Chapter 5 - Diversity in Organizations Flashcards
what is diversity?
identity-based differences among and between two or more people that affect their lives as applicants, employees, and customers
what are identity groups?
- groups in society based on identity-based differences
- differences related to discrimination and disparity between groups (healthcare, employment, housing, etc)
managing vs valuing diversity
managing = ways in which orgs seek to ensure that members of diverse groups are valued and treated fairly
valuing = ways that orgs show appreciation for diversity among job applicants, employees, and customers
three levels of diversity in the workplace
- surface level (visible diversity, identity groups!)
- deep level (non-observable - attitudes, values, beliefs)
- hidden (deep-level, but may be concealed or revealed at the discretion of individuals)
examples of hidden level diversity
sexual orientation
hidden disability
mixed heritage
socioeconomic status
“invisible social identities”
discuss diversity in the workplace
78% white workforce, but increasingly becoming more diverse –> including women (steadily rising)
presents both opportunities and challenges
Asian/ Hispanic increasing the most out of other racial minorities
managers should be mindful of issues minority employees may face
two types of sexual harassment
- quid pro quo
- exchange of rewards for sexual favors
- refusal to grant favors may result in punishment
- hostile
- telling lewd jokes, pornographic material at work
- offensive comments about women, etc.
discrimination against black employees
frequently discriminated against in the workplace
–> stereotypes and prejudices cause this
managers tend to give better ratings to people racially similar (there are more white managers)
Black people more likely to be hired for positions that require low skills and offer little room for growth and pay less…
model minority myth
reflection of perceptions targeting Asians/ Asian Americans
contract the stereotypes of conformity and success of Asian men with stereotypes of rebelliousness and laziness of other minority men
perceives Asian women as obedient, etc.
perceptions are used to invalidate injustice that occurs among other racial minorities and create barriers for Asian/ Asian Americans seeking leadership opportunities as they are steered towards more BTS positions that require less engagement with others
experience of multiracial people in the workplace
if visible to others = may experience negative differential treatment
if not visible = privy to disparaging comments from unsuspecting coworkers about their own race (demoralizing, emotional strain, lower org attachment)
reasons people discriminate others typically
race/ ethnicity
age
gender
sexual orientation and gender identity
immigrant status
religion
disability
passing/ revealing (sexual orientation and gender identity)
passing
- decision to not disclose sexual orientation at work for fear of being stigmatized and treated unfairly
- may distance from coworkers to avoid telling them
revealing
- decision to be transparent about sexual orientation
- risks include being stigmatized/ ostracized, etc.
when laws are passed to prevent sexual orientation discrimination do workplace discrimination incidents increase or decrease?
decrease :)
==> creating a safe and inclusive work environment for LGBTQ employees also creates a culture of tolerance for all employees regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity
what is the H-1B visa/ immigrant worker experience
work visa that authorizes individuals to permanently or temporarily live and work in the US
number of immigrant workers in the US workforce has steadily grown within the last decade
immigrant labor exploitation occurs, despite high demand –> receive lower wages and work longer hours compared to Americans
Cox and Blake’s Business case for diversity
six opportunities for competitive advantage by embracing workplace diversity
- cost advantages
- improved resource acquisition
- greater marketing ability
- system flexibility
- enhanced creativity
- enhanced problem solving
cost advantages of diversity
decreased liability (less likely to be involved in law suits)
lower turnover saves money
improved resource acquisition due to diversity
attract more women and minority job applicants (increases the labor pool)
how diversity affects marketing ability
diverse employees, broader perspectives regarding consumer preferences of different cultures
organizations that value diversity enhance their reputation with the market they serve (attract new customers)
system flexibility as affected by diversity
employees in diverse environment learn to interact effectively with individuals who possess different attitudes, values, and beliefs
–> builds cognitive flexibility
communication more free and group interactions more effective
enhanced creativity/ problem solving as affected by diversity
more points of view = more innovative ideas
reduces groupthink
what is essential for workplaces to reap benefits of diversity?
team diversity has little effect on productivity without an entrepreneurial mindset (needs to be aligned with business strategy)
strategic HR management (SHRM)
= system of activities arranged to engage employees in a manner that assists the organization in achieving a sustainable competitive advantage
practices vertically integrating with the mission and strategy of the organization while horizontally integrating human resource activities across its functional areas
resource-based view of firm
used to support argument for diversity
assumes that human capital is instrumental to every organization’s success and sustainability and longevity
what is necessary for a company to attain a sustained diversity advantage?
