Download Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen
Valuing Work Force
Diversity
Chapter Preview: Valuing Work Force
Diversity
• Primary and secondary dimensions of
diversity
• Formation of prejudiced attitudes
• Discrimination in the workplace
• Organizational cultures that value
diversity
• Individual and organizational
enhancement of diversity
• Affirmative action programs
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 2
Work Force Diversity – A Definition
• Not all countries are multicultural
• Some countries are homogeneous
– Japan, China
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 3
Work Force Diversity – A Definition
• The U.S. is a kaleidoscope of the
world’s cultures
– It is the most multiracial and multicultural
country
– Foreign-born population is about 32.5
million and projected to increase
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 4
Figure 15.1 Foreign-Born Population Trend
Source: Reprinted from April 24, 2000 issue of Business Week by special permission,
copyright © 2000 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 5
Work Force Diversity – A Definition
• Diversity represents the U.S.’s biggest
challenge as well as its greatest
opportunity
• Business practices must adjust
accordingly
• Traditionally, U.S. organizations
attempted to assimilate everyone into
one way of doing things
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 6
Work Force Diversity – A Definition
• Focus today is on valuing diversity
– Appreciating everyone’s uniqueness
– Respecting differences
– Encouraging every worker to make his or
her full contribution to the organization
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 7
Work Force Diversity – A Definition
• Organizations that foster the full
participation of all workers will enjoy the
sharpest competitive edge in the
expanding global marketplace
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 8
Total Person Insight
No matter who you are, you’re going to
have to work with people who are
different from you. You’re going to have
to sell to people who are different from
you, and buy from people who are
different from you, and manage people
who are different from you.
J.T. “Ted” Childs, Jr.
Vice President, IBM Global Workforce
Diversity
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 9
Dimensions of Diversity
• Two dimensions
– Primary
– Secondary
• The greater the number of dimensions
that are different, the more difficult it is
to establish trust and respect
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 10
Dimensions of Diversity
• Primary dimensions are core
characteristics of each individual that
cannot be changed
– Age
– Race
– Gender
– Physical and mental abilities
– Sexual orientation
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 11
Primary Dimensions of Diversity
• Form the individual’s self-image
• The filters through which each individual
views the world
• Interdependent, no one dimension
stands alone
• Each exerts an important influence on
life
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 12
Secondary Dimensions of Diversity
• Elements that can be changed or
modified
– Health habits
– Religious
– Education/training
– Appearance
– Relationship status
– Ethnic
– Communication style
– Income
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 13
Figure 15.2 Primary and Secondary Dimensions of Diversity
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 14
The Dimensions of Diversity
• The interaction of primary and
secondary dimensions shapes
– Values
– Priorities
– Perceptions
• They add depth to the individual
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 15
The Dimensions of Diversity
• Building effective human relationships is
possible only when we value and accept
these differences
• Without acceptance, both dimensions of
diversity can become roadblocks to
further cooperation and understanding
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 16
Prejudiced Attitudes
• Prejudice is a premature judgment or an
opinion that is formed without
examination of the facts
– Often based on primary or secondary
dimensions
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 17
Prejudiced Attitudes
• Prejudiced people tend to think in terms
of stereotypes
• Generalizations made about all
members of a particular group
– Perceptions
– Beliefs
– Expectations
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 18
Prejudiced Attitudes
• When we bring stereotypes to the
workplace, we are likely to misinterpret
or devalue some primary and secondary
differences, even after we have been
exposed to them
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 19
Prejudiced Attitudes
• Most common and powerful stereotypes
focus on observable attributes
– Age
– Gender
– Ethnicity
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 20
Prejudiced Attitudes
• Stereotypes exist because they provide
easy and convenient ways to deal with
people
• Stereotypes often are based on one or
several real experiences in dealing with
others
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 21
Prejudiced Attitudes
• Xenophobia is a fear of foreigners or
other strange-seeming people
– Stereotype that has evolved into an anxiety
disorder
• Prejudiced attitudes are more likely to
change when we take time to learn
about others
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 22
Total Person Insight
So long as black and white Americans
see each other as stereotypes and not
as people with the same dreams,
ambitions, and values, this nation will be
frozen in suspicion and hate.
