Is Managing Diversity and International Concern - Assignment Example

Is managing diversity an international concern? Is managing diversity an international concern? Name of the writer Institution Name Acknowledgement I would like to express many thanks to my supervisor, Professor _________, for providing me the chance of working on this report, as well as his encouragement, inspiration and guidance throughout the entire research. This report has widened my knowledge on the fact that why diversity is an international concern now. It allowed me to enhance the research and knowledge on the diversity management. I would like to thank my mentors ______________ and ____________ for their instruction and assistance on my research. I also like to thank _________ to provide opinion and ideas on my research. Moreover, all their supports are conducting infinite element simulations. Executive Summary Managing diversity is defined as creating and maintaining an environment in which each person is respected because of his or her differences, and where all can contribute and be rewarded based on their results. Some of us may not have experience interacting with people who are different from us or who do not conform to the historic white male standard for social and business success. The changing dynamics of the available talent pool nevertheless make it necessary to bring men and women of different races, cultures, lifestyles, values, and work orientation into the work team. Once we recognize that these work team members are a vital part of the workforce, we will realize we must take steps necessary to retain them as members who contribute to our work team and organizational success. A number of diversity management proponents, pundits, trainers, and consultants claim that the era of white male dominance at the administrative level is over. The assumption is that in its place will be an approach that fosters inclusion and the ferreting out and ending of institutionalized discrimination. A growing number of popular books on the value of inclusion, the demise of homogeneity in workgroups, and how it should be done prescriptive books have poured off the printing press. Most of these works have tended to be descriptive, are based on short case histories, are positive in tone, and are offered as validation of the demographic imperative. Some of the challenges to diversity include: valuing employee diversity; individual verses group fairness; negative attitudes; resistance to change and backlash. Recommendations include that first, managers must understand discrimination and its consequences. Second, managers must recognize their own cultural biases and prejudices. Diversity is not about differences among groups, but rather about differences among individuals. Each individual is unique and does not represent or speak for a particular group. Finally, managers must be willing to change the organization if necessary. Table of Contents Executive Summary 1. Introduction Issue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 6 Scope of the Problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 2. Literature Review Various studies and approaches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Models and theories. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 3. Challenges in Managing Diversity Valuing Employee Diversity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Individual verses Group Fairness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Negative attitudes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..13 Resistance to Change. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Backlash. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . .13 4. Recommendations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . … . . 15 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Is managing diversity an international concern? I- INTRODUCTION The objective of this report is to improve the understanding of the fact the diversity management is now an international concern. Before moving any further it is very important that we should understand the basic concept behind the word “diversity.” Diversity is simply defined as set of human characteristics that make people different from one another. (Smith, 1998) Individuals differ on the basis of personal differences as well as organizational characteristics. As illustrated in Figure there are three major components of diversity: Primary personal characteristics e.g. race, gender, nationality, mental and physical ability; Secondary personal characteristics e.g. marital status, educational level, and values, beliefs and Organisation-related characteristics e.g. position in hierarchy, tenure, casual/part time/ full-time status. Figure 1: Components of Workplace Diversity Source: Lewis, 2000. As the world is now a global village and no country can be said to be separate from another so the idea of diversity in increasing in every nation. We just cannot simply claim that in UK only the British citizens would be present, or can we? No this is simply not the case as in UK there are people who have migrated from Asian countries, Australia, United States of America etc. So people belonging to different cultures are present in every part of the world interacting mostly in workplace or in neighborhoods with each other. Hence diversity management becomes an important international concern and can by no means be neglected. As mostly people belonging from different cultures interact in workplace so my main emphasis will be limited within the contours of workplace and diversity management. 