Chapter 14 Managing Diverse Employees Daft 6th Ed Developed by Cool Pictures & MultiMedia Presentations Copyright © 2003 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

Dimensions of Diversity US Department of Labor, Women’s Bureau Ethnicity Age Workforce Diversity Gender Work Style Communication Style Educational Skill Level Sexual Orientation Religion Race

Monoculture & Diversity A culture that accepts only one way to do things There is only one set of values and belies

Attitudes Toward Diversity The goal for organizations seeking cultural diversity is pluralism Ethnocentrism-The belief that one’s own group or subculture is inherently superior to other groups or cultures Enthnorelativism-The belief that groups and subcultures are inherently equal Pluralism-Means that an organization accommodates several subcultures

The Changing Workplace Average worker is older Globalization There are more women, people of color, and immigrants seeking opportunities

The Workplace & Bias How It Shows Up Lack of choice assignments Disregard by a subordinate of a minority manager’s direction Ignoring of comments made by women & minorities at meetings A need to become “Bicultural”

Challenges For Management Organization Culture Valuing differences Prevailing value system Cultural inclusion Mind-Sets about Diversity Problem or opportunity? Level of majority-culture buy-in (resistance or support) Challenge met or barely addressed? HR Management Systems (Bias Free?) Recruitment Training and development Performance appraisal Compensation and benefits Promotion MANAGEMENT OF CULTURAL DIVERSITY Promoting knowledge and acceptance Education Programs Educate management on valuing differences Taking advantage of the opportunities that diversify provides Higher Career Involvement of Women Dual-career couples Sexism and sexual harassment Work-family conflict Heterogeneity in Race/Ethnicity/Nationality Effect on cohesiveness, communication, conflict, morale Effects of group identity on interaction (e.g., stereotyping) Prejudice (racism, ethnocentrism) Source: Taylor H. Cox and Stacy Blake,”Managing Cultural Diversity: Implications For Organizational Competitiveness,” Academy of Management Executive 5, no 3 (1991), 45-56

Affirmative Action Debate Affirmative action was developed in response to conditions 40 years ago. Today more then half the U.S. workforce consists of women and minorities. Outspoken opponents of affirmative action have brought the debate into the public consciousness. Intended beneficiaries of affirmative action programs often disagree as to their value.

“Glass Ceiling” An invisible barrier Fortune 500 executives Women make up less than 4% Nonwhite minorities make up less than 3% All executive positions African Americans hold only 8% Hispanics only about 5%

Implementing a Diverse Workplace Building a corporate culture that values diversity Changing structures, policies, and systems to support diversity Providing diversity awareness training

Diversity Initiatives Recruitment Examine employee demographics Examine composition of the labor pool in the area Examine composition of the customer base Career Advancement Eliminate the glass ceiling Accomplish mentoring relationships Accommodating Special Needs Child care Non-English speaking training materials and information packets can be provided Maternity or paternity leave Flexible work schedules Home-based employment Long-term-care insurance, special health or life benefits

Stages of Diversity Awareness Highest Level of Awareness Integration Multicultural attitude-enables one to integrate differences and adapt both cognitively and behaviorally Adaptation Able to empathize with those of other cultures Able to shift from one cultural perspective to another Acceptance Accepts behavioral differences and underlying differences in values Recognizes validity of other ways of thinking and perceiving the world Minimizing Differences Hides or trivializes cultural differences Focuses on similarities among all peoples Defense Perceives threat against one’s comfortable worldview Uses negative stereotyping Denial Assumes own culture superior Parochial view of the world Source: Based on M. Bennett, “A developmental Approach to Training for Intercultural Sensitivity,” International journal of Intercultural relations 10 (1986), 176-196. No awareness of cultural differences In extreme cases, may claim other cultures are subhuman Lowest Level of Awareness

Organizational Relationships Emotional Intimacy Sexual Harassment-The following categorize various forms of sexual harassment as defined by one university: Generalized Inappropriate/offensive Solicitation with promise of reward Coercion with threat of punishment Sexual crimes and misdemeanors

Global Diversity Programs Involve Employee selection Employee training Understanding of the communication context

Leveraging Diversity Multicultural teams- made up from diverse national, racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds Employee network groups-based on social identity, and are organized by employees to focus on concerns of employees from that group