A cultural diversity management framework for enhancing the performance of architectural design firms in Egypt

PurposeThis paper aims to develop a cultural diversity management (CDM) framework to enhance the performance of architecture design firms (ADFs) in Egypt.Design/methodology/approachA research methodology consisting of literature review, case studies and survey questionnaire was designed to achieve the abovementioned aim. First, literature review was used to investigate the concepts of globalization, international construction, diversity, diversity management (DM) and organizational performance. Second, four case studies were presented and analyzed. The first two cases explored the role of CDM towards enhancing the performance of ADFs, while the last two cases showed initiatives carried out by NGOs to integrate architects of color into their communities through training programs that enhanced their skills and uplifted their societies. Third, a survey questionnaire was carried out with a representative sample of ADFs in Egypt to investigate their perception and application of DM towards enhancing organizational performance. Based on the results of the above, the research developed a framework to enhance the performance of ADFs through managing culturally diverse workforces.FindingsLiterature review showed that diversity is not limited to race and gender; however, it includes other types such as disability, socioeconomic status, thinking style, culture, personality, life experience, religious and spiritual beliefs. Despite the benefits that diversity brings to ADFs such as stimulating creativity and increasing productivity, poor management of diverse workforce leads to dysfunctional conflicts, frustration and confusion. Results of case studies showed that ADFs that adopt a CDM approach succeeded in enhancing their performance. In addition, training initiatives carried out by NGOs succeeded to integrate architects of color into their communities and uplifting their societies. Results of data analysis identified the barriers to integrating diverse workforce in ADFs. These barriers include “Poor communication and spirit of collaboration between diverse workforce”, “Resistance to change”, “Lack of maintaining wage equity and promotion between different workforces based on gender”, “Poor organization culture” and “Lack of Senior Management involvement”. This necessitated taking action towards developing a framework to overcome these barriers to manage diverse workforces towards enhancing the performance of ADFs in Egypt.Research limitations/implicationsBecause of the conceptual nature of the proposed framework, it has to be tested and validated to ensure its capability to overcome the barriers of managing culturally diverse workforces as an approach for enhancing the performance of ADFs in Egypt.Practical implicationsThis research presents a practical solution to enhance the performance of ADFs in Egypt through managing cultural workforce diversity.Originality/valueThe research identified and analyzed the barriers that obstruct the integration of diverse workforces in ADFs. The research tackled a topic that received scant attention in construction literature with particular emphasis on Egypt. In addition, this paper proposed a CDM framework to enhance the performance of ADFs in Egypt, which represents a synthesis that is novel and creative in thought and adds value to the body of knowledge.

Unlocking Drivers for Employee Engagement Through Human Resource Analytics

The authors have discussed in detail the meaning of employee engagement and its relevance for the organizations in the present scenario. The authors also highlighted the various factors that predict the employee engagement of the employees in the varied organizations. The authors have emphasized on the role that HR analytics can play to identify the reasons for low level of engagement among employees and suggesting ways to improve the same using predictive analytics. The authors have also advocated the benefits that organizations can reap by making use of HR analytics in measuring the engagement levels of the employees and improving the engagement levels of diverse workforce in the existing organizations. The authors have also proposed the future perspectives of the proposed study that help the organizations and officials from the top management to tap the benefits of analytics in the function of human resource management and to address the upcoming issues related to employee behavior.

Job Engagement Levels Across the Generations at Work

For more than a decade, low levels of employee engagement have consistently been reported by the press and consultant community. A recurring chorus has emerged from this pattern of reporting: not only are less than 30% of employees fully engaged in their work, but this statistic is even lower among the fastest growing segment of the workforce – Millennials. But is the engagement level of Millennials really as low as reported? Are Millennials more likely to be actively disengaged than their older coworkers? This chapter takes a fresh look at these questions. A series of field studies were conducted to determine if there are indeed large differences in the level of engagement between the generations. The research conclusions in this chapter are at odds with the often-cited reports of low employee engagement. The reason for this variance is discussed and actionable solutions for facilitating high levels of employee engagement across a generation-diverse workforce are offered.

Antecedents and Consequences of Employee Engagement for a Diverse Workforce

In the recent years, employee engagement has become a hot topic of discussion among popular business press and consulting firms. This topic has created interest in various stakeholder groups ranging from scholarly human resource practitioners to policy makers or government agencies. The interest in employee engagement has progressively increased, however, in academic literature: the concept of employee engagement has been studied rarely and comparatively less is known regarding its antecedents and consequences. Recently, a number of researchers have argued that the challenge of engaging the employees is mounting. Although it seems to conceptually overlap with existing constructs, for instance, job involvement, organizational commitment, still some empirical research confirms that engagement is a separate construct. Therefore, this chapter aims (a) to shed some light in this respect by assessing the association between workforce diversity, specifically in terms of their age and employee engagement, and (b) to provide a variety of precursors and outcomes of employee engagement.

