Chapter 2 - Diversity in organizations

Diversity

• @@Surface-level diversity@@: differences in easily perceived characteristics, such as gender, race, ethnicity, age, or disability, that do not necessarily reflect the ways people think or feel but that may activate certain stereotypes.
• @@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@@: noting of a difference between things; often we refer to unfair discrimination, which means making judgments about individuals based on stereotypes regarding their demographic group.

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Biographical characteristics

• @@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.
  • Age
  • Older workers lack flexibility, resist technology but have experience and judgement
  • Relationship between age and job satisfaction
    • Satisfaction tends to increase among professionals as they age
    • Falls with non-professionals and then rise again later
  • Gender
  • Gender bias is still present in managers when selecting candidates
    • Maternal wall bias (possibility of having children)
  • Women still earn less money than men for the same positions
  • Combatting sex discrimination would result in better performance
    • Employees who are discriminated against will want to leave
  • Race and ethnicity
  • Biological heritage people use to define themselves
  • Relates to employment outcomes like personnel selection decisions, performance evaluation, pay and workplace discrimination
  • Leads to increased turnover, minorities tend to face discrimination
  • Disability
  • Representation of disabled people in the workplace has increased
  • Workers with disabilities receive higher performance evaluations
    • Tend to encounter lower performance expectations and likely to be hired
  • Tenure
  • Positive relationship between seniority and job productivity
  • The longer a person is at a job the less likely he/she is to quit
  • Religion
  • Significant effect in the workplace
  • Victims of religious discrimination have higher levels of health problems, absence and turnover
  • Cultural identity
  • Organizations must adapt to cultural clashes that tend to happen in the workplace
  • Global integration and changing labour markets

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Ability

• @@Ability@@: individual’s capacity to perform the various tasks in a job.
• @@Intellectual abilities@@: capacity to do mental activities - thinking, reasoning, and problem solving.
• @@General mental ability (GMA)@@: overall factor of intelligence, as suggested by the positive correlations among specific intellectual ability dimensions.
• @@Physical abilities@@: capacity to do tasks that demand stamina, dexterity, strength and similar characteristics.
  • Strength factors
  • Dynamic strength: ability to exert muscular force repeatedly or continuously over time.
  • Trunk strength: ability to exert muscular strength using the trunk (particularly abdominal) muscles.
  • Static strength: ability to exert force against external objects.
  • Explosive strength: ability to expend a maximum of energy in one or a series of explosive acts.
  • Flexibility factors
  • Extent flexibility: ability to move the trunk and back muscles as far as possible.
  • Dynamic flexibility: ability to make rapid, repeated flexing movements.
  • Other factors
  • Body coordination: ability to coordinate the simultaneous actions of different parts of the body.
  • Balance: ability to maintain equilibrium despite forces pulling off balance.
  • Stamina: ability to continue maximum effort requiring prolonged effort over time.

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Implementing diversity management strategies

• @@Diversity management@@: process and programs by which managers make everyone more aware of and sensitive to the needs and differences of others.
• Attracting, selecting, developing and retaining diverse employees
  • Placing advertisements geared towards specific groups
  • Selection process is the most important to apply diversity efforts
  • Individuals who are different from their co-workers may feel low commitment
• Diversity in groups
  • Groups of individuals who have different expertise and education are more effective than homogenous groups
• Effective diversity programs
  • Workforce programs that encourage diversity have three distinct components
  • Teach managers about the legal framework and encourage fair treatment of all people
  • Diverse workforce = target more diverse clients
  • Foster personal development practices that bring out skills and abilities of all workers

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