Organizational Behavior

Module 2: Social Diversity in the Workplace

Module Learning Outcomes

Discuss the impact that diversity of race, gender, ability, religion, and age has on the workplace

2.1: Describe the history of social progress in the workplace

2.2: Describe the complexity of diversity in the workplace
2.3: Describe how contemporary organizations both benefit and struggle with diversity oriented themes
and topics
Social Progress in the Workplace
Learning Outcomes: Social Progress in the Workplace

2.1: Describe the history of social progress in the workplace

2.1.1: Differentiate between social diversity and social progress
2.1.2: Describe the history of social progress
2.1.3: Describe the birth of the "Diversity Industry"
Class Activity: What is Diversity?

• Take two minutes and write down everything that you think would fall under the category of
“diversity.”
Social Diversity vs. Social Progress
Social Diversity
A successful community which includes
individuals from diverse backgrounds who all
contribute to the success of the community by
practicing understanding and respect of
different ideas and perspectives
Social Progress
The capacity of a society to meet the basic
human needs of its citizens, establish the
building blocks that allow citizens and
communities to enhance and sustain the quality
of their lives, and create the conditions for all
individuals to reach their full potential
Progressive Reforms of the 20th Century
A timeline…

• Progressive era (late 1800s)

• Truman’s Executive Order 9981 (1948)
• Civil Rights Act (1964)
Workforce 2000 (1987)

Predicted influences to the American workforce by the year 2000. Predictions included

• The American economy should grow at a relatively healthy pace

• Manufacturing will be a much smaller share of the economy in the year 2000
• The workforce will grow slowly, becoming older, more female, and more disadvantaged
• The new jobs in service industries will demand much higher skill levels than jobs of today
Practice Question 1

What is the difference between diversity and social progress?

A. Diversity and social progress are the same thing and equally important in the workplace
B. Diversity includes everything that makes people different. Social progress is providing all
people the opportunity to achieve their goals.
C. Diversity and social progress operate separately, as two different concepts
D. The amount of diversity within an organization can determine if that organization is
socially progressive
Practice Question 2

Which of the following is an accurate chronological representation of the history of social

progress?

A. Civil Rights Act, Executive Order 9981, Progressive Era

B. Executive Order 9981, Progressive Era, Civil Rights Act
C. Executive Order 9981, Civil Rights Act, Progressive Era
D. Progressive Era, Executive Order 9981, Civil Rights Act,
The Complexity of Diversity
Learning Outcomes: The Complexity of Diversity

2.2: Describe the complexity of diversity in the workplace

2.2.1: Discuss generational diversity in the workplace
2.2.2: Discuss the benefits and challenges of gender diversity in the workplace
2.2.3: Discuss racial diversity in the workplace
2.2.4: Discuss religious diversity in the workplace
2.2.5: Discuss the role of sexual orientation in the workplace
2.2.6: Discuss the impact of disabilities in the workplace
Generational Diversity in the Workplace

• Young employees and experienced employees bring different experiences—all of them are
valuable
• Generational stereotypes are not necessarily accurate but can help us understand how
generations think differently
Gender Communication Differences

• Men engage in report talk, women in rapport talk.

• Women request; men direct.
• Women are information focused; men are image focused.
• Empathy is not apology.
• Women are judged by their appearance; men are judged by what they say and do.

He said… She said…

Racial Diversity: Becoming More Racially Diverse

Employers struggle to hire diverse candidates for open positions. Some solutions might include:

• Recruit new employees from areas that support diversity

• Address unconscious (and conscious) biases
• Recognize all racial groups—Hispanic, Asian, Black, Caucasian
Religious Diversity

Employers who want to promote religious diversity can

• Recognize all religious holidays and provide opportunity for employees to celebrate with
their coworkers
• Allow religious clothing
• Provide “floating holidays” for those who wish to recognize their religious holidays outside
of the office
• Offer dining options that consider religious preferences
Sexual Orientation Diversity

• 23 states and Washington, D.C. currently have laws in place that protect those with different
sexual orientations from harassment!
• 26 states have no laws in place
• Wisconsin protects those with different sexual orientations but does not address gender
identity.
Disabilities and Diversity

Accommodations for those that are differently-abled might include accommodating for

• Physical limitations
• Communication limitations
• Cognitive limitations
Practice Question 3

Is categorizing individuals based on their generation an accurate way to label the workforce?
Why or why not?

