Diversity in organizations
Dr. A.H. de Lange
Part 1: What is diversity?
Agenda
Practical issues
Nestor
Grading
Conference: 18 oktober (Images)
Chapter 1 (up to page 23) & 2
Break (14:00-14:15)
2 & 3 of Stockdale & Crosby (2004)
Practical issues
Heavy study load!
6 hearing lectures + 5 training sessions (no
academic quarter; 1 hour with group + 1
hour feedback option)
Official registration by signing in for training
sessions (secretary Social and
Organizational psychology: 431)!!
Research proposal: 4 parts (submit every
Monday; start next monday)
Conference 18 oktober
Literature
Book: Stockdale, M.S.; Crosby, F.J.
(2004). The psychology and
management of workplace diversity.
Blackwell Publishing Ltd: Oxford, UK.
Chapter: 1 (p. 1-23), 2-6, 7, 12, 14
-Additional peer-reviewed articles (to
be downloaded from Nestor):
Articles
*Week 2:
Van der Zee, K., Van der Gang, I. (2007). Personality, threat and
affective responses to cultural diversity. European Journal of
Personality, 21, 453-470.
Van der Zee, K., Atsma, N., Brodbeck, F. (2004). The influence of
social identity and personality on outcomes of cultural diversity in
teams. Journal of cross-cultural psychology, 35, 283-303.
*Week 3:
Lange, A.H., de, Taris, T.W., Jansen, P.G.W., Smulders, P.,
Houtman, I.L.D., & Kompier, M.A.J (2006). Age as a factor in the
relation between work and mental health: results from the
longitudinal TAS survey. In: J. Houdmont, & S. McIntyre (Eds.),
Occupational Health Psychology: European Perspectives on
Research, Education and Practice (Vol. 1), Maia, Portugal: ISMAI
Publications.
Articles
*Week 4:
Van Oudenhoven, J.P., Ward, C., & Masgerot, A.M.
(2006). Patterns of relations between immigrants and
host societies. International journal of Intercultural
relations, 30, 637-651.
*Week 5:
Eagly, A.H., Johannesen-Schmidt, M.C., & Van
Engen, M.L. (2003). Transformational, transactional,
and laissez-faire leadership styles: a meta-analysis
comparing women and men. Psychological Bulletin,
129, 569-591.
Sools, A.M., Van Engen, M.L., Baerveldt, C. (in
press). Gendered career-making practices: On `doing
ambition', or how managers discursively position
themselves in a multinational corporation. Journal of
Occupational and Organizational Psychology.
Grading
Participation in training session is
mandatory
Grade
60% research proposal and
presentations
40% exam (40 MC-questions)
At least 5.5 or higher on all parts
Content lectures
Week 2: Theory: Cultural diversity
(Van Oudenhoven-Van der Zee)
Week 3: individual diversity: age diversity and
health outcome (De Lange)
Week 4: Cultural diversity and
intervention (Van Oudenhoven)
Week 5: Cracking the glass ceiling: gender
issues (Van Engen)
Week 6: Managing workplace diversity: leadership
and heading forward (De Lange)
Week 7: Conference (18-10-2007; 14:00-17:00)!
Research proposal
Introduction: problem definition and
hypotheses
Method (3 different types)
respondents
instruments
procedure
Expected results (per type of method)
Discussion
Poster with summary
Diversity
Dis/dives = formed on the basis of its
contrast
Vertere = turn
Ch. 1: What is diversity?
Short history: last decade of 20th century
Different definitions
Diverse work organizations are those in which the
people who work together differ along the
dimensions that society has deemed important
Focus on specific groups or stress power differences
Book: "refers to differences among people that are
likely to affect their acceptance, work performance,
satisfaction, or progress in the organization"
Types of diversity
Visible characteristics (age, ethnicity,
gender: creating "faultlines" that group
members use to form new subgroups)
Invisible characteristics (personality,
values, professional background)
* relational (age teammember)
"visible/surface-level"
* taskrelated/ functional (expertise) deeplevel
diversity
Why focus on diversity?
Demographical changes
Changes labour market
Economic changes
Globalization
Growth service sector (provider and
customer)
Electronic revolution
Changes type of work (part-time and more
freelance)
Different legislation (workplace open for
women etc.)
Dutch Legislation
Article 1 of the constitution:
"all who are living in the
Netherlands, in equal cases, will be
treated equal. Discrimination based
on religion, convictions about life,
political preference, health, race,
gender or other characteristics is
not allowed"
Ch. 2: Arguments against
diversity?
