Chapter 2 of OB

While women constitute close to one-half of the workforce, men are

four times more likely to reach the highest levels of organizations.

The terms masculinity and femininity may be misleading as

gender is not a determinant of one's culture.

Four groups of programs can be viewed as part of affirmative action programs

-Simple elimination of discrimination. These programs are the least controversial and are received favorably by employees. -Targeted recruitment. These affirmative action plans involve ensuring that the candidate pool is diverse. These programs are also viewed as fair by most employees. -Tie-breaker. In these programs, if all other characteristics are equal, then preference may be given to a minority candidate. -justified by organizations, organizations need to have very specific reasons for why they are using this type of affirmative action, such as past illegal discrimination

According to International Labor Organization (ILO), out of the world's working population, the largest group is those between

40 and 44 years old, the largest segment in 1980 was the 20- to 24-year-old group.

Masculine (aggressive) cultures are cultures that value

achievement, competitiveness, and acquisition of money and other material objects. Japan and Hungary are examples. Also characterized by a separation of gender roles. In these cultures, men are more likely to be assertive and competitive compared to women. The level of masculinity inherent in the culture has implications for the behavior of individuals as well as organizations.

In the United States, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975 and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlaw discrimination based on a

age, gender, race, national origin, or religion.

Perception that the organization does not value diversity is a fundamental explanation for why ethnic minorities may feel

alienated from coworkers. Creating a fair work environment where diversity is valued and appreciated seems to be the key.

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (1964) prohibits discrimination in

all employment-related decisions based on gender.

A fault-line is

an attribute along which a group is split into subgroups.

Supportive relationships with others seem to be the key for making these employees feel at home. Particularly, having an understanding

boss and an effective relationship with supervisors are particularly important for employees with disabilities.

Age is another demographic trait that influences the standards of ethics people use, with older employees being

bothered more by unethical behaviors compared to younger employees.

People are more likely to pay attention to aspects of performance that are measured. In successful companies, diversity metrics are carefully tracked. When managers are evaluated and rewarded based on how effective they are in diversity management, they are more likely to show

commitment to diversity that in turn affects the diversity climate in the rest of the organization. Many companies provide employees and managers with training programs relating to diversity. However, not all diversity programs are equally successful.

When an employee or a group of employees feel that the company is violating EEOC laws, they may file a complaint. The EEOC acts as a mediator between the

company and the person, and the company may choose to settle the case outside the court.

Based on Executive order 11246 (1965), federal contractors are required to use affirmative action programs, many state and local governments, and the US military are required to have affirmative action plans. Using affirmative action as a result of a

court order or due to a past history of discrimination. Among the most controversial methods in diversity management because some people believe that they lead to an unfair advantage for minority members.

Attitudes toward gender, race, disabilities, or sexual orientation differ around the world, and each country approaches the topic of diversity differently. Attitudes toward concepts such as affirmative action are also

culturally determined.

When doing business internationally, failure may occur due to

culture as well as other problems. Attributing all misunderstandings or failures to culture may enlarge the cultural gap and shift the blame to others.

Informing employees about the specifics of how affirmative action is being used may be a good way of

dealing with any negative attitudes.

Companies that announce settlements for discrimination lawsuits often show a

decline in stock prices afterward.

Effective management of diversity can lead to big cost savings by

decreasing the probability of facing costly and embarrassing lawsuits.

Power distance refers to the

degree to which the society views an unequal distribution of power as acceptable.

An important potential benefit of having a diverse workforce is the ability to make higher quality decisions. In a diverse work team, people will have

different opinions and perspectives. In these teams, individuals are more likely to consider more alternatives and think outside the box when making decisions.

Research shows that one of the most important issues relating to sexual orientation is the

disclosure of sexual identity in the workplace. According to one estimate, up to one-third of lesbian, gay, and bisexual employees do not disclose their sexual orientation at work.

Age discrimination is prohibited by the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, which made it illegal for organizations to

discriminate against employees over 40 years of age.

Paying attention to such differences and tailoring various aspects of management to the particular employees in question may lead to more

effective management of an age-diverse workforce.

Another study found that perceived race discrimination resulted in lower commitment to the organization, but this relationship was weaker when

employees felt that the organization was taking steps to be supportive of diversity.

