Gender Discrimination Case Study

Homework
Read the case and answer the following questions from Friesens point of view.
Incorporate Mattis and Cox Ch 6 readings
1. What problems does Colleen Friesen face?
2. What are her available options with respect to her own membership? Brainstorm as
many alternatives as you can
3. Which of the options would you choose? You should consider short and long-term
consequences both for Friesen personally and for Anglo American Cedar Products.
4. Prepare to present and justify your course of action. You will be expected to answer
questions both on the feasibility of your plan and on its consequences.
In-Class work
A. Small Group Discussion
Incorporate Mattis and Cox Ch 6 readings
1. In your group, brainstorm as many alternatives as you can with respect to Colleens
options for her own membership
2. Based on the options each of you chose for Qs 3 above, choose one based on group
consensus.
3. Prepare to present and justify your course of action. You will be expected to answer
questions both on the feasibility of your plan and on its consequences.
B. Group Presentation & Class Discussion
1. Each group presents its solution to the other group and explains how and why the
solution will work
2. The other group evaluates options in terms of feasibility, short-term and long-term
business and personal outcomes.

Gender Discrimination Case Study

Homework
Read the case and answer the following questions from Hoo Hoo Club Members point
of view. Incorporate Mattis and Cox Ch 6 readings
1. What problems does the Vancouver Hoo Hoo Chapter face?
2. What problems do you as an individual Vancouver Hoo Hoo club member face?
3. What options are available to you as an individual member with respect to
membership policy? Brainstorm as many alternatives as you can
4. Which of the options would you choose? You should consider short and long-term
consequences both for you personally and for the club.
5. Prepare to present and justify your course of action. You will be expected to answer
questions both on the feasibility of your plan and on its consequences.
In-Class work
A. Small Group Discussion
Incorporate Mattis and Cox Ch 6 readings
1. In your group, brainstorm as many options as you can about the options available to
you as an individual member with respect to membership policy
2. Based on the options each of you chose for Qs 4 above, choose one based on group
consensus.
3. Prepare to present and justify your course of action. You will be expected to answer
questions both on the feasibility of your plan and on its consequences.
B. Group Presentation & Class Discussion
1. Each group presents its solution to the other group and explains how and why the
solution will work
2. The other group evaluates options in terms of feasibility, short-term and long-term
business and personal outcomes.

Possible Solutions
Strategies for Hoo Hoo Club & Members
Make the Business Case
Colleens company is a major player in the industry because of her fathers
connections and by not admitting her everyone in the chapter will be losing out on
the potential business of her company (emphasize value of networking w/Colleen)
Its the right thing to do because of changing times. All other chapters of the Hoo
Hoo Club (82% of membership) have voted for allowing women members and we
should do it to as a socially responsible organization to stay in line w/our values
Increasing membership by allowing women this will increase revenue for
chapter
Increasing number of women in forestry to market to women owners or to attract
women into the business since this is a small industry. Benefits to everyone from
increasing the number of people in the forestry business
Improved public image of club for discarding old rules for membership
Prevent creation of alternative club of people who are pro-women
Reduce own prejudices improve self by reducing bias against women
May not have access to certain public funding by discriminating against women
Progressive companies will not associate with this club bec. of its discriminatory
practices
Legal business case may not always be valid bec. not all states/federal regs cover
social clubs

Glen Jones (president) should follow Cox & Mattis suggestions on leader roles for
diversity mgt
--membership should be a topic for all meetings,
--implementing awareness training,
--have diversity workshops/conferences (e.g, World-wide club members (or
leaders) have a diversity conference/workshop to discuss pros & cons
w/Vancouver chapter members)
--use other chapters as benchmarks
Individual members of the club (or board members) who are in favor of women joining
the club should follow Cox & Mattis suggestions on front-line managers diversityrelated behaviors
--initiate discussions at meetings or social gatherings,
--influence individual members by discouraging negative comments
--Individual members (or club leaders) should approach the rest of the club
membership to make a club-wide rule about membership, rather than leave it to
individual chapters to decide on membership
--Change voting rules for membership expansion to majority vote rule rather than
consensus vote rule
--Phase in executive women and then women at lower levels of the industry
What can the Hoo Hoo club do to retain women once they have decided to admit them?
(Mattis reading)
Persuade opposing members & board members by saying that not a lot of women will
join only a few will join so it wont be that they are taking over.
Principled disobedience on the part of individual members
Propose/nominate a women member on the ballot (keep doing this every month)
Question the authority/logic behind rules
Filing a complaint to the board, getting individuals to sign, take it to the board
Form a group of members with similar views who will then lobby and start changing
each others awareness (by establishing business case)
Strategies for Colleen
Ask president Glen Jones (or other senior board members and chapter members) to
persuade the two opposing members (change norms)
Make her crap-shoot event more involving and beneficial for herself by hiring an event
coordinator and ensuring that networking opportunities are gained by the event
Approach the two opposing board members and discuss with them their reasons for
opposing women members in club.

Colleen establishes the business case for her membership & tries to change their
attitudes(!). This will ensure reduced hostility toward her when she does enter the
club (bec. she didnt go over them to obtain membership). Changing board
members votes will persuade other members to change their votes toward women
members. She will be perceived as more credible if she is successful in
persuading
Be a key-note invited speaker at an event to establish the value of her membership
Write a letter to the world membership (or persuade other chapters) to persuade the
Vancouver chapter
Problematic Solutions
Friesen solutions
Involving the media -- forest industry is a tightly knit community and involving the
media may hurt trade relations within the industry. Should be a last option.
Filing a lawsuit would also lead to negative image of forest industry. Should be a last
option.
Letting Dan Campbell represent Friesen business in a small industry is primarily done
through social contacts, and he doesnt have as much influence as Colleen would
Feasibility of forming a womens club industry is too small
Feasibility of forming another competitive club industry is too small
Feasibility of Friesen joining another Toronto chapter distance is too great, cant get the
benefits of having in-town contacts
Contacting Hoo Hoo club members wives to influence their husbands not completely
ethical and can cause loss of self-respect for Friesen (not credible)
Asking Colleens husband (or her log trader) to talk with the two board members can
also cause loss of self-respect for Friesen (not credible)
Hoo Hoo Club solutions
Only high status females be accepted who will decide what management level is
appropriate? How does this resolve the concern regarding female admittance in general?
What possible concerns will members have regarding female admittance?
Eliminating the policy will such actions hurt the club activities or the club members?

Taking another vote on membership == need to implement awareness training first

Its not the right time this solution keeps postponing the issue
Issues for instructor to focus on
Friesen
What kinds of feelings arise when one experiences discrimination? What kinds of actions
might one take?
Hoo Hoo Club
How does one go about organizational change from a personal standpoint? How to enact
political behavior in organizations?
Men may accuse women of being oversensitive. Remind men that they are not being
blamed for the problem, not to over personalize the issue that they are also being
oversensitive, but in a different context