Diversity in the Workplace

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Diversity in the Workplace

• Dan Solarek
• Myrna Rudder
• Allen Rioux

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Diversity in the Workplace

• What should we know about diversity among global
  cultures?
• What should we know about diversity in the
  workplace?

We will address both of these questions today
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Major Topics

• Language of Diversity
• Dimensions of Diversity
• Basic Demographics
• Understanding Cultural Diversity
• Lessons for the Workplace
• Valuing and Managing Diversity
• Discussion

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The Language of Diversity

• Some Basic Definitions,
• a Place to Start

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The Language of Diversity

• Diversity is defined as a difference or variety
• the fact or quality of being diverse different
• a point or aspect in which things differ
• variety or multiformity (not uniformity)

Charles Darwin saw in the diversity of species
the principles of evolution that operated to
generate the species variation, competition and
selection. (Scientific American)
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The Language of DiversityWords Used to Describe
Us

• Race
• the category to which others assign individuals
  on the basis of physical characteristics and the
  generalizations and stereotypes made as a result
• race is predominantly a social construct
• only 2 of our genes are responsible for the
  visible differences such as skin color
• 85 of human genetic variation exists within any
  given population

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The Language of DiversityWords Used to Describe
Us

• Culture
• the belief systems and value orientations that
  influence customs, norms, practices, and social
  institutions, including psychological processes
  and organizations
• the ways of life including arts, beliefs and
  institutions of a population that are passed down
  from generation to generation

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The Language of DiversityWords Used to Describe
Us

• Ethnicity
• the acceptance of the group mores and practices
  of one's culture of origin and the concomitant
  sense of belonging
• a term which represents social groups with a
  shared history, sense of identity, geography and
  cultural roots which may occur despite racial
  difference

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The Language of DiversityWords Used to Describe
Our Reactions to Differences

• Stereotype
• oversimplified conception an oversimplified
  standardized image of a person or group
• based on the assumption that there are attributes
  that members of the "other group" have in common

Stereotypes can instigate prejudice and false
assumptions about entire groups of people,
including the members of different cultures,
ethnic groups, social classes, religious orders,
the opposite sex, etc.
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The Language of DiversityWords Used to Describe
Our Reactions to Differences

• Prejudice
• an adverse opinion or learning formed without
  just grounds or before you acquire sufficient
  knowledge
• an irrational attitude of hostility directed
  toward an individual, a group, or a race, or
  their supposed characteristics

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The Language of DiversityWords Used to Describe
Our Reactions to Differences

• Discrimination
• the act, practice, or instance of making a
  difference in treatment or favor on a basis other
  than merit
• the act of discriminating categorically or by
  group, rather than individually
• the results of a prejudiced or prejudicial
  outlook, action, or treatment

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The Language of DiversityWords Used to Describe
Our Reactions to Differences

• Inclusion
• a sense of belonging feeling respected, valued
  for who you are
• feeling a level of supportive energy and
  commitment from others so than you can do your
  best work

What we feel
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The Language of DiversityWords Used to Describe
Our Reactions to Differences

• Diversity Consciousness
• recognizing, appreciating, valuing, and utilizing
  the unique talents and contributions of all
  individuals
• an inclusive organization

What the organization strives for
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Dimensions and Demographics

• Realities of a Changing Marketplace, Workplace

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Diversity in the Workplace

• What are the true dimensions of diversity?

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Diversity in the Workplace

• People of color are an increasing percent of the
  workforce
• Hispanics are the fastest-growing minority group
  in workforce
• Minorities are highly represented in lower-wage
  service-sector jobs
• More workers are from nontraditional families
• Average age of workers is rising
• Religious diversity of workers is increasing
• More women are working

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Diversity in the Workplace

• There is a business case for diversity
• Inclusive organizational cultures value and
  support diversity
• Organizational subcultures can create diversity
  challenges
• Minorities and women suffer diversity bias in
  many situations
• Managing diversity for a positive outcome should
  be top leadership priority

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Dimensions of Diversity

• Education
• Job Title
• Job Function
• Job Skills
• Union/Non-Union
• Part-Time/Full-Time
• Marital Status
• Political affiliation

• Gender
• Age
• Race
• Ethnicity
• Culture
• Religion
• Language/Accent
• Disability
• Height/Weight
• Sexual Orientation

and more
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Primary Dimensions of Diversity

• Aspects of ourselves which we cannot change
• examples
• age
• gender
• physical qualities (limitations?)
• ethnicity
• race
• etc.

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Secondary Dimensions of Diversity

• Aspects that we have some control over and may
  change throughout our life
• examples
• income
• work background
• marital status
• geographic location
• education
• etc.