Having a diverse workforce may have a direct impact on a company's bottom line by increasing creativity in decision making. Company with a diverse workforce may understand the needs of particular groups of customers better, and customers may

feel more at ease when they are dealing with a company that understands their needs. A company with a diverse workforce may create products or services that appeal to a broader customer base.

One legal requirement is that, when an employee brings up a disability, the organization should consider reasonable accommodations. Organizations that offer

flexible work hours may also make it easier for employees with disabilities to be more effective.

Diversity refers to the ways in which people are similar or different from each other. Defined by any characteristic that varies within a particular work unit such as

gender, race, age, education, tenure, or functional background. Understanding how these characteristics shape organizational behavior is important.

Men and women have somewhat different preferences in job attributes, with women valuing characteristics such as

good hours, an easy commute, interpersonal relationships, helping others, and opportunities to make friends.

Feminine (nurturing) cultures are cultures that value maintaining

good relationships, caring for the weak, and emphasizing quality of life. In these cultures, values are not separated by gender, and both women and men share the values of maintaining good relationships. Sweden and the Netherlands are examples. Affects many work practices, such as the level of work/life balance.

Age diversity within a team can actually lead to

higher team performance and it also means that the workforce will consist of employees from different generations.

Surface-level diversity includes traits that are

highly visible to us and those around us, such as race, gender, and age.

Managing people who have diverse personalities or functional backgrounds may create misunderstandings that are not necessarily due to cultural differences. While familiarizing employees about culture, emphasizing the

importance of interpersonal skills regardless of cultural background will be important.

Individualistic cultures are cultures in which people define themselves as an

individual and form looser ties with their groups. These cultures value autonomy and independence of the person, self-reliance, and creativity.

When employees feel that they are fairly treated, they tend to be more satisfied. On the other hand, when employees perceive that they are being discriminated against, they tend to be

less attached to the company, less satisfied with their jobs, and experience more stress at work. Organizations where employees are satisfied often have lower turnover.

Research shows that teams with fault-lines experience more conflict, are

less cohesive, and have less satisfaction and performance.

Employees who fear that full disclosure would lead to negative reactions experience

lower job satisfaction, reduced organizational commitment, and higher intentions to leave their jobs.

Stereotypes about older employees, they perform on a

lower level, they are less able to handle stress, or their performance declines with age, are simply inaccurate.

Creating an environment where all employees feel welcome and respected regardless of their sexual orientation is the key to

maintaining a positive work environment perhaps the most powerful way in which companies show respect for sexual orientation diversity is by extending benefits to the partners of same-sex couples

Lesbian, bisexual, gay, and transgender (LBGT) employees in the workplace face a number of challenges and barriers to employment. There is currently

no federal law in the United States prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation.

In low power distance cultures, egalitarianism is the

norm

The ethical standards held in different societies may emphasize different behaviors as ethical or unethical. Even when a multinational company has ethical standards that are different from local standards, using the headquarters' standards in all cross-cultural interactions will

not be possible or suitable. The right action often depends on the specifics of the situation and a consideration of the local culture.

Ethnocentrism is the belief that

one's own culture is superior to other cultures one comes across and leads organizations to adopt universal principles when doing business around the globe and may backfire

To get timely and accurate feedback, companies will need to

open lines of communication and actively seek feedback.

Cultural diversity introduces challenges to managing ethical behavior, given that cultures differ in the actions they view as ethical. cultural differences are

particularly important when doing cross-cultural business.

The Equal Pay Act (1963) prohibits discrimination in

pay based on gender.

Research shows that even groups that have strong fault-lines can

perform well if they establish certain norms.

Cultural intelligence is a person's capability to understand how a

person's cultural background influences one's behavior. Should have the ability to work with people from many diverse backgrounds all at the same time.

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) prohibits discrimination in employment against individuals with

physical as well as mental disabilities if these individuals are otherwise qualified to do their jobs with or without reasonable accommodation.

The 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination of otherwise capable employees based on

physical or mental disabilities.

Because of all these potential benefits, companies that manage diversity more effectively tend to outperform others. Research shows that in companies pursuing a growth strategy, there was a

positive relationship between racial diversity of the company and firm performance.

