ILRID 1525 - Chapter 2 (Diversity in Organizations/Perception & Stereotyping)

surface-level diversity

differences in easily perceived traits that do not reflect the ways people think or feel (race, gender, etc)

deep-level diversity

differences in values, personality, and work preferences that become progressively more important for determining similarity as people get to know one another better.

discrimination

Book definition: noting the differences between things (can be unfair)

Lecture definition: Unjustified (usually negative or harmful) action toward a member of a group because of his or her membership in that group (behavioral component)

stereotyping

judging someone based on perception of group that they belong to (cognitive component)

stereotype threat

The degree to which we are concerned with being judged by or treated negatively based on a certain stereotype, can lead to poor performance

Biographical characteristics

Personal characteristics—such as age, gender, race, and length of tenure—that are objective and easily obtained from personnel records. These characteristics are representative of surface-level diversity.

What is the relationship between age and job performance, and age and job satisfaction?

No relationship with performance, but increase job satisfaction with age

glass ceiling

women less likely to be selected for leadership positions than men

glass cliff

women are put in charge of more difficult tasks and crises

ability

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

Intellectual abilities

The capacity to do mental activities—thinking, reasoning, and problem solving.

General mental ability (GMA)

An overall factor of intelligence, as suggested by the positive correlations among specific intellectual ability dimensions.

What are the 7 dimensions of intellectual ability?

number aptitude, verbal comprehension, perceptual speed, inductive reasoning, deductive reasoning, spatial visualization, memory

Wonderlic Ability Test

most widely used intelligence test in hiring, measures speed and power

Physical abilities

The capacity to do tasks that demand stamina, dexterity, strength, and similar characteristics.

What are the 9 basic abilities for physical performance?

Dynamic strength, Trunk strength, Static strength, Explosive strength, Extent flexibility, Dynamic flexibility, Body coordination, Balance, Stamina

Diversity management

The process and programs by which managers make everyone more aware of and sensitive to the needs and differences of others.

faultlines

perceived divisions that split groups by differences

prejudice

An affective (emotional, evaluative, visceral) disposition towards a distinguishable group of people based only on their membership in that group (the emotional component)

cognitive misers

But people have limited cognitive resources, so we use shortcuts and patterns to view the world around us

In what manner do we process information?

Top-down, automatic information processing

schema

One of the primary tools of fast automatic judgment, a pattern imposed on complex reality or experience to help us interpret, explain, and predict

What is the relationship between stereotypes and schemas?

Stereotypes are specific kinds of schemas (person schemas)

Expectancy violations

Stereotype inconsistent behavior that threatens our ability to make sense of the world

What are the two reactions to a person’s behavior violating a stereotype?

assimilation - reinterpret the behavior in a stereotype-consistent way

contrast - when you can’t reinterpret, view behavior as more extreme

Howard vs Heidi shows _______

Gender Double Bind - Women going into interview worried people won’t like them if they are assertive

But also, being assertive is necessary to do well in interview (don’t want to confirm beliefs or come off as meek or nice)