Chapter 2: Diversity in Organizations

Two types of diversity

Surface-level diversity: biological, gender etc

Deep level diversity – values, attitudes, personalities etc

Factors of diversity

Age

o Older workers bring experience, judgment, a strong work ethic, and

commitment to quality.

o Belief: job performance declines with increasing age.

o The workforce is aging - U.S. legislation that, for all intents and

purposes, outlaws mandatory retirement.

Sex

o Few issues initiate more debates, misconceptions, and unsupported

opinions than whether women perform as well on jobs as men do.

o Psychological studies have found women are more agreeable and

willing to conform to authority, whereas men are more aggressive

and more likely to have expectations of success, but those

differences are minor.

o Sexual orientation issues (e.g., domestic partner benefits), gender

identity

Race & Ethnicity

o Favor colleagues for their own race in performance evaluations,

promotion decisions, pay raises

o Different attitudes on affirmative action with African-Americans

preferring such programs than do whites.

o African-Americans generally do worse than whites in employment

decisions.

o No statistical difference between Whites and African-Americans in

observed absence rates, applied social skills at work, or accident rates.

Disability

o A person is disabled who has any physical or mental impairment

that substantially limits one or more major life activities.

o The “reasonable accommodation” is problematic for employers.

o Strong biases exist against those with mental impairment

Tenure (In Korea/Asian context)

o People with job tenure (seniority at a job) are more productive, absent

less frequently, have lower turnover, and are more satisfied.

o The issue of the impact of job seniority on job performance has been

subject to misconceptions and speculations.

Religion

o Although employees are protected by law regarding their religion, it is

still an issue in the workplace.

Ability

Definition: An individual’s capacity to perform the various tasks in a job.

Intellectual Abilities - The abilities needed to perform mental activities

o General Mental Ability (GMA) is a measure of overall intelligence.

o Wonderlic Personnel Test: a quick measure of intelligence for

recruitment screening.

o No correlation between intelligence and job satisfaction.

Physical Abilities - The capacity to do tasks demanding stamina, dexterity,

strength, and similar characteristics.

o Strength (Dynamic, trunk, static, explosive)

o Flexibility (extent, dynamic)

o And other characteristics (body coordination, balance, stamina)

Pros and Cons of Diversity

Social categorization theory - Similarity leads to liking and attraction

Information/Decision-Making Theory - Diversity leads to better task-

relevant processes and decision-making

How Organizations Manage Diversity Effectively

Attracting, Selecting, Developing, and Retaining Diverse Employees

Diversity in Groups

Effective Diversity Programs

o Foster skills and abilities of all workers

o Teach legal framework

o Teach market advantages

Barriers and Challenges to Managing Diversity

Inaccurate stereotypes and prejudice

Ethnocentrism

Poor career planning

An unsupportive and hostile working environment for diverse employees

Lack of political savvy on the part of diverse employees

Difficulty in balancing career and family issues

Fears of reverse discrimination

Diversity is not seen as an organizational priority

The need to revamp the organization’s performance appraisal and reward

system

Resistance to change

Effects of Diverse Work Environments

Demographic fault-line - Hypothetical dividing lines that may split a group

into subgroups based on one or more attributes

• Positive outcomes - members were open-minded, discussed and shared

information, and displayed integrative behavior

Hiring older workers

Benefits

o Less turnover

o Punctuality is a non-issue

o Need for motivation is less

o An end to workplace politics

o Good customer service skills

o Good role models

Implications

o Challenging work assignments that make a difference to the firm

o Considerable autonomy and latitude in completing a task.

o Equal access to training and learning opportunities when it comes to

new technology.

o Mentoring opportunities whereby older workers can pass on

accumulated knowledge to younger employees.

o Ensure that older workers receive sensitive, high-quality supervision

o Design a work environment that is both stimulating and fun.