Relationship between managerial values and hiring preferences in the context of the six decades of affirmative action in India

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between managerial values and preference for hiring of low caste and female job candidates in the context of the six decades of affirmative action in India.Design/methodology/approachA sample of managers from India filled in a questionnaire indicating their beliefs and values concerning the Indian reservation system, social activism and minority employment. Subjects also made hiring choices in a simulated decision environment.FindingsFindings indicate that managers were marginally in favour of hiring minority candidates and that their values and beliefs concerning minority employment of low caste and female job candidates were mixed.Research limitations/implicationsThe study used self‐reported questionnaires, and the sample size was small. Future studies are recommended to overcome the limitations.Practical implicationsManagers responsible for making hiring decisions should be trained and educated in the need for equity, justice and diversity in the workplace.Originality/valueThis investigation provides empirical evidence linking managerial beliefs and values to hiring preferences of minority job candidates.

Are women from Venus? A mixed-method study determining important predictors of job pursuit intention across gender groups

“…Aspects of discrimination are pervasive in Indian organizations. These manifest as wage inequalities, negative attitudes, gender role stereotyping, discriminatory hiring practices, need to demonstrate continuity commitment and work harder than male counterparts (Saha, 2012; Singh and Pandey, 2019). In the face of continued discrimination, females may continue to voluntarily opt-out of the workforce, thereby continuing the downtrend of female representation seen in the Indian workforce.…”

“…In this regard, Ng and Sears (2017) found that female applicants' recruitment practices are positively associated with female member's career advancement in organizations. Studies on India's hiring practices indicate that India's hiring managers perceive female candidates to be less competent and confident, even if the organization follows affirmative actions to increase gender representation (Saha, 2012). In fact, adverse reactions are seen in response to affirmative action legislation, as the legislation is perceived as unfair (Kaushiva and Joshi, 2020; Saha, 2012).…”

“…This role congruity theory leads to the endorsement of gender stereotyping in permissible occupations for the genders (Evans and Diekman, 2009). These manifest in deeply entrenched employment discrimination practices on gender dimensions in India (Saha, 2012).…”

“…Gender-based discrimination is so deeply entrenched in the workplace that women choose not to return to the same job type or industry (Kaushiva and Joshi, 2020), or they drop out of the workforce, preferring to conform to the role stereotyping. During recruitment, women are perceived as less competent and confident than their male counterparts (Saha, 2012). Female managers in India feel they need to work harder to prove their performance while receiving less organizational support (Singh and Pandey, 2019).…”

Linking values and ideologies: a scale of managerial social responsibility values

“…Therefore, in addition to this ongoing debate in the interface of divergence, convergence and crossvergence perspectives, some studies focus on the effects of factors such as membership in business associations (Aycan and Kirmanoglu, 2007), organisational size (Askun et al , 2010), organisational climate (Wallace et al , 1999), functional areas (Petrick and Scherer, 1993), age (Mellahi and Guermat, 2004) and gender (Hamidullah et al , 2015). On the other hand, there are numerous studies that try to address the influence of managerial values over managerial success (England and Lee, 1974), firm success in terms of firm’s customer responsiveness and export performance (Sousa et al , 2010), decision making (Palmer et al , 1981; Ralston et al , 1993b), leadership (Groves and LaRocca, 2012; Pastor and Mayo, 2008; Russell, 2001; Selvarajah et al , 2013), conflict management style (Ma et al , 2012), managerial views on company politics (Zahra, 1989), managerial compensation (Adams and Giannetti, 2012), performance management (Keleş and Aycan, 2011; McGuire et al , 2006), hiring decisions (Saha, 2012) or human resource practices (Amba-Rao et al , 2000). Managerial values towards CSR have surely constituted a significant stream in this research area.…”