Transcript Work-related Attitudes - the Department of Psychology at Illinois

Ch 5: Work-related Attitudes
Part 3: Feb 21, 2006
Diversity Policies
• Affirmative Action programs – social
responsibility to make up for past wrongs.
– Encourage hiring of women & minorities in
underrepresented areas.
• Why resistance to these programs?
Tokenism research
• Kanter’s (1977) study of ‘tokens’ in large
companies
• 3 perceptual tendencies when small number
of minorities:
– Tokens receive more attention
– Contrast betw token & majority – what is result?
– Assimilation of tokens – when?
Relational Demography
• Relationship between individual’s
demographics & group’s demographics
– Tsui’s research – perceived similarity may
affect individual’s work attitudes & behaviors
– What did she find regarding increasing
diversity in work groups?
Diversity Training
• Awareness-based programs – recognize
our underlying assumptions about culture.
– Triandis’ cultural assimilator:
• provide info about values, history, assumptions of
cultures to U.S. managers
– How effective is this?
Diversity Training (cont.)
• Skill-based programs – focus on crosscultural communication, flexibility, conflict
resolution (combine w/awareness trng).
• Comparison of award-winning companies
w/diversity initiatives and those involved in
lawsuits
– Effects on bottom-line?
Cox’s Acculturation Model
• Describes how orgs differ in their stage of
diversity development
• Dimensions:
– Acculturation
– Structural integration
– Informal integration
– Org identification
– Intergroup conflict
Cox (cont.)
• These dimensions determine which of 3
models org best fits:
– 1. Monolithic – least amount of integration
– 2. Plural – more heterogeneity, but skewed
integration across function, level, work group
– 3. Multicultural – diversity at all levels of
decision making