1.1 Issue: According to Coleman “Managing diversity is defined as creating and maintaining an environment in which each person is respected because of his or her differences, and where all can contribute and be rewarded based on their results. Some of us may not have experience interacting with people who are different from us or who do not conform to the historic white male standard for social and business success. The changing dynamics of the available talent pool nevertheless make it necessary to bring men and women of different races, cultures, lifestyles, values, and work orientation into the work team. Once we recognize that these work team members are a vital part of the workforce, we will realize we must take steps necessary to retain them as members who contribute to our work team and organizational success.” (Coleman, 1994) 1.2 Scope of the Problem World’s work force is changing -and changing rapidly. By the year 2000, it's expected that only one in seven new employees will be a white male. And as more minorities and women join the work force and the population ages, it will be the companies that manage diversity well who will come out ahead in tomorrow's highly competitive environment. The old way was to assimilate diversity - to expect people to hide or adapt their cultural differences so they fitted the mold of the company's dominant culture. The new way is to treat diversity as an asset that brings a broad range of viewpoints and problem-solving skills to the company. Good diversity management frees employees of the need to assimilate and play it safe, and encourages them to develop their strengths and present innovative ideas. Unless effectively managed the presence of diversity among employees many create misunderstandings that have a negative impact on the productivity and teamwork anywhere around the world. It may also result in overt or subtle discrimination by those who control organizational resources against those who do not fir into the dominant group. Hence to survive and prosper in an increasingly heterogeneous society, organizations must capitalize on employee diversity as a source of competitive advantage. 1.3 Methodology The methodology for collecting the data and information is by utilizing the resourceful material found in authentic books, journals and other resourceful magazines. II – LITERATURE REVIEW A number of diversity management proponents, pundits, trainers, and consultants claim that the era of white male dominance at the administrative level is over. The assumption is that in its place will be an approach that fosters inclusion and the ferreting out and ending of institutionalized discrimination. A growing number of popular books on the value of inclusion, the demise of homogeneity in workgroups, and how it should be done prescriptive books have poured off the printing press. Most of these works have tended to be descriptive, are based on short case histories, are positive in tone, and are offered as validation of the demographic imperative. 2.1 Various studies and approaches Cavanaugh asks for more than unreflective comments of diversity consultants in critiquing diversity management initiatives and outcomes. He cautions to step back and consider the fact that we live in a society that is a long way from vanquishing the past. (Cavanaugh, 1997) He lists facts that suggest that diversity management, as viewed from the perch of advocates, is simply not going to happen without much more support from a host of different groups, including white males. Cavanaugh in supporting his claim that diversity management initiatives are not just going to happen, points to such political and societal facts as “California's Proposition 187, conservative campaigns against multiculturalism in teaching and research, a sitting U.S. president in 1990 using the "quota" card to defend his veto against the 1990 Civil Rights Act, senior officers of the U.S. Navy conspiring to cover up the Tailhook Affair in Las Vegas, and the lesson in gender relations presented by the Anita Hill-Clarence Thomas episode. Is it accurate to portray diversity management as a panacea, the dawn of a new era, the beginning of a new "sunshine" world supported with scientific proof, or do we need to pause to rethink the rhetoric, the hype, and the dilemmas posed? Do we need to study with a more objective set of lenses the practice of diversity management?” (Cavanaugh, 1997) European employers are showing increasing interest in good practice in combating racial and ethnic discrimination in the employment sphere. This follows growing evidence of widespread discrimination across EU Member States during the 1990s and a general increase in campaigns and awareness rising in Europe, including the initiatives associated with the 1997 European Year against Racism. Whereas it used to be assumed that the problem of labour market exclusion was one which affected primarily “first generation” immigrants, it is now clear that ethnic minority young people, even when they born and educated in a European Member State and are legal citizens of that state, are still unjustifiably excluded from employment opportunities. According to Zegers de Beijl research “That this cannot simply be explained by poorer language ability or lower educational attainment. Well qualified and fluent young people are still disproportionately excluded from the employment opportunities they deserve because of straightforward racism, prejudice and discrimination related to the colour of their skin, their ethnic or religious background, or a different sounding name (Zegers de Beijl 2000). Research has also shown that ethnic minority workers regularly experience problems once they have a job, such as less access to opportunities for promotion, training or higher pay, or verbal or physical harassment. (Wrench, 1999) Changing corporate culture and systems to accommodate the diversity of employees involves strategic initiatives that are designed to break down barriers that prevent all people from contributing to their fullest potential. Jackson and Associates describe examples of corporate diversity initiatives that are “intentionally planned, targeted against business objectives, long-term oriented, and involve the entire organization.” (Jackson and Associates, 1992) For example, Travel Related Services, a subsidiary of American Express, focused their efforts on becoming "the Best Place to Work" by providing benefits that would attract and retain employees from an increasingly diverse labor pool. Child-care subsidies, improved part-time benefits, sabbaticals, and flexible work arrangements were introduced after a systematic diagnosis and planning effort involving input from employees (Morrison & Herlihy, 1992). Another study of corporate diversity initiatives by Morrison is based on interviews with over 200 managers in 16 U.S. companies. The research describes the barriers that prevent women and minorities from advancing as well as the processes that facilitate their movement through the ranks. Recruitment, development, and accountability strategies that foster an