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Factsheet01 Productive Diversity in the Workplace

Summary

DIVERSITY IN AUSTRALIA

Australia has a culturally diverse population and workforce. In 1998, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) estimated 23% of the Australian population were born overseas[1] with a further 27% of people (1996 Census) in Australia had at least one parent born overseas.

The term diversity can include ethnicity differences, gender, personal style, fashion, specific industry or workplace culture. Diversity as a resource stretches from language skills, to local community and global networks, to the most amorphous of general ways of thinking and perceiving things[2]. However, within the scope of this project, diversity refers to people who are born overseas and the range of skills, knowledge and experience they are able to bring to the workplace and union movement.

VALUING DIVERSITY

For unions, valuing diversity for is about:

• using the diversity of skills, knowledgeand experience of current and potential members within workplaces;
• using diversity as a positive resourceto develop effective organising and servicing strategies; and
• using the different perspectives, waysof thinking, global and community links, knowledge, language and technicalskills a culturally diverse workplace and union movement bring[3].

PRODUCTIVE DIVERSITY WITHINTODAY'S WORKPLACE

The direction ofwork and management change in Australia has taken it from a top-down hierarchy,assembly line model of production to a restructured enterprise model based oncommunication and workplace culture.

The 'productivediversity' model acknowledges and manages diversity within anyworkplace and has emerged from the restructuring of the Australian workplace. This model views the workplace as a site ofconstant intercultural negotiation in which all parties are open to learningand change. Industrial relations areactively participatory and inclusive of diversity within any workforce[4].

For business,the 'productive diversity' model uses the diversity of the workforce as aresource for product design and entering niche markets as well as a tool formoving into locally and globally diverse markets. Local diversity is used as aresource to break into global markets while language skills and culturalnetworks are used to forge community and business relationships[5].

For unions, the'productive diversity' model provides a process for engaging, organising andproviding services to NESB workers. Itprovides a framework from which unions can develop strategies that enable themto target specific cultural groups within a workforce in a meaningful andculturally appropriate manner. It alsoenables unions to better reflect the diversity of their membership and the workforcesthat they cover.

WHAT ISPRODUCTIVE DIVERSITY?

Productivediversity or cultural diversityas it is sometimes called, has various definitions. Generally speaking it is away of:

• Valuing the cultural diversity of the Australian community;
• Recognising the skills within that community;
• Utilising these skills for the benefit of industry, the individual and the country[6]; and
• Increasing the utilisation of overseas gained skills and qualifications in the workplace through the implementation of productive diversity principles.

The Committeefor Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) identified three applications of productivediversity within the Australian workplace:

1.     Making sense of ethnic differenceswithin the workforce to understand, reflect and respond to the different needsof a multicultural domestic market;

2.     Making use of language, knowledge andcultural skills within a workforce to develop and expand export markets;

3.     Breaking down ethnic barriers andprejudices within the workforce to enable more harmonious work relations,increased productivity, flexibility and innovation[7]."

USING PRODUCTIVE DIVERSITYIN THE WORKPLACE

The use oforganising and servicing strategies to target NESB workers is an effective wayof engaging new members, whilst providing current members with opportunities tobe more active.

Productivediversity is an effective way of providing services to, and organising, NESBworkers and should be one of the core functions of any union's work. Meeting any organising and/or servicingobjectives is about the equitable distribution of organisational resources toprovide the most effective and efficient service to all members. Where there are no existing resourcesavailable, the implementation will require the redistribution of existingresources[8].

Barriers to accessingworkers from a NESB are often the result of limitations within anorganisation's policies or structures. These limitations prevent, or make it difficult, for certain groups ofpeople to know about, use and participate in a union. For example, barriers for NESB workers can range from issues asobvious as distance, cost or racism, to more subtle barriers such as people notbeing aware of the existence or role of unions. Hence, there is a need for unions to develop information, outreachand community education strategies to increase NESB worker's awareness, accessand participation in unions[9].

The main requirement to making anyorganisation more accessible is a commitment to viewing "difference" and"cultural diversity" as an asset that can be used to expand a union's role andmembership. Developing strategies to organise NESB workers is then seen as an "organisational" responsibility ratherthan as an individual's responsibility. Productive diversity is about cultural change within an organisationrather than about simply employing an "ethnic worker" or "multiculturalofficer".

For moreinformation about the Productive Diversity Project contact, Labor Council'sProductive Diversity Officer Mark Morey

Phone: 9286 1631

Email: m.morey@labor.org.au

[1] Australian Bureauof Statistics, (2000), 2000 Year Book Australia, Number 82,Canberra, ABS Catalogue No. 1301.0.

[2] Harris, F., ProductiveDiversity - Employer Perceptions, NSW Migrant Skills and QualificationsBranch of the NSW Department of Training and Education Coordination, Sydney.

[3] Howard, J., Cope,B. & Khoo, C., (1998), Productive Diversity In the Workplace - ATraining Resource Kit for Union Officials, Unions NSW,Sydney.

[4] Human Rights andEqual Opportunity Commission (1993), Diversity Makes Good Business: AReport on Piloting the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission'sDiversity Makes Good Business Training Program, Community RelationsStrategy, HEREOC, Sydney, pp. 13.

[5] ibid. pp. 13.

[6] Howard, J., Cope,B. & Khoo, C., (1998), Productive Diversity In the Workplace - ATraining Resource Kit for Union Officials, Unions NSW,Sydney, pp. 8.

[7] Bertone, S.,Esposto, A. & Turner, R., Diversity & Dollars: ProductiveDiversity in Australian Business and Industry, Committee for EconomicDevelopment of Australia (CEDA), CEDA Information Paper No. 58, December 1998,pp 8-9.

[8] Napoli, S. &Wong, D., (1997) 2^nd Ed., Access and Equity Guide For ServicesWorking With Young People: How to Develop and Implement Your Own A&E Policy,Youth Action and Policy Association (NSW), Sydney, pp. 4-5.

[9] ibid. pp. 4-5.

© Unions NSW 2001.
Unions NSW
Level 3, 4-10 Goulburn St,
Sydney NSW 2000
Ph: (02) 9881 5999 Fax: (02) 9261 3505

URL: http://council.labor.net.au/community/public/PDFS120001127.html
Last Modified: Wednesday, 08-Nov-2006 16:10:25 EST

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