Management Essay

DEEP-LEVEL DIVERSITY

Faisal Bajunaid

MGT 201-05

Tiffin University

Deep-level diversity refers to the differences which are neither easily noticeable nor measurable as they are brought about by either verbal or non-verbal behaviors. These opposing opinions include those brought about by personal differences in attitudes, beliefs and values. In order to arrive at deep level diversity, one needs to identify themselves with the surface-level diversity so as to relate and know each other after which one is able to either accept or dislike the noticeable personal differences between them. A person belonging to a minority ethnic group may be looked down upon by other communities as their culture heritage may be different from the others. However, after continuous interactions, the surface level differences between the two starts to fade away and they instead start noticing the differing values and beliefs of the individual and subsequently, their personal differences.

In order to best describe personality and its effects on deep level diversity, we have to analyze the personality traits using the five factor model of personality which extracts five major facets relating to personality. (Williams, 2005). These traits are as described below:

Openness to experience

This facet refers to the curiosity, the appreciation for art, adventure, unusual ideas, things and a broad variety of experience. Openness refers to the extent up to which an individual’s creativity, curiosity and preference for novelty can be measured. This facet also describes the degree to which an individual’s imagination or independence can be used over a strict routine to bring about outcomes that are preferential among a variety of various activities. When a person’s openness is perceived to be high, this is an indication that the individual ideas are unpredictable. The low-minded individuals, on the other hand, are interpreted to be closed-minded or dogmatic. This fact, however, remains open to interpretation as some people argue that it should be referred to as intellectualism rather than openness. Comment by UserPC: are these your words or does this need to be cited Comment by Faisal Bajunaid: I just use this cite to understand the Openness to experience. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Five_personality_traits

Conscientiousness

It refers to the degree up to which an individual is hardworking, organized and achievement oriented. It’s a tendency to appear dependable, dutiful and self-driven in accomplishing tasks. A conscious individual has a planned schedule and does not rely on spontaneous behaviors. A person with high conscientiousness is often perceived as obsessive and stubborn whereas an individual with low conscientiousness is perceived as an unreliable person who is sloppy at performing their duties.

Extraversion

It refers to the degree to which one is assertive, talkative, sociable and active. It is the tendency to seek the aforementioned traits and stimulation in the presence or company of other people. Individuals with high extraversion levels are often perceived to be attention seekers and domineering whereas the individuals with low extraversion levels (also known as introverts) are shy, quiet and reserved. They prefer being alone most of the times and are perceived to be self-absorbed. For better results in the workplace, both introverts and extroverts should be correctly matched.

Emotional Stability

“Emotional stability refers to the degree to which one is not easily angered, insecure, depressed or excited.” (Williams, 2015). Individuals who are able to stabilize their emotions are not easily stressed and can, therefore, perform their activities even when conditions are stressful or hard for work. They keep calm and have a problem-solving mentality even at the toughest of times. Neuroticism on the, on the other hand, refers to the tendency to easily get angered and depressed.

Agreeableness

“It refers to the extent to which an individual is cooperative, compassionate, trusting and helpful by nature.” (Williams, 2015). High agreeableness is perceived to be naïve whereas low agreeableness individuals are perceived to be challenging and competitive which render them as untrustworthy.

Conclusion

From the preceding, it has been evidenced that nearly all attributes relating to personalities can be explained under the five model system. Some scholars, however, argue that this only covers a mere 9% of the variance in the personality traits. They argue that some traits such as honesty, religion, masculinity among others should have been included in the big five. These results, therefore, indicate that there are several important traits beyond the big five as outlined by the model. Finally, a business organization should not only dwell in establishing peripheral policies and systems but also take challenges that put into use the diverse human resources so as to increase productivity levels by cultivating on new markets brought about by the diverse talents.

Reference

1- Williams, C. (2015). MGMT: principles of management. (7thed) South-Western College Pub. Resources .

2- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Five_personality_traits