Diversity In The Workplace

Diversity Defined

•The fact or quality of being diverse; difference.

•A point or respect in which things differ.

•Variety or multiformity: “Charles Darwin saw in the diversity of species the principles of evolution that operated to generate the species: variation, competition and selection” (Scientific American).

DIMENSIONS OF DIVERSITY

Types of Diversity

• Gender• Age• Race• Ethnicity• Culture• Religion• Language/Accent• Disability• Height/Weight• Sexual Orientation

• Education• Job Title• Job Function• Job Skills• Union/Non-Union• Part-Time/Full-Time• Marital Status• Political affiliation

The Village Earth

• "If we could shrink the earth's population to a village of precisely 100 people, with all the existing human ratios remaining the same, it would look something like the following. There would be:

The Village Earth

• 57 Asians21 Europeans; 14 from the Western Hemisphere, both north and south8 Africans

• 52 would be female48 would be male

• 70 would be non-white30 would be white

• 70 would be non-Christian30 would be Christian

• 89 would be heterosexual11 would be homosexual

The Village Earth

• 6 people would possess 59% of the entire world's wealth and all 6 would be from the United States

• 80 would live in substandard housing• 70 would be unable to read• 50 would suffer from malnutrition• 1 would be near death; 1 would be near

birth• 1 (yes, only 1) would have a college

education• 1 would own a computer

Diversity Consciousness Defined

Recognizing, appreciating, valuing,

and utilizing the unique talents

and contributions of all individuals

MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES

The Challenge of Workplace Diversity?

• Continuous improvement of the integration and social acceptance of people from different backgrounds.

• Our differing human characteristics influence the way we think, act, interact, and make choices.

• Often, these differences interfere with our ability to support, trust, and respect each other, and thus to effectively function together.

Areas of Workplace Diversity

• Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action– The active recruitment of women, minorities,

and other protected groups.– The goal is to meet certain legal imperatives.

• EEOC• Department of Justice• Civil Rights

Areas of Workplace Diversity

• Managing Diversity– The organization is diverse by default, and now it

must deal with it.– The goal is to fix, cover-up, and/or defer the

problem with a minimum of hassle.– The effort is top management-driven, thus forced

throughout the organization.– The concern is more for a change in behavior than

attitudes.

Areas of Workplace Diversity

• Valuing Diversity– The organization sees direct benefits from

incorporating diverse people and perspectives.– INCLUSION: The goal is to change and/or

create a organizational culture that recognizes, respects and encourages individual differences.

Diversity Bias

• Assumptions of Superiority– I’m better than you.

• Assumptions of Correctness– This is the way it should be

• Assumptions of Universality– We’re all the same. Everybody is just like me.

Thoughts on Culture

• Everyone creates culture—every person, group, family, organization.

• Culture is what everyone knows that everyone else knows. It is a way of understanding and living in the world.

• Cultures are defined by their differences from other cultures. The greater the difference, the more defined the culture.

• People from different cultures experience different realities.• Most cultures accept differences in power and status, and consider

it normal. • Most cultures value conformity, reward compliance, and punish

descent.

The White American Corporate MindAs Driven By The Major American Culture

• Thinks in black & white

• Loves individuality and self-reliance

• Likes informality• Can only speak English• Very direct. “Get to the

point.”• Demand honesty at the

bargaining table• Hates silence

• Persistence. “Don’t take no for an answer.”

• One thing at a time, sequentially

• “A deal is a deal, no matter what.”

• “My mind is fixed.”• Magic Words: Freedom,

democracy, America, competition

Culture ComparisonsWhat words describe your culture versus another

• Most prominent personality characteristic.• Most positive characteristic and/or

contribution.• Worse characteristic and/or contribution.• Characteristics as co-workers.• What would you like to better know about

them.