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Instructor Manual
Chapter 8: Respecting Employee Diversity
CHAPTER 8 LEARNING OBJECTIVES AND END OF CHAPTER QUESTIONS
After reading this chapter, you will should able to
8.1 Describe the four dimensions of diversity.
End of Chapter Question 1: What are the four diversity dimensions and which ones
8.3 Explain the most common types of workplace discrimination.
End of Chapter Question 3: What are the most common types of workplace
discrimination and which laws govern them?
8.4 Outline the best operational practices for managing diversity.
CHAPTER 8 OVERVIEW
This chapter provides a brief history of population diversity in the United States. Harmful
discriminatory employment practices and behaviors led to the need for Title VII of the Civil
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for enhancing and managing diversity, including a 10-step process for implementing a diversity
initiative. Diversity training problems and solutions are examined, and instructions offered for
CHAPTER 8 LECTURE OUTLINE
Suggested Time: 2 to 3 hours of class time is recommended to present this chapter.
I. Chapter Question 1: What are the four diversity dimensions and which ones do
you most strongly identify with?
Permanent Dimension
II. Chapter Question 2: How has ethnic and religious diversity evolved in the
United States beginning with Christopher Columbus?
Population Diversity Growth
III. Chapter Question 3: What are the most common types of workplace
discrimination and which laws govern them?
Gender Discrimination Issues
Pay Inequality
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IV. Chapter Question 4: What are some of the best operational practices for
managing diversity?
Competitive Advantages of Diversity Management
V. Chapter Question 5: Which of the diversity workshops do you think is most
meaningful and how would you conduct it?
Who Are You?
Us vs Them
CHAPTER 8 SUPPORTING MATERIALS
Textbook Inserts
Ethical Dilemma Analysis
• What Would You Do: Sexual Harassment Advice
Tables and Figures, and Surveys
• Figure 8.1: Diversity Dimensions
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• Table 8.6: Communication Styles
Self-Assessment
• Self-Assessment 8.1: Empathy
Thematic Boxes
• Up for Debate: Affirmative Action
CHAPTER QUESTION 1: WHAT ARE THE FOUR DIVERSITY DIMENSIONS AND
WHICH ONES DO YOU MOST STRONGLY IDENTIFY WITH?
Diversity is a complex concept. Respecting the diverse aspects of people goes beyond the factors
that fall under the purview of the EEOC.
• Every person is diverse in multiple ways. Each aspect of diversity can contribute to
improving organizational performance or be the source of detrimental prejudices and
PERMANENT DIMENSION
• The permanent dimension refers to physical attributes or inclinations people are born
with and do not change over time.
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EVOLVING DIMENSION
• Evolving dimensions include age, height, weight, religion, education, physical ability,
PERSONALITY DIMENSION
• As discussed in Chapter 4, personality theorists and researchers have reached a general
consensus on a “Big Five Personality Model” consisting of five different personality
ORGANIZATIONAL DIMENSION
• Organizational characteristics—which can be either unchanging or evolving—include
hierarchical status, work content, department, and seniority.
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SELF-CATEGORIZATION THEORY
• 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.
• People usually form group coalitions based on race and ethnicity—characteristics that
reflect their family and neighborhood demographics—and then by gender within the
race/ethnicity grouping.
o Caucasians, for instance, tend to associate with Caucasians. Among Caucasians,
• Workplace segregation can reinforce prejudices toward members of other groups, which
contributes to communication breakdowns, high conflict, low morale, reduced
productivity, and potential lawsuits.
DISCUSSION ACTIVITY
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Have students experience the “Who Are You?” exercise in Table 8.3. Examine how the diversity
dimensions impact who they are, and discuss the results in small groups, using the questions
below.
2. Describe your evolving dimensions (i.e., age, height, weight, religion, education, physical
ability, marital status, income level, and geographic location).
CHAPTER QUESTION 2: HOW HAS ETHNIC AND RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY
EVOLVED IN THE UNITED STATES BEGINNING WITH CHRISTOPHER
COLUMBUS?
