Unintended Negative Effects of Diversity Management

“…Businesses with effective diversity management programs benefit from them in many ways including improved recruiting, superior problem-solving, and even expanded customer base (Cox, 1994;Robinson & Dechant, 1997;Von Bergen et al, 2002). Conversely, organizations that fail to make their diverse workforces feel supported and appreciated are likely to experience higher turnover (Cox, 1994) and may be liable to court sanctions because the lack of such support resulted in discrimination or harassment (Robinson & Dechant, 1997;Von Bergen et al, 2002). This argument positively correlates managerial support for diversity with its benefits.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can Diversity Training Discriminate? Backlash to Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Diversity Initiatives

Kaplan

2006

Employ Respons Rights J

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A growing number of companies are including lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) issues as part of their diversity initiatives and training. A potential problem with including LGB issues is the backlash from some employees who believe that such orientations are wrong. Further, given existing civil rights legislation it is not unreasonable for these employees to feel that their religious beliefs should be accommodated. This requires the organization to carefully balance the rights of religious objectors to such training while providing adequate support for LGB employees. This paper analyzes three cases where employees felt they were discriminated against because of their belief systems. In addition to identifying the key factors that led to the feelings of discrimination, the paper offers suggestions to prevent future occurrences.

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“…Most diversity programs focus on historical prejudices (Von Bergen, Soper, & Foster, 2002) and assume that bias is intentional (Jackson & Joshi, 2010;Kalev, Dobbins, & Kelly, 2006). Future diversity training programs should use evidence from social and behavioral science on what bias is and how it functions.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Traditional forms of diversity training typically focus on historical prejudices, with the assumption being that White people and men are the problem (for race and gender respectively; for a review see Von Bergen, Soper, & Foster, 2002). As a result, this type of training may produce reactance and defensiveness among Whites and men.…”

Section: Motivation To Address Automatic Biasmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Research has shown that most diversity training programs focus on historical prejudices (Von Bergen, Soper, & Foster, 2002) and assume that bias is intentional (Jackson & Joshi, 2010;Kalev, Dobbins, & Kelly, 2006). In addition, many organizations have mandatory participation in diversity training (SHRM, 2010).…”

Section: Automatic Bias Education Differentially Impact Social Groupsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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From Learning to Doing: The Effects of Educating Individuals on the Pervasiveness of Bias

Joy-Gaba

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Despite many trying to be egalitarian in social judgment, discrimination still occurs. One reason for the discrepancy between values and behavior may be the "bias blind spot" (Pronin & Kugler, 2007), which suggests that individuals more easily recognize bias in others than they recognize in themselves. Many people believe that they are objective and impartial and, as a consequence, falsely conclude that they are immune to biased judgments based on social group memberships. The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate whether providing experiential education about one"s own biases can shift beliefs about bias and social behavior. Study 1 and 2 examined the immediate and long-term impact on beliefs about bias of an interactive lecture about how biases are an ordinary part of human thinking. Study 2 also assessed whether bias education predicts change in social judgments in which biases could be expressed and whether the components of beliefs about bias relate to other social attitudes and beliefs. Study 3 and 4 experimentally compared a shortened version of the automatic bias education to already established interventions. Finally, Studies 5-6 explored whether the shortened version of the education was effective. Results revealed that the original automatic bias education, and not the shortened version, was effective in changing people"s beliefs about bias in the short and long-term. However, this automatic bias education was not able to influence participants" automatic and self-reported racial attitudes or judgments in a stereotyping task.iii

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Unintended Negative Effects of Diversity Management

Cited by 104 publications

References 4 publications

Best Practices for Managing Organizational Diversity

Best Practices for Managing Organizational Diversity

Can Diversity Training Discriminate? Backlash to Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Diversity Initiatives

From Learning to Doing: The Effects of Educating Individuals on the Pervasiveness of Bias

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