It is a remedial approach, righting past wrongs. Employers have been expected to make a positive effort to recruit, hire, train, and promote employees of previously excluded groups. Managing diversity, on the other hand, is strategically driven, and brings a pragmatic orientation. It focuses on benefits to the organization. Capitalizing on diversity is seen as contributing to organizational goals such as profit, productivity, and morale, rather than just avoiding lawsuits or meeting legal requirements.
Affirmative action is selective in mandating changes that benefit previously disadvantaged groups.
Diversity is inclusive, encompassing everyone in the workplace. It seeks to create a working environment in which everyone and every group fits, feels accepted, has value, and contributes. Bringing People in Affirmative action generally uses an assimilation approach, expecting that people brought into the system will adapt to existing conditions. This view assumes that the diverse groups will devise new, creative ways of working that will move beyond the way we've always done things to improve the organization. Desired Results Affirmative action is numbers oriented, aimed at changing the demographics within the organization.