appreciation for diversity and allow organizations to achieve measurable results are labeled "best practices." (Morrison & Herlihy, 1992) One of the practices Morrison cites is the use of internal advocacy groups as a means for building commitment to diversity and monitoring the corporation's diversity practices. Advocacy groups were found in 10 of the 16 companies examined in the Morrison study. While the roles and power of these groups vary within corporations, Morrison acknowledges that much of their negotiating power comes from the information they receive about personnel administration (personnel profiles, promotions, pay records, and advanced notice of personnel policies). According to Morrison, some executives communicate this information in order to share responsibility for identifying diversity problems and developing solutions ((Morrison & Herlihy, 1992) A number of diversity management research findings are based on managerial or human resource manager perceptions. (Matthews, 1998) The non-manager or worker views and attitudes are unfortunately rarely ascertained. The International Survey Research Corporation found that Hispanic, African-American, and Asian workers were more positive about career advancement programs-and their organizations in general-than their white coworkers. Minorities did report more supervisory and pay bias than whites, but they felt more positive about their promotion prospects, the performance appraisal system, and the competitive position of the company than white colleagues. (Schellenbarger, 1993) 2.2 Models and theories One of the basic models of managing diversity is the “Multiculturalism versus assimilation.” Socially diverse settings are often characterized by competing interests and strong value conflicts among the various ethnic, gender, and political subgroups. We are interested in studying how people's attachment to their subgroup versus their attachment to a more inclusive social category affects the dynamics of subgroup relations. According to Molina “Findings from these studies will not only advance theory but also inform policy discussions about the viability of multicultural societies. One way in which the problem is examined is in the context of responses to decisions made by group authorities. Relying on self-reports of cross-group interactions with workplace supervisors or the police, two factors were identified that affected the extent to which an authority can effectively resolve internal conflicts and maintain social cohesion: social identification and perceived quality of treatment. Interestingly, it was found that people perceive that important and controversial decisions were made in a fair, unbiased, and well-intentioned manner; they are more willing to go along with the decisions - even those they disagree with.” (Molina et al, 2005) The relationship between quality of treatment and various attitudes is especially strong among those who report high levels of identification with a superordinate category that encompasses the competing subgroups. According to Huo “In recent experiments participants were exposed to messages that convey either institutional regard or neglect for their subgroup. It was found that when there is a clear message that the institution the authority represents does not value an individual's subgroup identity, concerns about treatment quality are deactivated. These finding suggest that policies which communicate a lack of regard for valued subgroup identities (i.e. a strong assimilation approach to diversity) may inadvertently create dynamics that make it more difficult for leaders to exercise their authority and effectively resolve group conflicts.” (Huo, 2003) Critics of multiculturalism suggest that this model of diversity is untenable because it highlights group differences - the very basis of conflicts. This assumption is challenged by focusing on a key principle underlying multiculturalism - subgroup respect - which is defined as the perception of the extent to which one's subgroup is well regarded and valued by other members of a common group (e.g., Americans' respect for various ethnic subgroups). According to Huo “Our analysis of survey data show that subgroup respect is linked to more positive evaluations of America, lower levels of distrust in the American justice system, and lower levels of prejudice toward ethnic outgroups but only among ethnic minorities. Among Whites, personal respect (i.e., how Americans feels about the individual) was a better predictor of these attitudes than subgroup respect. At a practical level, these finding suggest that a multicultural approach that recognizes the importance of ethnic group identities to members of non-dominant groups may have a unifying rather than divisive effect as is commonly assumed. We are also working to advance our understanding of the notion of respect as a distinct component of social identity and trying to understand what it is and why it influences individuals' attitudes toward groups.” (Huo, 2002) III – CHALLENGES IN MANAGING DIVERSITY Although employee diversity offers opportunities that can enhance organizational performance, it also presents managers with new set of challenges. 3.1 Valuing Employee Diversity: In some ways, the idea that diversity is good runs counter to the melting pot tradition the notion that individuals should assimilate into the nation’s mainstream. The melting pot tradition makes some people uncomfortable with differences. Even though organizations and countries as a whole are trying to eliminate this issue but prejudice is still prevalent, so businesses and people in them need to make progress to truly value the contributions of women and minorities. 3.2 Individual verses Group Fairness: An issue closely related to the “difference is diverse verses better” debate is how management should go in adapting HR programs to diverse employee groups. The extent to which a universal concept of management, which leads to standardized management practices, should be replaced by a cultural relativity concept of management, which calls for molding management practices to the workforce’s different sets of values, beliefs, attitudes and patterns of behaviour. 