COM 315 Exam 1 Spring 2019

Reframe the question of "Is diversity good for business ?" to ..?

"How can diversity work for organizations, for their employees, & their communities? "

Group Mobility

"social creativity" Members may seek positive status for the group by redefining or altering the elements of the comparative situations.

Diversity

(n.) difference, variety; a condition of having many different types of forms

Three behaviors that can arise from social exclusion

1. Prosocial (cooperating) 2. Antisocial (choosing not to cooperate) 3. Unethical (cheating)

South African AA

AA here was implemented in order to ensure equitable representation by "designated groups" ( women, black, Disabled) Preferential treatment is only for "suitably qualified people "

Orienting Theories

Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality Theory

What does the IMCD propose?

Diversity climate influences experiences in the workplace, ultimately, organizational effectiveness through two individual level pathways: affective outcomes(job satisfaction) and achievement outcomes(job performance).

social comparison theory

Explanatory Theory. A sense of exclusion can result from the social comparison process. Social comparison can happen through formal organizational activities and casual workplace interactions. Employee peer groups act as a reference point for understanding one's status in the organization. Perceptions of exclusion may arise when individuals compare themselves to relevant others and feel that they are treated differently because they are members of a particular identity group.

Interactional model of cultural diversity

Explanatory. An exclusionary workplace can negatively influence employees in terms of how they feel as well as their career achievement. Negative attitudes and behaviors at the individual level harm effectiveness at the organizational level.

Individual Mobility

Individuals will attempt to move from a lower-status to a higher status group by disassociating themselves psychologically and behaviorally from their low-status group.

Social Competition

Members of a group may seek to improve their status by direct competition with the higher status group.

Why are there conflicts between groups in the workplace?

Realistic Conflict Theory, Equity Theory, Relative deprivation theory, Intergroup Contact Theory

Covert discrimination

Result of an implicit side effect of another policy or decision

Why do employees feel excluded in their workplace?

Social Identity Theory, Social Comparison Theory, Symbolic Interaction Theory

Explanatory Theories

Social Identity Theory, Social Comparison Theory, Symbolic Interaction Theory, Sociometer model of self- esteem, Identity based motivation theory, Interactional model of cultural diversity, Realistic Conflict Theory, Equity Theory, Relative deprivation theory, Intergroup Contact Theory

Decoupling

When an organization has inclusion/diversity policies but acts another way

Inclusion-exclusion continuum

When you have diversity but no inclusion.

Visible Diversity

characteristics you can see just by looking at someone

Broadly defined diversity

defined categories expanded the definition as more scholars studied this field. Include visible and invisible attributes.

Contrast Effect

feel better when making downward comparisons (others are worse off) and worse when making upward comparisons (others better off)

Outgroups

groups with which an individual does not feel a sense of membership, belonging, or identity

Ingroups

groups with which an individual feels a sense of membership, belonging, and identity

India AA

has reservations - a system of quotas in the public service system, set aside for minorities

oppression

prolonged cruel or unjust treatment or control

Conceptual definition of diversity

suggests that all differences are equal. Can dilute the serious consequences of prejudice, discrimination, and lack of power that are associated with the more defined categories.

Social Identity

the "we" aspect of our self-concept; the part of our answer to "Who am I?" that comes from our group memberships

2 strategies of AA (Role of government) (Role of private employers)

1. (Government) placing requirements on the composition of the public workforce (specifying recruitment & promotion strategies for an actual increase in representation of designated groups (Quotas) 2. (Role of priv. employers) encouraging private business to actively recruit and promote employees from the designated groups ( providing businesses with incentives)

5 Benefits of having an inclusive workplace environment

1. Cost Savings (lower turnover of employees, less absenteeism, improved productivity) 2. Winning the competition for talent( by being more attractive to women, minority groups, & diverse workplace members) 3. driving business growth (marketing more effectively to minority communities or to senior citizens) 4. improved corporate image (positive impact on stock valuation) 5. reaping the benefits of an increasingly global marketplace by employing workers from different nationalities

Discrimination in employment occurs:

1. Individuals, institutions, or governments treat people differently bc of personal characteristics such as race, gender, or sexual orientation rather than their ability to perform the job; and these actions have a negative impact on access to jobs, promotions, or compensation.

Effective Diversity Management should encompass 4 principles:

1. Must adopt an ethical learned approach, always aiming to do the right thing 2. Respect their employees' characteristics 3. introduce creative solutions as they strive for excellence in diversity management 4. ambition to utilize diversity to promote business goals and profitability for the organization

Three Reasons Diverse Groups Find Themselves Excluded

1. Overt racism, sexism, agesim, as well as other forms of discrimination may be the motivation for exclusionary practices. 2. Economic self-interest can be the motivation for preventing access to power and economic resources from certain individuals or groups. 3. Prevalent stereotypical perceptions and general sense of discomfort with those who are perceived as different can be the reason for their exclusion from the important organizational processes.

Two Problems in using the distinction categories to define diversity:

1. Some of the categories may have either a positive or negative impact on employment in different countries. 2. These distinction categories are not exhaustive of the domain.

Affirmative Action policies have 2 goals..?

1. righting pasts wrongs - compensating groups that have been disadvantaged in the past w/ better opportunities in the present 2. achieving social goals of increasing the representation of traditionally disadvantaged groups in more lucrative jobs as well as management and leadership positions.

the inclusive workplace environment is defined as on that..?

