Diversity and Performance in Organizations, Research Proposal Example

The author would like to research how embracing diversity within WalMart. The main thesis that the author would like to examine is that the domestic and international expansion success of the company was a result of introducing diversity and cultural awareness programs within the company. As a researcher, observer, and interviewer, the author will examine current policies and initiatives related to employee management in WalMart, and their impact on job performance, retention rates, and organizational performance.

While diversity in WalMart is embraced by the management, it seems like the company does not successfully utilize the cultural and knowledge assets of employees when building expansion plans. This means that WalMart is missing out on creating an organizational competitive advantage by not nurturing and developing talent. WalMart’s website (2014) states that “37% of our associates in the U.S. are minority. 57% of our associates are women”. In the executive team, as an example, ethnic minorities are under-represented, and this trend is even more visible in the global team.

The main research question of the study would be: how can WalMart increase the presence of culturally diverse executives in international operations and benefit from these employees’  knowledge and understanding of culture when creating expansion plans. The author assumes that by creating a diversity-focused internal training program that allows talented candidates to develop necessary leadership skills, the company can increase its competitive advantage on a global scale. This will result in better reputation, higher level of community engagement, and more marketing opportunities.

The author will use primary research (statistics, company reports, and interviews), as well as theoretical secondary publications to determine which approach towards internally training culturally competent executives would create the greatest benefit for the organization.

WalMart. (2014) WalMart Corporate. Retrieved from http://corporate.walmart.com/our-story/leadership/executive-management/