1. Diversity impairs organizational
effectiveness
2. Women lack commitment to employment
3. The disabled drive up employment costs.
4. Older workers have little potential for
payback
5. Diversity is just the politically correct term
for affirmative action
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-
-
-
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Different forms of
discrimination
benovelent sexism: gender roles based on
wanting to protect women
Forms of discrimination or diversity
resistance:
Modern racists (subtle prejudices; problems with
affirmative actions)
Symbolic racists (against influencing own values
and equality; not changing racial status quo)
Aversive racists (rationalizing; using
aforementioned arguments policy should be
based on majority)
Different myths
Myth of meritocracy (performance society):
anyone can succeed by (denying the
systems of oppression and priviledge that
stifle or provide opportunities)
Myth of colorblind ideal: Everyone is equal
(not recognizing power differentials etc.)
Melting pot myth: different cultures and
races can live in harmony (American
identity; not recognizing assimilation
problems etc.)
Ch. 3: Models and practice
Theory is young (1990s)
Early models: organizational states and
how to realize positive change
Older models: more complex and focus
on process
Early theories
Response to demographic changes on labour market
Description of fases or states in organizations
How to change and under which conditions
Characteristics of successful organizations
Aim: successful management of a diverse workforce
Diversity management= "commitment on the part of
the organization to recruit, retain, reward, and
promote a heterogeneous mix of productive,
motivated and commited workers including people of
color, whites, females and the physically challenged"
Early Models
1. Powell (1993): characterizes diversity management
in terms of how organizations react to equal
employment opportunity (proactive (own initiative),
reactive (following) or benignly (do nothing)
2. Cox (1991): 3 types of organizations (stages of
receptivity for valuing diversity; level of integration):
monolithic (accepting minority if they adapt to
dominant culture),
pluralistic (recognizing added value of mulicultural
workforce; but not changing own structure),
multicultural (modified structure and culture)
Early models (II)
Thomas's Model (1996):
3 categories of reactions of organizations:
-Positive discrimination or affirmative action
(higher percentage minority)
-Valuing differences (acceptance)
-Diversity management (change core culture
and systems: 8 possible steps; p. 59)
Early models (III)
1. Golembiewski's model (social history):
5 approaches or reactions to changing
demographics
Diversity under duress (need to solve a problem)
Equal opportunity (reaction to legal requirement)
Affirmative action (legal requirement)
Valuing differences (less conflict)
Diversity management (changing structure, system
and policies)
Intermediate models
More attention to process
For example, Thomas & Ely (1996): a
learning orientation (open culture; adapting,
accepting and encouraging change) is
needed to realize diversity management
Adjusted Cox model: 5 different activities to
change into a multicultural organization
cross-disciplinary communication
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Leadership
Research and
measurement
Education
Alignment of
management
systems
Follow-up
Cox adjusted model (sytematic
approach and processes)
Allen & Montgomery (2001)
Also addressing stages, but more
focus on managing the change
process (OB: reaction to change)
unfreezing moving
refreezing competitive advantage
Book (p. 66): Full Integration
model (multi-level)
Full integration model
Diversity management as a multi-level, sytems-based,
three-stage process:
1 issue identification (making diversity management a
priority),
2 implementation (new policies implemented),
3 maintenance (processes are established, supporting
diversity management)
4 fundamental perceptual processes:
-social perceptions (e.g. stereotypes and social
identities),
-perceptions of threat,
-perceptions of justice,
-perceptions of utility (financial benefits?)
Effective process: positive selection mechanism and
maintenance of changes
ASA Framework
(Greenberg, Pyszczinski, & Solomon, 1990)
A = Attraction
S = Selection
A = Attrition
Homogeneity trend in organizations.
Positive for well-being, but not for
flexibility (Schneider & Goldstein, 1995)
Social identity and
self-categorization theories
(Schneider & Northcraft, 1999; Tajfel & Turner, 1987)
Social identity refers to the notion that the
individuals have some collective awareness
of themselves as belonging to various
groups that share some common identity
Individuals derive self-identity from social
categories, and different social categories
are meaningful to different individuals
(groups that contain the self=ingroup)
When team members focus more on their
own cultural identity than on their team
identity conflicts may develop
Social Identity theory
Shell employee
womanEnglish
Team
member
Psycho-
logist
Empirical results for diversity?
Individual outcomes: positive, but few
studies
Group outcomes: more studies
(experimental and longitudinal), but
mixed results (positive as well as
negatuve)
Organizational outcomes (case
studies): positive financial effects, but
more research needed.
The research proposal
- See example and all relevant information on
Nestor + course manual
- Find actual and relevant diversity in
organizations Topic
- Based on recent newspaper article (2006-
2007)
Summarizing
Practical issues
What is diversity
Arguments against diversity
Risks, mythes and stereotyping
Models and process
Research proposal!
Quote
Mark Twain (American humorist)
It were not best that we should
all think alike;
it is difference of opinion that
makes horse races.