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MODULE 2 - Workplace Diversity

Learning Outcomes:
At the end of this module, students should be able to:

1. Describe the two major forms of workplace diversity.

2. Describe how discrimination undermines organizational effectiveness.
3. Describe how the key biographical characteristics are relevant to OB.
4. Explain how other differentiating characteristics factor into OB
5. Demonstrate the relevance of intellectual and physical abilities to OB.
6. Describe how organizations manage diversity effectively.

In this module, we will see that a diverse workforce can be able to contribute in its full potential to the
effectiveness of an organization. Individual differences are not just age, gender, or race. It also includes
differences in abilities and other individual characteristics that can affect employee behavior and influence
employee performance. We will study how diversity awareness will enable managers to manage a diverse
workforce effectively to maximize the organization’s performance.

What is Diversity?

Diversity – the similarities and differences among people.

Forms of diversity:
 Surface-level diversity – differences in people that can easily be perceived, including race, age,
ethnicity, physical abilities, physical characteristics and gender.
 Deep-level diversity – differences in values, personalities, goals, work preferences, knowledge, skills
that cannot be seen directly.

Discrimination can occur in a Diverse Workforce

Diversity management includes trying to eliminate unfair discrimination.

 Discrimination is to note a difference between things.
 It is an unfair discrimination if we allow our behavior to be influenced by stereotypes about groups.
Stereotyping – is judging someone on the basis of our perception of the group to which that person
belongs (Robbins and Judge).
 Refusal to recognize individual differences is harmful to organizations and employees.
 Examples of Discrimination in the Workplace
1. Discriminatory policies or practices – denying equal opportunity to perform or giving unequal
rewards for performance.
2. Sexual harassment – unwanted sexual advances and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual
nature that create a hostile or offensive work environment.
3. Intimidation – overt threat or bullying directed at anyone.
4. Mockery and insults – jokes or negative stereotypes; sometimes the results of jokes taken too
far.
5. Exclusion – exclusion of certain people from job opportunities or other events.
6. Incivility – disrespectful treatment
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How can Biographical Characteristics be Relevant to OB?

Diversity in Biographical Characteristics

Biographical characteristics – are personal characteristics that are objective and easily obtained from
personnel records. Individuals’ age, race, gender, disability, and length of service are some of the most
obvious ways employees differ.
Variations in these can be the basis for discrimination

Age
 Does job performance decline with increasing age?
 Studies show that turnover and absenteeism rates are lower among older workers, and age is not
associated with lower productivity. In other words, the older you get, the less likely you are to quit
your job; in general, older employees have lower rates of avoidable absence than do younger
employees; and contrary to the beliefs of many, evidence show that it is not true that productivity
declines with age.

Sex
 There are no consistent male-female differences in problem-solving ability, analytical skills,
competitive drive, motivation, sociability, or learning drive.
 But women earn less than men for the same positions and have fewer professional opportunities.

Race and Ethnicity

 Research into effects of race and ethnic diversity show that
 Employees tend to favor colleagues of their own race in performance evaluations, promotion
decisions, and pay raises.
 Discrimination leads to increased turnover, which is detrimental to organizational performance.
 Some research suggests that having a positive climate for diversity overall can lead to increased
sales.
Disability
 A person is disabled who has any physical or mental impairment that substantial limits one or more
major life activities.
 Research on workers with disabilities has found that they receive higher performance evaluations
based on lower performance expectations; and they are less likely to be hired.
 Hidden Disabilities – may include sensory disabilities, autoimmune disorders, chronic illness or
pain, cognitive or learning impairments sleep disorders, and psychological challenges. PWDs must
be accommodated in organizations in the Philippines.

Diversity in Other Differentiating Characteristics

Tenure
 Tenure is a good predictor of employee productivity.
 Tenure and job satisfaction are positively related.
Religion
 The Labor Code of the Philippines prohibits discrimination based on religion.
Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
 Most Fortune 500 companies have policies covering sexual orientation and about half now have
policies on gender identity.
Cultural Identity
 Global integration and changing labor markets, required global companies to understand and respect
individual cultural identities of their employees, both as individuals and as groups.
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Diversity in Ability

Ability – is an individual’s capacity to perform various tasks in a job.

Two types of abilities: 1) intellectual abilities, and 2) physical abilities

Intellectual Abilities
Intellectual abilities are abilities needed to perform mental activities – thinking, reasoning, and problem
solving.
 Most societies place a high value on intelligence
 The seven most frequently cited dimensions making up intellectual abilities are number aptitude,
verbal comprehension, perceptual speed, inductive reasoning, deductive reasoning, spatial
visualization, and memory.
 General mental ability is an overall factor of intelligence as suggested by the positive correlations
among specific intellectual ability dimensions.
 Evidence strongly supports the idea that the structures and measures of intellectual abilities
generalize across cultures.
 Jobs differ in the demands they place on intellectual abilities.
 Although intelligence is a big help in performing a job well, it doesn’t make people happier or more
satisfied with their jobs.

Physical Abilities
Physical abilities – the capacity to do tasks that require stamina, dexterity, strength, and similar
characteristics.
 There are nine basic abilities involved in the performance of physical tasks. These involve strength
factors, such as, dynamic, trunk, static, or explosive strengths; flexibility factors, such as extent or
dynamic flexibility; and others factors, such as body coordination, balance, and stamina.
In order for organizations to have optimally productive workforce, they must hire all types of people and
should not discriminate anyone on the basis of personal characteristics.

Diversity Management Strategies

Diversity management – are programs that make everyone aware of and sensitive to the needs and
differences of others. It should be everyone’s concern to make it more successful.
1. Recruit and develop diverse employees
 Target desired demographic groups in recruitment
 Create a positive atmosphere for diversity by fair and objective selection, development, and
promotion based on qualifications
2. Create diversity in groups
 Develop groups with varied education and expertise
 Emphasize common interest and facilitate open communication with each other.
3. Install effective diversity programs.
 Educate managers about the legal framework for equal employment opportunity and emphasize fair
treatment of all people.
 Teach managers the value of diverse workforce in serving effectively a diverse customer base.
 Encourage personal development that brings out the skills and abilities of everyone.

Implications for Managers:

1. Understand your organization's anti-discrimination policies thoroughly and share them with your
employees.
2. Assess and challenge your stereotype beliefs to increase your objectivity.
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3. Look beyond readily observable biographical characteristics and consider the individual’s
capabilities before making management decisions.
4. Fully evaluate what accommodations a person with disabilities will need and then fine-tune a job
to that person’s abilities.
5. Seek to understand and respect the unique biographical characteristics of your employees; a fair
but individualistic approach yields the best performance.

Question:
1. What do you think is more important to group performance, surface-level diversity or deep-level
diversity? Why?

Sources: Robbins and Judge (2016), Organizational Behavior, 17th. Pearson.

Griffin, et al (2019), Organizational Behavior: Managing People and Organizations, 12 th ed., Cengage.