Theoretical Perspectives and Organizational Practices Essay

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The topic of workplace diversity has attracted more and more scholarly attention in the past few decades. Indeed, the topic has become one of the most crucial organizational issues in the 21st century, with organizations in both the public and private sector increasingly seeking to tap the advantages diversity brings. Two major areas of focus have been the extent to which organizational members support diversity and the impact of diversity on work-related outcomes such as job satisfaction. This paper dwells on these two aspects. First, Soni's (2000) model of receptivity to diversity is discussed, along with a summary of her findings. Then, attention is paid to the relationship between diversity and work-related outcomes as presented by Pitts (2009).



According to Soni (2000), the success of any diversity management initiative is largely influenced by the degree to which members of an organization are receptive to the initiative. Without managers and employees embracing and valuing diversity and acknowledging the significance of initiatives aimed at promoting diversity, the initiatives are likely to be unsuccessful. There seems to be considerable validity in Soni's assertion. Organizations in different sectors and industries have increasingly implemented initiatives aimed at increasing diversity and cultural awareness, minimizing inequality at the workplace, as well as enhancing cross-gender, cross-cultural, and interpersonal interactions. Yet, the initiatives often appear to bear little fruit, if any at all. This could be attributed to little or no support for diversity management initiatives on the part of organizational members. Simply, diversity initiatives at the workplace may not succeed without a diversity climate, to which organizational members have an important role in creating. This among other things entails developing a shared understanding of diversity and its importance.



A fundamental question arises from Soni's (2000) diversity receptivity model: what factors influence organizational members' support for diversity management initiatives? Focusing on a public-sector organization in the U.S., Soni (2000) sought to answer this question. The organization began implementing diversity initiatives in 1991, with specific focus on making diversity a priority, raising diversity awareness across the organization, increasing the recruitment of minorities, and developing the leadership potential of minorities and women. Soni's (2000) study shows that receptivity to workplace diversity is influenced by employee racial/ethnic and gender background, prejudice and stereotyping, as well the character of interpersonal relationships. This means that different employee groups tend to view diversity and related initiatives differently.



Racial and gender identity is a particularly influential factor as far as receptivity to workplace diversity is concerned. In other words, support for diversity management initiatives at the workplace tends to vary by race and gender. Soni (2000) found that female and minority employees are likely to be more receptive to diversity initiatives compared to male and majority employees, meaning that male, female, and minority employees experience the work environment differently. Soni's (2000) study further found that support for diversity may be influenced by actual and perceived prejudices. The study particularly established that women and minorities believe that the negative stereotypes or unequal treatment they receive at the workplace is as a result of their gender and racial background.

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This finding is largely true as instances of discrimination against women and minorities at the workplace are not rare. Finally, diversity receptivity may be influenced by interpersonal relationships. As explained by Soni (2000), interactions between members of different gender and racial backgrounds were quite disturbing, with most members often socializing with members with similar gender and racial background. Reduced contact between members of dissimilar racial and gender identity can affect receptivity to diversity initiatives.



Whereas Soni's (2000) study is limited by its case study nature, it provides valuable insights about the improvement of diversity management in organizations. For organizations to more effectively implement and manage diversity initiatives, they must first understand how employees perceive the notion of diversity, and the reasons for the perceptions. With this knowledge, organizations can more effectively initiate efforts aimed at providing diversity training and awareness to employees, communicating the importance of diversity, correcting inappropriate perceptions about diversity, as well as enhancing contact between individuals with different gender and racial identity.



An even greater concern amongst diversity scholars relates to the implications of diversity on performance outcomes. Does diversity have any impact on performance? Is investing in workforce diversity worth the effort, or is it a fruitless undertaking? Theoretically, it is assumed that diversity management increases work group performance. This assertion is common in print, though there is little empirical evidence to support it. The assertion is informed by increased changes in the demographic characteristics of the labor force, especially with respect to age, gender, ethnicity, and race. In the past few decades, there has been a greater representation of women, minorities, and younger employees in the workforce.



Increased workforce diversity often compels organizations to accommodate different work attitudes and approaches, which tend to vary by gender, generation, and racial/ethnic background (Pitts, 2009). Incorporating women, minorities, and younger individuals in the workforce places an organization in a better position to take advantage of a greater pool of prospective employees. The organization not only benefits from a larger employee base, but also more effectively responds to the constantly evolving needs of its target population. This argument stems from the notion of representative bureaucracy, which holds that an organization that closely resembles the population it serves tends to be more receptive to its concerns (Pitts, 2009). Accordingly, maintaining a diverse workforce provides a crucial advantage for the organization.



Another theoretical assumption is that diversity management influences performance more strongly in minorities compared to Whites (Pitts, 2009). Simply, the relationship between diversity management and performance tends to vary across races. For instance, there may be little need for diversity management in areas where there are no racial differences in the target population and labor force compared to areas characterized by significant racial differences. Ordinarily, there would be little incentive to manage diversity. In addition, the effect of diversity management would be smaller. It is also assumed that minority employees tend to be more satisfied with their work when there are robust initiatives aimed at promoting diversity (Pitts, 2009). There appears to.....

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References


Pitts, D. (2009). Diversity management, job satisfaction, and performance: evidence from U.S. federal agencies. Public Administration Review, 69(2), 328-338.

Soni, V. (2000). A twenty-first century reception for diversity in the public sector: a case study. Public Administration Review, 60(5), 395-408.

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