Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Equality and Workplace diversity (Social identity theory and diversity…
Equality and Workplace diversity
Workplace diversity & the need to manage it
Diversity
term used to describe differences among individuals
age, race, ethnicity, gender,physical characteristics,mental and physical ability, personality, sexual orientation etc.
workplace diversity therefore refers to differences among people at work
in addition to the above differences, workforce diversity also encompass differences among works in : religious beliefs, educational attainment, experience, family status, parental status, pregnancy
necessary to manage diversity
elimination of discrimination is respect of employment and occupation
anti-discrimination, equal opportunity and affirmative action legislation in Australia
increasing diversity of consumers due to globalization
more than managing cultural diversity, a necessary precondition for continuous innovation
changing composition of the labour market-attracting the right kind of talent and retaining such talent
not about ,merely meeting legal or moral obligations, but embedding the process in business strategy development
Social identity theory and diversity
social identity theory stipulates that individuals validate their social identity by favoring their in-group at the expense of out-groups
individuals perceive that it is easier to communicate with other members of their in-group as they are more predictable, trustworthy, and more likely to reciprocate favors.
a shared social identity increases perceived differences between individuals belonging to different social categories
the success of organisational diversity initiatives is dependent upon mitigating these perceived differences
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
a consequence of the dilemma of individual participation
managers likely to recruit individuals they perceive to be similar to them
individuals may also seek out managers that are similar to them
those that do not fit in often leave resulting in a homogenous workforce
can result in power battles
organisational participation
dependent upon how well the social dilemmas relating to individual and managerial participation are addressed
incorrect perceptions in relation to the relationship between homogenous workers and employee turnover
belief that diversity initiatives benefit society not organisations implementing them, organisations bear the costs and accrue little benefit
focus on short-term costs and not long-term benefits
creates barriers for selecting highly talented candidates due to ill informed and short sighted views
Solutions for social dilemmas and glass ceiling
Solutions
Management problem: overcome individual and managerial participation
developing measurable objectives for diversity
creating a work environment that encourages and facilitates communication between diverse employees
developing super-ordinate goals which can only be achieved through cooperation amongst diverse members
keeping work team/group sizes small
assisting individuals in realizing that their self interest can be facilitated by embracing organisational diversity initiatives
measuring managerial performance from a long-term perspective
aligning individual interest with organisational diversity initiatives by restructuring incentives
embedding the value of diversity to mission, vision statements
public policy problem:overcome organisational participation
instead developing legislation that requires firms to develop and implement diversity initiatives that result in sustainable success
not focusing on encouraging-just diversity, but effective diversity
avoiding the creation of legislation that results in protected classes of workers
educational curricula at primary /secondary level
Glass ceiling
a phenomenon that limits the advancement of women and other minority groups to senior managerial positions in organisations
Overcome glass ceiling
introduction of paid-parental leave schemes, especially for men that goes beyond on week
introducing gender quotas for company boards
eliminating the stigmatization of men who choose to stay home for family reasons
realizing that a more representative blend of women and men in senior roles just makes good business sense
changing societal norms around the role of women and eradicating gender bias