Download III. HINTS FOR INTERNET EXERCISE: Ethical Issues in the Workplace

CHAPTER 3. ENVIRONMENTAL CONTEXT: DIVERSITY AND ETHICS
I.
PURPOSE AND TEACHING OBJECTIVES
To discuss diversity and ethics as two major dimensions in today’s environmental context facing
contemporary organizations; to identify some of the specific characteristics of diversity such as age,
gender, ethnicity and education and the individual and organizational approaches to managing
diversity; to describe some individual, cultural, organizational, and external factors impacting ethical
behavior; and, to examine some major ethical concerns such as sexual harassment, pay and
promotion discrimination and employee privacy challenging today’s organizations.
II.
TEACHING NOTES AND REVIEW OUTLINE
A. Diversity is an important component in the contemporary environment for
organizations. Changing demographics, legislation and lawsuits, competitive pressures
and a growing international business environment are conditions that have contributed to
the emerging challenges of managing diversity. Some objective characteristics of
diversity include:
1. Age - The work force is getting older because of the baby-boom generation, health
and medical care improvements, and the removal of mandatory retirement rules.
2. Gender - More women than ever are joining the work force. The glass ceiling effect
still prevents many women from being promoted to top management positions, and
women are still paid less than men.
3. Ethnicity - Minorities, especially African Americans, Hispanics, and Asians will
continue to proportionately grow in the work force.
4. Education - The educational level of employees is rising; however, those with little
or no education or basic knowledge are also increasing.
5. Other - Spanish is becoming a primary language in some parts of the country, and
people challenged with disabilities must be ensured equal employment
opportunities.
NOTES:
B. Emerging diversity can be systematically managed to ensure a truly multicultural
organization. Jackson, La Fasto, Schultz and Kelly in Human Resource Management
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note that most organizations are still far from being truly multicultural as characterized
by:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Supporting a diversity of ideas, interests, and people within the organization.
Eradicating all forms of social oppression within the organization.
Including a diversity of participants in decision making.
Contributing to external efforts to eliminate all forms of social oppression.
Jackson et al. also identify the stages of organizations leading up to the multicultural
organization as:
1. Exclusionary organization - Devoted to maintaining the dominance of one group
over all others on factors such as age, education, gender, or race and characterized by
exclusionary hiring practices and other forms of discrimination.
2. Club organization - Characterized by the maintenance of privileges by those who
traditionally have held power.
3. Compliance organization - Committed to removing some of the discriminatory
practices, but turns out to meet the letter rather than the spirit of the laws.
4. Affirmative action organization - Committed to proactively eliminate discriminatory
policies and practices, but dominant group's norms and practices continue.
5. Redefining organization - Goes beyond being proactively antiracist and antisexist,
questions the core cultural values of the organization, recognizes the value of a
diverse work force, and engages in visionary planning and problem solving to tap
the strength of the diversity.
6. Multicultural organization Is characterized by core cultural values and an ongoing
commitment to eliminate social oppression throughout the organization.
NOTES:
C. An individual can play an important role in effectively supporting diversity by learning
appropriate communication and interaction behaviors and by empathizing with those
facing discrimination.
NOTES:
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D. Organizational policies and practices effectively supporting diversity establish a climate
of openness, responsiveness and flexibility. Some of the specific techniques to manage
diversity include:
1. Testing - Develop and use job-specific tests that are well-suited for selecting and
evaluating individuals within diverse groups.
2. Training - Provide training for members of diverse groups and also to management
that fosters insight and understanding of other groups.
3. Mentoring - Assign mentors to help support members of diverse groups in their jobs,
socialize them in the cultural values of the organization, and assist their
development and advancement.
4. Work/Family Programs - Allow all employees, but especially parents of small
children, greater autonomy and flexibility in their work arrangements. The most
common arrangements are flextime, the compressed work week, job sharing, and
telecommuting.
NOTES:
E. Ethical issues are important in the study of organizational behavior because they impact
employees, their work, and organizational outcomes. There is also increasing evidence
that ethical behavior positively impacts “bottom-line” financial performance. This
chapter focuses on the following ethical problems:
1. Sexual Harassment - Defined as unwanted sexual advances, requests for sexual
favors, or other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature. While most firms now
have sexual harassment policies in place, some continue to have repeated problems
and appear to suffer from “deaf-ear syndrome” regarding sexual harassment issues.
Characteristics of organizations with this “deaf-ear” toward sexual harassment
include:
a. inadequate policies and procedures which are poorly written and vague;
b. cumbersome reporting procedures; and
c. negative managerial reactions and rationalizations.
Prescriptions offered to increase organizational responsiveness to sexual harassment
issues and eliminate the “deaf ear syndrome” include:
a. examining the characteristics of “deaf ear” organizations;
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b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
fostering management support and education;
remaining vigilant in monitoring the workplace;
taking immediate action upon any report or claim;
creating state of the art policies and procedures; and
establishing clear and “user friendly” reporting procedures.
2. Employee Privacy Issues - Developments such as computer technology, mandatory
drug testing, and employee life style control have all directly influenced an
employee's right to privacy. Being open and honest with employees may be the best
way to manage the privacy issue.
