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CHAPTER 7 CHAPTER AND ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS SUMMARY
Chapter Question 1: What are the four diversity dimensions?
Diversity can be conceptualized in terms of four unique dimensions: permanent, evolving,
The permanent dimension refers to physical attributes or inclinations people are born with
Evolving dimension refers to age, height, weight, religion, education, physical ability, marital
Personality dimensions refers to “Big Five Personality Model” (or other personality
Organization dimension refers to hierarchical status, work content, department, and seniority.
FOR DISCUSSION: Have students experience the “Who Are You?” exercise in Exhibit 7.4.
Examine how the diversity dimensions impact who they are, and discuss the results in small
groups.
Chapter Question 2: What is the evolution of ethnic and religious diversity in the United
States beginning with Christopher Columbus?
1492 – land mass now U.S. about 100% indigenous (about 10 million indigenous people).
The success of Italian and Spanish explorers in the “New World” attracted explorers from
England, Netherlands, and France.
Beginning 1830, the federal government welcomed more British, Germans, and French
immigrants to help settle the expanding nation.
They were followed by poverty-stricken Swedes, Norwegians, and Italians
The annexation of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona added many Mexicans to the American
ethnic mosaic.
For nearly two centuries, from 1776 until 1964, Caucasian males primarily employed and
serviced people from their own national heritage and religious group, a pattern followed by
other racial and ethnic groups.
FOR DISCUSSION: Why do you think that within 44 years, the United States went from blacks
not being able to drink from the same water fountain as whites (1964) to electing an
African-American president (2008)? What changes in organizations and attitudes took place over
those years that enabled this dramatic change to occur? How did this happen?
Chapter Question 3: Describe several workplace discrimination issues. What laws govern
these issues?
According to self-categorization theory, individuals define themselves in relation to others
based on a “self-identity” or “social identity” factor and form binding relationships with
people who categorize themselves similarly.
FOR DISCUSSION: Have students do the Implicit Attitude Test to help them understand
potential unconscious prejudices. It is available free online at:
https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/demo/. Review the results and
discuss them in small groups. Were students surprised by the results? Do they believe the results?
Why
Two prominent ethical principles must guide decision making when making distinctions
among people at the workplace: fairness and respect for others.
oFairness refers to making decisions according to rules not based on personal biases
oRespect for others refers to treating everyone with dignity
FOR DISCUSSION: Review Exhibit 7.2 about “Tattoo Discrimination” and have students
discuss whether they have tattoos and would they not hire someone with a tattoo based on
visibility, type of tattoo, or type of business. Develop a fair and respectful tattoo policy.
Gender discrimination refers to treating an employee differently because of his or her gender.
oWomen are discriminated against in job assignments based on physical and
personality characteristics.
oThe Equal Pay Act of 1963 prohibits pay discrimination based solely on gender
considerations.
oOn average, females earn approximately 69 percent of male salaries. In 2008, people
working 25 years and older: Males $64,283 mean, Females $44,595 mean.
A variety of explanations other than gender discrimination may explain these
earning differentials:
(1) career pattern choices, (2) seniority factor, (3) job demand choices,
(4) organizational size choices, (5) salary negotiation issues, and
(6) customer preferences.
FOR DISCUSSION: Interview five women you know, including, if possible, your mother. Ask
them about the career choices they made after college. Did the amount of pay influence their job
choice? Why did they choose their current type of work rather than the one that would earn
higher income? Did they sacrifice career advancement for family reasons? Do they believe that
women are paid less than men for doing similar work? Why?
In 1978, Congress passed the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA) to protect the civil
rights of pregnant women.
The PDA requires that employers provide appropriate job accommodations for pregnant
women, such as temporarily modifying tasks and assignments, which do not cause undue
hardship to the employer.
oAn undue hardship refers to the cost and difficulty associated with making the
accommodation.
Congress passed the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) of 1993 that ensures a total of
12 work weeks of unpaid leave during any 12-month period, and the continuation of
healthcare and other fringe benefits during this period, for:
othe care of a newborn baby, a newly adopted child, or a new foster child
othe care for an immediate family member (spouse, child, or parent) with a serious
health condition
oan employee’s serious health condition
FOR DISCUSSION: Have students determine, discuss or debate whether a woman interviewing
for a job who is 2 months pregnant should inform the interviewer. If you were the boss, would
you want to know? Why?
