Cultural Diversity

1
Cultural Diversity
2
Dimensions of Employee Diversity

• Inborn Differences
• Age, ethnicity, gender, physical abilities, race,
  sexual orientation.
• Acquired Differences
• Education, religion, military experience,
  geography, income, work, parental status, marital
  status

3
Attitudes toward Diversity

• Ethnocentrism
• Our group is inherently superior to others-do it
  our way or not at all.
• Common in the business world
• Produce a monoculture-one set of values
• Ethno-relativism
• No one group is inherently superior
• Produces a pluralistic environment-everyone is
  welcome
• Training shifts people in the organization from
  one to the other.

4
The changing workplace

• Globalization
• 70 of all U.S. businesses compete with companies
  overseas
• The Changing Workforce
• Older workers
• Women
• People of color
• Immigrants

5
The changing workplace

• White men are in the minority in the society
• Minorities are facing problems in the workforce
• Biculturalism
• Work/family conflicts
• Sexual Harassment issues
• Child care issues
• Language issues
• Customs issues

6
Affirmative Action

• The beginning of change

7
Affirmative Action

• 1964 Legislation prohibiting discrimination in
  hiring based on race, religion, sex or national
  origin.
• Pressure to rescind or alter affirmative action
  laws.
• Laws developed for condition 30 years ago
• Legal and social coercion was necessary to get
  started
• More than half the workforce are women or
  minorities
• The economic situation as a result of
  interanational competition makes affirmative
  action laws unnecessary
• The need for broader strategies than just head
  counts.
• But even though we have made great strides, we
  still havent embraced pluralism completely.

8
New Responses

• Build a Culture that values diversity
• Our dominant business culture is WASP
• The population is shifting to a growing
  population of women and minorities that are
  clamoring to move into positions of
  responsibility and authority
• Mangers have to change their own assumptions
  about employee diversity
• Change structures and policies to insure
  diversity
• Recruitment, promotions, accommodating special
  needs
• Diversity Training

9
Observations of Foreign Visitors about American
Behavior

• What is the issue
• Is the criticism true? Fair?
• What underlies it? What is the logic behind it?
• How could you explain or defend it?