HR practices must be difficult to copy or imitate
some research into diversity has shown what?
although findings regarding a direct relationship between diversity and success in the marketplace may be inconsistent, the relationship may be due to other variables not taken into account
Richard looked into racially diverse banking institutions focused on innovation experienced greater performance than diverse banks that did not focus on innovation
companies need to learn how to manage a diverse system for success
women in positions of leadership where organizations are innovation driven do better!
what is one challenge of diversity in the workplace?
when diversity is not managed effectively, white and male employees can feel alienated from or targeted by the organization as diversity programs are put into place
reverse discrimination (LEGAL CHALLENGES OF DIVERSITY)
situation in which dominant group members perceive they are experiencing discrimination based on their race or sex
workplace discrimination(LEGAL CHALLENGES OF DIVERSITY)
occurs when employees or applicants are treated unfairly at work or in hiring process
can discriminate against someone of your own identity group too
equal employment opportunity commission (LEGAL CHALLENGES OF DIVERSITY)
created with goal of making it illegal to discriminate in the workplace/ they enforce
equal pay act of 1963
provision for equal pay
harassment (LEGAL CHALLENGES OF DIVERSITY)
any unwelcome conduct based on characteristics such as age, race, etc.
sexual harassment
age discrimination (LEGAL CHALLENGES OF DIVERSITY)
treating an employee/ applicant less favorably due to their age
age discrimination in employment act
forbids discrimination against individuals who are age 40 and above
disability discrimination (LEGAL CHALLENGES OF DIVERSITY)
occurs when an employee or applicant who is covered by the Americans with disabilities act is treated unfavorably due to their physical or mental disability
nation origin discrimination (LEGAL CHALLENGES OF DIVERSITY)
involves treating someone unfavorably because of their country of origin, accent, ethnicity, or appearance
EEOC regulations make it illegal to implement an employment practice or policy that applies to everyone if it has a negative impact on people of a certain national origin (example: English only policy, unless necessary for safety)
pregnancy discrimination (LEGAL CHALLENGES OF DIVERSITY)
treating an employee/ applicant unfairly because of pregnancy status, childbirth, or medical conditions related to pregnancy or childbirth
Pregnancy discrimination act
prohibits discrimination (hiring, firing, compensation, training, job assignment, insurance, etc.)
family and medical leave act
new parents can have a given amount of unpaid leave to care for new child
race/ color discrimination (LEGAL CHALLENGES OF DIVERSITY)
treating employees or applicants unfairly because of their race or physical characteristics typically associated with race
religious discrimination (LEGAL CHALLENGES OF DIVERSITY)
occurs when employees/ applicants treated unfairly because of their religious beliefs
employees can have reasonable accommodations for their beliefs
sex-based discrimination (LEGAL CHALLENGES OF DIVERSITY)
when employees/ applicants treated unfairly because of their sex
Under EEOC
access discrimination (LEGAL CHALLENGES OF DIVERSITY)
catchall term that defines when people are denied employment opportunities because of their identity group or personal characteristic
treatment discrimination (LEGAL CHALLENGES OF DIVERSITY)
situation in which people are employed but are treated differently while employed, mainly by receiving different and unequal job-related opportunities or rewards
interpersonal or covert discrimination (LEGAL CHALLENGES OF DIVERSITY)
involves discrimination that manifests itself in ways that are not visible or readily identifiable
can seriously impact interpersonal interactions between employees, employees and customers, and other important workplace relationships
example: salesperson spends less time interacting with obese customers than average weight customers
legislation that created the EEOC with the primary role of making it illegal to discriminate against someone in the workplace
things covered: race, national origin, sex, disability, religion, pregnancy status, etc.
