8 - Diversity in the boardroom

Question 1

Two types of diversity

Answer 1

1. Surface - gender, race, ethnicity, age
2. Deep - learning style, personality type and team role

Question 2

Zoo versus rainforest

Answer 2

Zoo - “housing” a breadth of variety compared to an ecosystem or rich diversity

Rainforest - systems that are both co-operative and competitive - welcome disruption as a catalyst for growth and evolution

Question 3

Mannix and Neale, 2005 - types of diversity

Answer 3

1. Social category of difference
2. Differences in knowledge and skills
3. Differences in values or beliefs
4. Personality differences
5. Organisational/community status differences

Question 4

Diversity affects six dimensions

Answer 4

1. Reduction in cost of integrating new workers
2. Increasing reputation
3. Better customer strategy - representation
4. Innovative and creative due to perspectives
5. Impact on problem-solving abilities and enhance decision-making
6. Flexible, agile and resilient

Question 5

Benefits of female directors

Answer 5

1. enhance board independence
2. take non-exec roles more seriously
3. prepare more conscientiously for meetings
4. ask more of the awkward questions

Question 6

Solomon Asch’s work on conformity

Answer 6

Suggests that three women are required to change boardroom dynamics

Question 7

McKinsey study of 366 companies in US, UK and Brazil

Answer 7

Significant correlation between gender diversity and financial performance

Question 8

Researches looking at “collective intelligence”

Answer 8

Found that (1) the more women they had, the higher performing they were; (2) they had higher average individual empathy scores; (3) high levels of turn taking

Question 9

What is the evidence for generational differences in work-related outcomes

Answer 9

1. no difference in work ethics
2. only small differences in job attitudes
3. relationship between age and a large number of job attitudes is weak
4. relationship generational differences in work values is weak
5. older workers contribute considerably to non-core performance domains i.e. other than task performance
6. older workers less motivated by training and development
7. most health-related stereotypes about older workers not supported by evidence
8. older and more tenured employees tend to display higher coping strategies against stressors and lower performance declines

Assumed generational differences in the workplace are not supported by the scientific evidence.

Question 10

Honey and Mumford Learning styles

Answer 10

1. activists - through experience
2. reflectors - through reflection
3. theorists - through theory
4. pragmatists - hands-on trial and error

Question 11

Belbin Team Roles

Answer 11

1. Plant - creative problem solver (preoccupied)
2. Coordinator - mature chair role (manipulative)
3. Monitor-evaluator - sober and strategic (lacking drive to inspire)
4. Implementer - turns ideas into practical action (inflexible, slow to respond)
5. completer-finisher - highly conscientious (inclined to worry and reluctant to delegate)
6. resource investigator - extroverted networker (overoptimistic)
7. shaper - challenging and driven (offended)
8. team worker - diplomatic and listening (indecisive)
9. specialist - single-minded and highly skilled (overly technical)

Question 12

Rolling Stones case study

Answer 12

Tu, 2012

Jagger = coordinator
Richards = shaper and plant
Wood = team worker
Watts = monitor evaluator

Question 13

Implicit bias teset

Answer 13

Harvard University Implicit Association Test (IAT)

minorities internalising same implicit biases as in majority groups

Question 14

Google and microagreession

Answer 14

CGO - Ruth Porat in shareholder call called “the Lady CFO”. Corrected by another shareholder.

Question 15

Dealing with microaggressions

Answer 15

Never: 1. ignore; 2. excuse; 3. become immobilised

Always: 1. address; 2. communicate with those involved

Decide: now or later

Question 16

Advantage blindness

Answer 16

Prevents majorities from seeing their impact on the de facto less powerful