Diversity Management Grp4

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Diversity Management :Benefits and challenges

A study in the IT industry

Thesis Submitted by:

Group 4

Rohit Dash 165

Saumyadeep Mazoomdar 175

Shreshth Raitani 185

Vikranth Singh 215Seema Devi 235

Srikant Gundabolu 195


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Diversity Management: Benefits & Challenges Group 4 | 2

Contents

INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................... 3

LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................................................... 4

The Paradox of Diversity Management, Creativity and Innovation .................................................... 4

Racial Diversity, Business Strategy, and Firm Performance.......................................................... 5

Inequality Regimes Gender, Class, and Race in Organizations ........................................................... 7

Managing Cultural Diversity: Implications for Organizational Competitiveness......................... 8

Racial Diversity, Age Diversity, Interdependence, and Team Performance ............................... 10

OBJECTIVE ............................................................................................................................................. 11

ANALYSIS ............................................................................................................................................... 11

CONCLUSION ......................................................................................................................................... 12

LOGS ...................................................................................................................................................... 13

Response #1:Mahesh Babu (Senior System Engineer) Infosys ............................................ 13

Response #2: Eshita Malhotra (Senior Software Engineer) Infosys ...................................... 15

Response #3: Manoj Kumar Panda (Senior System Engineer) Infosys ................................ 17

Response #4: Mahendra Singh (Senior Software Engineer) Infosys..................................... 19

Response #5: Rakesh Shukla (Senior Software Engineer) TCS ............................................ 21

Response #6: Somrita Saha(Senior Software Engineer) TCS ............................................... 23

Response #7: Uvui Agarwal (Senior Software Engineer) Accenture .................................... 25

Response #8: Sarath Galimlu(Senior Software Engineer) TCS ............................................ 27

Response #9: Parnya Singhania (Senior Software Engineer) Accenture ............................. 29

Response #10: Liza Goswami (Senior Software Engineer) Accenture ................................. 31

REFERENCES ................................................................................................................................... 33


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Diversity Management: Benefits & Challenges Group 4 | 3

INTRODUCTION

Workplace diversity is a major concern for employers these days .The workplace is

becoming more diverse as it's become more global, with new cultures that have the right

talent for organizational growth. Companies are starting to use diversity programs to create

an open work culture but are having trouble measuring success. The aspects of diversity

that are most important to employers are gender (73 percent), cultural (44 percent), racial

(29 percent) and age (28 percent).

The advantages of workplace diversity are

It builds your employer brand. Having a diverse workforce makes your company

more interesting, people can expect to learn more from your employees and you can

attract better talent from around the world. A company that has a strong diversity

program will have a good reputation because it will be seen as having fair

employment practices.

It increases creativity. When you bring a variety of different people from various

backgrounds together, you'll end up getting better solutions to business problems. If

you don't have a diverse workplace, you might not be able to tackle problem the

best way.

It encourages personal growth. Employees, especially younger ones, are striving to

use their corporate experience to learn and grow their careers. This is a major

advantage to workplace diversity because it can help employees learn new ideas,

perspectives and connect intellectually and personally to different people.

It makes employees think more independently. If you have similar people at a

company, it will be harder to solve complex problems. One study by Katherine

Phillips, a professor at Kellogg, shows that by even adding one employee from adifferent background can get people out of their comfort zones and thinking

different about a situation.


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Diversity Management: Benefits & Challenges Group 4 |

LITERATURE REVIEW

4

LITERATURE REVIEW

The Paradox of Diversity Management, Creativity and Innovation( Nigel Bassett-Jones, Diversity Management, Creativity And Innovation, Volume 14 Number 2 ,2005,pp.169-175)

Review

Diversity management is a planned effort by an organization to recruit and retain

employees of diverse background and abilities to leverage on the diversity for competitive

advantage.

Managers operating in a high-commitment context face a dilemma. They can either seek to

harness diversity in order to promote creativity and innovation or they can ignore thediversity dimension, within the constraints of the law. If they are successful in embracing

diversity, then organizational agility, founded upon creativity and innovation (Cox and Blake,

1991).

The paper argues that diversity can be a source of creativity and competitive advantage but

if not managed properly can lead to misunderstanding, suspicion and conflict in the

workplace that can

Result in absenteeism, poor quality, low morale and loss of competitiveness. Thus firms

seeking to derive competitive advantage out of diversity in t he workplace are faced with a

paradoxical situation.

There is conflicting evidence about the relation between diversity and competitive

advantage. On the one hand diversity damages cohesiveness leading to group-ism on the

other hand diversity introduces creativity and innovation.

