Chapter 2: The Changing Environment of Organization
What is the importance of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964?
It prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin
What is normally involved in ethical situations?
how the organization treats its employees how employees treat the organization how employees and organizations treat other economic agents
What ethical issues are included in the area of how employees treat the organization?
in regard to conflicts of interest, secrecy and confidentiality and honesty
What is collectivism?
is characterized by tight social frameworks in which people tend to base their identities on the group or organization to which they belong
What is perceived threat of loss?
when a predominant employees of a particular workforce or occupation may grow anxious or angry and may perceive a direct threat to their own career opportunities, and feel the need to protect their own prospects by impeding the prospects of others
What is a tiered workforce?
when one group of an organization's workforce has a contractual arrangement with the organization objectively different from that of another group performing the same jobs
What ethical issues are included in the area of how employees and the organization treat other economic agents, and who are these economic agents?
-advertising and promotions, financial disclosures, ordering and purchasing, shipping and solicitations, bargaining and negotiation, and other business relationships -customers, competitors, stockholders, suppliers, dealers, and unions
What is social responsibility?
businesses living and working together for the common good and valuing human dignity -how employers treat their employees
What does the individual in the psychological contract contribute to the organization?
effort, ability, loyalty, skills, time, competencies
What are knowledge workers?
employees who add value in an organization simply because of what they know -ex. computer scientists, physical scientists, engineers, product designers, and video game developers
What is variety diversity?
exists when there are meaningful differences in a certain type or category, including group members' expertise, knowledge, or functional background -a type of deep-level diversity
What are the four major factors account for much of the growth in international trade?
first, communication and transportation have improved dramatically over the past several decades second, business have expanded internationally to increase their markets third, more and more firms are moving into international markets to control costs, especially to reduce labor costs finally, many organizations have become international in response to competition
What includes long term values?
focusing on the future, working on projects that have a distant payoff, persistence, and thrift ex. China
What is power distance a.k.a. orientation to authority?
the extent to which people accept as normal an unequal distribution of power
What is uncertainty avoidance a.k.a. preference for stability?
the extent to which people feel threatened by unknown situations and prefer to be in clear and ambiguous situations
What is masculinity a.k.a. assertiveness or materialism?
the extent to which the dominant values in a society emphasize aggressiveness and the acquisition of money and other possessions as opposed to concern for people, relationships among people, and overall quality of life
What is globalization?
the internationalization of business activities and the shift toward an integrated global economy -major part of the changing environment of business
What is outsourcing?
the practice of hiring other firms to do work previously performed by the organization itself -helps firms focus on their core activities and avoid getting sidetracked by secondary activities ex. payroll, employee training, facility maintenance, research and development
What is culture?
the set of shared values, often taken for granted, that help people in a group, organization, or society understand which actions are considered acceptable and which are deemed unacceptable
What is diversity?
the variety of observable and unobservable similarities and differences among people -some differences, such as gender, race, and age -characteristics and combinations of them can result in diversity
What are the four components of cultural competence?
1. awareness of our own cultural worldview, and of our reactions to people who are different 2. our attitude toward cultural differences (reflects the willingness to honestly understand our beliefs and values about cultural differences) 3. knowledge of different worldviews and cultural practices 4.cross-cultural skills (addresses the importance of practicing cultural competence, including nonverbal communication, to become effective cross-culturally
What are the five basic conclusions on international management?
1. behavior in organizational settings does indeed vary across cultures -different attitudes and patterns of behavior 2.culture itself is one major cause of this variation 3. although the causes and consequences of behavior within organizational settings remain quite diverse across cultures, organizations and the ways they are structured appear to be growing increasingly similar 4. the same individual behaves differently in different cultural settings 5. cultural diversity can be an important source of synergy in enhancing organizational effectiveness
What is individualism?
Exists to the extent that people in a culture define themselves primarily as individuals rather than as part of one or more groups or organizations
What is today's workforce composed of?
Four generations -seniors (1922-1943) -baby boomers(1943-1963) -Generation X (1964-1980) -Generation Y, Millennial Generation (1980-2000)
What are the three types of within-group diversity that reflect different types of deep-level diversity?
Separation diversity, variety diversity, disparity diversity
What is corporate governance?
The oversight of a public corporation by its board of directors
What is manufacturing?
a form of business that combines and transforms resources into tangible outcomes that are sold to others
What is a contingent worker?
a person who works for an organization on something other than a permanent or full-time basis ex. independent contractors, on-call workers, temporary employees, contract and leased employees, part-time workers -less expensive
What is ethics?
a person's beliefs regarding what is right or wrong in a given situation
What is the psychological contract?
a person's overall set of expectations regarding what he or she will contribute to the organization and what the organization will provide in return
What are stereotypes and how does it affect diversity?
a stereotype is a belief about an individual or a group based on the idea that everyone in that particular group will behave the same way -can reduce inclusion opportunities for minorities, women, persons with disabilities, and both younger and older workers -also can breed subtle racism, sexism, prejudice and discomfort
What is the "Like Me" Bias?
consciously or unconsciously, we tend to associate with others whom we perceive to be like ourselves -can lead to a tendency to employ and work with people like ourselves in terms of protected characteristics such as race, color, sex, disability and age and it can result in an unwillingness to employ people unlike ourselves
What is global perspective?
distinguished by a willingness to be open to and learn from the alternative systems and meanings of other people and cultures, and a capacity to avoid assuming that people everywhere are the same
Elaborate on the barrier of unequal access to organizational networks
formal and informal networks influence knowledge sharing, resource accessibility, and work opportunities -women and minorities are often excluded which can be important to job performance, mentoring opportunities, and being seen as a candidate for promotion
What is reciprocal mentoring?
matches senior employees with diverse junior employees to allow both individuals to learn more about a different group -a technique used to promote diversity awareness and inclusion
What includes short term values?
more oriented toward the past and the present and include respect for traditions social obligations ex.West Africa
What is a service organization?
one that transforms resources into an intangible output and creates time or place utility for its customers
What is prejudice?
outright bigotry or intolerance for other groups
What is offshoring?
outsourcing to workers in another country
What does the organization in the psychological contract offer as inducements to the individual?
pay, job security, benefits, career opportunities, status, promotion opportunities
What ethical issues are included in the area of how an organization treats its employees?
policies such as hiring and firing, wages and working conditions, and employee privacy and respect
What is separation diversity?
refers to differences in position or opinion among group members reflecting disagreement or opposition, especially with regard to group goals or processes ex. dissimilarity in an attitude or value -a type of deep-level diversity
What is deep-level diversity?
refers to individual differences that cannot be directly, including goals, values, personalities, decision-making styles, knowledge, skills, abilities, and attitudes -can have stronger effects on group and organizational performance than surface-level characteristics
What are surface-level diversity?
refers to observable differences in people, including race, age, ethnicity, physical abilities, physical characteristics, and gender -reflects characteristics that are observable and known about people as soon as you see them
What is technology?
refers to the methods used to create products, including both physical goods and intangible services -three areas to focus on: 1.the shift toward a service-based economy 2. the growing use of technology for competitive advantage 3. mushrooming change in information technology
What is disparity diversity?
reflects differences in the concentration of valuable social assets or resources-dissimilarity in rank, pay, decision making authority, or status -type of deep-level diversity
What is ethnocentrism?
reflects the belief that one's own language, native country, and cultural rules and norms are superior to all others
What are the barriers to inclusion?
the "like me" bias, stereotypes, prejudice, perceived threat of loss, ethnocentrism, and unequal access to organizational networks
What is cultural competence?
the ability to interact effectively with people of different cultures
