2 Diversity in Organization

DIVERSITY IN ORGANIZATION
Course Instructor
DR. MAMTA TRIPATHI 1
What is Diversity?
 Similarities & differences (observable &
unobservable) among employees in terms of age,
gender, culture, background, sexual orientation,
ethnicity, physical abilities & disabilities
 Recognize individual differences in employees to
capitalize on their unique strengths
 Shift towards diverse workforce means organizations
need to make diversity management a central
component of their policies & practices
 Celebrate Diversity: leads to competitive advantage
2
Two Major Forms of Workforce
Diversity
Diversity
Management
Surface-Level
Diversity
Deep-Level Diversity
3
Types of Diversity
1. Surface-level diversity: observable differences in people, including
gender, race, age, ethnicity, & physical abilities
2. Deep-level diversity: individual differences that can’t be seen
directly, like: goals, values, personalities, decision-making styles,
knowledge, & attitudes
 Separation: differences in position or opinion among group members
reflecting disagreement or opposition, especially with regard to group
goals or processes—dissimilarity in an attitude or value (a type of
deep-level diversity)
 Variety: differences in a certain type or category, including group
members’ expertise, knowledge, or functional background (a type of
deep-level diversity) 4
Diversity Vs. Discrimination
 Discrimination is to note characteristics that makes

people different from one another
 Unfair discrimination assumes stereotypes about
groups
• Refusal to recognize individual differences is
harmful to organizations and employees
• Stereotype Threat 5
Forms of Discrimination
6
Biographical Characteristics
 Biological characteristics are personal characteristics that are objective and
easily obtained from personnel records (age, gender, race, disability etc.)
• Variations in these can be the basis for discrimination
• Represents surface-level diversity
 Age/Generation
• India is the youngest country with a large young workforce
• Median age 27.9 years; 19% in the age range of 15-24 & 41% in 25-54
• Two third of Indian population is less than 35 years old; Bloomberg News India
will have world’s largest workforce by 2027, with billion people aged 15-64 yrs
• Does job performance decline with increasing age?
• Studies show that turnover & absenteeism rates are lower among older workers, &
age is not associated with lower productivity
7
 Sex
• There are no consistent male-female differences in
problem solving ability, analytical skills, competitive drive,
motivation, sociability, or learning ability
• But women earn less than men for the same positions
and have fewer professional opportunities
• People tend to hire people like themselves, with similar
backgrounds, as they like to stay in comfort zone; Hesitant to
hire somebody who looks different from their standard
profile
8
Gender Pay Gap: Narrowing but Still
There
9
 Race and Ethnicity
• Employees tend to favor colleagues of their own race in performance
evaluations, promotion decisions, and pay raises
• African Americans & Hispanics perceive higher levels of discrimination in the
workplace
• African Americans generally fare worse than Whites in employment decisions
 Disability
• PDA 1995 India; not less that 40% of any disability (Lemon tree Hotels)
• Workers with disabilities receive higher performance evaluations, but may have
lower performance expectations
• Biases against those with mental impairment may be especially strong
• Hidden Disabilities
10
Other Differentiating Characteristics
• Tenure
• Tenure is a good predictor of employee productivity
• Tenure and job satisfaction are positively related
• Religion
• U.S. law prohibits discrimination based on religion, but
it is still an issue, especially for Muslims (Hijab:
Samantha Elauf)
• Faith can be an employment issue when religious
beliefs encourage or prohibit certain behaviors 11
• Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity (LGBTQ+)

• Federal law does not protect employees against
discrimination based on sexual orientation, but this
may soon change
• Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act,
2019 India
• Most Fortune 500 companies have policies covering
sexual orientation & about half now have policies on
gender identity
• Cultural Identity 12
 Ability is an individual’s current capacity to perform various tasks in a

job
 Physical Abilities: capacity to do tasks demanding stamina, dexterity,
strength, and similar characteristics
o 9 basic abilities related to strength, flexibility, etc. are needed to
perform physical tasks
 Intellectual abilities are abilities needed to perform mental activities
– thinking, reasoning, and problem solving
• Most societies place a high value on intelligence
• General mental ability is an overall factor of intelligence as
13
Nine Basic Physical Abilities
14
Dimensions of Intellectual Ability
15
Diversity Management Strategies
 Diversity management is the process & programs by which
managers make everyone more aware of & sensitive to the needs
& differences of others
• Diversity is more successful when it is everyone’s business, not just
for certain groupsAttracting,
of employees
Selecting,
Developing, & Retaining
Diverse Employees
Effective
Diversity in Diversity
Groups Programs
16
How Indian Companies Managing
Religiosity
17
Case: The Microsign Story
18
Thank You!

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DIVERSITY IN ORGANIZATION

 Discrimination is to note characteristics that makes

• Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity (LGBTQ+)

 Ability is an individual’s current capacity to perform various tasks in a

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