Ch 1: Introduction, Theoretical Background and Legislation Flashcards
What is diversity?
Real/perceived differences among people in all identity-based areas that affect one’s experience, outcomes, and opportunities in organizations and society.
( race, ethnicity, sex, age, physical and mental ability, sexual orientation, religion, work and family status, weight and appearance, social class)
Explain differences among diversity, equity and inclusion
Diversity: Marked differences
Equity: Equal opportunity/access in spite of differences
Inclusion: the degree to which different voices of a diverse workforce are respected and heard.
What are population demographics?
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What are the implications of population demographics for workforce and customer diversity?
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What are the differences between individual discrimination and systemic racism?
Structural/Systemic Racism: The ways in which a society fosters racial discrimination through mutually reinforcing systems.
eg. Public policies, institutional practices etc.
What are the effects of individual discrimination and systemic racism?
,.
Recommendations for attracting, retaining, and valuing diverse applicants, employees, customers, and clients.
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What are the truths behind race and gender?
Race is a social construct- biologically, we are 99.9% the same- we only have small genetic differences
Gender- is a social construct (so they say)
Sex- represent the strict biological differences
What is social class?
One’s position in the economic system of production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services .
What is employment discrimination?
Occurs when personal characteristics of applicants that are unrelated to productivity, are values in the labour market.
What is access discrimination?
Occurs when people are denied employment opportunities because of their group membership
Treatment discrimination
Occurs when people are employed but are treated unfairly on the job, receiving fewer awards, resources or opportunities than they should receive based on job-related criteria.
What is ethnicity?
Refers to a shared national origin or a shared cultural heritage.
Majority vs Minority
Dominant vs non-dominant groups
Dominant vs Non-dominant are the terms used in place of minority and majority, as they are more accurate as they distinguish the more powerful vs less powerful group (you can have more numbers but less power)
Give examples of Permeable boundaries
Age
Disability Status
Weight and Appearance
Intersectionality
the connected nature of various social identities, such as race, gender and class and potential for overlapping and interconnected systems of discrimination.
What are diversity’s six implications for organizations?
Cost: Employee, turnover, litigation, lost business (Customer racial profiling),
Human Resource Acquisition:(the org ability to attract and retain diverse employees) Inclusive workplaces are most sought after by diverse candidates
Marketing: A company’s reputation for valuing diverse employees affects its ability to market to different customers. (Also input from diverse workers can help marketing strategy)
Creativity and Problem Solving: Diversity= more creativity and problem-solving- different perspectives, and ideas aid solving problems
System Flexibility: Provides a competitive advantage. Customer populations are multilingual and multicultural. Cognitive flexibility, openness to experience, and ability to navigate between worlds (cultural intelligence) are desirable traits in companies
Other Areas:
-Cooperative Behaviours- groups with people from collectivist backgrounds( asian, black and latino) instead of the individualist (White/European) showed more cooperative behaviour on group tasks.
- Interaction effects with organizational strategy: Diversity aids a company pursuing a growth strategy- especially racial diversity. Companies with moderate diversity have both short- and long-term performance
Financial Performance and Behaviours: Good publicity for good reputation increases stock prices (less likelihood of law suits also help to keep stock prices stable)
Moral and Social Reasons for valuing diversity
It is right
Discrimination makes you liable for social backlash and boycotting of products
Organizational Difficulties Relating to Increased Diversity
Conflicts
Low Productivity
Discrimination
Benefits of Diversity
Creativity and problem-solving
Good publicity
Broader markets
Diversity Climate
The tone set by organization and sensed by its members regarding the value and role of diversity.
Individual outcomes of diversity (affected by diversity climate)
Job satisfaction- from inclusion, support, appreciation
promotion/Horizontal mobility rates
employment opportunities (for applicants)
Racial Profiling
Organizational effectiveness
1st level: Attendance
2nd level: Lost business
Recommendations for Hr practices, leadership, and representation
Ensure all HRM practices promote fairness(in the selection, performance, evaluation, T&D, decision making etc.)
Leaders must set the tone- be committed to long-term efforts
Be proactive rather than peventative- seek to increase the number of underrepresented candidates