Managing diversity

Managing diversity

1. Diversity in the United States

   • Aging workforce
     • Growth in Hispanic and Asian workers
       • Minority purchasing power
         • Growth in foreign-born population

2. Diversity on a Global Scale

   • not limited to the United States.
     • Diversity is defined as all the ways in which people differ
       • companies defined diversity in terms of race, gender, age, lifestyle, and disability
         • Today, inclusive definition of diversity that recognizes a spectrum of differences that influence
           • how employees approach work, interact with each other, derive satisfaction from their work, and defi ne who they are as people in the workplace
       • Managing diversity
         • creating a climate in which the potential advantages of diversity for organizational or group performance are maximized

3. Dividends of Workplace Diversity

   • Better use of employee talent
     • the best talent are the ones with the best competitive advantage.
     • Increased understanding of the marketplace
       • diverse workforce is better able to anticipate and respond to changing consumer needs
       • understanding in leadership positions
         • increasingly complex and rapidly changing environment to deploy a broad range of talents
         • quality of team problem solving
           • different perspectives to a discussion that result in more creative ideas and solutions
           • costs associated with high turnover, absenteeism, and lawsuits
             • lawsuits are also a costly side effect of a discriminatory work environment

4. Factors shaping personal bias

   • Prejudice
     • tendency to view people who are different as being deficient
   • Discrimination
     • Someone acts out their prejudicial attitudes toward people
   • Stereotypes
     • A rigid, exaggerated, irrational belief associated with a particular group of people
       • based on folklore, media portrayals, and other unreliable sources of information
       • negative connotations
       • assume that all members of a group have the same characteristics
       • Stereotype threat
         • describes the psychological experience of a person who, usually engaged in a task, is aware of a stereotype about his or her identity group suggesting that he or she will not perform well on that task

5. Ethnocentrism

   • the belief that one’s own group and subculture are inherently superior to other groups and cultures
     • Ethnocentric viewpoints --> Monoculture
       • a culture that accepts only one way of doing things and one set of values and beliefs
         • ethnorelativism= the belief that groups and subcultures are inherently equal.
           • pluralism= environment in which the organization accommodates several subcultures

6. Womens Carrers

   • Glass Ceiling
     • barrier that separates women and minorities from top management positions
       • Women
       • homosexuals in the workplace
         • risk losing their jobs or their chances for advancement
   • Opt-Out Trend
     • choose to get off the fast track long before it comes into view
   • The Female Advantage
     • better managers
       • more collaborative, less hierarchical, relationship-oriented approach

7. Cultural competence

   • ability to interact effectively with people of different cultures
   • Step 1: Uncover diversity problems in the organization
     • Cultural audit is a tool that identifi es problems or areas needing improvement in a corporation’s culture
   • Step 2: Strengthen top management commitment
     • commitment, leadership, and support
   • Step 3: Choose solutions to fit a balanced strategy
     • address the organization’s most pressing problems uncovered during Step 1
       • education, enforcement, and exposure
   • Step 4: Demand results and revisit the goals
     • Diversity performance should be measured by numerical goals to ensure solutions are being implemented successfully
   • Step 5: Maintain momentum to change the culture

8. Diversity initiatives and programs

   • Changing Structures and Policies
   • Expanding Recruitment Efforts
     • recruiting corporate-wide and cross-functionally
       • building relationships with first- and secondtiered schools
         • offering internships for racial and ethnic minorities
           • scholarships
             • establishing informal mentoring programs
               • affiliations with minority organizations
   • Establishing Mentor Relationships
     • Mentor= organizational member who is committed to providing upward mobility and support to a professional career
   • Accommodating Special Needs
     • Special needs of the worker, such as the familiy, conomic situation, cultural situatuation, etc.
   • Providing Diversity Skills Training
     • Special training designed to educate employees about the importance of diversity
       • teach them skills for communicating and working in a diverse workplace
   • Increasing Awareness of Sexual Harassment
     • Generalized
       • Inappropriate/offensive
         • Solicitation with promise of reward
           • Coercion with threat of punishment
             • Sexual crimes and misdemeanors
               • highest level of sexual harassment, reported to the police
             • coerces a coworker into sexual activity by using the threat of power
           • an attempt to purchase sex
         • not sexually threatening, it causes discomfort
       • actions that are not intended to lead to sexual activity but that are directed toward

9. New Diversity Initiatives

   • Multicultural Teams
     • made up of members from diverse national, raci la, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds.
   • Employee Network Groups
     • Groups based on social identity, such as gender or race, and organized by employees to focus on concerns of employees from that group