Diversity Dimensions

Question 1

Operational Definition of Workplace Diversity

Answer 1

“People who work together differing in dimensions the society considers important”

-> differences can affect people’s acceptance, work, performance, satisfaction, etc.

Question 2

Organizational Culture Levels

Answer 2

1. Superficial Artifacts (Visible) such as behavior, symbols, …
2. Values (stated and in operation), norms, beliefs
3. Underlying assumptions (invisible)

Question 3

Dimensions of Diversity

Answer 3

• Surface Level (demographics): age, sex, race/ethnicity
• Secondary Level (deep): geographic location, military experience, work experience, language, body weight, preferences, etc.
• Faultlines: hypothetical lines that may split a group into subgroups based on one or more attributes

Question 4

Why is diversity such a pressing topic?

Answer 4

Changes in the workforce:

1. Globalization/Climate Change & Migration
2. Terciarization (Interaction between three most developed regions on eath (South-East-Asia, Western Europe, North America) is more intensive and more important than integration between regions and less developed countries
3. Electronic Revolution
4. Work Restructering

Question 5

Different Approaches to diversity

Answer 5

1. Affirmative Action: legal directives for equality for opportunities, decision makers must be “blind”, does not offer conditions for integration
2. Valuing diversity: activities to increase acceptance and information about differences (promote contact)
3. Managing diversity: interventions to overcome the potential cons of differences, differences become strengths. Make diversity a source of creativity, complementarity and efficacy; involves all employees.

Question 6

Arguments against diversity

Answer 6

1. Diversity does not offer satisfaction and efficience
2. There are too many costs involved in creating a more women-centered approach
3. People with handicap: financial workload (work has less quality, more health costs, more security risks, more absenteeism)
4. Older people less revenue potential (work with less quality, do not stay long enough)
5. Diversity = affirmative action (resistance to diversity is a new form of prejudice - new racism)

Question 7

Business Case for diversity

Answer 7

Business Case means when diversity is referred to as a product/technology that companies by to have benefits in returns (belief that diversity has a positive influence on performance and outcomes)

Question 8

Research findings regarding the business case

Answer 8

• extremely negative effect for minority groups
• more detrimental than seeing diversity just as a value itself
• minority group will feel like they don’t belong to the group

Question 9

Reasons for research findings (business case of diversity)

Answer 9

• diversity makes differences between people or groups salient
• this is a cue of social identity threat: Social identity. threat is defined as the concern people have in situations in which. the positive image of their ingroup is threatened by the activation of negative group stereotypes, or by the devaluation or stigmatization of the ingroup
• stereotype threat: refers to the psychological phenomena where an individual feels at risk of confirming a negative stereotype about a group they identify with.

Question 10

Stereotype Threat:

Answer 10

refers to the psychological phenomena where an individual feels at risk of confirming a negative stereotype about a group they identify with.

Question 11

Social Identity Threat:

Answer 11

threat is defined as the concern people have in situations in which. the positive image of their ingroup is threatened by the activation of negative group stereotypes, or by the devaluation or stigmatization of the ingroup