The scope and impact of workplace diversity in the United Arab Emirates – A preliminary study
Managing workplace diversity has become a priority concern among organizations in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) today. The UAE has one of the world's largest net migration rates, and the number of workers from India, the Philippines, Indonesia, Australia, the USA, among other countrie...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, UKM,Bangi
2012
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| Online Access: | http://journalarticle.ukm.my/3512/ http://journalarticle.ukm.my/3512/ http://journalarticle.ukm.my/3512/1/1.Geografia-jan%25202012_Badreya%2520Al-Jenaibi-edited%2520final.pdf |
| Summary: | Managing workplace diversity has become a priority concern among organizations in the United Arab Emirates
(UAE) today. The UAE has one of the world's largest net migration rates, and the number of workers from India, the
Philippines, Indonesia, Australia, the USA, among other countries, has increased significantly in recent decades. The
UAE's cross-border mobility has resulted in the interaction of people with diverse language, customs and ethnic
backgrounds. Although diversity has been shown to have a number of benefits, including enhanced employee
creativity and competence, this recognition is often found more in theory than actual practice. Diversity can also
lead to miscommunication, dysfunctional adaptation behaviours and the creation of barriers that reduce the benefits
diversity can bring to the organization. Due to the nature of the UAE workplace, which is dominated by a foreign
workforce, this study critically analyses the benefits organizations enjoy and the challenges they face in the diverse
workplaces of the United Arab Emirates. The study used a multi-method approach combining survey data from 450
foreign workers with qualitative data from interviews with native officials of organizations. It is an attempt to
compare the views of UAE workplace experience from two different groups—non-native workers and native
officials. The research found a generally favourable view toward workplace diversity from the perspective of
surveyed employees. However, when asked more detailed questions about company policy, a significant segment of
respondents expressed reservations about their employer’s ability to implement successful intercultural
communication and diversity practices. |
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