What are the implications of diversity in the workplace?

The Policy Implications of Diversity

1. Increasing social, religious and cultural diversity poses numerous philosophical, political and policy issues

2. At a fundamental level, a key question is: how should we live together?

- Should we pursue 'assimilation' or 'integration', or alternatively some kind of 'pluralism', 'multiculturalism' and the celebration of diversity; or should we seek a bit of both integration and pluralism?

- What are the implications of the Treaty of Waitangi and the quest for 'biculturalism' for public policy in NZ?

- What are the limits to tolerance? What criteria should we use to determine when a cultural or religious practice is unacceptable? Who should decide? And how should the state respond when the values of a particular group are in conflict with widely agreed norms?

3. Note that some types of diversity are the direct result of government policy (migration, tax, welfare, etc.), but many types of diversity are not amenable to direct (or indirect) government control

4. Governments can respond to diversity in a variety of ways, using a range of policy instruments - e.g. prevention, discouragement, encouragement and enforcement

5. Diversity brings benefits, but also imposes costs

And therein lies one of the central dilemmas of political life in developed societies: sharing and solidarity can conflict with diversity. This is an especially acute dilemma for progressives who want plenty of both solidarity (high social cohesion and generous welfare paid out of a progressive tax system) and diversity (equal respect for a wide range of people, values and ways of life). The tension between the two values is a reminder that serious politics is about trade-offs.

David Goodhart (2004)