1. values and utilizes individual & intergroup differences within its workforce (relations with its own employees) 2. cooperates with and contributes to its surrounding community (organizations sense of being an integral part of its surrounding community) 3. alleviates the needs of disadvantaged groups in its wider environment (values that drive organizational policies with regard to the disenfranchised) 4. collaborates with individuals, groups, & organizations across national & cultural boundaries (organizations' positions with respect to international collabs)

stereotype

A generalized belief about a group of people

Invisible Diversity

Characteristics that are underneath, like religion, values, opinions, and education.

Symbolic Interaction Theory

Explanatory Theory. A sense of exclusion can result from symbolic interaction process. People interpret symbols and objects in their environment. Perceptions of exclusion can arise from an ongoing personal evaluation in which employees interpret the meaning attached to the symbols and objects in their workplace environment.

Social Identity Theory

Explanatory Theory. People often think of themselves and other members of specific social groups rather than as unique individuals. The meaning attached to these social categories influences how people interact with those who are both in and out of their identity group. People want to belong to groups that enjoy distinct and positive identities.

Identity-based motivation theory

Explanatory. Awareness of one's own identity and the meaning that other people attach to that identity can affect how employees respond to difficulty. This response to difficulty may negatively affect employee attitudes, behaviors, and performance.

Realistic Conflict Theory

Explanatory. Intergroup conflict arises because people are self-interested and driven to maximize rewards for themselves or their group. Dominant employee groups may exclude nondom employee groups in an attempt to maximize opportunities, resources, and rewards.

Relative deprivation Theory

Explanatory. Intergroup conflict arises when people feel that they have unequal access to resources compared to others. Workplace conflict may arise when some employees feel that they have different access to organizational resources compared to other employees.

Intergroup Contact Theory

Explanatory. Lack of contact or unfavorable contact between group causes intergroup conflict. Exclusion in the workplace may be exacerbated by insufficient or negative contact between different employee groups.

"Sociometer model" of self-esteem

Explanatory. People monitor others actions towards them especially to the degree to which they are accepted or rejected. The "sociometer" is a psychological gauge that allows employees to monitor inclusive and exclusionary reactions from the workplace.

Equity Theory

Explanatory. People strive for justice; perceptions of injustice cause distress and create intergroup conflict. Perceived injustice in the workplace may cause conflict among different employee groups.

Discrimination can be also ..?

Intentional & unintentional

Intersectionality Theory

Orienting Theory. Employees simultaneously carry multiple, complex identities. Different forms of social inequality, oppressions, and discrimination overlap, as a result, each individual experiences bias and workplace exclusion in a unique way.

Critical Race Theory

Orienting Theory. Race is socially constructed, Workplace exclusion may be common experience for members of certain employee groups, maintaining an exclusionary workplace may serve to benefit members of certain employee groups, minority status entails a unique ability to communicate issues that dominant group members may not know or understand in the same way

Major Propositions of Social Identity

People desire to belong to groups that enjoy distinct and positive identities and people are more accepting of other who belong with higher perceived social status and include people that they consider like them.

Why do employees feel excluded in their workplace?

Sociometer model of self- esteem, Identity based motivation theory, Interactional model of cultural diversity

Dehumanization

The deprivation of human qualities, rights, or understanding.

Social creativity.

Used in group mobility. 1. Seeking new elements for intergroup comparisons. 2. redefining existing elements for such comparisons so that previously negative comparisons become positive. 3. Selecting an alternative reference group to which one's in-group is compared.

stereotype

a generalized (sometimes accurate but often overgeneralized) belief about a group of people

The UN International Labor Organization defines discrimination as..?

any distinction, exclusion, or preference made on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, political opinion, national extraction or social origin, which has the effect of nullifying or impairing equality of opportunity or treatment in employment or occupation.

social stimuli

categorizing people into groups with a perceived common denominator helps us function in the social environment.

multinational corporations

central corporate office still has the dominant decision-making power but each national or regional operation has some autonomy in business decisions - less dominated by 1 culture.

Equal opportunities school

considers institutional and cultural factors as the cause of discrimination

individual discrimination

discrimination carried out by one person against another

international corporations

headquarters in 1 country & operations in one or more countries - characterized by an organizational culture primarily influenced by the home country

global companies

headquarters that may be located in a specific geographic region but with a team composed of managers across the globe- not dominated by any one national culture.

Explanatory Theories

help answer specific questions of "why" and "how" and inform the selection of critical variables, relationships, and mechanisms that answer a particular research question.

Orienting Theories

highlight the complexity of the construct and present ideas that one should be sensitive to when considering workplace exclusion.

neoclassical economics assume that?

in a competitive market, the "taste" for discrimination cannot be indulged bc it would be too costly for employers too much.

social identity

individual's knowledge that he/she/they belongs to certain groups, together with some emotional value or significance to them of the group membership

Overt discrimination

occurs as a result of an explicit policy or law that generates unequal treatment

Autostereotypes

perceptions of one's group (in group), More likely to be positive and more differences

institutional discrimination

policies or practices that are performed by the organization or company

prejudice

preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience: negative feelings

Narrowly defined diversity

specific categories drawn from anti-discrimination categories (gender, race, age, sex)

Heterostereotypes

stereotypes you hold about other groups, More likely to be negative, More likely to be uniform (not recognize)

intersection theory

theory that suggests we cannot separate the effects of race, class, gender, sexual orientation, and other attributes

Organizational Demography

useful for examining the relationship between diversity and the exclusion in the work organization.

principles of affirmative action

usually: 1. are intervention measures 2. cut across and attempt to influence the operations of free market mechanisms 3. aim to actively reverse past discrimination against specific groups 4. intended as temporary actions which will be withdrawn once the situation is rectified