1 Diversity February 22, 2011 MGMT-4000 Linda Miklas, Christina Finegold Harvard University

General Workforce Demographics By 2050, the following trends will be a reality: People of color will make up nearly half the population. People of color will make up nearly half the population. Women will move in greater numbers to leadership positions. Women will move in greater numbers to leadership positions. Immigration will account for two-thirds of the nation’s population growth. Immigration will account for two-thirds of the nation’s population growth. The population of older Americans will double. The population of older Americans will double. One-quarter of all Americans will be of Hispanic origin. One-quarter of all Americans will be of Hispanic origin. People with disabilities will become an increasing presence in organizations. People with disabilities will become an increasing presence in organizations.

3 Diversity  Understanding the issues and challenges related to managing a workforce diverse in race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, and physical ability.  Modeling self-awareness of our own cultural values, biases and behaviors and how they may influence our interpersonal behavior and interactions in organizations.  Developing competency and appropriate skills for working effectively with people from diverse backgrounds and orientations.  Benchmarking organizational strategies for managing workplace diversity.

Ground Rules  Together we are here to learn about very complex issues that have affected society, in one form or another, since the beginning of civilization.  We all have some type of prejudice against some thing, group, class, or individual.  We all have experienced some level of prejudice.  We are all guilty of some degree of cultural ignorance concerning another group or class of people. No one in the class knows everything there is on issues related to cultural diversity, so it is expected that we come to class with an open mind.  We are not here to victimize one another because learning about race, gender and other differences occurs more readily in a supportive environment, where there is a climate of openness and trust. For this reason, we will try to discuss honestly our experiences and feelings without fears of being judged, stereotyped or categorized by our colleagues. 4

In your Organization  What issue(s) related to diversity have you observed?  Describe the impact – Is the issue related to assimilation, differentiation, integration (as discussed by Thomas and Ely in “Making Differences Matter”)? Is the issue related to assimilation, differentiation, integration (as discussed by Thomas and Ely in “Making Differences Matter”)?  How is diversity a business advantage (or not)? 5

Dimensions of Diversity  Primary Immutable human differences that are inborn and/or that exert an important impact on our early socialization and an ongoing impact throughout our lives.  Secondary Mutable differences that we acquire, discard, and/or modify throughout our lives. These dimensions tend to be less salient than those that are primary.

Paying Attention to Dimensions of Diversity  There is no one hard and fast definition of diversity; the dimensions of diversity present as well as the context must always be considered.  Our identity is, in part, based on these dimensions.  Others react to us by reacting to the primary dimensions that they see.  The similarity and attraction paradigm is often in operation.  In the absence of information, we will rely on myths and stereotypes.  “Otherness” is often seen as deficient, not different.

Experience of Being Other  How did you feel as you were doing your exercise of being “other”?  Did you act differently from how you typically do when entering a new situation?  What lesson can you take from this experience and apply to your job or organization? Be prepared to share  Commonalities and differences across your experiences  key points and take-away lesson(s). 8