Vernon E. Jordon, Jr.
Attorney and Civil Rights Leader
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 23
How Prejudiced Attitudes Are Formed and
Maintained
• Major factors that contribute to
formation of prejudice:
– Childhood experiences
– Ethnocentrism
– Economic factors
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 24
Childhood Experiences
• The emotions of prejudice are formed in
childhood
• Children learn attitudes and beliefs from
family, friends, and other authority
figures
• They learn how to view and treat
different racial, ethnic, religious, and
other groups
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 25
Childhood Experiences
• Prejudices from childhood are alterable
• Prejudice continues until new
information replaces old perceptions
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 26
Ethnic Identity
• Ethnic a group united by similar
– Customs
– Characteristics
– Race
– Other common factor
• Ethnicity refers to condition of being
culturally rather than physically
distinctive
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 27
Ethnocentrism
• Ethnocentrism is the tendency to regard
our own culture or nation as better or
more correct than others
• The standards or values of one culture
are being used as a standard to
measure the worth of other cultures
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 28
Ethnocentrism: The Iceberg Analogy
• Surface aspects
– Observable and relatively small
– i.e., color, gender, mannerisms, job talents,
speech
• Below the surface
– Larger and deeper, and not observable
– i.e., beliefs, attitudes, worldview
• Clash often happens below the surface
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 29
Economic Factors
• Hard to eliminate
• Rooted in basic survival needs
• Reinforced by wide wealth and income
gap between whites and nonwhites
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 30
Economic Factors
• People’s prejudice against each other
increases when the economy goes
through a recession or depression and
housing, jobs, and other necessities
become scarce
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 31
The Many Forms of Discrimination
• Discrimination is behavior based on
prejudiced attitudes
• Individuals or groups that are
discriminated against are denied equal
treatment and opportunities offered to
people in the dominant group
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 32
Discrimination
Denial of
On the basis of
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Employment
Promotion
Training
Other job-related
privileges
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Race
Lifestyle
Gender
Other characteristics
15 - 33
Types of Discrimination
•
•
•
•
Gender
Age
Race
Religion
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
• Disability
• Sexual
orientation
• Other subtle
forms
15 - 34
Gender
• Focus of much attention
• Traditional role’s for women have been
changing
• Women in the work force
• New roles for men
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 35
Age
• Applies to both older worker and
younger workers based on perceptions
– Youth for lack of practical experience
– Old for difficulty adapting to change
• On the rise in the US
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 36
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 37
Race
• Race denotes a category of people
perceived as distinctive on the basis of
biologically inherited traits
– skin color
– hair texture
• People cannot change these traits
• A difficult discrimination to overcome
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 38
Myth of Race
• The use of racial categories by the U.S.
Census Bureau has been criticized
• Critics say they are social inventions
that reinforce racism
• No scientific justification in human
biology
• Suggest elimination of traditional
categories
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 39
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 40
Myth of Race
• Individual difference are greater than
group differences
• Wide variety with any group
– i.e. Asian—Filipino, Chinese, Japanese,
Korean
– Linguistic, cultural and physical diversity
• Increase in mixed-race identity
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 41
Race as Social Identity
• Although not scientifically defensible
• Race is “real” socially, politically, and
psychologically
• Proponents of race categories believe it
is the only way to ensure all groups will
be treated equally
• Racial pride – viewed as positive
reinforcement
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 42
Religion
• Religious discrimination has been an
issue throughout history
• Intolerance for other religions
• Intolerance for different denominations
within a religion
– i.e. Christians—Catholics, Mormons,
Southern Baptist
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 43
Religion in the U.S.
