1. Diversity & Discrimination in the Workplace

2. Overview Definitions/Terminology Documentation of discrimination
Why we discriminate
How to reduce discrimination
The benefits of diversity for organizations
Overview

3. Definitions Bias Implicit attitudes Diversity Prejudice Stereotype
Discrimination
Ism’s (Institutionalized bias; e.g., racism, ageism, sexism)
Implicit attitudes
Positive and negative evaluations that occur outside of our conscious awareness and control
Diversity
Differences within a group relating to cultural background, individual strengths, and/or identities
E.g., gender, ethnicity, race, social class, sexual orientation, religion, etc.
Definitions

4. Prevalence of Discrimination
Insert statistics from your field or across fields (see links below or field-specific information)
jeopardy-gender-bias-women-color-science/
americas-restaurants/
011/06/02/9872/gay-and-transgender-people-face- high-rates-of-workplace-discrimination-and- harassment/
Prevalence of Discrimination

5. Resume Study Mullainathan & Bertrand (2004)
Randomized field study
Resumes that only varied with regard to name
black-sounding name (such as Lakisha Washington or Jamal Jones) or
white-sounding name (such as Emily Walsh or Brendan Baker)
Resumes with white-sounding names received 50% more call backs
Resume Study Mullainathan & Bertrand (2004)
Bertrand, Marianne, and Sendhil Mullainathan "Are Emily and Greg More Employable than Lakisha and Jamal? A Field Experiment on Labor Market Discrimination." The American Economic Review 94(4):

6. A few of the factors influencing discrimination, covered in the next section:
Bias is in the air we breathe
Lack of fit theory
Similar to me effect
Organizational mechanisms
Why do we discriminate?

7. In the air we breathe: Everyone has bias
Short video about measurement of implicit prejudice Or
In the air we breathe: Everyone has bias

8. Lack of fit theory of workplace discrimination
When an applicant's identity is inconsistent with how the job is “typed,” the candidate will be perceived as a poor fit for the job (Heilman, 1983, 2001).
leading to discriminatory treatment in selection, placement, and promotion decisions
For example, stereotypes of women are incompatible with masculine job types, such as managerial roles (Powell & Butterfield, 1979; Schein, 2001)
May lead to women being seen as a mismatch for manager position
Lack of fit theory of workplace discrimination

9. We tend to see people like ourselves more positively
Contributes to bias in hiring, evaluation, and promotion
Unfortunately can lead us to devalue dissimilar others and overvalue similar others
Similar-to-me Effect

10. Solutions Awareness of the problem Valuing difference
Change in organizational procedures
Solutions

11. The Problem with “Colorblindness”
Despite the fact that race is a social construction
We all see race
Race affects our outcomes
Pretending we don’t’ see race has negative effects
Makes cross-race interactions less positive (Norton et al., 2006)
Distracts us from bias and making change
Plan for bias in order to prevent it
The Problem with “Colorblindness”

12. Preventing Discrimination
See difference as valuable
Assuming you are colorblind doesn’t work
Address issues of fairness, don’t stop at just appreciating other cultures
Institute systems that monitor, prevent and address discrimination when it occurs
Strive to be open-minded and fair
Trying to suppress prejudice doesn’t work
Being mindfully aware of one’s own biases is more effective than trying to hide or squash them
Articulate your criteria
Rotate opportunities
Feedback in real time
Preventing Discrimination

13. Organizational changes
Applicant pools
Where are you recruiting from?
Interviews
Mechanisms in place to focus on criteria rather than liking (similar-to-me effect)
Make sure selection criteria are directly related to the job and do not favor certain groups
Access to training and mentorship
Formalize mentorship and make available to all
Leadership and advancement
Check for diversity of all pools considered for promotion
Provide leadership training to all employees
Organizational changes

14. Identify areas where discrimination could occur in your workplace
Remember to think about unintentional discrimination/unconscious prejudice
Generate a system or process that would reduce or prevent discriminatory behavior
For example, how would you institute a “blind” review of resumes?
In your field…
Student group activity
Discussion questions:
-where did you identify potential discrimination in recruitment/retention/assessment/promotion?
-what ideas did you generate for steps you might take to reduce discrimination?
-what is difficult about identifying unintentional bias and discrimination?
-what additional resources would you need as a manager attempting to reduce discrimination?

15. Harnessing the Benefits of Diversity
Diverse groups are more innovative and better able to respond to diverse customer bases.
Because diverse backgrounds provide valuable information, and
Expectation of diverse interactions leads to more cognitive effort on the part of participants
Organizations should state the value in diversity explicitly
Mission statements, etc.
Create diverse work groups
Put procedures in place to hear from everyone
Harnessing the Benefits of Diversity
Sommers et al., 2008 (

16. Putting it all together
Discrimination is a current problem
Good intentions are not enough – bias is often unconscious
Shift to procedures that routinize areas that are bias- prone
Diversity within organizations is a source of innovation and quality outcomes
Putting it all together