Sources of diversity and the challenge before human resource management in India

Abstract

IntroductionThe common refrain about India is that "it is such a diverse country whatever you say of it, the opposite is equally true". "In India", Stern (1993) observes, you will find "a society that has, like Europe's, the diversities of a continent and the unities of a civilization". Such is the measure of the magnitude of the nature of diversity in Indian society whose features Indian industry had inherited. Societal diversity is not an unmixed blessing for corporations and their management. It is argued that in India, generally speaking, the weaknesses of societal diversity such as caste, for instance, are superimposed on its business and industrial organizations and exacerbated.The marketplace and workforce in India are becoming more diverse every day. In fact, workplace diversity is considered a major challenge and opportunity for human resource management. It makes integration both difficult and easy depending on how diversity is viewed and used. The sources of diversity and its uses make a difference to what it means and how it impinges on organizational purpose and human behaviour at the workplace and beyond. Workplace diversity in India may have been partly inherited from centuries of customs and practices, partly imposed from colonial heritage and largely acquired through corporate omissions and commissions. They have implications for global competitiveness and for managing human resources/ industrial relations (HR/IR).The next section presents an exploratory analysis of the sources of diversity in India and its implications for human resource management. The third section reviews the experiences of select organizations. The final section offers broad conclusions about the major issues and approaches to coping with the emerging challenges during the 1990s and beyond. Sources/dimensions of diversityThe sources of diversity are many in India where tradition co-exists with modernity. Here we discuss salient aspects of demographic, social-cultural, techno-economic and organizational factors that account for diversity in the Indian context.

Diversity management in India: A study of organizations in different ownership forms and industrial sectors

“…India has a markedly different societal context for diversity from Western countries and is one of the most diverse nations in the world (Sowell, 2002). The country must address a range of diversity issues, including age, education, religion, caste, socially disadvantaged (e.g., scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, and other depressed classes), gender, language, regional background, ethnicity, economic well-being, and lifestyle (e.g., vegetarian vs. non-vegetarian) (Som, 2007;Venkata Ratnam & Chandra, 1996) dra, 1996). Gender inequality in education is relatively high, even in urban India.…”

“…Despite major organizational changes, however, key characteristics that define public-sector firms may persist, albeit continuously diluted by market forces. In addition, India is a diverse nation with multiple religions, languages, social classes, and ethnicities (Budhwar, 2009;Venkata Ratnam & Chandra, 1996). It thus offers a rich ground for studying DM.…”

Diversity Dimensions of India and Their Organization Implications: An Analysis

“…This discourages and lowers the self-confidence of excluded groups resulting in their poor performance and hindering their upward mobility. In several large public enterprises it is not unusual to find different departments being dominated by people belonging to a particular region or caste [6]. Further, Jodhka and Newman [23] study provide evidences that the sole proprietors, starting their own business, looked for people of their own caste.…”

“…States can vary formulae while staying within the 50 per cent limit. A sizeable proportion of scheduled castes which have embraced Buddhism and Christianity also qualify for such reservations [6].…”

“…national diversity and the dynamics of cultural changes [5]. To date, limited studies [6] are available discussing all major dimensions of diversity of India in detail. Although, this exploratory study discusses major dimensions of diversity, but challenges from each dimension to the organization is not discussed in detail.…”