Diversity and the impact on individual behaviorThe closest definition of individual behavior is personality which is “the totality of the behavioral and emotional characteristics of an individual. Personality encompasses a person's moods, attitudes, opinions, and motivations. , and the style of thinking, perceiving, speaking and acting, this is part of what differentiates each individual” (Answers, 2007). Diversity within organizations can have a positive or negative impact on individual behavior. Diversity includes all differences among individuals, including race, gender, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, and child and elder care responsibilities (Census Bureau, 2007 ). Organizations can create opportunities to draw on people from different backgrounds, providing new prospects for organizational and personal success (Census bureau, 2007). There are many diversity issues in the workplace, but ethnicity, gender, geographic differences and religion have a significant impact on individual behaviors within an organization. Ethnicity Ethnic groups are often associated with race and integrate the view of differences in skin color with language, culture or nationality (Lewis, 2003, paragraph 9). Racial groups usually consist of two or more ethnic groups such as Hispanic-American, Irish-American, Japanese-American, African-American, etc. (Lewis, 2003, para. 9). People of color are expected to make up the majority of the U.S. population by 2060 and 30% of the population will be Hispanic (Schermerhorn, 2005, p. 30). With the number of different ethnic groups increasing, organizations that employ individuals from many different ethnic groups can benefit from the differences in perspectives and backgrounds that these individuals bring...... middle of article ......y 3, 2007 Retrieved from http://www.laborlawyers.com/CM/Seminar%20Materials/seminar%20Materiala548.aspPersonality. (2007). Answers. Retrieved February 3, 2007, from http://www.answers.com/topic/personanityReligion in the Workplace. (2005, March). Business for social responsibility. Retrieved February 3, 2007 from http://www.bsr.org/CDRResources/IssueBriefDetail.cfm?DocumentID=50900Schermerhorn, JR, Hunt, JG, & Osborn, RN (2005). Organizational Behavior (9th ed.)John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Retrieved February 3, 2007, from the University of Phoenix database: https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/content/eBookLibrary/content/eReader.hU .S. population living in urban areas compared to the rural population. (February 9, 2004). Population statistics from the 2000 census. Retrieved February 4, 2007, from the U.S. Department of Transportation website: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/census/cps2k.htm