POPULATION DIVERSITY GROWTH
When Christopher Columbus arrived on the shores of the Dominican Republic in 1492 the land
mass eventually named the United States served as home to an estimated 10 million indigenous
people.
• Population demographics changed dramatically over the next 500 years.
Columbus To 1790
• The transformation from an indigenous to a nonindigenous population occurred through
waves of new immigrants seeking to improve their living conditions, except for African
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• Columbus’s arrival led to a confrontation between social groups. Indigenous people did
not welcome Christopher Columbus with open arms, or vice versa. Differences in race,
ethnicity, religion, and language contributed to mistrust. Trading goods between the two
groups was soon followed by European conquest and enslavement of the indigenous
inhabitants with the aid of more powerful military technology.
Union address in 1790.
1800s TO 2010
• Beginning 1830, the federal government welcomed more British, Germans, and French
immigrants to help settle the expanding nation.
• Chinese began arriving in the mid-1800s, drawn by the allure of getting rich from the
California Gold Rush and jobs building the transcontinental railroad.
• They were followed by poverty-stricken Swedes, Norwegians, and Italians. Each ethnic
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fleeing religious persecution in Russia and Europe, followed by Muslim Lebanese and
Syrians.
• The annexation of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona added many Mexicans to the
American ethnic mosaic.
DISCRIMINATORY EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES
• 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.
Employment-At-Will Doctrine
• Businesses operated under the employment-at-will doctrine which allowed employers
and employees to end an employment relationship for any reason, or “at will,” so long as
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United States Race/Gender Presidential Leadership 2008
• The United States has evolved to the point where Barack Obama, an African American
born to a Caucasian mother and Kenyan father, won the presidency in 2008, a diversity
accomplishment many believed impossible to achieve just a few decades earlier during
ILLEGAL (UNDOCUMENTED) IMMIGRANTS
• A contentious aspect of local, state, and national law is the treatment of undocumented,
or illegal, immigrants.
• For the working poor and politically oppressed born in other nations, the United States
• Estimated 10.5 to 12 million illegal (or undocumented) immigrants were living in the
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U.S., 3.4 percent of the total population.
• They typically perform low-skilled and low-paid jobs. California, Arizona, and Nevada
have the highest percent of undocumented laborers, whose children and families have
overwhelmed some schools and state and local social services.
DISCUSSION ACTIVITY
In 1964 African Americans had to sit at the back of a bus, could not stay in “white only” hotels,
could not drink from “white only” water fountains, or eat at “white only” restaurants. In the late
CHAPTER QUESTION 3: WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON TYPES OF
WORKPLACE AND WHICH LAWS GOVERN THESE?
Every employee should feel comfortable at work, and every customer and supplier should feel
DISCUSSION ACTIVITY
The Implicit Attitude Test (IAT) helps people understand unconscious prejudices they might
hold toward people belonging to other groups. The IAT is a 10-minute reaction time test. Have
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WORKPLACE DISCRIMINATION
• Individuals discriminate all the time. To discriminate means to make a distinction among
possible options.
• Two prominent ethical principles must guide decision making when making distinctions
among people at the workplace: fairness and respect for others.
• When differentiating among job candidates, or choosing which employee to assign a job
task or promote, make sure that the decision-making rule being applied is fair and
respectful.
o When hiring, it is ethical and legal to discriminate based on previous job experience,
GENDER DISCRIMINATION
• Gender discrimination refers to treating an employee differently because of his or her
gender.
• Among CEO’s of 329 large companies surveyed, 87 percent listed gender equality among
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women are cold during summer and hot during winter.
o Stereotypes of women include being too physically weak, too sensitive, or too polite
to perform certain job tasks.
o Men are stereotyped as being aggressive, less emotionally vulnerable, and task-
DISCUSSION ACTIVITY
Have students answer, debate, or discuss the VisionQuest 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.
PAY INEQUALITY
• The Equal Pay Act of 1963 prohibits pay discrimination based solely on gender
considerations.
