I have writing assignment

LO.1 Define diversity and review the four layers of diversity.

LO.2 Explain the difference between affirmative action and managing diversity.

LO.3 Explain why Alice Eagly and Linda Carli believe that a woman’s career is best viewed as traveling through a labyrinth.

LO.4 Review the demographic trends pertaining to racial groups, educational mismatches,

and an aging workforce.

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LO.5 Highlight the managerial implications of increasing diversity in the workforce.

LO.6 Describe the positive and negative effects of diversity by using social categorization

theory and information/decision-making theory.

LO.7 Identify the barriers and challenges to managing diversity.

LO.8 Discuss the organizational practices used to effectively manage diversity as identified by

R Roosevelt Thomas Jr.

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Diversity

represents the multitude of individual differences and similarities that exist among people

pertains to the host of individual differences that make all of us unique and different from others

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Lee Gardenswartz and Anita

Rowe, a team of diversity experts, identified four layers of diversity to help distinguish

the important ways in which people differ (see Figure 2–1 ). Taken together,

these layers define your personal identity and influence how each of us sees the

world.

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Affirmative action

an artificial intervention aimed at giving management a chance to correct an imbalance, an injustice, a mistake, or outright discrimination that occurred in the past.

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Discrimination

occurs when employment decisions about an individual are due to reasons not associated with performance or are not related to the job.

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Managing diversity

entails enabling people to perform up to their maximum potential

focuses on changing an organization’s culture and infrastructure such that people provide the highest productivity possible

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Organizations cannot use diversity as a strategic advantage if employees fail to contribute their full talents, abilities, motivation, and commitment.

It is essential for an organization to create an environment or culture that allows all employees to reach their full potential.

Managing diversity is a critical component of creating such an environment.

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Workforce demographics

statistical profiles of the characteristics and composition of the adult working population,

enable managers to anticipate and adjust for surpluses or shortages of appropriately skilled individuals.

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• Women navigate a labyrinth after breaking the glass ceiling
• Racial groups are encountering a glass ceiling and perceived discrimination
• Mismatch between workers’ educational attainment and occupational requirements
• Generational differences in an aging workforce

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Glass ceiling

represents an absolute barrier or solid roadblock that prevents women from advancing to higher-level positions

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• Men start their careers at higher levels than women
• Men report higher starting salaries
• Men move up the career ladder faster and further than women
• Men have higher career satisfaction over time than women

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Women face discrimination.

• Women spend more time handling domestic and child care issues than men.

• Women encounter more obstacles to their leadership and authority than

men (e.g., negative stereotypes).

• Women accumulate less continuous work experience than men because they

periodically exit the workforce for family or motherhood.

• Women have less social capital and lower breadth of personal networks

than men.

• Organizations have increased demands for longer hours, travel, and relocation

and these demands conflict with the domestic roles held by many married

women.

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Women face discrimination.

• Women spend more time handling domestic and child care issues than men.

• Women encounter more obstacles to their leadership and authority than

men (e.g., negative stereotypes).

• Women accumulate less continuous work experience than men because they

periodically exit the workforce for family or motherhood.

• Women have less social capital and lower breadth of personal networks

than men.

• Organizations have increased demands for longer hours, travel, and relocation

and these demands conflict with the domestic roles held by many married

women.

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Minorities in general are advancing less in the managerial and professional ranks than whites

The number of race-based charges of discrimination that were deemed to show reasonable cause by the EEOC increased from 294 in 1995 to 1,061 in 2008

Minorities tend to earn less personal income than whites

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The percentage change in US population between 2000

and 2050 by race reveals that this pattern no longer exists (see Figure 2–2 ). Figure

2–2 shows that Asians and Hispanics are expected to have the largest growth

in population between 2000 and 2050.

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By 2011, half of the US workforce will be over 50 years of age, and 80% will be over 50 by 2018.

The number of people living into their 80s is increasing rapidly, and this group disproportionately suffers from chronic illness.

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Table 2–1 presents a summary of generational differences that exist across

commonly labeled groups of people: Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Gen Xers,

Millennials (also knows as Gen Ys), and the forthcoming Gen 2020 group.

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• Focus on being exceptionally competent and seek mentors or sponsors
• Network to build social capital
• Seek work–life balance by delegating housework or hiring domestic help

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• Improve your negotiating skills.
• Take credit for your accomplishments
• Work toward creating a partnership with your spouse that leads to a mutually supportive relationship

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Negative stereotypes not only block qualified people from obtaining promotions, but they can undermine a person’s confidence in their ability to lead.