The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act was signed into law, the act gives a

potential litigant 180 days to file a claim every time a worker receives a paycheck.

In high power distance cultures, people occupying more powerful positions such as managers, teachers, or those who are older are viewed as more

powerful and deserving of a higher level of respect. High power distance cultures are hierarchical cultures where everyone has their place.

Men and women have somewhat different preferences in job attributes, with men valuing

promotion opportunities, freedom, challenge, leadership, and power.

One of the most important ways in which power distance is manifested in the workplace is that in high power distance cultures, employees are unlikely to

question the power and authority of their manager, and conformity to the manager will be expected.

Employers are prohibited from using religion in employment decisions based on Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Moreover, employees are required to make

reasonable accommodations to ensure that employees can practice their beliefs unless doing so provides an unreasonable hardship on the employer may also require companies to relax their dress code to take into account religious practices.

One of the commonly observed phenomena in human interactions is the tendency for individuals to be attracted to similar individuals. Individuals who are different from their team members are more likely to

report perceptions of unfairness and feel that their contributions are ignored.

When managing a diverse group of employees, ensuring the ethicality of organizational behavior will

require special effort. This is because employees with different backgrounds or demographic traits may vary in their standards of ethics.

Companies may want to increase diversity by targeting a pool that is more diverse. There are many minority professional groups such as the National Black MBA Association or the Chinese Software Professionals Association. By building relations with these occupational groups, organizations may attract a more diverse group of candidates to choose from. Companies may also benefit from

reviewing their employment advertising to ensure that diversity is important at all levels of the company, policies designed to recruit, promote, train, and retain employees belonging to a protected class are referred to as affirmative action.

Employees will need to develop an awareness of overall cultural differences and learn how to recognize cultural principles that are operating in different situations. In other words, employees will need to be

selected based on cultural sensitivity and understanding and trained to enhance such qualities.

Companies that do a better job of managing a diverse workforce are often rewarded in the

stock market, indicating that investors use this information to judge how well a company is being managed.

When we meet people for the first time, we have no way of knowing whether they share similar values. As a result, we tend to use

surface-level diversity to make judgments about deep-level diversity.

An expatriate is someone who is

temporarily assigned to a position in a foreign country.

If no settlement is reached, the EEOC may sue the company on behalf of

the complainant or may provide the injured party with a right-to-sue letter.

The similarity-attraction phenomenon may explain some of the

the potentially unfair treatment based on demographic traits.

Collectivistic cultures are cultures where people have stronger bonds to

their groups and group membership forms a person's self identity. It is important to recognize that to collectivists the entire human universe is not considered to be their in-group.

Uncertainty avoidance refers to the degree to which people feel

threatened by ambiguous, risky, or unstructured situations. Cultures high in uncertainty avoidance prefer predictable situations and have low tolerance for ambiguity.

Training features also matter for whether training results in a change in attitudes toward diversity. The programs with a higher perceived success rate were those that occurred in companies where

top management believed in the importance of diversity.

Age, race, and gender dissimilarity are also stronger predictors of employee

turnover during the first few weeks or months within a company.

An important challenge of managing a diverse workforce is the possibility that stereotypes about different groups could lead to

unfair decision making because stereotypes are generalizations about a particular group of people.

Ignoring cultural differences, norms, and local habits may be costly for businesses and may lead to

unmotivated and dissatisfied employees. Successful global companies modify their management styles, marketing, and communication campaigns to fit with the culture in which they are operating.

Deep-level diversity, includes

values, beliefs, and attitudes.

Culture refers to

values, beliefs, and customs that exist in a society.

The problem with stereotypes is that people often use them to make decisions about a particular individual without actually

verifying whether the assumption holds for the person in question. As a result, stereotypes often lead to unfair and inaccurate decision making.

If this respect is not part of an organization's culture, no amount of diversity training or other programs are likely to be effective. In fact, in the most successful companies, diversity is

viewed as everyone's responsibility. Companies with a strong culture. Enables employees with vastly different demographics and backgrounds to feel a sense of belonging.

Research shows that age is correlated with a number of positive workplace behaviors, including higher levels of citizenship behaviors such as

volunteering, higher compliance with safety rules, lower work injuries, lower counter-productive behaviors, and lower rates of tardiness or absenteeism.