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
legislation that mandates men and women be given the same pay for equal work
equal pay act of 1963
legislation that forbids discrimination against individuals who are age 40 and above
age discrimination in employment act (ADEA)
legislation that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in employment, public services, public accommodations, and in telecommunications
Americans with disabilities act (ADA)
legislation that prohibits any discrimination as it relates to pregnancy, including hiring, firing, …., or any other employment conditions
pregnancy discrimination act (PDA)
legislation that grants new parents up to 12 weeks of paid or unpaid leave to care for new child and gives nursing mothers the right to express milk on workplace premises
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
cognitive diversity hypothesis
cognitive diversity = differences between team members in characteristics such as expertise, experience, and perspective
different demographic background creates cognitive diversity which is important in the workplace
benefits stem from the multiple perspectives generated by the cultural diversity of group members (takes time for group members to figure out how to work well together)
similarity-attraction paradigm
explains how diversity can have negative outcomes for an organization
individuals are attracted to others with whom they share attitude similarity (other traits such as race, age, sex can serve as signals to reveal deep-level traits) and identity groups
members who belong to diverse work units may be less attached, are absent more often, are more likely to quit –> more turnover and more conflict
companies perceived to value diversity based on their recruitment literature are more attractive to racial minorities and less to non-minority folks
social cognitive theory
seeks to explain how diversity can result in negative outcomes in a group or organization
people use categorization to simplify and cope with information
–> thus, people commonly categorized by visual characteristics like race (stereotyping)
social identity theory
explanation of why diversity may have a negative outcome
when we first meet someone, we categorize them as belonging to an in-group (same as us) and out group (different)
we tend to perceive out-groups as having similar attitudes, while in group members are more heterogenous (because of prejudices usually)
schema theory
units of knowledge are stored as having patterns and connections –> create schemas that can be used to evaluate one’s self or others (categorize them)
employees develop schemas about coworkers based on diversity traits, but can also be about organizational policies, work climate, etc.
schemas can be positive or negative and affect the attitudes and behaviours employees have toward one another
justification-suppression model
- people are prejudiced against a certain group or individual, but experience conflicting emotions in -
- regard to that prejudice
people motivated to suppress their prejudice rather than act on it
suggests that everyone experiences prejudices, but most attempt to suppress any outward manifestation of them because of empathy, compassion, societal beliefs, social pressure, etc.
when are people more likely to act on their prejudices according to the justification-suppression model?
when they are tired physically or emotionally
when they can do so and remain anonymous
when social norms are weak and it would not be received negatively
three diversity theories that discuss negative aspects of diversity
- similarity-attraction paradigm
- social cognitive theory
- social identity theory
who came up with the three perspectives on workplace diversity? and why did they?
Ely and Thomas
designed to theoretically and empirically support some of the hypothesized relationships between diversity and workplace outcomes
integration and learning perspective (Ely and Thomas)
different life experience, skills, and perspectives that diversity offers can be a valuable resource in context of work groups
assumption: members of different cultural identities can learn from each other and work together
values cultural identity and strongly links diversity to success of firm
downfalls of integration and learning perspective by Ely and Thomas
white members of the group may feel marginalized if not asked to join in on diversity-related projects/ discussions
diverse workforce members might experience burnout if they are always expected to work on diversity-specific projects
access and legitimacy perspective (Ely and Thomas)
focuses on the benefit that a diverse workforce can bring to a business that wishes to operate within a diverse set of markets or with culturally diverse clients
operate this way to gain access to diverse markets and because their diversity affords them some level of legitimacy when attempting to gain access to diverse markets
does not attempt to integrate or value diversity at the business’s core
downfalls of the access and legitimacy perspective by Ely and Thomas
can limit the roles of certain minority groups by valuing members of these groups only because they can increase access to diverse markets and not because they can actually make other potentially valuable contributions
(differential and power status conflict, little discussion about conflict, low employee morale)
the discrimination and fairness perspective
stems from belief that a culturally diverse workforce is a moral duty that must be maintained
characterized by a commitment to equal opportunities in hiring and promotions (does not directly link success with diversity)
many firms under this perspective will have a spoken or unspoken assumption that assimilation into the dominant culture should take place
downfalls of the discrimination and fairness perspective by Ely and Thomas
measures progress by the recruitment and retention of diverse people, which may leave employees of traditionally underrepresented groups feelings devalued
often assimilation is pushed on diverse employees under the guise of reducing conflict or in an effort to demonstrate that differences between cultural identity groups are unimportant
(race related conflict, conflict not discussed, low employee morale, no cross-cultural exchange, no minority employees’ contribution)
how to improve interview selection process to avoid biases
use highly structured interviews to avoid bias based on race or gender
–> use same questions, limited prompting, longer interview, rating scales, detailed notes, multiple interviewers, etc.
strategies for employees to manage diversity
- higher education
- look for larger firms
- more likely to have formal hiring programs and specific diversity provisions - challenge your own prejudices
