Summary Organizational Behaviour
Chapter 2
- Describe the two major forms of workforce diversity.
- Recognize stereotypes and understand how they function in organizational
settings
- Identify the key biographical characteristics and describe how they are
relevant to OB
- Define intellectual ability and demonstrate its relevance to OB
- Contrast intellectual and physical ability
- Describe how organizations manage diversity effectively
Effective diversity management increases an organization’s access to the wides
possible pool of skills, abilities and ideas. Manager also need to recognize that
differences among people can lead to miscommunication, misunderstanding and
conflict.
Although much has been said about diversity in age, race, gender, ethnicity,
religion and disability status, experts now recognize that these demographic
characteristics are just the tip of the iceberg.
Demographics mostly reflect surface-level diversity, not thoughts and feelings
and can lead employees to perceive one another through stereotypes and
assumptions.
Surface-level diversity = differences in easily perceived characteristics, such
as gender, race, ethnicity, age, or disability, that do not necessarily reflect the
ways people think or feel but may activate certain stereotypes.
However, evidence has shown that as people get to know one another, they
become less concerned about demographic differences if they see themselves as
sharing more important characteristics, such as personality and values, that
represent deep-level diversity.
Deep-level diversity = differences in values, personality and work preferences
that become progressively more important for determining similarity as people
get to know one another better.
Individual differences in personality and culture shape preferences for rewards,
communication styles, reactions to leaders, negotiation styles and many other
aspects of behaviour in organizations.
Although diversity does present many opportunities for organizations, effective
diversity management also means working to eliminate unfair discrimination (=
noting of a difference between things, often we refer to unfair discrimination
which means making judgements about individuals based on stereotypes
regarding their demographic group).
Noticing one employee is more qualified is necessary for making hiring decisions.
Usually when we talk about discrimination, we mean allowing our behaviour to be
influenced by stereotypes about groups of people. Rather than looking at
individual characteristics, unfair discrimination assumes everyone in a group is
the same.
, Forms of discrimination:
- Discriminatory policies or practices
- Sexual harassment
- Intimidation
- Mockery and insults
- Exclusion
- Incivility
Biographical characteristics are personal characteristics, such as age, gender,
race and length of tenure, that are objective and easily obtained from personnel
records, these characteristics are representative of surface-level diversity.
Variations in these surface-level characteristics may be the basis for
discrimination against classes of employees, so it is worth knowing how closely
related they actually are to important work outcomes. Many are not as important
as people believe, and far more variation occurs within groups sharing
biographical characteristics than between them.
Age
The relationship between age and job performance is likely to be an issue of
increasing importance during the next decade for many reasons. For one, the
workforce is ageing. In 2002, 38% was between 55-64 years old. In 2013 more
than 50%. Many workers today, no longer have to retire at a certain age.
Employers express mixed feelings about the older worker. They see a number of
positive qualities older workers bring to their jobs, such as experience,
judgement, a strong work ethic and commitment to quality. But older workers are
also perceives as lacking flexibility and resisting new technology.
When organizations are actively seeking individuals who are adaptable and open
to change, the negatives associated with age clearly hinder the initial hiring of
older workers.
The older you get, the less likely you are to quit your job. As workers get older,
they have fewer alternative job opportunities as their skills have become more
specialized to certain types or work.
Older workers tend to be more satisfied with their work and more committed to
their employing organizations. An organizational climate favouring age
discrimination was associated with lower levels of commitment to the company.
Gender
Sex roles still affect our perceptions. In the hiring realm, modern research
indicates that managers are still influenced by gender bias when selecting
candidates for certain positions. Women who succeed in traditionally male
domains are perceives as less likeable, more hostile and less desirable as
supervisors. Women still earn less money than men for the same positions in
many female0dominated roles. Working mothers also face ‘maternal wall bias’ by
employers, which limits their professional opportunities and both men and
women face discrimination for their family caregiving roles.
Race and ethnicity
Variety of skin tones, hair textures and other physical characteristics along with
culture and ethnic origins, that people may use to group themselves and others
Chapter 2
- Describe the two major forms of workforce diversity.
