The Barriers to Smooth Implementation of Diversity as a Workforce Strategy by the Worldwide Oil and Gas Industry

摘要

Advances in technology, business mix, globalization, sluggish oil price and high staff turnover combined with the benefits of diverse workforce has provided the solid basis for the worldwide oil and gas industry to recruit and retain a multicultural workforce made up of the best and most qualified talents to remain competitive and increase their overall effectiveness irrespective of the size of their organizations. To achieve their bottom line, oil and gas industry need to embrace diversity as a workforce strategy and promote social inclusion and equal opportunities amongst all their workers. Organizations that adopt diversity as a workforce strategy are committed to fair treatment of all regardless of their ethnic origin, race, marital status, disability, colour, social class, trade union membership, nationality, sexual identity, religious beliefs, age and any other discriminatory factors. In spite of the direct effect of workforce diversity on company performance based on plethora of research, there is a gap in knowledge on the barriers to smooth implementation of diversity as a workforce strategy by the worldwide Oil and Gas Industry. It is also worrisome that only limited research exist that have evaluated the barriers to effective implementation of diversity as a workforce strategy by the worldwide Oil and Gas Industry. The need to do this constitutes the focus of this study and the findings of this research work will be useful to all stakeholders in the worldwide oil and gas Industry. This give rise to the purpose of this research work which is to examine the barriers to smooth Implementation of diversity as a workforce strategy by the worldwide oil and gas Industry. This paper presents the findings on the barriers to smooth implementation of diversity as a workforce strategy by the worldwide oil and gas Industry. This study will be underpinned by relevant literatures and views of some practitioners in the Industry.