Lesson 7: Workplace Diversity • Reading for Lesson 7: R & J, Chapter 2 – Chapter 2 (Workplace Diversity) • Diversity: – Differences between organizational members in terms of » Surface-level characteristics (e.g., demographic factors such as age, race, gender, marital status, education, regional background, ethnicity, religion, disability status) and » Deep-level characteristics (e.g., personality (introverted, assertive, conscientious), values (family, team, career aspiration), attitudes (risk appetite), ability) » May result in more ideas, skills, abilities but also more communication breakdown, misunderstanding, conflicts – Effective diversity management: Eliminate unfair discrimination » Most unfair discriminations outlawed but some practices persist • Forms of discrimination: Discriminatory policies/practices, sexual harassment, intimidation, mockery/insults, exclusion, incivility • Unfair discrimination becomes a prima facie case if the bases of making a difference between organizational members are irrelevant to the job or the performance of the job » Biographical Characteristics: Surface-level characteristics associated with the individual member that are easily visible but less directly linked to performance • Age: age discrimination results in lower commitment & organization performance • Sex: Women perform better than men; men rated as having more promotion potential; women still face discrimination and may even stereotype against themselves • Race (biological heritage) & Ethnicity (additional cultural characteristics): Tend to favor people of own race in performance ratings, promotion, and pay decision • Disability: Must/should make reasonable accommodations to make workplaces accessible to people with physical/mental disabilities. More dependable/potent, high performance ratings; mental disabilities lead to more absenteeism; less hirable; lower performance level expected • Tenure: higher performance/satisfaction, lower absenteeism/turnover • Religion: Religious discrimination quite rampant in the US though outlawed by federal laws; illegal and frowned upon in Singapore • Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity: US Federal government does not outlaw; 21 states and >160 municipalities do on their own to give fair treatment; neutral public policy on this in Singapore; most Fortune 500 companies have fair treatment policy for people with different sexual orientation and transgender • Cultural Identity: Traditional practices in different countries and subcultures within a country » Ability: Current capacity to perform the various tasks in a job • Intellectual abilities (mental activities like thinking, reasoning, and problem solving) • General mental ability • Number, verbal, perceptual, inductive reasoning, deductive reasoning, spatial visualization, memory • Physical abilities • Strength: Dynamic, trunk, static, explosive • Flexibility: Extent, dynamic • Body coordination, balance, stamina – Implementing Diversity Management Strategy » Diversity Management: Makes everyone aware and sensitive to the needs and differences of others • HR Policies on Attracting, Selecting, Developing, & Retaining Diverse Employees • Must avoid reverse discrimination • In collectivistic cultures, similarity to boss is important; in individualistic culture, similarity to peers more important • Diversity in Groups • Helps and hinders performance depending on the context and specific composition • Leader must show the common interest in group success • Effective Diversity Programs: • Formulate and communicate a pro-diversity legal framework and fair treatment policies • Publicize the synergistic effects and flexibility made possible by diversity • Engage in personal development practices to facilitate working effectively in a diverse group • Adopt a long-term perspective as one-off training is ineffective: Need to frequently repeat training/events • A set of consistent policies addressing the specific imbalances on various diversity measures will work well to enhance diversity outcomes