Diversity And The Impact On Individual Behavior

Diversity and the Impact on Individual Behavior

The closest definition to individual behavior is personality which is "the totality of an individual's behavioral and emotional characteristics. Personality embraces a person's moods, attitudes, opinions, motivations, and style of thinking, perceiving, speaking and acting. It is part of what makes each individual distinct" (Answers, 2007). Diversity within organizations can positively or negatively impact individual behavior. Diversity includes all the ways in which individuals differ including race, gender, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation and child/elder care responsibilities (Census bureau, 2007). Organizations can create opportunities to draw upon people with different backgrounds, providing new perspectives for organizational and personal success (Census bureau, 2007). There are many diversity issues within the workplace however, ethnicity, gender, geographical differences, and religion highly impact individual behaviors within an organization.

Ethnicity

Ethnic groups are often associated with race and incorporate the view of skin color differences with language, culture, or nationality (Lewis, 2003, para. 9). Racial groups are usually formed from two or more ethnic groups such as Hispanic-Americans, Irish-Americans, Japanese-Americans, African-Americans, etc (Lewis, 2003, para. 9). People of color are projected to be the majority of the U.S. population by the year 2060 and 30% of the population will be Hispanic (Schermerhorn, 2005, p. 30). With the numbers of different ethnic groups on the rise, organizations that employ individuals from many different ethnic groups may benefit from the differences in views and backgrounds that these individuals bring.

Organizations need to take additional time to research what is important to different ethnic groups. McDonald's took 13 months to figure out that Hindus in India do not eat beef and once they began making burgers out of lamb, sales increased (Lopez-Campillo, n.d., para. 10). Another example is how an American firm sent a business proposal to Saudi Arabia in pig skin to dramatize the presentation. Pigs are an insult to Muslims, so the proposal was never opened (Lopez-Campillo, n.d., para. 10). Knowing what is important to an ethnic group causes employees from that group to feel more comfortable in the workplace. Also, educating all employees about different ethnic groups is a way for all employees to gain a better understanding of their co workers.

Gender

"In 1950 about one in three women participated in the labor force. By 1998, nearly three of every five women of working age were in the labor force" (Heatherfield, n.d., para. 4). In 2008, the U.S. Department of labor estimates that women will make up 48% of the workforce (Heatherfield, n.d., para. 6). As the number of women in the workforce rises so do the numbers of women who hold higher titles such as Chairman, CEO, Vice Chairman, President, Chief Operating Officer, Senior Vice President, and Executive Vice President. This number has increased from 7.3% in 2000 to 9.9% in 2002 (Diversity statistics, 2006).

Women are advancing in the workplace both in volume and in numbers of higher positions, but are still not paid equally to men. For every dollar earned by men, Caucasian women earn 59 cents, Asian women earn 67 cents, African-American women earn 57 cents, and Hispanic women earn 48 cents (Diversity statistics, 2006). This could cause women to feel that their contributions are not as important as their male peers. They may also feel that employers do not acknowledge that many women are raising families in a single parent household. Attendance may be an issue that employers face because women are raising their children on their own, but these employers should offer solutions such as flexible schedules and the ability to take paid and unpaid leaves to care for children. Susan M. Heatherfield (n.d.) feels that "employers need to pay more attention to the Equal Employment Opportunity guidelines. They exist to create equity and too many employers are still working them as a numbers game because of reporting requirements".

Religion

The Workplace Religious Freedom Act "seeks to restore to Title VII of the Civil Rights ACT of 1964 the original congressional intent that required employers to "reasonably accommodate" the religious practices of employees insofar as doing so did not impose an "undue hardship" upon the employer" (IPA, 2007). Many Americans may have had to choose between a career and their religious beliefs because they observe holidays that do not fit with the Christian holidays that many American organizations give as paid holidays. "Companies are facing growing demand to address religion and issues of spirituality and faith in the workplace to accommodate the needs of an increasing diverse and global workforce" (BSR, 2005, para. 1). The impact on individual behavior is determined by how an individual's religious beliefs or disbeliefs could affect others within an organization.

Organizations have enhanced their policies and programs on diversity and work-life issues. A growing number of companies are adding religious issues, such as adding religion to diversity training and equal employment opportunity statements (BSR, 2005). They are also offering flexible schedules for employees who must attend prayer during working hours and for religious holidays that would prohibit an employee from working (BSR, 2005).

Employees may not know about a co worker's faith unless they wear signs of their religion such as hijab or a yarmulke. Yet, an employee who needs to leave work for religious reasons may upset co workers because they may feel that they have to perform additional work. Organizations could consider policies that would benefit both employees who need additional time for religious reasons and those who have personal needs to attend. This ensures that individuals who do not take time off for religious purposes will not feel treated unfairly (BSR, 2005). Organizations should also encourage employees to become familiar with non Christian holidays such as Passover and Ramadan that involve fasting, changes in diets, prayer, or other conduct that may alter their lives during work hours (BSR, 2005).

Geographical Differences

According to the 2000 census, 79.21% of the U.S. population lives in urban areas that consist of at least 50,000 people or urban clusters of 2,500 to 49,999 people (Department of transportation, 2004). Within these urban areas, there will be suburban sprawl and the inner city. Many people may think