There are two distinct challenges to achieve competitive advantage the technical

challenge and the human challenge. The creativity and innovation from diverse team

members helps to meet the technical challenge but the human challenge is augmented by

the need to diffuse ideas and get buy in.

With diverse team members the team is less likely to adopt the first solution so multiple

solutions will be brought up and the credibility of each proposal will be critically evaluated

by the most optimum solution is likely to be adopted. New innovations will grow from the

diverse experience and perception of the team members and they are also not likely to be

risk averse. But there is also the risk that the meetings end up with discord and no solution

is reached.

To effectively leverage on the diversity of the team the management must build trust and

sensitivity among the team members with respect for each others strengths and

weaknesses. This has been shown to enhance creativity and problem solving skills .They


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LITERATURE REVIEW

5

have a broader knowledge pool and network of contacts making diverse teams more

responsive to changes in environment .

If the management fails to do this there is prevalent dissatisfaction and detachment from

the work environment leading to groupism, absenteeism and summary decline in

productivity.

In conclusion the writer says that a diverse team is a melting pot of diverse ideas and

capabilities .The management needs to contain this combustible cocktail of creative

tension in a multilayered approach.

The outer layer should have carefully crafted HR policies pertaining to recruitment reward

and career progression that maintains a equitable work environment for diverse individuals.

The inner layer consists of an able leadership who is sensitive to diversity and has the

emotional intelligence and commitment to build relationships with the diverse members of

his team and form a cohesive force binding the team.

Racial Diversity, Business Strategy, and Firm Performance(Orlando C. Richard, The Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 43, No. 2 (Apr., 2000), pp. 164-177)

Review

The main objective of this research paper was to examine the relationship between racial

diversity, business strategy, and firm performance.

This research departs from other research studying diversity at the individual and group

level in that it investigated the impact of diversity at the firm level. A resource-based view

of the firm was used to cover the entire human capital pool to assess cultural diversity at

firm level. Resources offer a big competitive edge to the firms. Strategic human resource

management (SHRM) is a means of gaining competitive advantage through one of a

company's most important assets: its people. Cultural diversity in human capital serves as a

source of sustained competitive advantage because it creates value that is both difficult to

imitate and rare. This leads to the first hypothesis.

Hypothesis 1- Racial diversity will be positively associated with firm performance

We can examine the performance impact that cultural diversity has on firms employing a

given business strategy. Companies adopting a growth strategy can benefit from market-

related advantages obtained from cultural diversity. As racioethnic populations increase as a

proportion of the total population, it is beneficial for the companies to adjust their human

resource mix to reflect the target market they are attempting to reach. A growth strategy

can also consist of acquiring additional business divisions. A business pursuing a growth


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LITERATURE REVIEW

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strategy needs employees who are flexible in their thinking and who are not likely to be

concerned about departing from the status quo.

Also research has shown that although diversity in human resources may contribute to the

quality of ideas, it also creates additional costs stemming from increased coordination and

control. The additional costs associated with diversity would be detrimental for downsizing

firms. From this the following hypothesis was derived:

Hypothesis 2.-The relationship between racial diversity and a firm's performance will be

moderated by business strategy: Higher racial diversity will be positively related to firm

performance when the firm pursues a growth strategy and negatively related to firm

performance when the firm pursues a downsizing strategy.

The author in order to test both the hypothesis conducted a sample study. Sample of 574

banks from California, Kentucky, and North Carolina was drawn. The independent variablesconsidered by him were:

Level of racial diversity-Data from EEO-1 Standard forms were used to identify possible

patterns of discrimination in particular organizations or segments of the workforce.

Growth strategy- Asset growth for the fiscal years 1994 and 1995 was taken directly from

the She shun off Bank Search database

Controls.-Eight control variables were used which were firm size, whether the bank was a

part of a holding company, two dummy variables for state differences, racial diversity index,the degree of loan portfolio diversity, geographic scope and an attitudinal measure

concerning diversity.

Data was collected on all the above parameters and statistical tools like ANNOVA,

Correlations and hierarchical regression analysis were applied on them. No support was

found for hypothesis one but a strong support was found for the hypothesis two.

So finally it was concluded that the effects of racial diversity on the bottom line depends on

the strategies a firm pursues and by how organization leaders and participants respond to

and manage diversity. The results also highlight the importance of human capital as a

strategic asset and reflect the value of people in firms and their role in obtaining

competitive advantage for organizations.


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LITERATURE REVIEW

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Inequality Regimes Gender, Class, and Race in Organizations(Joan Acker, Gender and Society, Vol. 20, No. 4 (Aug., 2006), pp. 441-464,)

Review

The gendering of organizations and organizational practices between women and men

continue in the face of numerous attempts to erase such inequalities. Managers were

almost always men; the lower-level white-collar workers were always women. The

managerial ranks now contain women in many organizations, but secretaries, clerks,

servers, and care providers are still primarily women.

