HRD and Diversity: Diversity

Training and Beyond

Chapter 15

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Questions to Consider
1. What is the current status of women
and people of color in the U.S.
workforce?

2. Is there a “glass ceiling” that limits

the advancement of women and
people of color in U.S.
organizations?

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Questions to Consider – 2
3. How do equal employment
opportunity, affirmative action, and
managing diversity differ?

4. How effective are the diversity

training programs that are used by
organizations?

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Questions to Consider – 3
5. What can organizations do to better
prepare their employees to deal with
cross-cultural issues, especially if they are
sent to work in another country?

6. What types of HRD programs can

organizations use to develop and promote
a more culturally diverse workforce?

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Workforce Diversity
Increased attention to recruiting, hiring, and
developing a more diverse workforce
 Greatest amount of attention has been paid to
racial and gender diversity
 Other forms of diversity are increasingly being
considered:
 Nationality
 Language
 Ability/Disability
 Religion
 Lifestyle

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Organizational Culture

Definition:
“A set of shared values, beliefs,
norms, artifacts and patterns of
behavior that are used as a frame of
reference for the way one looks at,
attempts to understand, and works
within an organization.”

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Organizational Culture and
Workforce Diversity
What is the impact of increasing workforce
diversity on organizational culture?
People from diverse cultures (or
subcultures) often possess different
assumptions, values, beliefs, and
experiences.
 What can be gained from this richness of
experience?
 What are the potential problems with such
diversity?

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Labor Market Changes and
Discrimination
Two main forms of discrimination:
Access discrimination
– Jobs are unavailable (or less available) to
people with certain characteristics or
backgrounds.
Treatment discrimination
– People are treated differently after they
are hired (e.g., in the training or
promotion opportunities available).
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Labor Market Changes and
Discrimination – 2
Treatment discrimination against women in
organizations
 Promotion
 Pay
 Sexual Harassment
What evidence is there of progress in these
areas?
Where are there still significant disparities or
problems?

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Labor Market Changes and
Discrimination – 3

Sexual harassment
 Unwanted sexual comments or behavior at
work.
 Two main forms:
 Quid pro quo
 Hostile work environment

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Labor Market Changes and
Discrimination – 4

Treatment discrimination against

minorities in organizations
 Promotion
 Racial Harassment
What evidence is there of progress in
these areas?
Where are there still large disparities or
problems?
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Labor Market Changes and
Discrimination – 5
Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)
 Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and other
federal laws make it generally unlawful for
employers to make decisions based on:
 Race
 Color
 Sex
 National origin
 Age
 Disability/handicap
 Veteran’s status
 Pregnancy

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Labor Market Changes and
Discrimination – 6
Equal Employment Opportunity
 Monitored by the Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission (EEOC)
 Federal Civil Rights laws cover:
 All races
 All colors
 Both genders
 Glass ceiling – an invisible but seemingly
impenetrable boundary preventing women and
minorities from advancing to senior management
levels

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Adapting to Demographic
Changes
Affirmative Action Programs
 Initiated in 1965 by Executive Order 11246
 Focus on government agencies and contractors
 Monitored by the Office of Federal Contract
Compliance Programs (OFCCP)
 Promotes efforts “to bring members of
underrepresented groups… into a higher degree
of participation in some beneficial program”
 Most often targeted at women and minorities

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Adapting to Demographic
Changes – 2
Steps to meet Affirmative Action (AA)
requirements:
 Written policy statement on EEO/AA
 Designated AA officer
 Publicized EEO/AA policy statement
 Labor market analysis
 Goals and timetables established for any
underrepresented group
 Specific programs to achieve these goals
 Internal reporting system
 Internal and external support systems for AA

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Adapting to Demographic
Changes – 3
Why is affirmative action such a volatile topic
in the U.S.?

What is happening in the courts and in state

legislation that is impacting affirmative action?

How effective have affirmative action efforts

been in promoting racial and gender diversity
in the U.S. workforce?

