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Engineering Management Project: Innovation and Diversity

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Objective: To write an article about a Management Topic.The article should portray your point of view regarding the selected topic.

Management Topic Possibilities:
- Creative Problem Solving and Decision Making
- Strategic and Operational Planning
- Organizing and Delegating Work
- Innovation and Diversity
- Human Resources Management
- Organizational Behavior
- Leading
- Communicating
- Motivating

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This solution looks at how diversity fosters innovation in the workplace. It suggests ways in which organisations can propel innovation by incorporating diversity in the workplace. A Word file must be opened to view the response.

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Engineering Management Project

Innovation and Diversity

Innovation is defined as " the act of introducing something new". When people of different backgrounds come together, the innovation potential is increased manifold. More the diversity more the number of new ideas a firm generates. The diverse organization is mimics the market place and therefore reflects consumer insights that otherwise would have been lost. Diversity precedes individual ability. This is because a diverse team looks at the problem from different perspectives and problem solving approaches.

It is generally perceived by Managers that diversity drives innovation even though they did not take the pain to quantify the innovation due to diversity in their organizations. But research provides enough evidence to show that diversity does propel innovation .
There are two kinds of diversity : inherent and acquired.( Hewlett et al, 2013). Your gender and ethnicity are examples of inherent diversity. They are traits that people are born with. Diversity that you gain from experience is called acquired diversity. When people work in other countries or a male sells to female customers, diversity is acquired. Leaders who display atleast three inherent and three acquired diversity traits are said to have two dimensional diversityResearch indicates that companies with 2-D diversity out innovate and outperform others. These firms have a faster growth in market share and are more adept at capturing new markets. (Hewlett et al, 2013).

In other words, diversity sets innovation free. Diversity creates an environment where unique and original ideas are heard. New ideas win endorsements and are given an environment to blossom. Diversity can thus be used as a strategic advantage that creates better products and ultimately a better company.

Markowitz (2011) however points out that diversity will work only if it is appropriately implemented in the workplace. In a study carried out on MBA students in the University of Texas at Austin, it was found that diversity fostered innovation only when the diversity was externalized by participants and embraced by the group. Diversity should become so ingrained that it is part of the ...

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