The steepest hierarchies are found in traditional bureaucracies in contrast to the idealizedflat organizations with team structures, in which most, or at least some, responsibilities and

decision-making authority are distributed among participants. Flat team structures provide

professional women more equality and opportunity than hierarchical bureaucracies, but

only if the women function like men.

In interviews we learned that male employees were more visible to male managers than

were female employees. Women employees may be expected to behave and dress as

sexually attractive women, particularly with male customers. Organizational restructuring of

the past 30 years has contributed to increasing variation in inequality regimes.

Restructuring, new technology, and the globalization of production contribute to rising

competitive pressures in private-sector organizations and budget woes in public-sector

organizations, making challenges to inequality regimes less likely to be undertaken than

during the 1960s to the 1980s.


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LITERATURE REVIEW

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Managing Cultural Diversity: Implications for Organizational

Competitiveness(Taylor Cox, Jr.,The Executive, Vol. 5, No. 3 (Aug., 1991), pp. 45-56)

Review

India is known for its rich culture and heritage. With the advent of MNCs and increased

literacy rate people from all over the country and world are working on common platform

.Thus cultural diversity has increased in organizations..

Diversity brings substantial potential benefits such as better decision making, greater

creativity and innovation, and more successful marketing to different types of customers.

But increased cultural differences within a workforce also bring potential costs in higher

turnover, interpersonal conflict, and communication breakdowns. These are the factors

which a manager needs to manage. Now few questions arises as

What are the characteristics of such an organization, and how do they differ from those of

the past? What mechanisms are available to facilitate such a change

This article addresses these questions. It has used adaptation of the societal-integration

model developed by Milton Gordon, as well as available information on the early experience

of American organizations with managing diversity initiatives, to construct a model of the

multicultural organization

It also describes a model for understanding the required features of a multicultural

organization and reviews tools that pioneering companies have found useful in changingorganizations toward the multicultural model.

Gordon's seven dimensions are:

1. Form of acculturation

2. Degree of structural assimilation

3. Degree of intergroup marriage

4. Degree of prejudice

5. Degree of discrimination

6. Degree of identification with the dominant group of the host society

7. Degree of intergroup conflict (especially over the balance of power)

These can be studied in various types of organizations.


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LITERATURE REVIEW

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Types of Organizations

Three organization types discussed:

The monolithic organization, the plural organization and the multicultural organization and

various model dimensions are as follows.

I .Pluralism Objective/s: -create a two-way socialization process ensure influence of

minority-culture perspectives on core organization norms and values. Managing/valuing

diversity (MVD) training

II. Full Structural Integration Objective/s -no correlation between culture-group identity and

job status

III. Integration in Informal Networks Objective/s liminate barriers to entry and participation

IV. Cultural Bias Objective/s eliminate discrimination eliminate prejudice

V. Organizational Identification -no correlation between identity group and levels of

organization identification

VI. Intergroup Conflict Objective/s -minimize interpersonal conflict based on group-identity -

minimize backlash by dominant-crroup members Tools

Thus we see that increased diversity presents challenges to business leaders who must

maximize the opportunities that it presents while minimizing its costs. To accomplish this,

organizations must be transformed from monolithic or plural organizations to a

multicultural model. The multicultural organization is characterized by pluralism, full

integration of minority-culture members both formally and informally, an absence of

prejudice and discrimination, and low levels of inter-group conflict; all of which should

reduce alienation and build organizational identity among minority group members. The

organization that achieves these conditions will create an environment in which allmembers can contribute to their maximum potential, and in which the "value in diversity"

can be fully realized.


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LITERATURE REVIEW

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Racial Diversity, Age Diversity, Interdependence, and Team Performance(THOMAS A. TIMMERMAN, Small Group Research, Vol. 31 No. 5(October 2000),pp. 592-606)

Review

Task interdependence moderates relation between age diversity and team performance.

The effects of age diversity are studied on a large number of professional sports teams

belonging to baseball and basketball. The reason behind choosing these two sports is to

identify the age diversity performance relationship between two sports where there is high

and low interdependence among the team members.

Another reason behind choosing professional sports is the objectivity with which the results

could be verified in terms of sports like the team and individual performance unlike cases

where subjectivity creeps into pictures where superiors rate their subordinates

The results show that the relation between team composition and team performance is

moderated by task interdependence.

In case of baseball where there is less interdependence between players age diversity didnt

affect the team performance significantly. This goes in sync with the hypothesis that as

interaction is less the effect of age diversity on team performance is less.

