Organizational Behavior - Chapter 2

The "Like Me" Bias - Barriers to Inclusion

Consciously or unconsciously, we tend to associate with others whom we perceive to be like ourselves. This bias is part of human nature

Manufacturing

is a form of business that combines and transforms resources into tangible outcomes that are then sold to others

Collectivism - Hofstede

is characterized by tight social frameworks in which people tend to base their identities on the group or organization to which they belong.

service organization

is one that transforms resources into an intangible output and creates time or place utility for its customers. Moreover, employment in service occupations is expected to grow 20.9 percent between 2012 and 2022.

Barriers to Inclusion

-The "Like Me" Bias -Stereotypes -Prejudice -Perceived Threat of Loss -Ethnocentrism -Unequal Access to Organizational Networks

Types of diversity and barriers to inclusion

-Types of diversity -Generational differences -barriers to inclusion

Specific Cultural Issues - Globalization and business - Hofstede

-Geert Hofstede, a Dutch researcher, studied workers and managers in 60 countries and found that specific attitudes and behaviors differed significantly because of the values and beliefs that characterized those countries. -individualism -collectivism -uncertainty avoidance

Globalization and Business

-Specific cultural issues -global perspective

A. Social Responsibility

-often include businesses living and working together for the common good and valuing human dignity. An important part of this is how employers treat their employees. -A related business challenge relevant to OB is adopting a broader stakeholder perspective and looking beyond shareholder value or the short-term stock price.

Deep level diversity

-refers to individual differences that cannot be seen directly, including goals, values, personalities, decision-making styles, knowledge, skills, abilities, and attitudes. -Separation diversity -Variety diversity -Disparity diversity

Generational differences

-seniors (1922-1943) -baby boomers (1943-1963) -Generation X (1964- 1980) -Millennial Generation (1980-2000)

Types of Diversity

-surface level -deep level

Corporate governance

-the oversight of a public corporation by its board of directors. -The board of a public corporation is expected to ensure that the business is being properly managed and that the decisions made by its senior management are in the best interests of shareholders and other stakeholders. But in far too many cases the recent ethical scandals alluded to previously have actually started with a breakdown in the corporate governance structure. -Boards of directors are also increasingly being criticized even when they are not directly implicated in wrongdoing. The biggest complaint here often relates to board independence.

Diversity

-variety of observable and unobservable similarities and differences among people -But diversity is much more than demographics and can reflect combinations of characteristics rather than a single attribute. Each individual also has a variety of characteristics, and combinations of them can result in diversity

Stereotypes - Barriers to Inclusion

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. Stereotypes are harmful because they result in judgments about an individual based solely on his or her being part of a particular group, regardless of his or her unique identity. Stereotypes are often negative and erroneous, and thus adversely affect the targeted individuals.

Unequal Access to Organizational Networks - Barriers to Inclusion

All organizations have formal and informal networks. These organizational networks influence knowledge sharing, resource accessibility, and work opportunities. Women and minorities are often excluded from informal organizational networks, which can be important to job performance, mentoring opportunities, and being seen as a candidate for promotion.

Perceived Threat of Loss - Barriers to Inclusion

As voluntary efforts are made by companies to promote inclusion, members of groups who traditionally have been the predominant employees of a particular workforce or occupation may grow anxious or angry. If they perceive a direct threat to their own career opportunities, they may feel that they need to protect their own prospects by impeding the prospects of others.

Ethnocentrism - Barriers to Inclusion

Ethnocentrism reflects the belief that one's own language, native country, and cultural rules and norms are superior to all others. Ethnocentrism often has less to do with prejudice and more to do with inexperience or ignorance about other people and environments.

Prejudice - Barriers to Inclusion

Even if an organization has a strong commitment to inclusion, it is possible that the beliefs and actions of individual employees or managers are inconsistent with the organization's policies and values.

Short term values - Hofstede

are more oriented toward the past and the present and include respect for traditions and social obligations

Long term values - Hofstede

include focusing on the future, working on projects that have a distant payoff, persistence, and thrift.

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.

Individualism - Hofstede

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

Variety diversity - Deep level diversity

refers to differences in a certain type or category, including group members' expertise, knowledge, or functional background

Separation diversity - Deep level diversity

refers to differences in position or opinion among group members reflecting disagreement or opposition - dissimilarity in an attitude or value, for example, especially with regard to group goals or processes.

Disparity diversity - Deep level diversity

refers to differences in the concentration of valuable social assets or resources - dissimilarity in rank, pay, decision-making authority, or status, for example.

Surface level diversity

refers to observable differences in people, including race, age, ethnicity, physical abilities, physical characteristics, and gender.

Technology

refers to the methods used to create products, including both physical goods and intangible services.

Power distance - Hofstede

which might also be called orientation to authority, is the extent to which people accept as normal an unequal distribution of power.

Uncertainty avoidance - Hofstede

which might also be called preference for stability, is the extent to which people feel threatened by unknown situations and prefer to be in clear and unambiguous situations.

Masculinity - Hofstede

which might be more accurately called assertiveness or materialism, is 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.