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The Village Earth

• If we could shrink the earth's population to a
  village of precisely 100 people, with all the
  existing human ratios remaining the same, it
  would look something like the following.
• There would be

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The Village Earth

• 57 Asians21 Europeans 8 Africans
• 52 would be female48 would be male
• 70 would be non-white30 would be white
• 70 would be non-Christian30 would be Christian
• 89 would be heterosexual11 would be homosexual

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The Village Earth

• 6 people would possess 59 of the entire world's
  wealth and all 6 would be from the United States
• 80 would live in substandard housing
• 70 would be unable to read
• 50 would suffer from malnutrition
• 1 would be near death 1 would be near birth
• 1 (yes, only 1) would have a college education
• 1 would own a computer

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Diversity Bias

• Assumptions of Superiority
• Im better than you
• My country/group/etc. is best
• Assumptions of Correctness
• This is the way it should be
• My way is the right way
• Assumptions of Universality
• Were all the same
• Everybody is just like me

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The Culture Dimension

• One Size Does NOT Fit All

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Thoughts on Culture

• Everyone creates culture
• Individuals
• Groups
• Families
• Organizations
• Culture is what everyone knows that everyone else
  knows
• It is a way of understanding and living in the
  world
• Cultures are defined by their differences from
  other cultures
• The greater the difference, the more defined the
  culture

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Thoughts on Culture

• The most important aspects of culture are those
  not talked about
• People from different cultures experience
  different realities
• Most cultures accept differences in power and
  status, and consider it normal
• e.g., primates always rank order
• Most cultures
• value conformity
• reward compliance
• punish dissent

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Hierarchy of Cultures

• World Culture
• Humanity
• Major Culture (e.g., U.S. culture)
• A regional or national group with a common
  culture
• Subculture (e.g., various immigrant groups)
• A cultural group within a major culture
• Corporate Culture
• An organization within a major culture or
  subculture

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A Model of Cultural Dimensions

• Dr. Geert Hofstede, a psychologist from the
  Netherlands, conducted a decade of research
  beginning in the 1970s.
• His research was done with employees of IBM only,
  which allowed him to attribute the patterns to
  national differences in culture, largely
  eliminating the problem of differences in company
  culture.
• He created a model of cultural dimensions that
  has become an internationally recognized standard.

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A Model of Cultural Dimensions

• Holstede initially identified four distinct
  cultural dimensions that served to distinguish
  one culture from another, later added a fifth
  dimension
• Power/Distance
• Individualism
• Masculinity
• Uncertainty/Avoidance Index
• Long Term Orientation

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Holstedes Five Value Differences

• Portions of the list documenting the data
• Taken from Holstedes web site
• The complete list is available on that web site

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Hofstedes Five Value DifferencesPower /Distance
(PD)

• This refers to the degree of inequality that
  exists - and is accepted - among people with and
  without power. A high PD score indicates that
  society accepts an unequal distribution of power
  and people understand "their place" in the
  system. Low PD means that power is shared and
  well dispersed. It also means that society
  members view themselves as equals.

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Hofstedes Five Value DifferencesIndividualism
(IDV)

• This refers to the strength of the ties people
  have to others within the community. A high IDV
  score indicates a loose connection with people.
  In countries with a high IDV score there is a
  lack of interpersonal connection and little
  sharing of responsibility, beyond family and
  perhaps a few close friends. A society with a low
  IDV score would have strong group cohesion, and
  there would be a large amount of loyalty and
  respect for members of the group. The group
  itself is also larger and people take more
  responsibility for each other's well being.

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Hofstedes Five Value Differences Masculinity
(MAS)

• This refers to how much a society sticks with,
  and values, traditional male and female roles.
  High MAS scores are found in countries where men
  are expected to be tough, to be the provider, to
  be assertive and to be strong. If women work
  outside the home, they have separate professions
  from men. Low MAS scores do not reverse the
  gender roles. In a low MAS society, the roles are
  simply blurred. You see women and men working
  together equally across many professions. Men are
  allowed to be sensitive and women can work hard
  for professional success.

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Hofstedes Five Value Differences
Uncertainty/Avoidance Index (UAI)

• This relates to the degree of anxiety society
  members feel when in uncertain or unknown
  situations. High UAI-scoring nations try to avoid
  ambiguous situations whenever possible. They are
  governed by rules and order and they seek a
  collective "truth. Low UAI scores indicate the
  society enjoys novel events and values
  differences. There are very few rules and people
  are encouraged to discover their own truth.