In case of basketball the results indicate that during the initial two time periods in

consideration effect of age is negligible on performance but had negative effect on theperiod from 1981-1997.The negative effect on performance seems to be a phenomenon

which evolved recently and calls for further research.

However, we can try to relate this with one of the concepts given in the article that teams

with more age diversity has less emotional conflicts as people tend to compare their

achievements with those who are in the same age group as them. But, in case of the last

time period of basketball it could have happened that players started to demarcate their

age gap and compared their achievements with other members of the team resulting in

emotional conflicts with self or among group resulting in lower performance.


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OBJECTIVE

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OBJECTIVE

The objective of this thesis is to understand the benefits and challenges of diversity in an

organization .

We have conducted a survey among IT professional to confirm the learning we had from the

literature review of experts

ANALYSIS

The questions were set keeping in mind the articles that we read and following is the

analysis for all the cases:-

A diverse team ensures that multiple ideas are suggested and critically evaluated to reach

the best possible the solution .But there often is conflict among team members which must

be resolved to take a decision and be productive.

A diverse team is more creative and productive when the diverse member trust each other

and are sensitive to each other's strengths and weaknesses .The management must engage

in team building activities to this end and provide am equitable work environment to

diverse employees to leverage the competitive advantage of diversity in the work place .

As per the article on Gender Diversity opportunities for women are less in traditional

bureaucracies and more in Flat team structures .The response to the question has also

revealed the same. IT sector having more of a Flat team structure gives more opportunity

for growth to women as compared to traditional bureaucracies. If we talk about career

progression, it depends more on the performance of individual than the gender .The job

roles that requires more interaction and coordination skills are given to women as they are

good in expressing ideas as mentioned in the article.

As per the article on Racial Diversity ,the data received was very vague, but it had some

inclination towards the hypothesis 2 that was stated in the article. So the conclusion can be

made that the effect of racial diversity on a firm depends on the firms strategy, but we

would also like to put forth precautionary note that a sample of 10 is very small to come to

any conclusion.

Organization are multicultural. Employees working there belong to difference culture and

background .They are brought up in different environment and thus have different value

system and evolved different culture over the period of time.


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CONCLUSION

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It was observed from the responses that one major aspect at which most of their

respondents agree with is that having age diversity in a team brings in diverse ideas.

But another point put forth which is not touched upon in the study is the possible delay

in the implementation of task. Regarding the possible friction within the team because of

diverse age profile, one positive aspect everyone seems to have agreed is the diverseamount of inputs which comes in a team having age diversity. On the other hand team

co-ordination seems to be one aspect about which everyone is worried about in case of age

diversity which was not touched upon in the article. Though more or less most of the

aspects in the article are found true there are some deviations like the one where some

people found that having less age diversity is more favorable.

CONCLUSIONManagers need to align their efforts in such a way that they can get maximum benefit for

multicultural environment without any conflict. From the survey we conducted we can

conclude that mangers did not face much challenges in dealing with people from different

culture rather they enjoyed working .Thus they didnt feel any need to follow specific model

or they are not aware of it. But few are very concerned and see as opportunity to maximize

their business.


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LOGS

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LOGS

Response #1:Mahesh Babu (Senior System Engineer) Infosys(called 9thAug13 5:30pm)

Q1) What is your view on the productivity of teams having diverse members in terms of

age, gender, race and culture ?

Productivity of the team increases as different members are able to bring in their

perspectives adding a new dimension to the solution.

Q2) Comment on the ease of working in a team with diverse team members as opposed to

a homogeneous team ?

Working in a homogeneous team is easier.

Q3)How can the organization use the strengths of diverse employees effectively?

Management should undertake trainings for team building.

Q4) How easy/tough was it to handle any conflicts (Emotional / Normal ) while working

with team members who are of your age, and those with whom you have significant

age difference ?

With people older than me generally they are the ones who take major initiative in case of

any issue and with younger people it was generally the other way around. But with people

of my age it was generally a bit tough to solve any issue because on will be waiting for the

other to strike a deal.

Q5) What are the various difficulties you faced while working on a task with high

interdependence on each other and there is a significant age difference among team

members?

It was difficult to co-ordinate in such case & also to keep everyone on the same page

Q6) What according to you are various positives and negatives of working in a team

with/without age (any one type or both the types based on your experience diversity?

A very subjective question and the answers depend on type of task handled to the team.

Q7) How is the racial diversity in your firm? Is it increasing /decreasing on a yoy basis?

I have no clue about the exact ratio, but if you take our Bangalore office then out of about 5000

employees we can assume 500 are from the US.


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LOGS

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Q8) What is the overall strategy of your firm, is it growth oriented or focuses on cost

cutting? Is it succeeding in its strategy?