A. Yes. Generational differences are extremely accurate based on the generation in which
individuals are born.
B. No. Traditionalists are leaving the workforce and Generation Z hasn’t entered yet.
C. No. While there are generational stereotypes, they’re not all encompassing to every
member of each generation.
D. Yes. Generational stereotypes give insight into the priorities of all members of that
generation.
Practice Question 4

Your team is considering how to wrap up your briefing on gender and communications. Which
of the following is the best perspective takeaway?

A. While gender communication differences may exist, it’s best to ignore them.
B. Culture changes have eliminated gender communication differences.
C. Gender may impact the language we use and the language used to describe us.
D. One’s gender determines both communication style and competence.
Practice Question 5

Which of the following is true about racial diversity in the workplace?

A. Racial diversity contributes to an organization’s success

B. Racial discrimination violations are very low
C. Racial diversity applies to African Americans and Caucasians
D. Racial diversity is rising quickly
Practice Question 6

Which of the following statements best describes the role of sexual orientation in the
workplace?

A. Sexual orientation should be a regular part of workplace conversation in order to ensure

inclusion
B. Sexual orientation is protected under EEOC and should not be a factor in workplace
decisions
C. Sexual orientation training is a mandatory requirement in every organization
D. Sexual orientation can be considered when hiring in an attempt to increase diversity
Contemporary Social Diversity
Learning Outcomes: Contemporary Social Diversity

2.3: Describe how contemporary organizations both benefit and struggle with
diversity oriented themes and topics
2.3.1: Discuss the benefits of social diversity
2.3.2: Analyze diversity controversies and investigations
2.3.3: Describe strategies companies use to maintain and encourage diversity
Why Social Diversity?

• Leveraging a cross-cultural (in the broadest

sense of the word) awareness to identify
opportunities and avoid blind spots
• Increasing the productivity of employees who
feel valued
• Improving an organization’s employer brand
and, therefore, ability to recruit and retain talent
• Improving the market relevance and market
value of a company/organization
Diversity Investigations

• Lockheed Martin (age discrimination)

• Home Depot (gender discrimination)
• Big 5 Sporting Group (racial discrimination)
• Scott Medical Health Center (sexual orientation
discrimination)
Class Discussion: Discrimination in the Workplace

• Have you heard any stories in the news about discrimination in the workplace?
• How were these incidents resolved? Or are they still ongoing?
Encouraging Diversity

Acce l
Implicit
p
and ting Personne
bias toler dedicated
Acknowledge an
training envir t to
differences
(for all
onme
nt diversity
levels)
Practice Question 7

In order to make the case for diversity, you and your teammates want to present benefits that
your colleagues will consider real and acknowledge as having market impact. Which of the
following would NOT make the cut?

A. Lowering productivity and quality standards to make goals more achievable

B. Improving the company’s reputation in the market and brand as an employer
C. Leveraging cross-cultural awareness to identify opportunities and avoid blind spots
Practice Question 8

Which of the following best describes the significance behind the EEOC vs. Scott Medical
Health Center?

A. It discussed the issues behind religious discrimination and stereotyping based on religious
apparel
B. It was one of the first cases where the federal court considered sexual orientation as a part
of gender discrimination
C. It revealed that hiring processes were not streamlined and regulated to avoid hiring biases
D. It was the largest single settlement awarded to an individual based on age discrimination
Practice Question 9

There are key players in every workplace that help to maintain and encourage diversity. Which
of the following is NOT one of them?

A. Recruiters
B. Unions
C. Diversity champions
D. Human resources
Quick Review

• Social progress has helped us move toward social diversity

• Diversity includes
• Generational
• Gender
• Racial
• Religious
• Sexual orientation
• Differently abled
• Diversity makes organizations more successful, allowing them to leverage differences,
increase productivity and reduce turnover
• Steps that companies can use to encourage diversity can include acknowledging differences,
making implicit bias training available, creating an accepting and tolerant work environment
and dedicating human resources to the effort