GROUP ASSIGNMENT
GROUP ASSIGNMENT
MASTERS QUALIFYING PROGRAM
GC2023039131IBA-MANAGING ORGANISATIONs
CASE STUDY ANALYSIS ON B&Q: THE BUSINESS CASE FOR DIVERSITY
Student Name: Tenzin Deki (10021640), Gayeong Son(10019909), Tshering Tsencho Zam (10019107), Yonten Phuntsho (10021603)
Word count-1750
Actual word-1528
Due Date: 19/12/2023
Introduction
The purpose of the B&Q case study was to evaluate the inclusion of diversity in the workplace based on their experience and discuss the factors contributing to their effective integration. The paper starts by explaining the division of tasks among the members of the team. Subsequently, this analysis focuses on B&Q's justification for their present diversity approach and its significance, relevant theoretical approaches related to B&Q's approach, the impact of their approach on their company's performance, and in the end, the prospective outcome of applying their approach to other companies.
Team Management
The analysis of the case study began on December 6th following a 30-minute class discussion. During this conversation, each participant was allocated a question, while other participants had the opportunity to provide comments and contribute to other member's parts. Tenzin was given the first question, Gayeong was given the second question while Yonten received the third question, and Tsencho with the fourth question. A Google document was shared among team members for accessibility and transparency on each member's task. However, clarifications that are beyond the group's ability to comprehend were sought from Paresh.
Substantial progress was made on December 13th in a 30-minute in-class session, during which relevant resources were gathered, read, and saved to use in the analysis of the case study. Moreover, on the 14th and 16th of December, each participant presented ideas and entered their responses on the Google document based on their availability. The points were put together and thrashed out irrelevant or unnecessary ones. To discuss the final draft, a group meeting was held at Nathan Campus Library on 17th December, starting at 1:00 pm and lasting till 6:30 pm. Throughout the discussion, the responses of each member were critically evaluated and analysed to establish a uniform structure for the answers. Following the discussion, the group came up with an introduction and conclusion and subsequently submitted it to Turnitin for a plagiarism check. The plagiarism check showed a 22% text matching, suggesting further changes.
On December 18th, another round of individual tasks was assigned. Gayeong was assigned to rectify grammatical errors, organising and structure paragraphs, and ensure consistent spelling throughout the analysis report. Yonten was assigned the task of verifying the relevance of answers, arranging the reference section, and creating the cover page. Tenzin was responsible for the overall formatting of the document and the arrangement of sentences within paragraphs. Tsencho's task was to edit the paper to maintain a consistent writing style.
B&Qs Approach to Diversity
B&Q adopted its current workplace diversity strategy in response to the growing older population in the UK, which raised concerns about labor shortages. With many employers competing for younger employees, B&Q reviewed its employment plans and chose to emphasize inclusivity and diversity in their workplace (Mullins and Christy, 2016). This trend is particularly evident among organisations that are pursuing global expansion with increased profits amid the growing competition for a limited skilled workforce, resources, and market dominance (Cletus et al., 2018). B&Q is a good example of workplace diversity, as the organisation prioritizes a complete ethical framework and recognises the value of different individuals. The company guarantees fair and equitable customer service for both physically fit and disabled customers and is actively involved in a diversity strategy to improve the representation of women in managerial and board-level positions.
The strategy includes individuals from various cultural backgrounds and differently-abled persons as consumers and employees, with the primary objective of removing obstacles that hinder individuals from working and shopping at B&Q. Therefore, diversity is an integral part of the company's brand values and public image. Interactions between individuals with diverse cultural origins in a team setting can enhance innovation and efficiency, which can contribute to increased profitability for organizations (Pudipeddi and Yamajala, 2019). Maharani et al. (2022) also observed that effective management of workplace diversity can lead to enhanced dynamism and integration. B&Q, with the adoption of such policies, can maintain good customer service and treat them with respect and dignity, irrespective of their background (Mullins, 2016). Hence, B&Q's strategy not only addresses the shortage of workers but also enhances a collaborative environment by promoting inclusiveness, which ultimately benefits both employees and the organization's overall performance.