The overall strategy is growth oriented and yes it is succeeding as last year the growth

achieved was around 30% which was a phenomenal success.

Q9) Is the attrition rate of your firm increasing or decreasing on a yoy basis?

Our firms attrition rate is more or less constant yoy.

Q10) Do you feel that women are at an equal footing with men in employment

opportunities?

Yes, especially IT sector is providing equal opportunity to both men and women

Q11) Do you feel that gender plays a part in carrier propagation opportunities ? Please

elaborate .

As women are good in managing things, they are usually given the responsibilities that

involves good coordination skills.

Q12) Do you feel gender has a part to play in the distribution of roles and authority in

teams ?

Yes, women are more preferred in career propagation as they manage things in better a

way.

Q13) what do you feel about a cultural diversity in your organization?

Yes as I am working in MNC, its very high in our organization.

Q14) what are the positive and negative implications of cultural diversity?

Sometimes conflict arises.

Q15) how do you deal with cultural diversity in your organization or team?

It involves a lot of coordination skills to deal with such diversity.


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LOGS

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Response #2: Eshita Malhotra (Senior Software Engineer) Infosys(called 11thAug13 2:30pm)

Q1) What is your view on the productivity of teams having diverse members in terms ofage gender race and culture?

Diverse teams help in taking the right decisions .We dont jump to conclusions but evaluate

every suggested alternative.


a homogeneous team?

Working in diverse teams needs conflict resolution skills. Homogeneous teams are easier to

work in .

Q3) How can the organization use the strengths of diverse employees effectively ?

There should be exercises that build trust and confidenceamong team members .

Q4) How easy/tough was it to handle any conflicts ( Emotional / normal ) while working


age difference ?

I haven't faced any difficulties as my seniors are generally very helpful



members ?

There are different sets of inputs didnt find any difficulty in such combination


with/without age ( any one type or both the types based on your experience diversity?

A healthy mix would be ideal and a tilt towards any side would either make the process slow

on time or on quality

Q7)How is the racial diversity in your firm? Is it increasing /decreasing on a yoy basis?

Yes the racial diversity can be said to be increasing as now days we are having trainees from all over

the globe in our office.


cutting ?Is it succeeding on its strategy?


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LOGS

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Our company has a growth strategy and It is performing consistently according to its

strategy.




opportunities ?

No, Women are still considered better for secretaries, clerks, servers, and care providers

jobs

Q11) Do you feel that gender plays a part in carrier propagation opportunities ?Please

elaborate

Women are considered more apt for client interactions


teams ?

Women are preferred when the just higher level authority is male dominated

Q13) What do you feel about a cultural diversity in your organization?

Its high in our organization

Q14) what are the positive and negative implications of cultural diversity ?

Its great to have people from different culture,we learn a lot about other cultures from

them.

Q15) How do you deal with cultural diversity in your organization or team?

My Team is highly cooperative ,never felt need to manage.


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LOGS

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Response #3: Manoj Kumar Panda (Senior System Engineer) Infosys(called 11thAug13 10:00am)

Q1) What is your view on the productivity of teams having diverse members in terms ofage gender race and culture ?

It is difficult to come to consensus. When egos get involved the decision making process

gets affected.


a homogeneous team?

It is difficult to work in diverse teams. There is no bonding among members


There should be incentives for team behavior and groupism should be discouraged.

Q4) How easy/tough was it to handle any conflicts (Emotional / normal) while working

with team members who are of your age, and those with whom you have significant age

difference ?

While working with different sets of people you always have that diversity and the mix of

fresh thoughts by people younger to me and experience bought by seniors


independence on each other and there is a significant age difference among team

members?

It was difficult to handle such scenarios as delay at one level has produced a lot of friction in

the team considering the significant age difference between the team members


with/without age (any one type or both the types based on your experience diversity?

Diverse ideas of experienced combined with energy of young are the positives. Havent seen

any major negatives

Q7.How is the racial diversity in your firm? Is it increasing /decreasing on a yoy basis?

No idea about the ratio, but I can easily assume that we have a very healthy diversity ratio.

Employee exchange across the globe leads to increase in racial diversity yoy.


cutting? Is it succeeding on its strategy?


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LOGS

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Our company had a growth strategy but due to saturation in the market it is focusing on

cost cutting(removing people on bench,giving less hike,etc).Yes you may be right, it is having

to spend more on recruiting people from across India.


The attrition rate I would say is decreasing, due to reduced bench strength, but I am not

sure.


opportunities ?

Yes, now women are equally skilled as men are, so recruiters are not taking gender as the

criteria for selecting them.

