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.

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

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.

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