Diversity in Organizations

A compilation of notes as transcribed by

DR. BENJAMIN O. ALO
 Unit Objectives
At the end of the unit, the students are able to:
1. Describe the two major forms of workforce diversity.
2. Recognize stereotypes and understand how they function in
organizational settings.
3. Identify the key biographical characteristics and describe how
they are relevant to OB.
4. Define intellectual ability and demonstrate its relevance to OB.
5. Contrast intellectual and physical ability.
6. Describe how organizations manage diversity effectively.
 Diversity
Levels of diversity
• Surface-level diversity
• Deep-level diversity

Discrimination

A compilation of notes as transcribed by DR. BENJAMIN O. ALO

 Forms of Discrimination

Copyright © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.

A compilation of notes as transcribed by DR. BENJAMIN O. ALO

 Biographical Characteristics

Biographical Characteristics
Age
Sex
Race and ethnicity
Disability

A compilation of notes as transcribed by DR. BENJAMIN O. ALO

 Other Biographical Characteristics:
Tenure
Religion
Sexual orientation
Gender identity

A compilation of notes as transcribed by DR. BENJAMIN O. ALO

 Ability
Ability
• An individual’s capacity to perform the various tasks in a job.

2 Types of ability
1. Intellectual ability
2. Physical ability

A compilation of notes as transcribed by DR. BENJAMIN O. ALO

 Ability
Intellectual ability
Dimensions of intellectual ability
• Number aptitude
• Verbal comprehension
• Perceptual speed
• Inductive reasoning
• Deductive reasoning
• Spatial visualization
• Memory
A compilation of notes as transcribed by DR. BENJAMIN O. ALO
 Ability
Physical Abilities

Strength factors Flexibility Factors Other Factors

• Dynamic strength • Extent Factors • Body coordination
• Trunk strength • Dynamic factors • Balance
• Static strength • Stamina
• Explosive strength

A compilation of notes as transcribed by DR. BENJAMIN O. ALO

 Implementing Diversity Management Strategies
• Attracting, Selecting, Developing, and Retaining
• Diversity in Groups
• Effective Diversity Programs

A compilation of notes as transcribed by DR. BENJAMIN O. ALO

 Implementing Diversity Management Strategies
Attracting, Selecting, Developing, and Retention
Attracting – to target recruiting messages to specific demographic
groups underrepresented in the workforce.
Selecting - managers who hire need to value fairness and objectivity in
selecting employees and focus on the productive potential of new
recruits.
Developing
Retention

A compilation of notes as transcribed by DR. BENJAMIN O. ALO

 Implementing Diversity Management Strategies
Diversity in Groups
Groups of individuals with different types of expertise and education
are more effective than homogeneous groups

A compilation of notes as transcribed by DR. BENJAMIN O. ALO

 Implementing Diversity Management Strategies
Effective Diversity Programs
Distinct components
1. Equal employment opportunity and encourage fair treatment of all
people.
2. A diverse workforce will be better able to serve a diverse market of
customers and clients.
3. They foster personal development practices.

A compilation of notes as transcribed by DR. BENJAMIN O. ALO

 Implementing Diversity Management Strategies
Reasons when diversity experiences are more likely to lead to positive
adaptation for all parties if:
1. The diversity experience undermines stereotypical attitudes,
2. The perceiver is motivated and able to consider a new perspective
on others,
3. The perceiver engages in stereotype suppression and generative
thought in response to the diversity experience, and
4. The positive experience of stereotype undermining is repeated
frequently.

A compilation of notes as transcribed by DR. BENJAMIN O. ALO

 Reference

Robbins, Stephen & Judge, Timothy (2018) Organizational Behavior.

18th ed , Pearson Prentice Hall, New Jersey

A compilation of notes as transcribed by DR. BENJAMIN O. ALO

 END

A compilation of notes as transcribed by DR. BENJAMIN O. ALO

 Experiential Exercise (Feeling Excluded)
Individual Work (Steps 1 and 2)
1. All participants are asked to recall a time when they have felt
uncomfortable or targeted because of their demographic status.
Ideally, situations at work should be used, but if no work situations
come to mind, any situation will work. Encourage students to use
any demographic characteristic they think is most appropriate, so
they can write about feeling excluded on the basis of race, ethnicity,
gender, age, disability status, religion, or any other characteristic.
They should briefly describe the situation, what precipitated the
event, how they felt at the time, how they reacted, and how they
believe the other party could have made the situation better.

A compilation of notes as transcribed by DR. BENJAMIN O. ALO

 Experiential Exercise (Feeling Excluded)
2. The instructor asks the students to then think about a time when
they might have either deliberately or accidentally done something
that made someone else feel excluded or targeted because of their
demographic status. Once again, they should briefly describe the
situation, what precipitated the event, how they felt at the time,
how the other person reacted, and how they could have made the
situation better.

A compilation of notes as transcribed by DR. BENJAMIN O. ALO

 Experiential Exercise (Feeling Excluded)
Small Groups (Steps 3 and 4)
3. Once everyone has written their descriptions, divide the class into
small groups of not more than four people. If at all possible, try to
compose groups that are somewhat demographically diverse, to
avoid intergroup conflicts in the class review discussion. Students
should be encouraged to discuss their situations and consider how
their experiences were similar or different.

A compilation of notes as transcribed by DR. BENJAMIN O. ALO

 Experiential Exercise (Feeling Excluded)
4. After reading through everyone’s reactions, each group should
develop a short list of principles for how they personally can avoid
excluding or targeting people in the future. Encourage them to be
as specific as possible, and also ask each group to find solutions
that work for everyone. Solutions should focus on both avoiding
these situations in the first place and resolving them when they do
occur.

A compilation of notes as transcribed by DR. BENJAMIN O. ALO

 Experiential Exercise (Feeling Excluded)
Class Review (Steps 5 and 6)
5. Members of each group are invited to provide a very brief summary
of the major principles of how they’ve felt excluded or targeted,
and then to describe their groups’ collective decisions regarding
how these situations can be minimized in the future.

A compilation of notes as transcribed by DR. BENJAMIN O. ALO

 Experiential Exercise (Feeling Excluded)

6. The instructor should lead a discussion on how companies might be

able to develop comprehensive policies that will encourage people
to be sensitive in their interactions with one another.

A compilation of notes as transcribed by DR. BENJAMIN O. ALO