1. Christianity
2. Judaism
•
History of Anti-Semitism
3. Islam
•
Expected to surpass Judaism
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 44
Disability
• Mentally or physically challenged
people find it difficult to enter the job
market
• Their right to do so are protected by the
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of
1991
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 45
Disability
• Some employers still unwilling or unable
to make reasonable accommodations
• Possibly loosing
– Hard-working employees
– New customer base
– Economic opportunities
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 46
Sexual Orientation
• Discrimination based on a person’s
sexual orientation is motivated by
homophobia
• Sexual orientation is not the big secret it
once was
• When we are comfortable about being
ourselves, we are usually more
productive and creative
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 47
States Whose HateCrime
Laws Include
WA
Sexual
OR
Orientation
MT
ID
Source:
From USA Today,
May 18, 2000.
Copyright 2000,
USA Today.
Reprinted with
permission.
NV
WY
UT
CA
AZ
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
CO
NM
15 - 48
Sexual Orientation
• Progressive companies are taking steps
to provide a more open atmosphere
– Employee associations
– Nondiscrimination policies
– Benefits for same-sex partners
– Recruitment efforts
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 49
Subtle Forms of
Discrimination
• Discrimination based on gender, age,
race, or disability is prohibited by law
• No legal protection for more subtle
forms
– Weight
– Accents
– Socioeconomic
– Education
– Politics
– Value differences
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 50
What Can You Do to Deal with Subtle
Discrimination?
• Decide if you want to stay with the
organization
• Determination whether the “difference”
is something you can
• Address it directly if you cannot or will
not change
• Review assertiveness skills
• Compensate by excelling
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 51
The Issue of Valuing Diversity
• During the 1990s there was a strong
shift away from treating everyone the
same and a strong movement toward
valuing diversity
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 52
Valuing Diversity
• Valuing diversity means that an
organization intends to make full use of
all employees
– Talents
– Ideas
– Experiences
– Perspectives
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 53
Valuing Diversity
• To remain competitive, organizations
must recognize and hire the best talent
regardless of
– Skin color
– Gender
– Cultural background
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 54
The Economics of Valuing Diversity
• Valuing diversity is an issue of many
dimensions
– Legal
– Social
– Moral
– Economic
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 55
The Economics of Valuing Diversity
• An organization’s most valuable
resource is its people
• The cost of not helping employees learn
to respect and value each other is
enormous
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 56
Costs of Not Valuing Diversity
• Employee turnover
– Loss of valuable employees
– Recruitment and training of new
employees
•
•
•
•
•
Discrimination complaints
Tension, stress, low morale
Absenteeism and lost time
Delayed production
Increased conflict among employees
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 57
Total Person Insight
More and more, organizations can remain
competitive only if they can recognize and
obtain the best talent; value the diverse
perspectives that come with talent born of
different cultures, races, and genders; nurture
and train that talent; and create an
atmosphere that values its workforce.
Lewis Brown Griggs and Lente-Louise Louw
Authors, Valuing Diversity: New Tools For A New Reality
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 58
Valuing Diversity
• Managing diversity as an asset can
exert a positive influence on
– Productivity
– Cooperation
• Companies that value diversity usually
outperform companies that don’t
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 59
Managing Diversity
• Process of creating an organizational
culture where the primary and
secondary dimensions of diversity are
respected
• As workforce becomes more diverse,
this becomes more challenging
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 60
What Individuals Can Do
• We cannot totally eliminate prejudices
that have been deeply held and
developed over time
• We can learn to change negative
attitudes and behaviors
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 61
What Individuals Can Do
• Learn to look critically and honestly at
the particular myths and preconceived
ideas you have been conditioned to
believe about others
– Contact with other cultures is important
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 62
What Individuals Can Do
• Develop a sensitivity to differences
– Do not allow prejudiced activity in your
presence
• Develop your own diversity awareness
program
– Diversity your life—friends, activities, study
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 63
What Organizations Can Do
• A well-planned and well-executed
diversity program can promote
understanding and diffuse tension
between employees who differ in age,
race, gender, religious beliefs, and other
characteristics.