Glass ceiling refers to situations where the hierarchical advancement of a qualified woman
or minority is prematurely stopped at a lower level because of gender, racial, or ethnic
discrimination.
oIn 2008, women represented 46.5 percent of the entire civilian labor force. But,
according to 2009 Bureau of Labor Statistics, women accounted for only 25 percent
of all CEOs, and 30 percent of all general and operations managers.
Reverse Discrimination refers to discriminating against a dominant or majority group
member, such as Caucasian males, in favor of an historically disadvantaged or minority
group member.
FOR DISCUSSION: Have students answer, debate, or discuss the Vision Quest National case. A
man and woman are on a nighttime shift in a high crime neighborhood. Both apply for one
opening on the day shift. Is it unfair to give the opening to a woman based solely on the criterion
that she would not have to leave work in a bad neighborhood late at night?
Racial and ethnic discrimination refers to treating an employee differently because of his or
her race or ethnicity.
oIt is illegal to discriminate in job assignments and promotions based on an
individual’s race or ethnicity, even if customers or other employees express a
preference for Caucasians.
Religious discrimination refers to treating an employee differently because of his or her
religious beliefs.
oJob assignments, promotions, and terminations cannot be determined based on
religious reasons.
oEmployees can practice a religious belief at work if the employee is sincere and the
practice is non-harmful to others.
Age discrimination refers to treating an employee differently because of his or her age.
o The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) of 1967 prohibits dismissing,
or not promoting, anyone forty or older because the individual is considered “too old”
for the job.
oJob assignments, promotions, and terminations must be based on productivity, skills,
abilities, or any factor other than protected class status, including age.
Approximately 50 million Americans have a physical or mental disability, of which 55
percent are employed.
oCongress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) to prohibit
discrimination against a qualified worker with a disability who can perform the job
task with, or without, reasonable accommodation.
oThe ADA requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations for the
disability, such as modifying a job assignment, work schedule, facilities, and
equipment.
Alcoholism is a disability under the ADA.
oAn employer cannot discipline or fire an individual because he or she is an alcoholic.
oThe employer, however, can prohibit alcohol consumption during work hours for all
employees, including alcoholics, and discipline or fire an employee for productivity
or performance-related factors.
Sexual orientation discrimination refers to treating an employee differently because of being
gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.
oHomosexuality exists in all cultures and throughout history.
oGays and lesbians are estimated to be between 1.5 and 4.1 percent of the U.S. adult
population, which translates to 3.2 million to 8.8 million people.
oMore than 15 states and 150 municipalities have passed laws prohibiting sexual
orientation discrimination in areas such as employment, housing, public education,
credit, and public accommodations.
oThe Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), federal legislation under
consideration to protect LGBT people from job discrimination, is modeled after the
Civil Rights Act.
FOR DISCUSSION: Have students do Exhibit 7.6 “Experiences Being Prejudged” exercise
individually, and then share in small groups and entire class.
oHarassment is defined as an “unwelcome conduct that is based on race, color, religion, sex
(including pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information”
from a supervisor, co-worker, or non-employee, such as a customer or supplier.
oExamples of offensive conduct include offensive jokes, slurs, name calling, physical
assaults or threats, intimidation, ridicule, insults, offensive objects, pictures, and
interference with work performance.
oDating is based on mutual consent, sexual harassment is not.
oSexual harassment occurs when:
o(1) an unwelcomed sexual favor is a quid-pro-quo condition of employment,
promotion, pay increase, continued employment, or desired assignment, or
o(2) offensive comments about a person’s gender or physical harassment of a sexual
nature results in a hostile work environment.
oAll EEO laws carry a stipulation that it is illegal to take retaliatory adverse action against
someone who complains to an employer, manager, or law official about a discrimination
issue.
FOR DISCUSSION: In small groups have students discuss whether each of the four scenarios in
the sexual harassment diversity training workshop section constitutes a “hostile environment.”
Chapter Question 4: Discuss five competitive advantages of diversity management.
oIn 2008, Caucasian males made up only 39 percent of the entire civilian labor force.
