Diversity refers to the ways in which people differ from each other. These means are important and numerous. Culturally, people vary in terms of gender, age, ethnicity, race, sexual orientation, education, religion, lifestyle, as well as veteran and/or veteran status. 'immigrant. Functionally, people vary in how we think, learn, process information, respond to authority, show respect, and make agreements (Pollar & Gonzalez, 2011.) Clearly, people differ in many ways, so what does this mean for businesses? Well, when work groups are made up of people from different backgrounds, cultures and lifestyles, promoting teamwork and smooth interactions can be difficult. Finding new ways to work together will require thinking about the differences between people, not to divide, separate or exclude, but to leverage those differences. When people engage in divergent thinking, they put themselves in a highly exploratory mode, drawing more on their total life experience to help solve a particularly difficult problem or discover new and better alternatives for doing things . A diverse workforce more closely reflects the global situation. market in which the organization competes. With the growing number of Asian, Hispanic and other minority populations, it makes sense for companies to promote and strive for diversity in the workplace. In doing so, companies create the conditions necessary to produce more creative results in the face of the problems and challenges they will face. Diversity management initiatives are long-term focused and strategic. They strive not only to recruit, but also to actively develop, promote, and capitalize on the different skills and perspectives of minority employees (Marquis, 2007.) Every day, people...... middle of paper......cultural and the personal differences between the people who work there and the customers who do business there (Williams, 2014.) This statement alone is representative of the majority of businesses operating today. With this in mind, organizations should welcome and encourage the benefits of diversity, because not only is it a legal thing to do, but it is also an ethical thing to do. Works Cited Jefferson P. Marquis, Nelson Lim, Lynn M. Scott, Margaret C. Harrell, Jennifer Kavanagh "Managing diversity in corporate America, an exploratory analysis" Rand Corporation. Internet. June 29, 2015. http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/occasional_papers/2007/RAND_OP206.pdf Pollar, Odette and Gonzalez, Rafael. (2011). Dynamics of diversity: strategic programs for your organization. Boston, MA: Crisp Pub Inc. Williams, Chuck. (2014). Management 2. Éditions du Sud-Ouest.