researcher the impression that there was minimal discrimination, and that the municipality takes initiative in ensuring that it stays that way.
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    Assessing the impact of language diversity on communication : a narrative inquiry conducted at a South African stevedoring company
    (2021-11-14) Naidoo, Ashegan; Adam, Jamila Khatoon
    Prior to 1994, South Africa was a country that had segregation among race groups due to apartheid legislation. Post 1994 South Africans had to deal with the combining of culture and races. The merging of communities required businesses to employ previously disadvantaged groups for a more diverse organisation. Although this produces superior results over uniformity, since development and creativity are more reliant on diversity working together and capitalising on their individuality than on high-intelligence sole thinkers (Herring, 2009). It also has its own set of unique challenges, according to Herring (2009) diversity can present conflict, separating a nation and other issues that diminishes an organisations effectiveness and productivity. There is a rising pressure placed on employers and employees for accountability in the workplace and an increasing importance for evaluation of performance (Denzin and Lincoln, 2003). Twenty-three years post-democracy South Africa faces many challenges in various sectors of society. Living in a rainbow nation means living amongst people of different nationalities, beliefs and customs. At the organisation which this research is based upon, there are people of varying races and culture. The problem with this is that in a predominantly English medium of instruction, the employees who communicate via other languages are finding it difficult to understand and follow instruction. Hence, the purpose of this study was to assess the impact of language diversity on communication at a South African stevedoring company. This study was driven by three research questions, namely: What are the identities of the participants of the study? Secondly, what are the employee experiences of the effects of language diversity on communication? And lastly, how does communication style between the participants affect the rate of productivity at the workplace? This research study was supported by using the principles of the Social Identity Theory and the Communication Accommodation Theory. The paradigmatic approach used viewed this research study through the lens of the interpretivist paradigm in order to understand and learn from the narratives of casual employees at a South African stevedoring company. This research study was performed within the boundaries of the qualitative design. The narrative inquiry methodology was applied to this study in order for the researcher to narratively explore the lived experiences of the participants. Five participants were selected for this study by putting into effect the principles of the purposeful sampling method. Field texts (data) were generated by employing the unstructured interviews and the collage inquiry method. The generated data was then analysed through two methods of analysis. These methods are the narrative analysis and analysis of narratives. The findings of this study show that one of the key components of high productivity is effective communication. Due to many employees including all five participants being second language (Isizulu) speaking, a barrier to language could be considered as a communication barrier. Communication barriers arise when the individuals involved speak in completely different languages from one another (van Rosse et al., 2016). Language barrier or linguistics barrier can be defined as miscommunication (Harzing and Feely, 2008). In any company or organisation, communication is the pillar of strength for any organisation, and poor communication has severe repercussion to productivity. The success of an organisation depends heavily on the flexibility and the effectiveness of the internal organisational communications between all levels of employees. For this reason, it is the job of managers to lead employees with effective communication.
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    Intercultural communication practices in a health care context
    (2018) Mokoena, Thobile; Naidoo, P.; Hussain, Sameera Banu
    South Africa enjoys the rich cultural diversity amongst its citizens. With individuals from different parts of the world; speaking diverse languages, practising different cultural norms, holding different values and perceptions, the complexity contributes to South Africa’s rich cultural spectrum. The dawn of democracy in 1994 contributed to the rapid increase in intercultural communication which placed immense challenges upon various governmental sectors, specifically the health care context (Paulston, Kiesling, and Rangel 2012:317). South Africans have been referred to as the 'rainbow nation', a title which characterises the country's cultural diversity (Naidoo 2011: 81). Hence, this study aimed to discuss the role of intercultural communication within a health care context. It explores intercultural communication challenges that may exist within an organisation. The area of focus for this study is the private health care sector: A case study of the Entabeni Hospital in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. The Entabeni Hospital is a private hospital based in Durban. The hospital works with individuals from different cultural backgrounds. These individuals possess different beliefs, views and norms; this could negatively affect their perceptions and attitudes towards each other. Therefore, cultural differences can become a challenge during the communication process between the parties involved. For the purpose of the study, a qualitative approach was employed. The study sample comprised unit managers that interact directly with health care providers and patients. Semi-structured questionnaires were used during interviews to collect data from the research participants. The main findings of this study indicated that some of the respondents were aware of importance of the role of intercultural communication within the Entabeni Hospital. The findings also highlighted the respondents’ consciousness of acknowledging other cultural practises and respecting the diversity in cultural backgrounds that both patients and healthcare professionals come from, so that an effective medical process is achieved.