Diversity

Organizational Behavior

MGT331

Gary Denney

January 21, 2006

Diversity Paper

Workforce Diversity refers to the presence of individual human characteristics that make people different from one another. To be more precise, diversity consists of demographic differences among members of a known workforce, such as, age, gender, sexual orientation, able-bodiedness, race and ethnicity, and religion. Sometimes diversity also includes such factors as marital status, parental status, and religion (Schermerhorn, Hunt, and Osborn, 2005). Diversity and demographic disparities can influence individual behavior by creating discrimination, stereotypes and prejudices in the workplace. To understand how diversity affects the workplace I will explain my perception of age, gender, personality traits and ethnic types of diversity and demographic characteristics and differences.

Age

Naturally there is an obvious difference in the appearance of a 50-year-old person and a 20-year-old person; however, both of their ages have an effect on their individual behaviors. Age is a provider to the diversity of today's workforce bearing in mind that companies today employ people from as young as 16 years of age, to someone as old as 85 years of age. With such a vast age range there are certain to be differences in values, education, and experiences, all which add to and influence human behavior.

At one time most people thought about retiring at age 55 then it was 65, now when someone is asked about retiring, their response is, "when I die." More of today's workforce is staying past age 65, which is causing a change in how companies view the older worker. About 10 to 20 years ago people thought at 55 there was nothing left to offer a company, your skills were outdated and you had become "outdated" and "put out to pasture" or forced to retire. Today, older employees have the advantage of experience, education, and seniority. They are usually more reliable, miss fewer days of work, and have lower turnover rates. Even as larger companies are finding these older employees have outdated skills, smaller companies are finding worth in their age with higher performance, stability, experience, and lower avoidable absences.

The younger inexperienced employee, who is just out of college, brings with them a completely different understanding on how things should be done. They have fresh ideas; have knowledge of the latest technology, and in most cases higher education. Young employees have predetermined ideas that older employees are stuck in the past and they do not want to listen to how things "used to be done". As well, the older worker thinks that the new ways are a waste of time and money and they want to stick with what is tried and true. This can cause substantial conflict between the old and the young and will require the company to find ways to incorporate the two ideas to build on a totally new idea. The incorporation of these two groups will create a stronger workforce and build stronger work cultures.

Gender

Like differences in ages, gender differences also impact individual behavior by creating discrimination and stereotypes. The traditional woman stayed at home, taking care of the children, cleaning the house, and cooking dinner for her husband. Even though that stereotype has changed some over the years, it still holds true, and the modern woman still faces discrimination.

Gender characteristics are one the most visible of the diverse and demographic characteristics within an organization. In times gone by, a woman truly has not been a part of the workforce for very long; nevertheless she regularly brings new and refreshing ideas and approaches. Like other demographic differences, gender type affects promotions, employment opportunities, and financial opportunities. In addition, women are subject to sexual harassment in the workplace. Some women are asked to perform sexual favors in order to be promoted or get ahead in the workplace.

When comparing men and women as it relates to job performance there are very few differences. According to out text, Organizational Behavior (Schermerhorn, Hunt, and Osborn, 2005), men and women show no consistent differences in their problem-solving abilities, analytical skills, competitive drive, motivation, learning ability, or sociability. However, women are reported to be more conforming and to have lower expectations of success than men do. Plus, women's rate of absenteeism is higher since they participate more in raising their children. With the rise of telecommuting and flexing work hours, this is becoming less of an issue. Some additional female leadership qualities which I have observed include the ability to motivate teams and staff better than men; encourages openness and are accessible; respond immediately to calls for assistance; more enduring of differences, so they are more skilled at managing diversity; identify problems quickly and more accurately than men; and have the ability to define job expectations and provide valuable feedback.

Men tend to make decisions more rapidly, compared to women. Men also tend to be decisive, logical, aggressive, and often more independent than woman. As men and woman work closer together, they are learning from the other and picking up new and/or refined characteristics from the other; thus improving the quality of working relationships and becoming more productive.

Personality traits

Personality can be defined as person reacts and interacts with others encompasses the overall combination of characteristics that captures the unique nature of a person as that person reacts and interacts with others (Schermerhorn, Hunt, and Osborn, 2005). Personality brings together a collection of physical and mental characteristics that reveals how a person looks, thinks, acts, and feels. Personality traits are behavioral differences. Appreciating the diverse personalities of people we interact with helps us to understand why each act the way he or she does and how to get the most assistance out of them. Recognizing the value of personality diversity means respecting the strengths and weaknesses of each individual, and knowing how to make good use of each individual's strengths.

Questions have been raised whether personality is inherited or is it predetermined. It is common to hear some way say, "You act just like your father." In the same way, you can here someone say, "Jane is like that because her grandmother raised her that way."