Essay

Melly S.

Chapter2.pdf

Home >Business & Finance homework help >Management homework help >Essay

Organizational Behavior Eighteenth Edition

Chapter 2 Diversity in Organizations

Learning Objectives

2.1 Describe the two major forms of workplace diversity.

2.2 Demonstrate how workplace discrimination undermines

organizational effectiveness.

2.3 Describe how the key biographical characteristics are

relevant to Organizational Behavior (OB).

2.4 Explain how other differentiating characteristics factor

into OB.

2.5 Demonstrate the relevance of intellectual and physical

abilities to OB.

2.6 Describe how organizations manage diversity

effectively.

Workplace Diversity

Workplace Discrimination and

Organizational Effectiveness (1 of 3)

• Discrimination is to note a difference between things.

• Unfair discrimination assumes stereotypes about groups.

– Refusal to recognize individual differences is harmful to

organizations and employees.

• Stereotype threat describes the degree to which we

agree internally with the generally negative stereotyped

perceptions of our groups.

– Can be combatted by treating employees as individuals

and not highlighting group differences.

Workplace Discrimination and

Organizational Effectiveness (2 of 3)

Exhibit 2-1 Forms of Discrimination

Type of Discrimination Definition Examples from Organizations

Discriminatory policies

or practices

Actions taken by representatives

of the organization that deny

equal opportunity to perform or

unequal rewards for performance.

Older workers may be targeted for

layoffs because they are highly paid

and have lucrative benefits.

Sexual harassment Unwanted sexual advances and

other verbal or physical conduct of

a sexual nature that create a

hostile or offensive work

environment.

Salespeople at one company went on

company-paid visits to strip clubs,

brought strippers into the office to

celebrate promotions, and fostered

pervasive sexual rumors.

Intimidation Overt threats or bullying directed

at members of specific groups of

employees.

African-American employees at some

companies have found nooses

hanging over their work stations.

Mockery and insults Jokes or negative stereotypes;

sometimes the result of jokes

taken too far.

Arab-Americans have been asked at

work whether they were carrying

bombs or were members of terrorist

organizations.

Workplace Discrimination and

Organizational Effectiveness (3 of 3)

[Exhibit 2-1 Continued]

Type of Discrimination Definition Examples from Organizations

Exclusion Exclusion of certain people from

job opportunities, social events,

discussions, or informal

mentoring; can occur

unintentionally.

Many women in finance claim they are

assigned to marginal job roles or are

given light workloads that don’t lead to

promotion.

Incivility Disrespectful treatment, including

behaving in an aggressive

manner, interrupting the person,

or ignoring his or her opinions.

Female lawyers note that male

attorneys frequently cut them off or do

not adequately address their

comments.

Sources: Based on J. Levitz and P. Shishkin, “More Workers Cite Age Bias after Layoffs,” The Wall Street Journal, March

11, 2009, D1–D2; W. M. Bulkeley, “A Data-Storage Titan Confronts Bias Claims,” The Wall Street Journal, September 12,

2007, A1, A16; D. Walker, “Incident with Noose Stirs Old Memories,” McClatchy-Tribune Business News, June 29, 2008; D.

Solis, “Racial Horror Stories Keep EEOC Busy,” Knight-Ridder Tribune Business News, July 30, 2005, 1; H. Ibish and A.

Stewart, Report on Hate Crimes and Discrimination against Arab Americans: The Post-September 11 Backlash, September

11, 2001–October 11, 2001 (Washington, DC: American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, 2003); A. Raghavan, “Wall

Street’s Disappearing Women,” Forbes, March 16, 2009, 72–78; and L. M. Cortina, “Unseen Injustice: Incivility as Modern

Discrimination in Organizations,” Academy of Management Review 33, no. 1 (2008): 55–75.

Biographical Characteristics and

Organizational Behavior (1 of 6)

• Biological characteristics are personal characteristics

that are objective and easily obtained from personnel

records.

– Variations in these can be the basis for discrimination

Biographical Characteristics and

Organizational Behavior (2 of 6)

• Age

– The U.S. workforce is aging.

– Does job performance decline with increasing age?

– Studies show that turnover and absenteeism rates are

lower among older workers, and age is not associated

with lower productivity.

Biographical Characteristics and

Organizational Behavior (3 of 6)

• Sex

– There are no consistent male-female differences in

problem-solving ability, analytical skills, competitive

drive, motivation, sociability, or learning drive.

– But women earn less than men for the same positions

and have fewer professional opportunities.

Biographical Characteristics and

Organizational Behavior (4 of 6)

• Race and Ethnicity

– Laws against race and ethnic discrimination are in

effect in many countries.

– But:

 Employees tend to favor colleagues of their own

race in performance evaluations, promotion

decisions, and pay raises.

 African Americans generally fare worse than Whites

in employment decisions.

Biographical Characteristics and

Organizational Behavior (5 of 6)

• Disabilities

– The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

classifies a person as disabled who has any physical or

mental impairment that substantially limits one or more

major life activities.

– Workers with disabilities receive higher performance

evaluations, but may have lower performance

expectations.

Biographical Characteristics and

Organizational Behavior (6 of 6)

• Hidden Disabilities

– Sensory disabilities, chronic illness or pain, cognitive

or learning impairments, sleep disorders, and

psychological challenges.

