10 Questions
The primary focus of diversity initiatives is to minimize employee performance.
False
The majority of academic research on diversity in the workplace has been conducted since 2000.
True
Organizational diversity is primarily a concern for small businesses.
False
Diversity training programs are a common practice in organizations to promote diversity and inclusion.
True
The primary goal of diversity initiatives is to create a heterogeneous workforce.
False
Critical reflection on diversity management approaches is a common practice in organizations.
False
The benefits of diversity initiatives are limited to individual employee performance.
False
Organizational diversity management is a relatively new field of research.
False
The effectiveness of diversity initiatives is directly related to the size of the organization.
False
The current article argues that organizational diversity is a threat to positive organizational change.
False
Study Notes
Organizational Involvement in Diversity Issues
- Affirmative action hiring practices aim to ensure fair representation of women and minorities in organizations.
- These practices can be informed by either multicultural or colorblind ideologies.
Demographic Transformation of the U.S. Workforce
- The white working-age population is projected to decline from 82% (1980) to 63% (2020).
- The minority portion of the workforce is projected to double from 18% (1980) to 37% (2020).
- The Hispanic/Latino portion is projected to almost triple from 6% (1980) to 17% (2020).
- Women are projected to comprise 47% of the total labor force in 2014 and account for 51% of the increase in total labor force growth from 2004 to 2014.
Importance of Diversity in Organizations
- Leveraging diversity has important implications for promoting positive organizational change through individual and organizational performance.
- Creating organizational environments receptive to diversity is crucial for fostering positive human potential in employees.
- Workforce diversity can create opportunities for organizations to create change that fosters positive outcomes.
Organizational Approaches to Diversity
- Several terms have been used to describe diversity approaches, including perspectives, ideologies, models, and paradigms.
- The focus is on racial and ethnic minorities, such as blacks, Latinos, and Asians, but the arguments have implications for organizational diversity beyond racial and ethnic lines.
- Organizational approaches to diversity can promote employee receptivity to diversity initiatives.
Current State of Diversity Efforts
- Many organizations have recognized demographic shifts in the workforce and launched diversity initiatives, hired diversity consultants, and offered diversity training programs.
- Scholars and practitioners have not reflected sufficiently on whether organizational approaches to diversity promote employee receptivity to these initiatives.
- This lack of critical reflection has curtailed the effectiveness of diversity efforts.
Learn about diversity issues and affirmative action practices in organizations, including demographic categorization and fair representation goals.
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