3.3 Negative attitudes: Negative attitudes and behaviors can be barriers to organizational diversity because they can harm working relationships and damage morale and work productivity (Esty, et al., 1995). Negative attitudes and behaviors in the workplace include prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination, which should never be used by management for hiring, retention, and termination practices (could lead to costly litigation). 3.4 Resistance to Change: Although diversity is a fact of life, the dominant group in organizations is still compose of white men. Some argue that a long-established corporate culture is very resistant to change and that this resistance is a major roadblock for diversity management. 3.5 Backlash: Some white men feel that they have been the scapegoats for society’s ills and they have to defend themselves against encroachments by using their gender or ethnicity to lay claim to organizational resources IV – RECOMMENDATIONS Organizations that have the greatest strides in successfully managing diversity tend to share a number of characteristics. Effective managers are aware that certain skills are necessary for creating a successful, diverse workforce. First, managers must understand discrimination and its consequences. Second, managers must recognize their own cultural biases and prejudices. (Koonce, 2001) Diversity is not about differences among groups, but rather about differences among individuals. Each individual is unique and does not represent or speak for a particular group. Finally, managers must be willing to change the organization if necessary. (Koonce, 2001) Organizations need to learn how to manage diversity in the workplace to be successful in the future. (Flagg, 2002) Unfortunately, there is no single recipe for success. It mainly depends on the manager's ability to understand what is best for the organization based on teamwork and the dynamics of the workplace. According to Roosevelt managing diversity is a comprehensive process for creating a work environment that includes everyone. When creating a successful diverse workforce, an effective manager should focus on personal awareness. Both managers and associates need to be aware of their personal biases. (Roosevelt, 2001) Therefore, organizations need to develop, implement, and maintain ongoing training because a one-day session of training will not change people's behaviors (Koonce, 2001). Managers must also understand that fairness is not necessarily equality. There are always exceptions to the rule. Managing diversity is about more than equal employment opportunity and affirmative action. (Losyk, 1996) Managers should expect change to be slow, while at the same time encouraging change (Koonce, 2001). Another vital requirement when dealing with diversity is promoting a safe place for associates to communicate. (Koonce, 2001) Social gatherings and business meetings, where every member must listen and have the chance to speak, are good ways to create dialogues. Managers should implement policies such as mentoring programs to provide associates access to information and opportunities. Also, associates should never be denied necessary, constructive, critical feedback for learning about mistakes and successes. (Flagg, 2002) Appendix Figure 1: Components of Workplace Diversity Source: Lewis, 2000. References Audrey Matthews (Summer 1998) “Diversity: A Principle of Human Resource Management” Public Personnel Management, 27, pp. 175-185. Cavanaugh, J.M. (1997) “Corporating the Other? Managing the Politics of Workplace Difference” In P. Prasad “Managing the Organizational Melting Pot” Thousand Oaks: Sage, pp. 32-53. Coleman, Troy (October 1994) “Managing Diversity: Keeping It in Focus” Public Management, Vol. 76, pp. 100-105. Esty, Katharine, Richard Griffin, and Marcie Schorr-Hirsh (1995) “Workplace diversity. A manager’s guide to solving problems and turning diversity into a competitive advantage.” Avon, MA: Adams Media Corporation. Flagg, Alex. (February 8, 2002) “Managing diverse workgroups successfully” United Behavioral Health” http://www.ubhnet.com Huo, Y. J. (2002) “Justice and the regulation of social relations: When and why do group members deny claims to social goods?” British Journal of Social Psychology, 41, pp. 535-562. Huo, Y. J. (2003) “Procedural justice and social regulation across group boundaries: Does subgroup identity undermine relationship-based governance?” Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 29, pp. 336-348. Huo, Y. J., Molina, L. E., & Sawahata, R. & Deang, J. M. (2005) “Leadership and the management of conflicts in diverse groups: Why acknowledging versus neglecting subgroup identity matters.” European Journal of Social Psychology, 35, pp. 237-254. Jackson, S. E., & Associates (1992) “Diversity in the workplace: Human resource initiatives.” New York: The Guilford Press. Koonce, Richard. (Dec. 2001) “Redefining diversity: It's not just the right thing to do; it also makes good business sense” Training and Development. Lewis, S. Harris, R. Cox, B. (Aug. 2000) “Engineering a Better Workplace: A diversity guide for the engineering profession.” National Centre for Gender and Cultural Diversity; Swinburne University of Technology. Loysk, Bob. (1996) “Managing a changing workforce: Achieving outstanding service with today’s employees.” Davie, FL: Workplace Trends Publishing. Morrison, E. W., & Herlihy, J. M. (1992) “Becoming the best place to work: Managing diversity at American Express Travel Related Services.” In S. E. Jackson “Diversity in the workplace: Human resource initiatives” New York, NY: The Guilford Press, pp. 203-226. Patton, M. Q. (1990) “Qualitative evaluation and research methods” (2nd ed.) Newbury Park, CA Sage p.24, pp. 85-90. Rooselvet Thomas, R. Jr. (2001) “Elements of a successful “diversity” process.” The American Institute for Managing Diversity. http://www.aimd.org/articles/elements.html Schellenbarger, S. (September 3, 1993) “Workforce Study Finds Loyalty Is Weak, Divisions Of Race and Gender Are Deep” Wall Street Journal, B1 and B5. Smith, D (November 1998) “The Business Case for Diversity” Monash Mt Eliza Business Review, Wrench, J., Rea A. and Ouali, N. (1999) “Migrants, Ethnic Minorities and the Labour Market: Integration and Exclusion” in Europe Macmillan, London. Zegers de Beijl, R. (2000) “Documenting Discrimination against Migrant Workers in the Labour Market: A comparative study of four European countries” International Labour Office, Geneva. Read More