Buhler describes the flexibility of managing people as a commitment to diversity. Recognizing each employee as an individual rather than, as a whole is essential. There are several ways that organizations need to look at the individual worker, one of which is how the organization rewards its employees. As Buhler states, ?the twenty-year-old, single woman may not value the same reward as the fifty-seven-year-old married man.? Not acknowledging the differences can lead to disappointment and resentment.

Flexibility within the structure of the organization also benefits the employees. Creating flexible working hours gives employees a choice and makes them feel like they have greater freedom. A single mother may be able to come in late in order to take her children to school. Or an employee who feels like they do their best work later in the day can come in later in the morning.

Flexibility within regard to the strategy of the organization is necessary in order to respond to the constantly changing environment and technology. By evaluating the strategic plan on a regular basis, the organization can keep on eye on recent changes in the market and adjust their plan quickly according to the recent changes. Organizations can no long ?stick to the plan ? regardless of conditions.?

Our reading this week also focused on ?organizing to manage change, and specifically to the new ways companies are organizing to better respond to competitive, technological, and political pressures.? Companies need to be flexible in order to make the changes necessary to keep up with competition, many organizations are changing their structure to either a team-based structure, a network based structure, or a boundaryless structure.

As stated by Buhler, ?With today's diverse work-force, flexibility is no longer a luxury in organizations. The environment today, instead, requires flexibility to effectively manage this diverse workforce.? In that regard, LifeScan, a Johnson & Johnson company, is a corporation that is extremely flexible. On its intranet they have a ?Diversity University? for every employee to learn more about the people that they work with. Managers are able to learn about different religions, cultures, and particulars about any employee who comes from an unfamiliar background. Johnson & Johnson's Global Diversity Concept is defined as:

At the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies, Global Diversity is defined as a variety of similar and different characteristics among people including age, gender, race, religion, national origin, physical ability, sexual orientation, thinking style, background, and all other attributes that make each person unique.

While the term ?diversity? might be unusual in some locations, the concept of differences, and their impact on how people interact, is universal. The Global Diversity University contains important information about the relevance of these issues in many of the countries in which the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies has a major presence.

Technological advancements have enabled managers to build flexibility into many jobs today.? LifeScan has a flexible work schedule. Employees are able to communicate what hours they prefer to work and the employee's manager will express what their expectations are. Telecommuting is another option available to certain employees. Casual part time is available to those employees wishing to have even greater flexibility in raising their families. Employees at LifeScan have many different options available to them regarding their work schedule, and this not only benefits the employees of LifeScan, it also benefits LifeScan by having committed and loyal employees.