chapter 11

Work team diversity offers a number of advantages, including enhanced creativity and

a broader base of experience

Behaviors such as persistent or pervasive displays of pornography, lewd or suggestive remarks, and demeaning taunts or jokes tend to constitute ______, one of the two types of sexual harassment.

a hostile environment

Mary Ann hired Ali, who belongs to a minority group, to work in the accounting department because he was highly skillful. However, the other workers resented Ali's presence and excluded him from the work group. Ali had difficulty performing, since he was not given the needed information to work expediently. This is an example of ______, one of the challenges of a diversified workforce.

lower cohesiveness

Because they miss fewer days of work and exhibit lower turnover, in addition to the fact that the company may take advantage of available tax credits, _____ workers represent an unexplored but productive labor market.

disabled

Awareness building and skill building are the two components of ______ training.

diversity

Multicultural organizations differ from pluralistic organizations because in multicultural organizations,

diversity is valued and leveraged

Because of their knowledge accumulated by longtime employment, their willingness to work nontraditional shifts, and their reliable work habits, companies do their best to retain ______ workers.

elderly

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that there will a short supply of ______ workers in the future.

entry-level

By hiring a diverse workforce, an organization can gain competitive advantage in several ways, one of which is

improving understanding of a differentiated market

Each demographic group is made up of

individuals

Which of the following statements is true of sexual harassment?

it is any unwelcome sexual conduct the is a term or condition of employment

Diversity can be a strength for a company, especially if managers know how to ______ it.

leverage

Though they differ in many important ways, monolithic and multicultural organizations have at least one thing in common: in both, conflict between groups is

low

When it comes to prospects for employment, people with degrees in ______ are in especially high demand.

science and technology

For many companies, the original driving force behind the effort to diversify their workforces was a combination of

social responsibility and legal necessity

As a result of personal filters and distortions, many of which result from their backgrounds and experiences, group members often _____ colleagues who are different from them, rather than accurately perceiving and evaluating those individuals' contributions, capabilities, aspirations, and motivations.

sterotype

A top-level manager at Jones & Ewing Financial, Sandra works with Bernice, a minority employee who has been identified as having high potential. As Bernice's mentor, one of Sandra's most important jobs is teaching Bernice about

the corporate culture and politics of Jones and Ewing Financial

In order for diversity programs to succeed, it is critical that ______ commit to such programs so that other parties in the organization will take it seriously.

top management

In keeping with his company's commitment to managing diversity, David stresses to his subordinates that they must respect people of all minority groups and comply with government guidelines regarding affirmative action, disability policy, sexual harassment, and so forth. He emphasizes the necessity of such compliance, as well as the consequences for failing to do so. To his dismay, he observes signs of conflict between members of various groups in his department, and he wonders what went wrong. Most likely the problem is that

David has failed to take the kind of positive approach that managing diversity requires.

Organizations should ensure that their performance appraisal and reward systems reinforce the importance of effective diversity management. This is ______, one of several strategies for retaining employees.

accountability

Special efforts to recruit and hire qualified members of groups that were discriminated against in the past are collectively known as

affirmative action

The term diversity, when applied to people in the workforce, refers to

all kinds of differences

As human resources manager for Diamond Logistics & Shipping, Lauren has just hired three new employees, Juana, Keiko, and Arjun. Each new employee comes from a different minority background. Her best strategy for introducing them to the rest of the workforce is to

allow each of them to adapt on his or her own, all the while quietly observing from the background and making it clear that she is there if they need help with anything.

The glass ceiling is best described as

an invisible barrier that makes it harder for women and minorities to rise above a certain level.

Elise and other managers at Midwestern Telecomm, a communications provider, are under evaluation as to whether they are hiring enough diverse candidates and helping build a workforce that meets the needs of their customer base. This assessment is not limited to a particular period of time, nor is it only directed at Elise and her colleagues, but at the company as a whole in order to ensure that its workforce, culture, policies, and practices in areas such as recruitment, promotions, benefits, and compensation are meeting the organization's diversity goals. This is an example of

an ongoing assessment

Studies have shown that the most effective way for companies to achieve diversity is to

assign responsibilty for achieving targets to certain individuals or groups

Monolithic organizations tend to

be highly homogeneous

The degree to which a group's members perceive things and behave in similar or mutually agreed-upon ways is known as

cohesiveness

Michelle realized that she was less likely than her male coworkers to get special assignments that offered an opportunity to prove themselves and advance through the ranks. When she confronted her supervisor about this, he said that because he knew she had two small children, he assumed she would be too busy taking care of them to afford the time for any further responsibilities. Thus the supervisor was ______ because Michelle was a woman with children.

making unexamined assumptions

Outdoor Adventures, a company that manufactures and markets gear for hiking, camping, and other outdoor activities, has a positive, proactive attitude toward the issue of diversity in the workplace. Not only does it seek to hire and retain a diverse workforce, but it values each employee as an individual, while also celebrating the differences between people. This is an example of

managing diversity

To help minorities and women enter the informal network that provides exposure to top management, many companies have implemented formal ______ programs.

mentoring

Managing diversity means

not just tolerating or accommodating all sorts of differences, but supporting, nurturing, and utilizing these differences to the organization's advantage.

After obtaining top management's leadership and commitment, the next step in effective diversity management involves

organizational assessment

Like many companies founded in the 1800s, Sunrise Oil Company was once dominated by white males. In the 1960s and 1970s, though, it adapted to changing times and sought to hire a diverse workforce. Today a number of minorities work for Sunrise Oil, but they tend to hold particular types of jobs and be clustered at certain levels within the company. Sunrise Oil is mostly a(n) ______ organization.

pluralistic

Managing diversity involves a ______ approach to the issue of diversity in the workplace.

positive, proactive

As supervisor of a diverse work group, Justin feels uncomfortable whenever the time for employee evaluations rolls around. As a male, he fears that any kind of negative feedback he gives to female subordinates will be interpreted as evidence of sexism. Likewise, because he is white, he hesitates to offer correction to minority employees for fear that they will interpret this as discrimination. This is an example of ______, one of the challenges associated with a diversified workplace.

unexamined assumptions

In a recent experiment, employers were less likely to invite the fictional candidate for an interview when the résumé implied the candidate was a parent-but only if the name was female. This suggests that people make assumptions about ______ that do not apply to other types of job candidates.

women with children