AA

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