- Recognize stereotypes and understand how they function in organizational
settings
- Identify the key biographical characteristics and describe how they are
relevant to OB
- Define intellectual ability and demonstrate its relevance to OB
- Contrast intellectual and physical ability
- Describe how organizations manage diversity effectively
Effective diversity management increases an organization’s access to the wides
possible pool of skills, abilities and ideas. Manager also need to recognize that
differences among people can lead to miscommunication, misunderstanding and
conflict.
Although much has been said about diversity in age, race, gender, ethnicity,
religion and disability status, experts now recognize that these demographic
characteristics are just the tip of the iceberg.
Demographics mostly reflect surface-level diversity, not thoughts and feelings
and can lead employees to perceive one another through stereotypes and
assumptions.
Surface-level diversity = differences in easily perceived characteristics, such
as gender, race, ethnicity, age, or disability, that do not necessarily reflect the
ways people think or feel but may activate certain stereotypes.
However, evidence has shown that as people get to know one another, they
become less concerned about demographic differences if they see themselves as
sharing more important characteristics, such as personality and values, that
represent deep-level diversity.
Deep-level diversity = differences in values, personality and work preferences
that become progressively more important for determining similarity as people
get to know one another better.
Individual differences in personality and culture shape preferences for rewards,
communication styles, reactions to leaders, negotiation styles and many other
aspects of behaviour in organizations.
Although diversity does present many opportunities for organizations, effective
diversity management also means working to eliminate unfair discrimination (=
noting of a difference between things, often we refer to unfair discrimination
which means making judgements about individuals based on stereotypes
regarding their demographic group).
Noticing one employee is more qualified is necessary for making hiring decisions.
Usually when we talk about discrimination, we mean allowing our behaviour to be
influenced by stereotypes about groups of people. Rather than looking at
individual characteristics, unfair discrimination assumes everyone in a group is
the same.
, Forms of discrimination:
- Discriminatory policies or practices
- Sexual harassment
- Intimidation
- Mockery and insults
- Exclusion
- Incivility
Biographical characteristics are personal characteristics, such as age, gender,
race and length of tenure, that are objective and easily obtained from personnel
records, these characteristics are representative of surface-level diversity.
Variations in these surface-level characteristics may be the basis for
discrimination against classes of employees, so it is worth knowing how closely
related they actually are to important work outcomes. Many are not as important
as people believe, and far more variation occurs within groups sharing
biographical characteristics than between them.
Age
The relationship between age and job performance is likely to be an issue of
increasing importance during the next decade for many reasons. For one, the
workforce is ageing. In 2002, 38% was between 55-64 years old. In 2013 more
than 50%. Many workers today, no longer have to retire at a certain age.
Employers express mixed feelings about the older worker. They see a number of
positive qualities older workers bring to their jobs, such as experience,
judgement, a strong work ethic and commitment to quality. But older workers are
also perceives as lacking flexibility and resisting new technology.
When organizations are actively seeking individuals who are adaptable and open
to change, the negatives associated with age clearly hinder the initial hiring of
older workers.
The older you get, the less likely you are to quit your job. As workers get older,
they have fewer alternative job opportunities as their skills have become more
specialized to certain types or work.
Older workers tend to be more satisfied with their work and more committed to
their employing organizations. An organizational climate favouring age
discrimination was associated with lower levels of commitment to the company.
Gender
Sex roles still affect our perceptions. In the hiring realm, modern research
indicates that managers are still influenced by gender bias when selecting
candidates for certain positions. Women who succeed in traditionally male
domains are perceives as less likeable, more hostile and less desirable as
supervisors. Women still earn less money than men for the same positions in
many female0dominated roles. Working mothers also face ‘maternal wall bias’ by
employers, which limits their professional opportunities and both men and
women face discrimination for their family caregiving roles.
Race and ethnicity
Variety of skin tones, hair textures and other physical characteristics along with
culture and ethnic origins, that people may use to group themselves and others
