Diversity in Organizations

-Dr. Kirti Rajhans

I think that God in creating Man somewhat

overestimated his ability.
- Oscar Wilde
Levels of Diversity

Surface-level diversity

Deep-level diversity

Diversity Management
Biographical Characteristics

Objective and easily obtained personal

characteristics.

Age
◦ Older workers bring experience,
judgment, a strong work ethic, and
commitment to quality.

Gender
◦ Few differences between men and
women that affect job performance.
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Biographical Characteristics
(Continued)
Disability
◦ Today’s organizations have started making
efforts to hire people with disabilities.

Tenure
◦ People with job tenure (seniority at a job) are
more productive, absent less frequently, have
lower turnover, and are more satisfied.

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Other Biographical Characteristics
 Religion
◦ May impact the workplace in areas of dress, grooming,
and scheduling. The law prohibits employers from
discriminating against employees on the basis of their
religion.
 Sexual Orientation
◦ In June 2009, the High Court of Delhi, in a landmark
judgment, decriminalized homosexual sex between
consenting adults, overturning a 149-year-old British
colonial law
◦ Domestic partner benefits are an important
consideration.
 Gender Identity
◦ Relatively new issue – transgendered employees.

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Ability
An individual’s capacity to perform the various
tasks in a job.
 Intellectual and Physical Abilities

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 Ability
 Why we are concerned
◦ by knowing how people differ in abilities, we may use
the knowledge to increase /enhance people’s
performance

 What is ability
◦ An individual’s capacity to perform the various tasks in
a job.
◦ Made up of two factors: Intellectual and physical

Ability

Intellectual physical
Ability
Made up of two sets of factors:

◦ Intellectual Abilities
 The abilities needed to perform mental activities.
 General Mental Ability (GMA) is a measure of
overall intelligence.
 No correlation between intelligence and job
satisfaction.

◦ Physical Abilities
 The capacity to do tasks demanding stamina,
dexterity, strength, and similar characteristics.
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Dimensions of Intellectual Ability

Number
Aptitude

Verbal
Memory Comprehe
nsion

Intellectual
Spatial
Visualizati
Ability Perceptual
Speed
on

Deductive Inductive
Reasoning Reasoning

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 Dimensions of Ability

Intellectual Ability Intellectual physical

1. Number Aptitude: Ability to do speedy and accurate arithmetic

2. Verbal Comprehension: Ability to understand what is read or heard
and the relationship of words to each other.
3. Perceptual Speed: Ability to identify visual similarities and differences
quickly and accurately.
4. Inductive Reasoning: Ability to identify a logical sequence in a problem
and then solve the problem.
5. Deductive Reasoning: Ability to use logic and assess the implications of
an argument.
6. Spatial Visualization: Ability to imagine how an object would look if its
position in space were changed.
7. Memory: Ability to retain and recall past experiences.
Nine Basic Physical Abilities

Strength Factors
• Dynamic strength
• Trunk strength
• Static strength
• Explosive strength

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Flexibility Factors

Flexibility Factors
•Extent flexibility
•Dynamic flexibility

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Other Physical Factors

Other Factors
•Body coordination
•Balance
•Stamina

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The Ability-Job Fit

Ability-Job
Employee’s Job’s Ability
Abilities Fit Requirements

• Performance
Low High inadequate

• Organizational
High Low Inefficiencies
• Reduce Job
satisfaction
Implementing Diversity Management
Strategies
 Making everybody more aware and
sensitive to the needs of others.

Attracting, Selecting, Developing, and

Retaining the Diverse Employees

Working with Diversity in Groups

Effective Diversity Programs

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Summary and Managerial
Implications
◦ Ability
 Directly influences employee’s level of performance.
 Managers need to focus on ability in selection,
promotion, and transfer.
 Fine-tune job to fit incumbent’s abilities.

◦ Biographical Characteristics
 Should not be used in management decisions: possible
source of bias.

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Managerial Implications
◦ Diversity Management
 Must be an ongoing commitment at all levels of
the organization.
 Policies must include multiple perspectives and be
long term in their orientation to be effective.

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