Q11) Do you feel that gender plays a part in carrier propagation opportunities ?Pleaseelaborate .

Creativity is more in women , so they are preferred for creative jobs whereas men are better

in handling stress situations


teams?

No, carrier propagation opportunities are dependent on company policies


Yes, its very high.


It is simultaneous learning along with job, really had some great experiences.


It depends on situation, sometimes there are conflicts then need to resolve them.


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LOGS

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Response #4:Mahendra Singh (Senior Software Engineer) Infosys(called 10thAug13 5:00pm)


Productivity is affected as there are conflicts which often remain unresolved .

Q2) Comment on the ease of working in a team with diverse team members as opposed

to a homogeneous team.

It is difficult to build rapport among team members in a diverse team .Working in a

homogeneous team is easier .


Team parties and outingings bring about trust within the team . A team that trust its

members works better .

Q4) How easy/tough was it to handle any conflicts ( emotional / normal ) while working


age difference ?

On the negative side, it is not fit for all policy with which you can approach problems in your

team



members ?

Found diverse inputs from every one compared to teams where there almost everyone is of

same age



The exuberance of youth properly guided by the experienced people is the positive thing

and possible miscommunications could be negative

Q7) How is the racial diversity in your firm? Is it increasing/decreasing on a yoy basis?

If south indians and north indians are of a different race then racial diversity is optimum in the

office.I would say more or less it is remaining constant yoy.


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LOGS

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cutting ?Is it succeeding in its strategy?

Our firm targets growth in minimal cost. The employees are evaluated on a half yearly basis

and may be removed after one warning on degrading performance.


Our firm has a great retention policy. People usually are not fired and also they do not leave

the firm.


opportunities ?

No, masculine jobs are still dominated by men like manufacturing sector. Women are very

less preferred there.

Q11) Do you feel that gender plays a part in carrier propagation opportunities? Please

elaborate.

No, roles and responsibilities are less impacted by gender diversity


teams ?

No, it depends on the individual competencies not the gender diversity


People from various states and cultures are joining the organisation and it is very enriching

to work with them.


Positive but it depends ,If one is introvert then he wont be able to take its benefits

Q15) How do you deal with cultural diversity in your organization or team ?

I have people from diverse culture ,thus always take care not to hurt anybodys feelings.


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LOGS

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Response #5: Rakesh Shukla (Senior Software Engineer) TCS(called 10thAug13 2:00pm)


Productivity of diverse teams are higher .Some times decisisions are delayed but wrong

decisions are not taken .



It is easier in a team with like minded people .


There should be workshops on team work and team building



age difference ?

I haven't had many issues with my superiors or colleagues of my age. But in case of

subordinates who generally tend to get upset after seeing their hikes/performance Review, I

talk to them personally and by explaining the constraints of the scenario.



members ?

It was a tedious task to convince the team in case of any issue and make them work as a

team.


with/without age ( any one type or both the types) based on your experience diversity?

Different kinds of inputs are the positive and slow working of the team is the negative.


We have a good amount of racial diversity which keeps on increasing.




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LOGS

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Our firm is on a growth strategy and it is also succeeding in it, but it has a very poor people

strategy as most of us have to slog long hours due to short timelines and lots of variety in

the job.


I dont know about the attrition but people are leaving the firm because of the reason I

stated in question number one.

.Q10) Do you feel that women are at an equal footing with men in employment

opportunities ?

Yes, as the female education level is rising, recruiters are treating women equally at par

with men.

Q11) Do you feel that gender plays a part in carrier propagation opportunities? .Pleaseelaborate.

Women are more sincere in the jobs they performed so they are generally preferred for

critical tasks


teams ?

As women are better in expressing the ideas ,they are preferred for interfacing roles .


Cultural diversity is very high in my organization, even we try to send people on certain

assignments abroad also.


One negative implication which I can remember is people often make groups and do not

mingle with others.


I see the big picture ,since I need to take care of new trainee as well as try to take care of

everybodys interest ,I think this is an important task for me.


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LOGS

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Response #6: Somrita Saha(Senior Software Engineer) TCS(called 10thAug13 6:30pm)

Q1) What is your view on the productivity of teams having diverse members in terms ofage, gender, race and culture ?

Productivity increases when there is trust within the team members otherwise it is adversely

affected .



Working in teams of like minded people is easier . There is bonhomie within the team


The diversity of the team should be respected and ample responsibility should be given to

all members so that they can contribute



age difference ?

Issues with elder/superiors are generally tougher to solve as it was a bit difficult to convey

our view point



members ?

