Week 9

Diversity in the Work-Place

 Dimensions of Diversity
1. Primary ( Inherent)
− Can be seen directly ie at the surface level
− core identities such as age, race, gender, physical abilities,
ethnicity and sexual orientation

2. Secondary ( Acquired )
– Deep level and cannot be seen
– Acquired such as educational background, geographic location,
knowledge, attitudes, skills, physical abilities,marital status
− Differences in position and opinions and disparity in income,
due to work experiences, authority,status
 Barriers to Inclusion

1. “Like me” bias: people prefer to associate with others they

perceive to be like themselves
2. Stereotypes: beliefs about groups and individuals based on
the idea that all group members are the same
3. Prejudice: outright bigotry or intolerance for other groups
4. Perceived threat of loss: impeding diversity efforts to
protect a perceived threat to one’s own career
opportunities
5. Ethnocentrism: the belief that one’s own language, country,
and culture are superior to all others
6. Unequal access to organizational networks: women and
minorities are often excluded from organizational networks,
which can be important to job performance and career
opportunities
 Options for Actions

Factors determining what actions we undertake are :-

1. inclusion/exclusion
2. denial/admission
3. assimilation
4. suppression
5. isolation/integration
6. build relationship/burn bridges
7. foster mutual adaptation

dependent on
a) context of situation eg environment, diversity tension
b) dynamism of interactions eg individual mindset
c) combination of factors ie will depend which is dominant at any
point of time
Cultural Dimension of Diversity
Hofstede’s Primary Dimensions
 Nature of Conflicts

1. Dysfunctional Conflict
Destructive conflict focused on emotions and differences
between the two parties

2. Constructive (Functional) Conflict

• Adaptive, positive conflict
• Balances the interests of both parties to maximize mutual
gains and the attainment of mutual goals
• Contains elements of creativity and adaptation
• Can lead to identification of new alternatives and ideas
 Types of Conflicts
1. Task conflict- disagreement about the task or goals
2. Process conflict- disagreement about how to accomplish a task
3. Relationship conflict- incompatibility between individuals or
groups
4. Conflicts of Interest-competition over resource constraints
5. Values conflict- arises from incompatible belief systems
6. Information conflict- occurs when people lack necessary
information, are misinformed, interpret information differently
or disagree about which information is relevant
7. Task Interdependence- one person or unit is dependent on
another for resources or information
8. Structural Conflict- results from structural or process
features of organization
Conflict Management
Conflict Management Styles
 Negotiation

 A process in which two or more parties make offers,

counteroffers, and concessions in order to reach an
agreement
1. Distributive Negotiation
– Any gain to one party is offset by an equivalent
loss to the other party
2. Integrative Negotiation
– A win-win negotiation in which the agreement
involves no loss to either party
 Four Fundamental Principles

1. Separate relationship issues (or “people problems”)

from substantive issues
2. Focus on interests, not positions – negotiate about
the things people need, not the things they say
they want
3. Look for new solutions to the problem that will
allow both sides to win
4. Insist on outside, objective fairness criteria