Caucasian females composed 34 percent of the workforce, followed by all Hispanics (13
percent), African-Americans (10 percent), and Asians (4 percent).
oFive positive bottom-line reasons why respecting diversity creates a competitive advantage
for organizations are:
1. To attract and retain diverse customers.
2. To attract and retain diverse employees.
3. To achieve cost reductions.
4. To enhance decision-making, problem solving and creativity.
5. To increase stakeholder goodwill.
FOR DISCUSSION: Have students visit the Working Mother website at
http://www.workingmother.com/john-chambers/2009/10/ceo-dive
rsity-leadership-award. Read about and discuss the CEO Diversity Award
Leadership winners. What are the common themes
Chapter Question 5: What are some of the best operational practices for managing
diversity?
oDiversity officer/committee/office.
oRecruiting and hiring.
oPersonnel policies.
oDispute resolution mechanisms.
o Retention and promotions factor.
oPerformance appraisals factor.
oTermination and downsizing factor.
FOR DISCUSSION: Have students visit the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index
website at http://www.hrc.org/cei2011/index.html. Also explore the best places to work
for lesbians, gays, bisexual, and transgender people links. What are the common themes?
Chapter Question 6: What are the recommended ten-steps for implementing a diversity
initiative?
oThe following 10-step process describes how to successfully implement diversity initiatives
based on a traditional organizational change model.
FOR DISCUSSION: Have students independently use the 10-steps for implementing a diversity
initiative to create a diversity initiative plan for the School of Business or college. Share the
plans in small groups and reach consensus on a plan that could be given to the Dean or College
Diversity Committee for their feedback.
Additional Question 1: What is the difference between being a member of a dominant
group and a subordinate group?
oThe dominant group refers to the diverse characteristic that is held in common by a large
oThe subordinate group refers to the diversity characteristic held by a small minority of
oReview EXHIBIT 7.3 “Diversity Training Problems and Solutions,” which highlights 7
FOR DISCUSSION: Have students review Exhibit 7.5 “Dominant/Subordinate Group
Dynamics” and categorize themselves as belonging to the dominant group or the subordinate
group in terms of gender, race, ethnicity, religion, or some other diversity dimension. Use the
exercise topics to examine how membership in this group impacts interactions with people at
school, work, or in the community. Which topics, if any, are most problematic? How can these
problems be rectified?
FOR DISCUSSION: Have students experience Peggy McIntosh’s “White Privilege” exercise
which emphasizes many subtle aspects of dominant group privilege in American society. The
exercise is available at
http://husky1.stmarys.ca/~evanderveen/wvdv/Race_relations/w
hite_privilege.htm.
oMany employees are not comfortable discussing diversity issues. Diversity topics can feel
threatening and an invasion of privacy.
oInitial employee tension and resistance can be defused by a warm-up activity where
participants agree on discussion guidelines.
oDiscussion guidelines typically include:
oone person speaking at a time without interruption
obeing open and honest
oparticipating fully at one’s own comfort level
olistening respectfully
oasking questions (why do you believe that?) rather than making accusatory
statements (that’s a sexist comment!)
osupporting the expression of dissent in a harassment-free environment
ofocusing on issues rather than the person making the statement
omaintaining confidentiality.
FOR DISCUSSION: If none exist, have students independently and jointly create a “Discussion
Guidelines” statement for class discussions. Develop a list of behaviors and rules that lead to
constructive class discussions
Chapter Question 7: Describe several diversity training workshops. How would you
address the typical problems associated with diversity training?
oThe following diversity training activities have been presented earlier in the teaching manual
as “Discussion Activity” suggestions:
FOR DISCUSSION: Have students review the four communication styles in Exhibit 7.8
“Communication Styles” and then answer and discuss the questions that appear in that section of
the chapter.
oPeople want to be treated as individuals, rather than as representatives of a social group. End
this chapter by not only showing how every person is different, but also how everyone shares
some commonalities.
oReview EXHIBIT 7.7 “Individual Uniqueness and Commonalities” to help students
understand how each of them is unique, and also how each of them shares some common
traits with members of other diverse groups.
FOR DISCUSSION: Have students do Exhibit 7.7 “Individual Uniqueness and Commonalities”
exercise.
oCommon diversity training problems and solutions include:
oTrainer credibility: use co-leaders, one from dominant and subordinate groups
oProblems portrayed too negatively: Praise previous diversity efforts
oDominant group members portrayed too negatively: Recognize good examples