Theoretical Approach that Best Explains B&Qs Approach
There are various theories on personality, including idiographic, nomothetic, type A, and type B personality. However, B&Q's approach is more similar to an idiographic approach. Mullins and Christy (2016) state that idiographic approaches focus on the unique characteristics of individuals and their personal growth. The idiographic approach explores the whole aspects of an individual in the workforce, considering the societal environment in which they live (Lyon et al., 2017). B&Q has adopted a similar strategy by going beyond the prevalence of assumptions about older employees and hiring them. This has given them knowledge regarding the benefits of promoting diversity inside their organization, making their approach similar to an idiographic approach. The case study discusses the company's unique situation and strategy, the specific aspects of its diversity strategy, and its response to issues connected to ageing and employment. B&Q is also characterized by its unique characteristics, strategies, experiments, and success stories. The use of such strategies is highlighted from an idiographic approach. Therefore, it is more aligned with an idiographic approach.
The choice of approach depends on a company's objectives, industrial context, administrative values, and business environment. An organization with a unique competitive advantage and culture could gain more from adopting an idiographic strategy, whereas a nomothetic method is better suited for enhancing efficiency, consistency, and performance growth (De Luca Picione, 2015). While an idiographic approach may appear advantageous for employees and customers which allows personalized services and addressing their specific needs, it may be more helpful for B&Q to use a combination of both approaches. This would ensure consistency, efficiency, and flexibility when dealing with unique situations and characteristics.
B&Qs Diversity Approach and its Contribution to Commercial Performance
B&Q's commitment towards inclusiveness and diversity in its workforce and customers has played an important role in successfully overcoming the challenges posed by the financial crisis of 20072009. This event has a strong connection with individuals working in a diverse work environment, as they bring forth different perceptions and ideas to draw customers in to survive during such unprecedented times. Cletus et al. (2018) highlight that individuals within diverse workforces show resilience in enhancing various aspects of their professional skills, including analytical abilities, problem-solving skills, innovation, creativity, and access to expanded market opportunities. Moreover, B&Qs investment in training programs that provide insights into different areas of business, finance, and corporate objectives sets an environment that can rejuvenate the workforce. Therefore, organisations or corporations embracing workforce diversity make substantial contributions to overall performance through the mentioned attributes. However, the prevalence of discrimination among workers of different races, ethnicities, ages, religions, and castes will have negative implications as well (Roberson et al., 2017).
In addressing psychological and cultural barriers, B&Qs approach to understanding the needs of customers from differently abled and differing cultural backgrounds is evident in their work practices. B&Qs ability to produce 1000 staff who can speak sixty other languages including sign language is a remarkable achievement towards an inclusive and diverse goal of human resources. A study on the benefit of hiring people with disabilities has revealed that 92% of its customers have shown overwhelming interest in companies that include people with disabilities in their workforce, while 87% of them are willing to give their business to those who are willing to employ differently-abled people (Lindsay et al., 2018). Hence, customers would make greater contributions to a company or organisation that promotes a friendly environment fostering equality, acceptance, and inclusivity.
Translating B&Qs Diversity Approach to Other Organisations
B&Qs approach to diversity started with employing people over 50 years of age and then extended to more inclusive factors in terms of race, gender, and culture. The employability of older workers may depend on the nature of the required work. Taking the case of B&Q as an example, their employment of workers above 50 years of age was successful because their stores mainly sold DIY (do-it-yourself)-related goods that were compatible with the personal skills and knowledge possessed by the employees of that age, which led to the success of their diversification strategy. However, this might be less attributed to age itself and more to the skills possessed by the people of that age group (Zhao et al., 2020).
There might be barriers to directly translating B&Qs approach to other organisations as each organisation might have its requirement for workers in terms of skills and regulations. One good example is in the case of fields such as surgeons where good skills of the eyes, motor skills, and coordination which were found to decrease with age, are considered necessary to give safe service to the patients (Sherwood and Bismark, 2020). In another study, diversity in gender and race was generally found to contribute to the profit of an organisation (Nwokolo et al., 2022). Similarly, even for other organisations, diversity might work in their favour depending on the type of work and skills possessed by the employees. Therefore, B&Qs approach could be translated to areas that could make use of the skills of people aged 50 but might not work in other areas that require certain skills.
Conclusion
The case study analysis began by laying out each team member's contribution to the analytical paper. subsequently, B&Q's reason for their current approach diversity, theoretical methods pertinent to B&Q, their approach and its contribution to their commercial performance, and if their approach can be applied to other organizations were examined. The paper also mentioned articles that discussed similar approaches to B&Q used in other organizations, which gave a broader perspective on how improving workplace diversity and inclusion can benefit an organization if implemented in consideration of individual skills.
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