• Men and women must receive equal pay for equal work.
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• According to 2018 Bureau of Labor report, on average, females earn approximately 81
percent of male salaries.
• Globally, women earn 77 percent of what men earn
• A variety of explanations other than gender discrimination may explain these earning
differentials:
o Career pattern choices: Women, in general, choose less-prestigious careers that have
lower market wage rates, such as nursing, secretarial work, sales associates, and
o Seniority factor: Large numbers of women have only recently entered some highly
paid occupations, so they are not yet earning the highest wage scale.
o Job demand choices: Women choose less demanding jobs that allow for more
workplace flexibility to care for family and household needs, and pay less.
DISCUSSION ACTIVITY
Have students interview five women they know, including, if possible, their mothers, and ask the
women about the career choices they made after college: Did the amount of pay influence their
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GLASS CEILING
• 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.
o There seems to be an invisible barrier preventing women from climbing to the top of
organizational hierarchies, which is why the phenomenon is called a “glass” ceiling.
• In 2019, women accounted for
o 48 percent of entry level positions
REVERSE DISCRIMINATION
• 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.
PREGNANCY
Pregnancy Discrimination Act
• In 1978, Congress passed the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA) to protect the civil
rights of pregnant women. The PDA classified discrimination based on pregnancy,
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on maternity leave.
• The PDA ensured that women experiencing pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical
conditions would be treated the same as an employee with an illness or temporary
disability.
• The PDA requires that employers provide appropriate job accommodations for pregnant
Family and Medical Leave Act
• The PDA did not require that any specific amount of leave be extended to childbearing
women beyond existing company policies.
• Congress passed the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) of 1993 in part to address
• The FMLA applies to all state, local, and federal employers, as well as private sector
firms which employ 50 or more workers.
• An employee must have worked at least 1,250 hours during the previous 12 months to be
eligible for coverage.
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DISCUSSION ACTIVITY
Assign group membership by gender and ask students to answer the following questions
independently and then share in group:
1. Should a woman interviewing for a job who is 2 months pregnant inform the interviewer
about her pregnancy? Why or why not?
RACE AND ETHNICITY DISCRIMINATION ISSUES
• Racial and ethnic discrimination refers to treating an employee differently because of his
or her race or ethnicity.
• It is illegal to discriminate in job assignments and promotions based on an individual’s
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RELIGIOUS DISCIMINATION ISSUES
• Religious discrimination refers to treating an employee differently because of his or her
religious beliefs.
• Job assignments, promotions, and terminations cannot be determined based on religious
reasons.
• Employers are also expected to provide flexible scheduling for religious holidays and
respect religious clothing and grooming policies.
• An employer cannot forbid an employee from wearing a Jewish yarmulke, Sikh turban,
AGE DISCRIMINATION ISSUES
• Age discrimination refers to treating an employee differently because of his or her age.
• The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) of 1967 prohibits dismissing, or
not promoting, anyone age 40 or older because the individual is considered “too old” for
the job.
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• Common age-related stereotypes include older employees being less productive, less
physically and technologically capable, and less motivated to work hard. Research has
discredited these age stereotypes.
• The researchers, however, have found three age-related differences: older employees
DISABILITY DISCRIMINATION ISSUES
• In 2020, approximately 50 million Americans had a physical or mental disability, of
whom 19.3 percent were employed.
• Historically, citizens with physical and mental disabilities have been discriminated
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• In 2008, the ADA definition expanded to include obesity.
• According to the ADA, factors that an employer can take into account to determine the
reasonableness of an accommodation are:
o The nature and cost of the accommodation
SEXUAL ORIENTATION DISCRIMINATION ISSUES
• Homosexuality exists in all cultures and throughout history.
• 2018 Gallup poll reported that 9.4 million American adults, 4.5 percent of the adult
homosexuality is defined and confidentiality concerns of survey respondents.
• In 2010, federal government extended FLMA to care for sick or newborn children of
same-sex partners.