NOTES:
III.
HINTS FOR INTERNET EXERCISE: Ethical Issues in the Workplace
1.
Do you believe employers should be allowed to electronically monitor workers? Would you
like to be monitored in this fashion?
While employers may feel entitled to monitor workers electronically and consider this no
different than traditional methods of observing employees’ performance, many employees
may consider electronic monitoring a violation of their privacy and personal rights.
2.
Summarize the different perspectives that you found on the Internet. Be specific as to where
you found this information.
The ACLU is adamant in their call for more laws to protect the privacy rights of workers,
stating that “unless new protections are in place, companies will continue to take advantage
of new/cheaper technologies to spy on employees. The privacy rights of employees do not
end when the work day starts.”
3.
Discuss other ethical issues that surfaced when looking at the ACLU website or others that
you found.
Other ethical issues that are highlighted on the ACLU website include the use of genetic
testing and other medical tests sometimes required by employers.
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IV.
STUDENT INVOLVEMENT EXERCISES
Doing haphazard exercises on diversity can prove to be hurtful, if not potentially damaging, so care
must be taken. Here are a few suggestions:
1. Break the class up into four heterogeneous groups. Using the data presented in the
chapter as a point of departure, have the groups provide a written and/or oral report on
the status of either age, gender, ethnicity or education for the workforce in the current
year. Have these reports stick to the facts, but then discuss the implications and make
recommendations for organizations.
2. Show one of the many emerging video tapes on managing diversity or on ethical issues
and discuss relevant questions.
3. Break up the class into groups. Using the discussion in the chapter as a point of
departure, assign a written and/or oral report on the topics of sexual harassment,
discrimination in pay and promotion, or employee privacy. Have these reports stick to
the facts as found in published literature, but then discuss the implications and make
recommendations for organizations.
V.
HINTS FOR CASE DISCUSSION
Real Case: A World of Sweatshops
1.
2.
What ethical responsibility do you think firms from the United States and other developed
countries have in making sure their suppliers from developing countries are not badly
exploiting workers?
Managers must consider the long-run implications of any strategies employed by their firms,
including their choice of suppliers. The public views firms as being responsible for their
actions, even if those actions are indirect. Cultural, political, legal, economic and other
external forces shape ethical behavior, and what one person may consider to be ethical may
be viewed quite differently by another individual. As illustrated in the case, ethics can affect
the well being of employees and their performance, and there is increasing evidence of the
positive impact that ethical behavior has on bottom-line performance.
How do you react to the statement at the end of the case by the Indonesian manager that “If
we aren’t cheap enough, customers will go to Vietnam or elsewhere”?
This comment reflects the pressures of global competition and the potential “peer pressure”
placed on managers to be less ethical.
3.
Besides the ethical, human rights issues, are there any implications in this case for the study
and application of organizational behavior?
This case illustrates the complexity of operating within a global economy. Aspects of
organizational structure, communication, leadership, and motivational techniques need to be
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consistent with the underlying cultural values of the workforce.
Real Case: Not Treating Everyone the Same
1.
How is the new management philosophy described in this case different from that of the old,
traditional philosophy? Identify and describe these differences.
One of the ways in which the new philosophy is different from the old is that instead of
treating everyone the same, some companies now use an approach that takes into account the
specific needs of each employee. A second is the willingness of some organizations to be
more flexible in the way they accommodate their people. A third is the focus on measuring
people based on value added rather than just the number of hours worked.
2.
In what way are alternative work schedules proving helpful to managing diversity?
Alternative work schedules are proving to be helpful in that they allow employees to balance
their personal and work lives better than they could before. This is improving organizational
morale and helping to drive up productivity and profit and drive down costs.
3.
Do you think these new programs are likely to continue or will they taper off? Why?
These new programs are definitely going to continue because they are helping firms increase
their profit and productivity and become more competitive in the market place. Businesses
and non-profit organizations such as hospitals have discovered that by more carefully
addressing the needs of their people, they are able to increase the work performance of these
individuals, decrease absenteeism and turnover, and thus make the company more successful.
For these reasons, the programs discussed in this case are likely to continue for the indefinite
future.
Organizational Behavior Case: Changing with the Times
1.
Do Jerry and Robert understand what “management of diversity” means? How would you
advise them?
Robert and Jerry clearly have the wrong understanding on what management of diversity
really means. They are narrowing their focus to abiding by the law, and may be missing
some opportunities. They would now be characterized as a “compliance organization.” To
move towards a true multicultural organization, they would need to broaden their
commitment to hiring and using a more diverse workforce to move the organization ahead
and meet the challenges of the 21st century.
2.
Considering the marketing plans, how could they benefit from a more diverse management
team? Be specific.
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The current homogeneous sales force may lack the experience or the knowledge required to
follow through on the aggressive marketing plans. This organization would benefit
tremendously from a multi-cultural sales force that has specific knowledge of how the toys
will sell in the targeted countries. This is an example of how a diverse workforce can add
considerable value. This and other teams in today’s organizations can benefit from ideas and
opinions of people that are not like themselves.
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