Everyone had given their best in such case as no one wants to be free rider as there is lot of

interdependence on one another



Everyone in the team will have lot to learn from each other, the way this learning is directed

could be either positive or negative


I am not sure but I feel that our new director is more inclined towards recruiting more people from

his own state so though the diversity ratio was good it is getting worse day by day.


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Our firm is on a growth trajectory and its policy are alligned to support the same.




opportunities ?

No, women in rural area are still not getting equal employment opportunities

Q11) Do you feel that gender plays a part in carrier propagation opportunities ?Please

elaborate.

No, now a days roles are based upon the skills the employee possess


teams ?

No ,it totally depends on how well the person had performed in past

Q13) What do you feel about the cultural diversity in your organization?

Cultural diversity is very important .


I feel that it is an opportunity to work in multicultural organization.


It is very encouraging, I had always enjoyed with people from other culture.


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Response #7: Uvui Agarwal (Senior Software Engineer) Accenture(called 12thAug13 11:30am)


Productivity of teams with diverse members is generally higher if they work as a single team

,if different groups form within the team productivity drastically drops


to a homogeneous team?

Working in diverse teams has its challenges. Its easier to work with people of similar

backgrounds.


The manager must listen to every team member and try to be cohesive force that keeps the

team together.

Q4) How easy/tough was it to handle any conflicts (emotional / normal) while working

with team members who are of your age, and those with whom you have significant age

difference?

It was easier to convince people of your age when compared with people with those havingage diversity

Q5) what are the various difficulties you faced while working on a task with high


members?

Never found great difficulties in such cases as the complex are tasks are easily handled by

people having diverse ideas and thinking

Q6) What according to you are various positives and negatives of working in a teamwith/without age (any one type or both the types based on your experience diversity?

Team members supporting each other in tough situations as they have different set of

people to look up for. Couldnt see any major negative points .

Q7) How is the ratio of racial diversity in your firm? Is it increasing/ decreasing on a yoy

basis?

In our Gurgaon office we were generally having people from the north Indian side, but nowadays

more and more employees from the Bangalore office are joining in increasing the diversity level.


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Q8) what is the overall strategy of your firm , is it growth oriented or focuses on cost

cutting ? Is it succeeding in its strategy?

Our firm is more or less stable in its growth and it follows a people strategy which is

neither growth oriented neither leads to cost cutting.


Our attrition rate decreases on a yoy basis.


opportunities ?

No as the women are still considered more suitable for handling house hold responsibilities

then the office work

Q11) Do you feel that gender plays a part in carrier propagation opportunities .Please

elaborate ?

No, MNCs do not differentiate based upon gender while delegating roles and responsibilities


teams ?

Men are preferred for carrier propagation as they are more stable in their jobs as compared

to women


Cultural diversity totally depends the type of management the location has and also how

people are willing to relocate.


Implications are often positive ,we get chance to interact with people of different

background?

Q15) How do you deal with cultural diversity in your organization or team?.

Though I had never faced such differences but if I will face then I will go for certain group

activities which allow people of different group to common on common platform.


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Response #8: Sarath Galimlu(Senior Software Engineer) TCS(called 10thAug13 2:30pm)

Q1) What is your view on the productivity of teams having diverse members in terms ofage gender race and culture .

Diverse team members often bring out of the box solutions to the table . That adds to the

novelty of the solution and add to productivity .


to a homogeneous team

Working in a team with the diverse background is interesting .


Every member must be given equal opportunity to contribute so that one team member can

complement the weakness of another team member .



age difference ?

It is easier to handle any conflicts with people of your age but with people of significant age

difference it was a bit tough to manage.



members ?

Works got delayed in such setting as it was difficult for everyone to come to consensus

because of the diverse inputs everyone had.



A diverse set of inputs is the positive thing and delay in process because of the diverse

thinking could be the negative thing.

Q7) How is the racial diversity in your firm? Is it increasing /decreasing on a year on year

basis?

We are in regular touch with our onsite team over various mode of communication, so I feel we

have a good amount of racial diversity wholesome and it remains more or less constant yoy.


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cutting ? Is it succeeding on its strategy?

Our firm is on cost cutting strategy as it has removed many facilities like cab, previously

there was a north Indian and south Indian caterer but now there is only the north Indian

one giving great displeasure to our south Indian counterparts.


Our attrition rate is increasing on a yoy basis.


opportunities..

Yes and even women are getting more opportunities through various government

reservations schemes


elaborate

Some mangers are biased in distribution of roles and they provide advantage to females


teams .

Carrier propagation do require high visibility in workplace and women have edge in that

Q13) What do you feel about a cultural diversity in your organization.

Though its increasing overall but at my location I feel its very less.

Q14) what are the positive and negative implications of cultural diversity

Had some good experience when I was abroad, we learn to give respect to others culture

and values.