– U.S. organizations must accommodate employees

with a very broad range of impairments.

Other Characteristics and

Organizational Behavior (1 of 2)

• Tenure

– Tenure is a good predictor of employee productivity.

– Tenure and job performance are positively related.

• Religion

– U.S. law prohibits discrimination based on religion,

but it is still an issue, especially for Muslims.

Other Characteristics and

Organizational Behavior (2 of 2)

• Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity

– Federal law does not protect employees against

discrimination based on sexual orientation, though

many states and municipalities do.

– Many Fortune 500 companies have policies covering

sexual orientation and about half now have policies on

gender identity.

• Cultural Identity

– Need to accommodate and respect individual cultural

identities.

Intellectual and Physical Abilities and

OB (1 of 5)

• Ability is an individual’s current capacity to perform

various tasks in a job.

• Two types

– Intellectual abilities

– Physical abilities

Intellectual and Physical Abilities and

OB (2 of 5)

• Intellectual abilities are abilities needed to perform

mental activities – thinking, reasoning, and problem

solving.

– Most societies place a high value on intelligence.

– General mental ability is an overall factor of

intelligence as suggested by the positive correlations

among specific intellectual ability dimensions.

Intellectual and Physical Abilities and

OB (3 of 5)

Exhibit 2-2 Dimensions of Intellectual Ability

Dimension Description Job Example

Number aptitude Ability to do speedy and accurate arithmetic Accountant: Computing the sales tax on a

set of items

Verbal comprehension Ability to understand what is read or heard

and the relationship of words to each other

Plant manager: Following corporate

policies on hiring

Perceptual speed Ability to identify visual similarities and

differences quickly and accurately

Fire investigator: Identifying clues to

support a charge of arson

Inductive reasoning Ability to identify a logical sequence in a

problem and then solve the problem

Market researcher: Forecasting demand for

a product in the next time period

Deductive reasoning Ability to use logic and assess the

implications of an argument

Supervisor: Choosing between two different

suggestions offered by employees

Spatial visualization Ability to imagine how an object would look if

its position in space were changed

Interior decorator: Redecorating an office

Memory Ability to retain and recall past experiences Salesperson: Remembering the names of

customers

Intellectual and Physical Abilities and

OB (4 of 5)

• Physical Abilities

– The capacity to do tasks demanding stamina, dexterity,

strength, and similar characteristics.

– Nine basic abilities related to strength, flexibility, and

other factors are needed to perform physical tasks.

Intellectual and Physical Abilities and

OB (5 of 5)

Exhibit 2-3 Nine Basic Physical Abilities

Strength Factors Blank

1. Dynamic strength Ability to exert muscular force repeatedly or continuously over time

2. Trunk strength Ability to exert muscular strength using the trunk (particularly abdominal)

muscles

3. Static strength Ability to exert force against external objects

4. Explosive strength Ability to expend a maximum of energy in one or a series of explosive acts

Flexibility Factors Blank

5. Extent flexibility Ability to move the trunk and back muscles as far as possible

6. Dynamic flexibility Ability to make rapid, repeated flexing movements

Other Factors Blank

7. Body coordination Ability to coordinate the simultaneous actions of different parts of the body

8. Balance Ability to maintain equilibrium despite forces pulling off balance

9. Stamina Ability to continue maximum effort requiring prolonged effort over time

Describe How Organizations Manage

Diversity Effectively (1 of 6)

• Diversity management is the process and programs

by which managers make everyone more aware of and

sensitive to the needs and differences of others.

– Diversity is more successful when it is everyone’s

business, not just for certain groups of employees.

Describe How Organizations Manage

Diversity Effectively (2 of 6)

Describe How Organizations Manage

Diversity Effectively (3 of 6)

• Attracting, selecting, developing, and retaining diverse

employees

– Target recruiting messages to specific demographic

groups.

– Some companies have been actively working toward

recruiting less-hired groups.

Describe How Organizations Manage

Diversity Effectively (4 of 6)

• Diversity in Groups

– Most people in groups need a common way of looking

at and accomplishing major tasks, and they need to

communicate well with each other.

 Emphasize higher-level similarities among people.

Describe How Organizations Manage

Diversity Effectively (5 of 6)

• Expatriate Adjustment

– Organizations should select employees for

international assignments who are capable of adjusting

quickly and ensure they have the support they need for

their assignment.

Describe How Organizations Manage

Diversity Effectively (6 of 6)

• Effective diversity programs

– Teach managers about the legal framework for equal

employment opportunity and encourage fair treatment

of all people.

– Teach managers how a diverse workforce will be more

effective at serving a diverse customer base.

– Foster personal development practices that bring out

the skills and abilities of everyone.

Implications for Managers

• Understand your organization's anti-discrimination policies

thoroughly and share them with your employees.

• Assess and challenge your own stereotype beliefs to increase

your objectivity.

• Look beyond readily observable biographical characteristics

and consider the individual’s capabilities before making

management decisions.

• Fully evaluate what accommodations a person with disabilities

will need and then fine-tune a job to that person’s abilities.

• Seek to understand and respect the unique biographical

characteristics of your employees; a fair but individualistic

approach yields the best performance.