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Hofstedes Five Value Differences Long Term
Orientation (LTO)

• This refers to how much society values
  long-standing - as opposed to short term -
  traditions and values. This is the fifth
  dimension that Hofstede added in the 1990s after
  finding that Asian countries with a strong link
  to Confucian philosophy acted differently from
  western cultures. In countries with a high LTO
  score, delivering on social obligations and
  avoiding "loss of face" are considered very
  important.

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DIVERSITY AMONG GLOBAL CULTURESHofstedes Five
Value Differences
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Lessons for the Workplace

• How Does All of this Apply to the Workplace?

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The American Corporate MindAs Driven By The
Major American Culture

• Thinks in black white
• Loves individuality and self-reliance
• Likes informality
• Can only speak English
• Very direct. Get to the point.
• Demands honesty at the bargaining table
• Hates silence

• Persistent. Dont take no for an answer.
• One thing at a time, sequentially
• A deal is a deal, no matter what.
• My mind is fixed.
• Magic Words Freedom, democracy, America,
  competition

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The Challenge of Workplace Diversity

• The challenge lies in the continuous improvement
  of the integration and social acceptance of
  people from different backgrounds.
• Our differing human characteristics influence the
  way we think, act, interact and make choices.
• Often, these differences interfere with our
  ability to support, trust, and respect each
  other, and thus to effectively function together.

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The Challenge of Workplace Diversity

• All of this isnt just an exercise in political
  correctness
• There are many good business reasons for a
  diverse workforce

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Business Case For Diversity

• Arguments in the Business Case for Diversity
• Cultural diversity builds strength for dealing
  with global markets.
• Ethnic diversity builds strength for dealing with
  diverse customers.
• Diverse work teams are high in creativity and
  innovation.
• Diverse workforces attract new highly talented
  members.
• To be successful in working with and gaining
  value from diversity requires a sustained,
  systemic approach and long-term commitment.

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Business Case For Diversity

• Success is facilitated by
• a perspective that considers diversity to be an
  opportunity for everyone in an organization to
  learn from each other how better to accomplish
  their work
• a supportive and cooperative organizational
  culture
• group leadership
• business processes and individual skills that
  facilitate effective group functioning

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Diversity In The WorkplaceLeadership Approaches
to Diversity

• Over the years, there have been three major
  approaches related to workplace diversity

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Approaches to Workplace Diversity

• Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action
• The active recruitment of women, minorities, and
  other protected groups
• The goal is to meet certain legal imperatives
• EEOC
• Department of Justice
• Civil Rights
• The primary concern is meeting quotas, often
  without concern for the survivability of these
  individuals

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Approaches to Workplace Diversity

• Managing Diversity (negative, reactive)
• The organization is diverse by default, and now
  it must deal with it.
• The goal is to fix, cover-up, and/or defer the
  problem with a minimum of hassle.
• The effort is top management-driven, thus forced
  throughout the organization.
• The concern is more for a change in behavior than
  attitudes.

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Approaches to Workplace Diversity

• Valuing Diversity
• Appreciation
• the organization sees direct benefits from
  incorporating diverse people and perspectives
• Diversity Consciousness / Inclusion
• the goal is to change and/or create a
  organizational culture that recognizes, respects
  and encourages individual differences

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Approaches to Workplace Diversity

• Managing Diversity (positive, proactive)
• the organization is diverse by choice
• the effort is organization-wide, embraced at all
  levels
• the concern is more for a change in attitudes
  that leads to a change in behavior
• emphasis is on building an inclusive work
  environment that allows everyone to reach their
  potential

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Approaches to Workplace DiversityAn Evolution
Over Time
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The Inclusive Workplace

• It is important to understand the differences and
  similarities between inclusion and diversity
• Diversity describes the spectrum of human
  similarities and differences. It refers to the
  composition of people associated with the
  organization.
• Inclusion, on the other hand, describes the way
  an organization configures opportunity,
  interaction, communication, information and
  decision-making to utilize the potential of
  diversity. It refers to the organizational
  environment.
• Workplace Diversity Network, 2000

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Attributes of an Inclusive Workplace

• A demonstrated commitment to diversity
• A holistic view of employees
• Access to opportunity
• Accommodation of diverse physical and
  developmental abilities
• Wide-spread communication and information sharing
• Shared accountability and responsibility

• A demonstrated commitment to continuous learning
• Participatory work organization and work progress
• Alignment of organizational culture and process
• Collaborative conflict resolution processes
• A demonstrated commitment to community
  relationships
• Workplace Diversity Network (2000)

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Diversity is a Positive Force

• Without differences or variety among people in
  the world, the ability to grow and learn would be
  limited.

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Discussion

• Your questions and comments are welcome