Q15) How do you deal with cultural diversity in your organization or team .

For me it becomes difficult to manage when people belong to certain group starts

communicating in their colloquial language.


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Response #9: Parnya Singhania (Senior Software Engineer) Accenture(called 12thAug13 5:00pm)


Productivity of diverse teams is higher .


to a homogeneous team ?

Working in a group of similar people is always easier

Q3) How can the organization use the strengths of diverse employees effectively?

The management should ensure that the tasks allocated to team members are according

to their diverse strengths and make everybody a part of the decision



age difference ?

Chances of conflicts with people who are younger is generally less & easier to handle as Iwas able to convince them but it was tough when similar situation comes with older people



members?

Co-ordination among different team members, particularly when one missed the time lines

and there was lot of unrest in such cases

Q6) What according to you are various positives and negatives of working in a teamwith/without age (any one type or both the types based on your experience) diversity?

Positives depend on the kind of task handled, but team co-ordination is a negative point

across all such scenarios

Q7) How is the racial diversity in your firm? Is it increasing/dereasing on a yoy basis?

Cant say about the ratio, but we are a global company where work is distributed across the globe

and taking that into consideration we have a very healthy racial diversity which remains more or less

constant on a yoy basis.


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cutting? Is it succeeding in its strategy?

Our firm has a growth oriented strategy and it is growing on a yoy basis.


Our efficient recruitment process helps us in attaining a low attrition rate which remains

more or less constant yoy.


opportunities?

No as the recruiters are still afraid of employing women who can take more leaves due to

many household responsibilities


elaborate ?

No , as guidelines are usually very clear regarding the criteria for distribution of roles and

responsibilities in our organizations


teams ?

No, gender dont plays a role as carrier propagation is usually a collective decision judgingemployees on various criteria


It is very broad term for me to comment But I think we have intra country as well inter

country diversity.


Sometimes positive and sometimes negative depends on situations.


I take it as very positive ,if there is some conflict between any group then we go for common

outing so that can be resolved.


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Response #10: Liza Goswami (Senior Software Engineer) Accenture(called 11thAug13 6:00pm)

Q1) What is your view on the productivity of teams having diverse members in terms of

age gender race and culture ?

Productivity of the diverse teams depends on t he bonding within the team .


to a homogeneous team

Diverse team members have their own personnel agendas and making harmony is a tough

task.

Q3) How can the organization use the strengths of diverse employees effectively?

The organization should have and equitable distribution of responsibilities and encourage

synergy among team members .

Q4) How easy/tough was it to handle any conflicts (emotional / normal ) while working


age difference ?

Personally speak with the concerned persons in case of any conflicts


independence on each other and there is a significant age difference among team member

?

Havent faced any major difficulties in such cases.



Wide range of ideas and rich experience of the team members is the positive thing.

Q7) How is the ratio of racial diversity in your firm? Is it increasing/decreasing on a yoy

basis?

Our firm believes in keeping people closer to their home town. Hence we have more or less a

homogeneous group of people in the firm.


cutting ?Is it succeeding on its strategy?


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REFERENCES

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Our firm has more or less a stable growth but I have no clue about its strategy.


The attrition rate is more or less constant.


opportunities ?

Yes ,women are performing equally good as their male counterparts


elaborate ?

No ,the recruitment process is same for both so distribution of roles and responsibilities is

also unbiased.


teams ?

No, carrier propagation is totally dependent on the past performance as various ratings are

considered while promoting employee and the ratings are independent of gender


Its not much in our location as more or less a homogeneous group of people in the firm.

Q14) what are the positive and negative implications of cultural diversity ?

Sometime negative as people often make groups and restrict themselves.


Never felt to manage ,I think organization policies are rich enough to deal with it..


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REFERENCES

The Paradox of Diversity Management, Creativity and Innovation

Nigel Bassett-Jones, Diversity Management, Creativity And Innovation, Volume 14 Number 2

,2005,pp.169-175

Racial Diversity, Business Strategy, and Firm Performance

Orlando C. Richard, The Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 43, No. 2 (Apr., 2000), pp. 164-177

Inequality Regimes Gender, Class, and Race in Organizations

Joan Acker, Gender and Society, Vol. 20, No. 4 (Aug., 2006), pp. 441-464

Managing Cultural Diversity: Implications for Organizational Competitiveness

Taylor Cox, Jr.,The Executive, Vol. 5, No. 3 (Aug., 1991), pp. 45-56

Racial Diversity, Age Diversity, Interdependence, and Team Performance

THOMAS A. TIMMERMAN, Small Group Research, Vol. 31 No. 5(October 2000),pp. 592-606

Documents

Diversity Management Grp4