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 64
What Organizations Can Do
• A comprehensive diversity program has
three pillars:
• Organizational commitment
• Employment practices
• Training and development
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 65
Figure 15.4
The Three Pillars
of Diversity
Figure 15.5
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 66
Organizational Commitment
• Diversity programs seen as an event, or
quick-fix can do more harm than good
• Organizational redesign in which
diversity programs are seen as a
process are more likely to be successful
• Objectives need to be clear in order to
access outcomes
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 67
Employment Practices
• Actively recruit diversity
• Plug into alternative networks
• Foster a climate for retention
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 68
Training and Development
• Give managers and employees the
tools they need to work more
effectively with one another
– Learn to value difference
– Uncover unconscious behavioral
patterns
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 69
Affirmative Action:
Yesterday and Today
• Affirmative action can be defined as a
program that encourages the hiring and
promotion of members of groups that
have been discriminated against in the
past
• It is an effort to make up for past wrongs
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 70
• insert table 15.5, page 379
• Organizations Subject to Affirmative
Action Rules and Regulations
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 71
Protected Individuals
• Sex/gender
(women, including those who are
pregnant)
• Racial or ethnic origin
(not limited to those of color)
• Religion
(special beliefs and practices)
• Age
(individuals over 40)
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 72
Protected Individuals
• Individuals with disabilities
(physical or mental)
• Sexual orientation
(some state and city, not federal)
• Military experience
(Vietnam-era veterans)
• Marital status
(same-gender couples; some states, not
federal)
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 73
Affirmative Action Plans (AAP)
• Formal documents that employees
compile annually for submission to
various enforcement agencies
• Clarifies activities to seek out, employ,
and develop talents of individuals from
protected classes
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 74
Common Elements of AAPs
1. Active recruitment of women and
minorities
2. Elimination of prejudicial questions on
employment applications
3. Establishment of specific goals and
timetables for minority hiring
4. Validation of employment testing
procedures
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 75
The Affirmative Action Debate
• Some people believe it is time to rethink
affirmative action
• Critics argue that no preferential
treatment should be given to any groups
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 76
The Affirmative Action Debate
• Common arguments
– Preferences are discriminatory
– Preferences do not make sense, given
changing demographics
• The debate will continue
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 77
Summary
• Work force diversity is a major issue for
organizations that want to remain
competitive in a global economy
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 78
Summary
• Primary dimensions of diversity include
– Age
– Race
– Gender
– Physical and mental abilities
– Sexual orientation
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 79
Summary
• Secondary dimensions include
– Health habits
– Religious beliefs
– Ethnic customs
– Communication style
– Relationship status
– Income
– General appearance
– Education and training
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 80
Summary
• Prejudice and discrimination are major
barriers to effective human relations
• Prejudice is an attitude formed partly on
ignorance, fear, and cultural
conditioning
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 81
Summary
• Prejudiced people often see others as
stereotypes rather than unique
individuals
• Discrimination is a behavior based on
prejudicial attitudes
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 82
Summary
• Groups protected by law from
discrimination include
– Gender
– Age
– Race
– Abilities
– Religion
– Sexual orientation
– Subtle forms
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 83
Summary
• The issue of valuing diversity is an
economic one for most organizations
• Companies cannot afford to ignore the
current changes in the pool of human
resources
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 84
Summary
• Individuals can enhance diversity by
letting go of their stereotypes and
learning to critically and honestly
evaluate their prejudiced attitudes
• Organizations must develop a culture
that respects and enhances diversity
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 85
Summary
• Diversity training programs should
become an internal process rather than
one event
• Companies need to seek out and
employ people from diverse
backgrounds
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 86
Summary
• Affirmative action guidelines have
helped bring fairness in hiring and
promotion in many companies
• Some people believe these practices
are discriminatory because of
preferential treatment they were
designed to protect
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
15 - 87