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Managing for Inclusion: Equality in Workplace Diversity (Social dilemmas…
Managing for Inclusion: Equality in Workplace Diversity
Workplace Diversity and the Need to Manage It
What is diversity?
term used to describe differences among individuals
physical
race
religion
age
educational attainment
family status
experience
parental status/pregnancy
workplace diversity: the differences which arise within a workplace
Is it necessary to manage diversity
Yes, as diversity is very present within Australia
28% born overseas, 3rd highest in the world
Indigenous Australians comprise of 2.4% of the population
increasing labour force participation from women
over the next 50 years, approximately 1/4 of Australians will be over 65 years old
One of the 4 core labour standards of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) is the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation
anti-discrimination, equal opportunity, and affirmative action legislation in Australia
increasing diversity of consumers due to globalisation
more than managing cultural diversity, a necessary precondition for continuous innovation
changing composition of labour markets - attracting of talent and retaining such talent
not about merely meeting 'legal' or 'moral' obligations, but embedding the process in business strategy and development
Social Identity Theory
Individuals validate their social identity by favouring their 'in-group' at the expense of 'out-groups'
It is easier to communicate with other members of the 'in-group' as they are more predictable, trustworthy and more likely to reciprocate favours
Eg. based on gender, age, culture, interests
A shared social identity increases perceived differences between individuals belong to different 'groups'
Social dilemmas of workplace diversity
Individual participation
the success of organisational diversity initiatives is dependent upon the degree to which its employees embrace/resist them
formation of subgroups along social categories may result in restricting the movement of information
due to exclusion, employees may form further informal subgroups resulting in subgroup competition
Managerial participation
Is a consequence of the dilemma of individual participation
Managers are likely to recruit individuals they perceive to be similar to them , and individuals may also seek out managers that are similar to them
Those that do not fit in often leave the organisation, resulting in a homogenous workforce, which can result in a 'power battle'
Organisational
Focus on short-term costs and not long-term benefits
Dependent upon how well the social dilemmas relating to individual and managerial problems are addressed
Incorrect perceptions in relation to the relationship between homogenous workers and employee turnover
Creates barriers for selecting highly talented candidates due to ill informed and short sighted views
Belief that diversity initiatives benefit society not organisations implementing them, organisations bear the costs and accrue little benefit
Solutions for social dilemmas
The management problem
Assisting individuals in realising that their self interest can be facilitated by
embracing organisational diversity initiatives
Developing measurable objectives for diversity
Aligning individual interest with organisational diversity initiatives by
restructuring incentives
Developing superordinate goals which can only be achieved through
cooperation amongst diverse members
Creating a work environment that encourages and
facilitates communication between diverse employees
Keeping work team/group sizes small
Measuring managerial performance from a long-term
perspective
Embedding the value of diversity to mission, vision
statements
Overcoming social dilemmas of workplace diversity
The public policy problem
Not focusing on encouraging just
diversity, but ‘effective’ diversity
Educational curricula at
primary/secondary level
Avoiding the creation of legislation that
results in ‘protected classes’ of workers
Instead developing legislation that requires firms to develop and implement diversity initiatives that result in sustainable success
Glass ceiling
A phenomenon that limits the advancement of women and other minority groups to senior managerial positions in organisations
Overcoming the glass ceiling
Changing societal norms around the role of women and eradicating gender bias
Realising that a more representative blend of women and men in senior roles just makes good business sense
Eg. women and men can bring different ideas and points of view on topics, more diversity is beneficial for companies