MGT 3200 CH. 12: Managing Individuals and a Diverse Work Force

? Diversity Principles

(not on study guide) -help managers do a better job of managing company diversity programs no matter which diversity paradigm is chosen 1. Carefully and faithfully follow and enforce federal and state laws regarding equal opportunity employment 2. Treat group differences as important but not special 3. Find common ground 4. Tailor opportunities to individuals, not groups 5. Solicit negative as well as positive feedback 6. Set high but realistic goals 7. Maintain high standards

X Main Types of Diversity Training

1. Awareness Training - designed to raise employees' awareness of diversity issues, and to get employees to challenge underlying assumptions or stereotypes they may have about others -e.g. IAT which measures the extent to which people associate pos or neg thoughts with blacks or whites, men or women, homosexuals and heterosexuals, etc. 2. Skill-Based Training - teaches employees the practical skills they need for managing a diverse work force, s/a flexibility and adaptability, negotiation, problem solving, and conflict resolution

X Diversity Management Paradigms

1. Discrimination and Fairness Paradigm - creating an equal employment opportunity 2. Access and Legitimacy Paradigm - wants diversity within the company to match diversity of customers, suppliers, etc. to attract a broader customer base 3. Learning and Effectiveness Paradigm - focuses on integrating deep-level diversity differences such as attitude and beliefs. -Organizational Plurality is achieved

Big 5 Personality Traits

1. Openness to Experience - how curious, broad-minded, and open to new ideas, things, and experiences; is spontaneous, and has high tolerance for ambiguity 2. Conscientiousness - how organized, hardworking, responsible, persevering, thorough, and achievement oriented. KEY to performance! 3. Extraversion - how active, assertive, gregarious, sociable, talkative, and energized by others 4. Agreeableness - how cooperative, polite, flexible, forgiving, good natured, tolerant, and trusting 5. Neurotocism (emotional stability) - how angry, depressed, anxious, emotional, insecure, or excitable

Forms of Sexual Harassment

1. Quid Pro Quo - occurs when employment outcomes such as hiring, promotion, or simply keeping one's job depend on whether an individual submit to being sexually harassed -results in economic injury (like if woman's hours are cut because she won't have sex with boss) 2. Hostile Work Environment - occurs when unwelcome and demeaning sexually related behavior creates an intimidating, hostile, and offensive work environment -may not result in economic injury but can lead to psychological injury (example: female janitors complained that male workers exposed themselves to them and also wouldn't help when asked and laughed at the women)

X Challenges in managing diversity

1. Seeing the world from another's perspective can be difficult - overcoming unexamined assumption 2. Diversity can create a lack of cohesiveness 3. Communication problems such as misunderstandings, inaccuracies, inefficiencies and slowness 4. People prefer to associate with others like themselves 5. We learn to interpret the world in a certain way based on our background and experiences

Sexual Harassment

A form of discrimination in which unwelcome sexual advances, request for sexual favors, or other verbal or physical conducts of sexual nature occurs. It's conduct of a sexual nature that has negative consequences for employment

Ways Diversity can Lead to Competitive Advantage

A. Cost Savings 1. Decrease dysfunctional turnover 2. Decrease absenteeism 3. Helps companies avoid lawsuits B. Attract and retain talented workers 4. Helps companies retain talented workers C. Drives Business growth 5.. Higher-quality problem solving and creativity 6. Enhances organizational flexibility

Diversity Management vs. Affirmative Action

Diversity Management - focuses broadly on creating employment opportunities for people with demographic, cultural, and personal differences as well as opportunities for minorities and women -Can exist even if organization didn't purposefully create it -Not legally required -Purpose is to create a positive work environment where no one is advantaged or disadvantaged, where "we" is everyone, where everyone can do his or her best work, where differences are respected and not ignored, and where everyone feels comfortable Affirmative Action - purposeful steps taken by an organization to create employment opportunities for women and minorities. -a policy for actively creating diversity -required by law for private employers with 50+ employees -Purpose is to compensate for past discrimination, to provide equal opportunities to all -Basically a punitive approach -People who got jobs through affirmative action are often viewed as unqualified

X Racial/Ethnic Discrimination

EEOC receives more racial discrimination charges than any other type of charge of discrimination Some studies found that disparities were due to differences in training and education levels Other studies provide strong direct evidence of racial or ethnic discrimination in the workplace Managers should: 1. Look at the numbers - compare hiring rates of whites with the hiring rates of ethnic applicants 2. Survey employees' level of satisfaction to compare white and nonwhite employees' satisfaction with jobs, etc. -If disparities exist (even though discrimination may not), employ a private firm to test your hiring system so the EEOC doesn't do it for you 3. Eliminate unclear selection and promotion criteria - selection and promotion criteria should spell out the knowledge, skills, abilities, education, and experience needed to perform a job well 4. Train those who make hiring and personnel decisions

