Understanding Diversity Management in Cyprus' Organizational Context

The purpose of this research is to examine the business case for cultural diversity in an organization in Cyprus. It seeks to contextualize issues around diversity within the current peculiar politico-economic environment, and identify the drivers as well as barriers to diversity in the company. The business case has been argued as rationalization for introducing diversity management initiatives (Jones, Jones, Latreille, & Sloane, 2009); here the research examines the situation within the specific organization and attempts to link diversity policies to the perceptions of employees on organizational culture and effective diversity management. The focus for the research was as follows: What does the literature say about the management of cultural diversity? What are the drivers towards the management of cultural diversity at the organization? What are the barriers and resisting forces to the management of cultural diversity at the organization? How can upper echelons in the organization achieve effective cultural diversity management? More specifically, I focus on the connection between diversity, employees’ perceptions of their organization, and their sense of organizational culture and leadership.