1. CHAPTER FOUR
Managing Diversity

2. Chapter Objectives Review Key Terms Define Affirmative Action
Define Management of Diversity
Discuss the reason for and challenges involved with Managing Employee Diversity
Draw a Profile of Employee Groups that are less likely to be part of the corporate mainstream and examine some of the common stereotypes associated with each
Review HR systems that will aid organizations with the Management of Diversity
Review Key Terms
Affirmative Action
Cultural Relativity Concept of Management
Cultural Determinism
Diversity
Diversity Audit
Diversity Training Programs
Glass Ceiling
Management of Diversity
Old Boys’ Network
Universal Concept of Management

3. Affirmative Action
A phrase describing a range of policies to seek out, encourage and sometimes give preferential treatment to individuals in protected groups.

4. Affirmative Action Considerations - Advocates
Makes fuller use of talent and creates political stability
Justified to compensate for past disparities (wage gaps alone since 1929 equals close to $500 billion)
It is right to have a system of preferential treatment until equality prevails

5. Affirmative Action Considerations - Critics
It is ineffective and creates significant problems of fairness
Economic rewards should be distributed based on merit, not on race, ethnicity, or sex
Destroys a more fundamental right – the right of all individuals to be treated equal under the law

6. Managing Employee Diversity
Diversity: Human characteristics that make people different from one another.
Management of Diversity: The set of activities involved in integrating nontraditional employees (women and minorities) into the workforce and using their diversity to the firm’s competitive advantage.

7. Managing Employee Diversity
A key factor in corporate performance is how well nontraditional employees such as women and minorities can be fully integrated and work effectively with both one another and their white male counterparts – issues to consider include:
Demographic Trends
Diversity as an Asset
Marketing Concerns

8. Managing Employee Diversity Diversity as an asset
Research (Rosabeth Kanter) has shown that diversity in the workforce can bring about:
Greater Creativity
Better Problem solving
Greater system flexibility
Better Information

9. Key Challenges in Managing Employee Diversity
Valuing Employee Diversity
Individual vs. Group Fairness
Universal Concept of Management vs. Cultural Relativity Concept of Management
Resistance to Change
Group Cohesiveness & Interpersonal Conflict
Segmented Communications Networks
Resentment
Backlash
Retention
Glass Ceiling: intangible barrier in an organization that prevents female and minority employees from rising to positions above a certain level
Competition for Opportunities

10. Diversity in Organizations
Groups identified to be most likely left out of corporate mainstream:
African Americans
Asian Americans
People with Disabilities
Foreign Born
Homosexuals
Latinos
Older Workers
Religious Minorities
Women

11. Diversity in Organizations Religious Minorities
Current focus of many HR discussions including:
Permissible attire at work
Allowable religious holidays
Harassment issues based on one’s faith
Display of religious symbols on company property

12. Improving the Management of Diversity
Top Management Commitment to Valuing Diversity
Diversity Training Programs
programs that train and educate employees on specific cultural and sex differences and how to respond to these in the workplace
Support Groups
groups established to provided nurturing climate for those that might feel isolated or alienated
Accommodation of Family Needs
Senior Mentoring Programs
support program in which senior managers identify promising women and minorities and play an important role in nurturing their careers

13. Improving the Management of Diversity
Apprenticeships
programs in which promising prospective employees are groomed before they are actually hired
Communication Standards
Diversity Audits:
review of the effectiveness of an organization’s diversity management program (potential drawbacks)
Management Responsibility & Accountably

14. Some Warnings Avoid Appearance of “White Male Bashing”
Avoid the Promotion of Stereotypes
Cultural determinism
idea that one can successfully infer an individual’s motivations, interests, values and behavioral traits based on that individual’s memberships