CHAPTER 2: DIVERSITY IN ORGANIZATIONS

ACTIVITIES / EXERCISES
1. Self-analysis. What is your position on diversity in the workplace? How would you
describe your attitude toward diversity? Be detailed in your analysis.
Diversity in the workplace refers to an organization that intentionally employs a
workforce comprised of individuals of varying gender, religion, race, age, ethnicity, sexual
orientation, education, and other attributes. So if I were to give a stand in regards to this topic, I
do conform to it. As everyone know, organizations focusing on diversity is not only a smart step
to do for the business’ success, but also the right thing to do for humanity. A company that is
open to diversity has a higher chance of attracting wider range of talented candidates who are
looking for a place to work.
Hiring people from diverse backgrounds will bring you new and unique perspectives and
increased work productivity. If you have a group of different people, chances are their ideas can
contribute to innovation. It’s also the secret reason why companies go offsite for strategy
meetings, because a change of pace can help solve a problem. If I were to work on a workplace
where employees see a representation of variety of ways of thinking, I’ll be likely to feel more
comfortable being myself, leading to much better employee performance.
2. Web Crawling. Find and present an online article on diversity in a country other than
the United States. What commonalities are exposed and what differences are shown to
exist?
Before we tackle about the article, let’s first see Japan’s background in terms of their
workplace culture. Whenever we talk about Japan, the immediate talking point will be the ageing
population of their active workers. Statistics report that the country’s population of active
workers is around 60 million, and is expected to drop to around 50 million after 40 years.
Everyone may not know this, but the average retirement age in Japan is 65 years old. Still, a
large number of elder people have continued to engage in employment even in their 70’s and do
not consider retirement even at their 80’s! While this extended career is somehow a good thing,
there’s actually a potentially destructive side effect from it.
A vast number of older members of the workforce occupy the top levels in the
corporations. And instead of bringing radical changes and futuristic transformations, these old
folks prefer to leave behind them a legacy of consistency and predictability, rather than
innovation for the reason of high risks. Another issue to be concerned about is the concerning
absence of diversity in any kind. It seems that Japanese men were given the monopoly on
business administration. Making women in high positions on corporate authority extremely rare.
And the reason for that is still nowhere to be found. Japan is wasting some of its valuable talent
by making it very difficult for women to play an active role in business.
Diversity is no longer just a topic for discussion but something that needs to be accepted
and encouraged across all aspects not just in business, but society. It is really the time for the
Japanese companies to let go of their obsolete philosophies and be more open towards new
approaches.
Source:
Mallik, A. (2020, February 2). Diversity in the Japanese Workplace. Retrieved from
www.ageraconsulting.com/diversity-in-the-japanese-
workplace/
ASSESSMENT
FILL IN THE BLANKS
1. Levels of Diversity
• SURFACE-LEVEL DIVERSITY
• DEEP-LEVEL DIVERSITY
2. DISCRIMINATION
• DISCRIMINATORY POLICIES OR PRACTICIES
• INTIMIDATION
• EXCLUSION
• MOCKERY AND INSULTS
• SEXUAL HARASSMENT
• INCIVILITY
3. Diversity in Groups
• LEVERAGE DIFF, FOR SUPERIOR PERFORMANCES
• TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERS
4. SURFACE-LEVEL DIVERSITY
• BIOGRAPHICAL CHARACTERISTICS
§ AGE
§ GENDER
§ RACE AND ETHNICITY
§ DISABILITY