Why is Diversity Important? For an organization, diversity is important because a variety of ideas that are constructively pooled and managed wisely can be vital to the success of that organization. Individuals with different backgrounds bring different ideas to an organization. As stated in the Thomas and Ely article on managing diversity, managers feel that a diverse workforce leads to the following organizational changes: ß Increased organizational effectiveness ß Access to new segments of the marketplace ß Improved …showed first 75 words of 837 total…

…showed last 75 words of 837 total…from a different geographic area or someone from a different socio-economic background. The life experiences of an individual make that person different from others and that is where true diversity is found. Exhibit 1 The census bureau predicts that within only a few decades, the racial make-up of the US will be significantly different than it is today. Chart indicating the changing make-up of the US population Source: The Workplace Diversity Network Newsletter, Volume 1, No. 1 (April 1995)