X Age Discrimination

Employers think younger workers are cheaper, better, and more malleable but actually older people are less likely to quit, more committed and wiser, and less likely to get hurt on the job Managers should: Recognize that age discrimination is much more pervasive than they think Make hiring and promotion decisions based on qualifications, not age Monitor the extent to which older employees receive training Ensure that younger and older workers interact with each other

X Learning and Effectiveness Paradigm

Focuses on integrating deep-level diversity differences such as personality, attitudes, beliefs, and values, into the actual organization -people don't withhold their opinions -Consistent with achieving: Organizational Plurality - a work environment where (1) all members are empowered to contribute in a way that maximizes the benefits to the organization, customers, and themselves and (2) the individuality of each member is respected by not segmenting or polarizing people on the basis of their membership in a particular group Four Benefits: 1. values common ground - "we are all on the same team, with our differences, not despite them" 2. Paradigm makes a distinction between individual and group differences - not all women, hispanics, etc. want the same thing at work so this paradigm addresses individual preferences 3. Paradigm is less likely to encounter the conflict, backlash, and divisiveness sometimes associated with diversity programs that only focus on group differences 4. Paradigm focuses on bringing different talents and perspectives (deep-level diversity) together to make the best organizational decisions and to produce innovative, competitive products and services

X Access and Legitimacy Paradigm

Focuses on the acceptance and celebration of differences to ensure that the diversity within the company matches the diversity found among primary stakeholders, such as customers, suppliers, and local communities -Similar to business growth advantage of diversity -Basic idea is to create a demographically diverse work force that attracts a broader customer base -Primary benefit is that it establishes a clear business reason for diversity -Primary limitation is that it only focuses on surface-level diversity dimensions of sex, race and ethnicity -Employers who are assigned responsibility for customers and stakeholders on the basis of their sex, race or ethnicity may eventually feel frustrated and exploited

X Disparate Treatment

Intentional discrimination, occurs when people, despite being qualified, are INTENTIONALLY not given the same hiring, promotion, or membership opportunities as other employees because of their race, color, age, sex, ethnic group, national origin, or religious beliefs

X Disability Discrimination

Mentally and physically disabled people are the largest unemployed minority population in the US. New assistive technologies are making it easier for companies to comply with ADA and for people with disabilities to be productive on the job People with disabilities are an unexplored but fruitful labor force Managers should: 1. Improve education 2. Provide workplace accommodations - changing work schedules, acquiring equipment, etc. Ramps are a good example -Assistive Technology - gives disabled workers the tools they need to overcome their disabilities 3. Actively work to find jobs for qualified people with disabilities - many organizations for disabled people will work with employers to find jobs for qualified people with disabilities -companies can place ads in publications that specifically target workers with disabilities

X Discrimination and Fairness Paradigm

Most common method of diversity management - focuses on equal opportunity, fair treatment, recruitment of minorities, and strict compliance with the equal employment opportunity laws. -Success is measured by how well companies achieve recruitment, promotion, and retention goals for women, people of different racial/ethnic backgrounds, or other underrepresented groups -Primary benefit is that it generally brings about fairer treatment of employees and increases demographic diversity -Primary limitation is that the focus of diversity remains on the surface-level diversity dimensions of sex, race and ethnicity

X Sex Discrimination

Often associated with the glass ceiling. Some studies found that women are less likely to pursue a high-paying job than men, but nevertheless sex discrimination does exist Managers should: 1. Mentor - pairing promising female executives with senior executives from whom they can seek advice and support 2. Make sure than male-dominated social activities don't unintentionally exclude women 3. Designate a go-to person other than their supervisors that women can talk to if they believe they are being held back or discriminated against because of their sex

Surface Level Diversity vs Deep-Level Diversity

Surface-Level: Differences that are immediately observable, typically unchangeable, and easy to measure -age, sex, race, etc. Deep-Level: Differences are communicated through verbal and nonverbal behaviors and are recognized only through extended interaction Social Integration - the degree to which group members are psychologically attracted to working with each other to accomplish a common objective

Glass Ceiling

The invisible barrier that prevents women and minorities from advancing to the top jobs in organizations Currently very few women are CEOs of Fortune 500 companies Some companies are offering activities to help female employees break through the glass ceiling Very difficult issue that only TIME and BETTER TRAINING will help cure - need time for progress to occur -associated with sex and racial/ethnic discrimination

X Adverse Impact

Unintentional discrimination, occurs when members of a particular race, sex or ethnic group are UNINTENTIONALLY harmed or disadvantaged because they are hired, promoted, or trained (or any other employment decision) at substantially lower rates than others