Influence of Sociodemographic Factors on Construction Fieldworkers’ Safety Risk Assessments

Construction operations are hazardous, leading to thousands of accidents, injuries, and fatalities annually. Safety risk assessment (SRA) is a key component necessary to respond to hazards effectively. Individuals have different perceptions of the riskiness of construction hazards, and studies have shown that different sociodemographic factors among employees can alter their SRA skills. However, their role in the US construction industry has been understudied, and this analysis investigates this topic further. Following a detailed systematic review of the relevant literature, quantitative data were collected from 181 construction fieldworkers in the United States using images integrated into an interactive questionnaire survey. Responses on the severity and frequency of seven potential accident causes were captured and analyzed. Findings from the literature review revealed six key sociodemographic factors—age, education, training, gender, ethnicity, and work type—that could impact fieldworkers’ SRA. However, a quantitative analysis suggests that only education is a significant influence, and sociodemographic factors had a statistically significant impact on less than five percent of the assessments. Therefore, the present study proposes that future investigation within the SRA domain should complement sociodemographic factors with critical behavioral factors that are rarely discussed, such as cognitive biases, personality traits, and safety behavior. As a foundational study for safety researchers and practitioners, the results provide information on SRA that can help enhance the safety and workforce sustainability of construction companies with a diverse workforce.

Promoting Diversity and Inclusion in the Federal Workforce: Executive Order 13583 and Demographic Trends

President Obama’s 2011 Executive Order 13583 was expected to serve as a catalyst for a coordinated government-wide initiative to promote diversity and inclusion in the federal workforce. This order reinforced the government’s commitment to equal employment opportunity by “using the talents of all segments of society,” achieved by recruiting, hiring, promoting, and retaining a more diverse workforce. The order mandated the creation of a government-wide diversity and inclusion strategic plan as well as agency-specific plans. This study uses institutional theory as a lens to examine agency response to EO 13583 to articulate diversity and inclusion rationales, practices, and correlating workforce demographic trends. We examine how three federal agencies articulated diversity and inclusion practices and activities in the plans. We explore demographic workforce trends prior to, during, and after adoption of the agency diversity and inclusion plans. Together, these analyses offer evidence of varied approaches to diversity and inclusion as well as uneven progress in pursuing the letter and spirit of the order. Specifically, the articulation of agency-specific diversity goals following Executive Order 13583 does not consistently translate to enhanced workforce diversity.

Lofty goals and strategic plans are not enough to achieve and maintain a diverse workforce: an American Association for the Surgery of Trauma Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee conversation

The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Ad Hoc Committee organized a luncheon symposium with a distinguished panel of experts to discuss how to ensure a diverse surgical workforce. The panelists discussed the current state of DEI efforts within surgical departments and societal demographic changes that inform and necessitate surgical workforce adaptations. Concrete recommendations included the following: obtain internal data, establish DEI committee, include bias training, review hiring and compensation practices, support the department members doing the DEI work, commit adequate funding, be intentional with DEI efforts, and develop and support alternate pathways for promotion and tenure.

Diversity Management Programs: California Local Governments’ Approach to Achieving Representative Bureaucracy

Attaining representativeness in a bureaucracy, or the ability for a public organization to mirror the diversity of its constituents, is argued to be a key element to effective and efficient governance. Studies show that implementing diversity management programs can help organizations become more representative and, at the same time, maximize the full potential of their diverse workforce. This study examined the existing and developing diversity management programs in each of the nine Bay Area county organizations and measured the representativeness of each. These programs were analyzed by benchmarking them against the International Personnel Management Association's (IPMA) diversity management best practices list. Representativeness was gauged by comparing the ethnic makeup of each county organization's workforce against the ethnicity of the population it is serving and its available labor market using the most recent census data. Although diversity management has been around for decades, implementing diversity management programs for most nine Bay Area county organizations is either at the beginning stages or is not a top priority. Moreover, data on representation show that though the Black or African American employees are well represented across the nine Bay Area county organizations, underrepresentation is still prevalent, particularly with the Hispanic and Asian employee group, especially at the leadership level. These findings suggest that most county organizations in the Bay Area still need to create a more representative workforce. Developing strategies, such as implementing robust diversity management programs that can help improve the recruitment and retention of a diverse workforce could solve this discrepancy.

Highlighting altruism in geoscience careers aligns with diverse US student ideals better than emphasizing working outdoors

A common approach to attract students in the United States to the geosciences is to emphasize outdoor experiences in the natural world. However, it is unclear how successful this strategy is. Specifically, the geosciences have been less successful than other sciences at recruiting a diverse workforce that reflects different perspectives and life experiences. Here we present a survey of students enrolled in College Algebra at a Hispanic-serving institution in the southwestern United States where, of 1550 students surveyed, 55.3% identified as an underrepresented minority (URM). We find that surveyed students care little about working outdoors. Instead, they rate altruistic factors, such as helping people or the environment, as most important. Female respondents rate these factors higher than male respondents. We also find that many respondents know little about what a career in geoscience entails. We argue that better informing students about the altruistic potential of geoscience careers would be an effective strategy to broaden recruitment.