American Express Diversity

American Express continues to be the one biggest company for selling financial products and is one of the most stable. Established in 1850 in New York, American Express Company was among the first and most successful express delivery businesses to arise during the rapid westward expansion of the United States (American Express Website, 2008). With over 150 years of experience in handling the business, the company is continually eyeing global expansion and international growth. The company employs a large number of employees from across Asia and Northern America.

That includes different nationalities, cultures, with different ideologies, sects and religion. This shows how diverse American Express is. Diversity is generally defined as acknowledging, understanding, accepting, valuing, and celebrating differences among people with respect to age, class, ethnicity, gender, physical and mental ability, race, sexual orientation, spiritual practice, and public assistance status (Green, et. al, 2002). Now, how does American Express manages this kind of corporate setup? This is where leaders emerge.

The company trains potential leaders through series of leadership enhancing courses with its goals, objectives and target outputs and film showing about the importance of working in a team. But first, leaders are asked on their knowledge of every individual employee’s human and cultural diversity. A Leader should be a motivational one, the kind who could open employees mind to working towards diversity. One must also show the big picture of its importance to the growth of the company and who will reap its benefits.
Every conflict of ideas or differences must be resolved immediately through the ombudsmen department. All of these are needed to create synergies to maximize profit. American Express has created the Global Diversity and Inclusion. This will bridge the gap rooting from the immediate conflict on a local are to escalate into a network scene and the identification of diversity related arguments. All are monitored from the smallest department. Launching sports festivities and lunch and learn activities are effective ways of interacting all employees.
Employees are allowed to express their opinions in the company. The workplace operates with respect for each other. The knowledge that leaders get from training modules are translated to the employees. The management sees to it that diversity is always practiced in the company. All are treated equally and if not, immediate actions are imposed. Although, discrimination still exists, all are advised to take it away. All opinions will be heard. Hipics, Asians, Blacks, Muslims and employees of other religion work for the company.
They may have their groups according to their faith, but all are working towards the corporate goals. Differences on faith are strongly respected. This shows how diverse the working place is. The company strives hard in leveraging these cultural gaps. Employees are all given equal opportunities as to be promoted or as to climb the corporate ladder. No one is given preferential treatment based on their ethnicity or color. This has been the most important practice of the company to promote diversity.
Anyone who noticed that such wrongdoings can file complaints in the ombudsman department or any complaint centers. The importance of diversity reflects the company’s success. The operations in other countries are stronger for local employees talk to customers in their national language and know how to relate to them. This help the company expand faster and grow stronger. This also strengthens one of American Express corporate values, TEAMWORK, we work together, across boundaries, to meet the needs of our customers and to help the company win (American Express Website, 2008).
References: American Express Website. (2008). Becoming American Express: 150+ Years of Reinvention and Customer Service. Retrieved, October 5, 2008, from http://home3. americanexpress. com/corp/os/history. asp Green, Kelli A, Mayra Lopez, Allen Wysocki, and Karl Kepner. (July, 2002). Diversity in the Workplace: Benefits, Challenges, and the Required Managerial Tools. Retrieved, October 5, 2008, from http://edis. ifas. ufl. edu/HR022 American Express Website. (2008). Our Values, Teamwork. Retrieved, October 5, 2008, from http://home3. americanexpress. com/corp/os/values. asp