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Given the projected increase in the number of Hispanics entering the workforce over the next 25 years, managers should consider progressive methods to recruit, retain, and integrate this segment of the population into their organizations.

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• Provide challenging work assignments that make a difference to the firm.
• Give the employee considerable autonomy and latitude in completing a task.
• Provide equal access to training and learning opportunities when it comes to new technology.

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• Provide frequent recognition for skills, experience, and wisdom gained over the years.
• Provide mentoring opportunities whereby older workers can pass on accumulated knowledge to younger employees.
• Ensure that older workers receive sensitive, high-quality supervision.
• Design a work environment that is both stimulating and fun.

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Social categorization theory holds that similarities and differences are

used as a basis for categorizing self and others into groups, with ensuing categorizations

distinguishing between one’s own in-group and one or more out-groups.

People tend to like and trust in-group members more than out-group members

and thus generally tend to favor in-groups over out-groups

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The idea is that diverse groups are more likely to possess a broader range of task-relevant

knowledge, skills, and abilities that are distinct and non-redundant and

to have different opinions and perspectives on the task at hand. This not only

gives diverse groups a larger pool of resources, but may also have other beneficial

effects.

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First, diverse groups are expected to do a better job in earlier phases of problem solving

because they are more likely to use their diverse backgrounds to generate a

more comprehensive view of a problem.

Second, the existence of diverse perspectives can help

groups to brainstorm or uncover more novel alternatives during problem-solving

activities. Finally, diversity can enhance the number of contacts a group or work

unit has at its disposal.

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Diversity can enhance the number of contacts a group or work unit has at its disposal.

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A demographic fault line is defined as “hypothetical dividing lines that

may split a group into subgroups based on one or more attributes.” Fault lines

form when work-group members possess varying demographic characteristics

(e.g., gender, age, ethnicity), and negative interpersonal processes occur when people

align themselves based on salient fault lines or demographic characteristics.

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Social categorization theory and information/decision-making

theory reveal that there are both positive and negative effects associated

with diversity. The model in Figure 2–3 summarizes the process underlying these

effects.

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• Inaccurate stereotypes and prejudice
• Ethnocentrism
• Poor career planning
• A negative diversity climate

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The correct answer is “D” – ethnocentrism. See previous slide

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Diversity climate

Employees’ aggregate perceptions about an organization’s policies, practices, and procedures pertaining to diversity

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• An unsupportive and hostile working environment for diverse employees
• Lack of political savvy on the part of diverse employees
• Difficulty in balancing career and family issues

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• Fears of reverse discrimination
• Diversity is not seen as an organizational priority
• The need to revamp the organization’s performance appraisal and reward system
• Resistance to change

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Option 1: Include/Exclude This choice is an outgrowth of affirmative-action

programs. Its primary goal is to either increase or decrease the number of diverse people

at all levels of the organization.

Option 2: Deny People using this option deny that differences exist. Denial may

manifest itself in proclamations that all decisions are color, gender, and age blind and

that success is solely determined by merit and performance

Option 3: Assimilate The basic premise behind this alternative is that all

diverse people will learn to fit in or become like the dominant group. It only takes time

and reinforcement for people to see the light.

Option 4: Suppress Differences are squelched or discouraged when using this

approach. This can be done by telling or reinforcing others to quit whining and complaining

about issues.

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The correct answer is “B” – suppression. See previous slide.

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Option 5: Isolate This option maintains the current way of doing things by setting

the diverse person off to the side. In this way the individual is unable to influence

organizational change.

Option 6: Tolerate Toleration entails acknowledging differences but not valuing

or accepting them. It represents a live-and-let-live approach that superficially

allows organizations to give lip service to the issue of managing diversity

Option 7: Build Relationships This approach is based on the premise that

good relationships can overcome differences. It addresses diversity by fostering quality

relationships—characterized by acceptance and understanding—among diverse

groups.

Option 8: Foster Mutual Adaptation In this option, people are willing to

adapt or change their views for the sake of creating positive relationships with others.

This implies that employees and management alike must be willing to accept differences,

and most important, agree that everyone and everything is open for change.

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Thornton's experiences as a professional athlete as well as a successful restaurant chain manager have helped him in his success at GPI.

Thornton has “persevered” in a very tough industry.

GPI’s size helps them - they can be more flexible and customize products and services for their clients easier than larger firms.

Business and sports are both competitive requiring coordination of effort among team members to be successful.