Diversity management and the impacts on employee's diversity perceptions and diversity attitudes

Differences maintain their importance, as a factor determining social relationships from the past to the present. The technological and social changes taking place in today's global world conditions, makes it essential for differences to also be approached within their new extents. In these conditions, organizations consider different types of labor within organizational goals, as a part of the social structure and process, more with each passing day. The management of diversity has developed many practices in the basis of organizations, related to differences, since the beginning of the early 1990's when practices started to increase. The perception of diversity and attitudes towards differences, date as far back as differences themselves. Individuals or groups, separate themselves from other individuals or groups, which they perceive as different, by developing perspectives or judgement methods towards those people. At this point, along with social change processes stepping in, the re-emerging necessity of value systems revive; and organizations play an important role at this stage. Within the scope of diversity practices in organizations, the employees develop new perceptions and attitudes towards differences. The employees, as representatives of their social groups; also carry this diversity to a social level, as well as the organizational level. In a diversity management practice done to understand the perception towards differences and attitudes of the employees; it was shown that organizational diversity management practices affect the perception and attitude of employees partially, due to acquired social attitude and evaluations. However, the practices within the organization and the positive perception towards differences among the organization, was shown to have a positive effect on the change of perception and attitude.