MNO1706 Organizational Behavior

Lesson 7: Workplace Diversity

Instructor: A/P Lim Ghee Soon

 Lesson 7: Workplace Diversity
• Reading for Lesson 7: R & J, Chapter 2
– Chapter 2 (Workplace Diversity)
• Diversity:
– Differences between organizational members in terms of
» Surface-level characteristics (e.g., demographic factors such as
age, race, gender, marital status, education, regional background,
ethnicity, religion, disability status) and
» Deep-level characteristics (e.g., personality (introverted, assertive,
conscientious), values (family, team, career aspiration), attitudes
(risk appetite), ability)
» May result in more ideas, skills, abilities but also more
communication breakdown, misunderstanding, conflicts
– Effective diversity management: Eliminate unfair discrimination
» Most unfair discriminations outlawed but some practices persist
• Forms of discrimination: Discriminatory policies/practices,
sexual harassment, intimidation, mockery/insults, exclusion,
incivility
• Unfair discrimination becomes a prima facie case if the bases of making a
difference between organizational members are irrelevant to the job or the
performance of the job
» Biographical Characteristics: Surface-level characteristics associated with the
individual member that are easily visible but less directly linked to performance
• Age: age discrimination results in lower commitment & organization
performance
• Sex: Women perform better than men; men rated as having more promotion
potential; women still face discrimination and may even stereotype against
themselves
• Race (biological heritage) & Ethnicity (additional cultural characteristics): Tend
to favor people of own race in performance ratings, promotion, and pay
decision
• Disability: Must/should make reasonable accommodations to make
workplaces accessible to people with physical/mental disabilities. More
dependable/potent, high performance ratings; mental disabilities lead to
more absenteeism; less hirable; lower performance level expected
• Tenure: higher performance/satisfaction, lower absenteeism/turnover
• Religion: Religious discrimination quite rampant in the US though outlawed by
federal laws; illegal and frowned upon in Singapore
• Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity: US Federal government does not
outlaw; 21 states and >160 municipalities do on their own to give fair
treatment; neutral public policy on this in Singapore; most Fortune 500
companies have fair treatment policy for people with different sexual
orientation and transgender
• Cultural Identity: Traditional practices in different countries and subcultures
within a country
 » Ability: Current capacity to perform the various tasks in a job
• Intellectual abilities (mental activities like thinking, reasoning,
and problem solving)
• General mental ability
• Number, verbal, perceptual, inductive reasoning,
deductive reasoning, spatial visualization, memory
• Physical abilities
• Strength: Dynamic, trunk, static, explosive
• Flexibility: Extent, dynamic
• Body coordination, balance, stamina
– Implementing Diversity Management Strategy
» Diversity Management: Makes everyone aware and sensitive to the
needs and differences of others
• HR Policies on Attracting, Selecting, Developing, & Retaining
Diverse Employees
• Must avoid reverse discrimination
• In collectivistic cultures, similarity to boss is important; in
individualistic culture, similarity to peers more important
• Diversity in Groups
• Helps and hinders performance depending on the context
and specific composition
• Leader must show the common interest in group success
• Effective Diversity Programs:
• Formulate and communicate a pro-diversity legal
framework and fair treatment policies
• Publicize the synergistic effects and flexibility made
possible by diversity
• Engage in personal development practices to facilitate
working effectively in a diverse group
• Adopt a long-term perspective as one-off training is
ineffective: Need to frequently repeat training/events
• A set of consistent policies addressing the specific
imbalances on various diversity measures will work
well to enhance diversity outcomes