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Adapting to Demographic
Changes – 4
Valuing differences and diversity training
 Creating an environment where “each person’s
cultural differences are respected” (Walker)
 Basis for much of the diversity training conducted
since 1980
 Goal: to make employees aware of their attitudes
towards others, and increase their understanding
and acceptance of others

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“Cultural Diversity”
The existence of two or more persons
from different cultural groups in any
single group or organization.

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Adapting to Demographic
Changes – 5
Effectiveness of diversity training
programs:
 Anecdotal evidence of increasing
awareness from “valuing differences”
approach
 Concern for lack of tangible outcomes
from this approach, plus charges that it is
too often driven by a “political” agenda

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Adapting to Demographic
Changes – 6
Managing diversity:
 “A comprehensive managerial process for
developing an organizational culture that
works for all employees” (R. Thomas)
 Seeks to “create a level playing field for
all employees without regard to cultural
distinction”
 Goes beyond affirmative action or valuing
diversity

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Adapting to Demographic
Changes – 7
Requirements for managing diversity:
 A long-term commitment to change
 Substantive changes in the organizational
culture
 A modified definition of the leadership and
management roles
 Both individual and organizational
adaptation
 Structural changes (Ivancevich & Gilbert, 2000)

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Adapting to Demographic
Changes – 8
Effectiveness of managing diversity
approaches:
 Anecdotal evidence of success using this
approach
 Lack of strong empirical evidence for
overall effectiveness
 Must ensure that efforts are strategic,
proactive, and grounded in solid empirical
and theoretical research

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Comparing Affirmative Action
and Diversity Management
Affirmative Action Diversity Management
Reactive, based on Proactive
law/moral basis
Not directly linked to Emphasizes building
team building diverse teams
Emphasizes women and Inclusive
people of color
Emphasizes employees Diversity internally and
externally

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Cross-Cultural Education and
Training Programs
Impact of globalization: numerous employees
sent on expatriate assignments
Common elements of cross-cultural training:
 Raise awareness of cultural differences
 Focus on ways that attitudes are shaped
 Provide factual information about each culture
 Build skills (e.g., language, nonverbal
communication, stress management, and
adjustment skills)

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U.S. Employee Rankings of Most
Important Diversity Practices
Effective Diversity Practices Theme Importance Rank
Marketing to Diverse Customers and Consumers 1
Retaining Diverse Talent 2
Recruiting Diverse Talent 3
Leadership Commitment & Involvement 4
Inclusive Culture and Values 5
Diversity Education & Training 6
Community Involvement 7
Advancing Diverse Talent 8
Career Development for Diverse Talent 9
Diversity Employee Communications 10
Employee Involvement 11
Supplier Diversity 12
Performance Accountability & Measurement 13
By Permission: National Urban League (2004)
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Body Language in Cultures
Worldwide
See Table 15-8
Only a sample of differences
These vary not only according to nation
and culture, but also according to area,
religion and gender
What are some of YOUR pet peeves?
 Why?

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HRD Programs for Culturally
Diverse Employees
Existing HRD programs can be used to
promote cultural diversity:
 Socialization and orientation
 Career development
 Mentoring women and minorities
 Sexual and racial harassment training

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A Model of Mentor-Protege
Interaction

By Permission: Ragins (1997)

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Some Concluding Thoughts on
HRD and Cultural Diversity – 1

1. The past 40 years have seen real

progress in promoting cultural
diversity in the U.S. workforce.

2. However, this progress has occurred

very slowly, and there is still a long
way to go.

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Some Concluding Thoughts on
HRD and Cultural Diversity – 2
3. Legal efforts (EEO, AA) have had
some impact.
4. Efforts based on moral imperatives
(“The right thing to do,” AA, diversity
training) have had some impact.
5. Efforts based on economic arguments
(diversity management) have had
some impact.
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Summary
Managing a culturally diverse workforce
requires a long-term, integrated effort.
Success is most likely with:
 Top management commitment
 An inclusive view of diversity
 Actions based on a combination of legal, moral,
and economic arguments
 Coordinated HRD efforts that promote diversity
Diversity defines our world. How will you
respond?

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