MANAGING CONFLICT IN A DIVERSE WORKPLACE

SOME TYPICAL ISSUES THAT ARISE IN A DIVERSE WORKFORCE.

DIFFERENT WAYS OF FRAMING AND ADDRESSING THESE ISSUES

PURPOSE: SENSITIZE PARTIES. ENHANCE THEIR INTERACTIONS. ENHANCE THEIR LEARNING AND

PERFORMANCE

PERSPECTIVE 3

• WOMEN OFTEN FEEL EXCLUDED FROM INFORMAL CHANNELS OF INFORMATION, HELP, DECISION MAKING– LUNCH– SPORTS EVENTS– NIGHTS OUT ETC

• MEN MAY HESITATE TO INCLUDE WOMEN. MAY FEAR THAT IT MAY BE MISINTERPRETED

I. INTENTIONS AND PERCEPTIONS

• ANTOINETTE MAYER’S MULTIPLE IDENTITIES– HER PERCEPTIONS– HER BEHAVIOR– HER RESPONSIBILITIES

• JAY STRONG’S MULTIPLE IDENTITIES– HIS BEHAVIOR– HIS INTENTIONS– HIS RESPONSIBILITIES AS A BOSS

– THIRD PARTY???• OPTIONS

• PERCEPTIONS

PERSPECTIVE 1

• HALF THE MEN THINK WOMEN ARE FLATTERRED BY FLIRTING.

• 5% OF WOMEN AGREE

PERSPECTIVE 2

• WOMEN ARE MORE CONCERNED ABOUT

• THEY PERCEIVE A BIGGER THREAT OF ASSAULT

• BECAUSE THEY GET ASSAULTED MORE

• MEN ARE OFTEN SURPRISED BY WOMENS’ SENSITIVITY

PERSPECTIVE 3

• WOMEN OFTEN FEEL EXCLUDED FROM INFORMAL CHANNELS OF INFORMATION, HELP, DECISION MAKING– LUNCH– SPORTS EVENTS– NIGHTS OUT ETC

• MEN MAY HESITATE TO INCLUDE WOMEN. MAY FEAR THAT IT MAY BE MISINTERPRETED

PERSPECTIVE 4

• POLITE GESTURES

– GENEROUS BEHAVIOR

– MAY BE PERCEIVED AS “NICE”

– MAY ALSO BE PERCEIVED AS SUBTLE POWER PLAY• “I AM GRANTING THIS NOW, I CAN TAKE IT AWAY”

PERSPECTIVE 5

• GENDER DIFFERENCES ARE JUST BEING DISCOVERED

• MAN’S CONDUCT MAY OFTEN BE PERCEIVED AS THE “NORM”, “STANDARD”

• WOMEN’S ORIENTATION TOWARDS INTERDEPENDENCY AND RELATIONSHIPS MAY BE PERCEIVED AS “DEVIATION”

• THESE TWO ARE JUST GENDER DIFFERENCES. • WOMEN: 75/25 RELATIONSHIP/TASK BEHAVIOR• ONE OR THE OTHER IS NOT SUPERIOR OR MORE

PRODUCTIVE

II. POWER AND ACCESS

• NIKKI BLISS– MULTIPLE IDENTITIES– BEHAVIOR– PERCEPTIONS

• BERTRAM LAW– MULTIPLE IDENTITIES– BEHAVIOR– PERCEPTIONS

PERSPECTIVE 1

• WALL STREET:– HIGH INCOME POTENTIAL– 40% WOMEN. 4% PARTNERS/MANAGING DIRECTORS– OLD BOY NETWORK– GUYS SWAP FAVORS/ INFO– LEWD BEHAVIOR IS THE NORM– COMPLAIN; YOU GET BLACKBALLED– “WOMEN JUST DON’T BELONG HERE”

PERSPECTIVE 2

• CLEAR CASE OF SEXUAL HARRASSMENT• CREATES “HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT”• PURPOSE: TO EXCLUDE WOMEN• MEN MAY FEEL:

– THEIR DOMAIN IS INVADED– NEED TO EXERCISE POWER TO DEFEND THE PRESERVE– NOT MUCH ABOUT SEX

WHAT SHOULD WOMEN DO?

-EXCELL AT JOB

-FORM FRIENDSHIPS

-PLAY MEN’S SPORTS??

PERSPECTIVE 3

• 90 % OF HARRASSMENT IS UNREPORTED• WOMEN FEEL

– WILL LOSE PRIVACY– WILL BE DISCREDITED– WILL BE DOUBTED– WILL BE SEEN AS PROVOCATIVE– WILL BE SEEN AS TROUBLEMAKER– AFRAID OF REPRISALS– SO “SHUT UP AND PUT UP”

PERSPECTIVE 4

• DOMINANT MALE CULTURE EXCLUDES WOMEN FROM POSITIONS OF POWER AND INCOME

• I.E: MEN TRADE, WOMEN SELL

• CREATES LEGAL VULNERABILITIES FOR THE FIRM• FIRMS’ LEGAL RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE THE

WORK ENVIRONMENT

– NOT INTIMIDATING– NOT HOSTILE – NOT OFFENSIVE

III. IS EQUAL TREATMENT ALWAYS FAIR TREATMENT

• MOSES WU:– LOVED– SOCIALLY INCLUDED– PROFESSIONALLY RESPECTED– HITS A GLASS CEILING– BECAUSE HE IS NOT ONE OF THE “COWBOYS”

• JULIA MACK– ACCEPTED– RESPECTED– TREATED AS “ONE OF THE GUYS”– UNTIL THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF PREGNANCY

PERSPECTIVE 1

• ARE LEADERSHIP TRAITS DEFINED AS GENDER NEUTRAL

• CULTURE NEUTRAL• OR ARE THEY REFLECTIONS OF THE DOMINANT

CULTURE• IMPLICATIONS FOR MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT”

– PERFORMANCE RANKINGS– PERFORMANCE EVALUATIONS– PROMOTION DECISION

CAREFUL ABOUT INSTITUTIONAL BIAS

PERSPECTIVE 2

• NORMS OF PARTICIPATION– FAVORS MALE COMMUNICATION BEHAVIOR– JUMPING IN– INTERRUPTING OTHERS– ESTABLISHING DOMINANCE

EFFECTIVENESS OF BRAINSTORMING MAY BE COMPROMISED

MAY BE THE RESULT OF DIFFERENT SOCIALIZING FOR MALES AND FEMALES

PERSPECTIVE 3

• SKEWED GROUPS HAVE “DOMINANTS” AND “TOKENS”

• DOMINANTS ESTABLISH THE NORMS AND EXPECT EVERYONE TO COMPLY

• TOKENS – ARE TOO FEW TO GENERATE A CONTERCULTURE– EITHER ACCEPT ISOLATION AND BE EXCLUDED– 0R, TRY TO BECOME INSIDERS

• RISK TURNING AGAINST THEIR OWN

• AND PAY THE PSYCHIC COST

PERSPECTIVE 4

• LEGAL STATUS

– GENDER CONCIOUS EXAMINATION OF HARRASSMENT

– TAKING A “REASONABLE WOMAN” STANDARD

IV. CREATIVE CONFLICT• CASSANDRA BARTON

– FORMS A CROSS FUNCTIONAL GROUP

– EXPECTS PEOPLE TO FORGET ABOUT THEIR FUNCTIONAL

IDENTITIES, NORMS, IDEOLOGIES, METHODOLOGIES ETC

-EXPECTS THAT AN OVERARCHING GOAL WILL REDUCE FUNCTIONAL IDENTITIES

-EXPECTS ”LITTLE TEAM SPIRIT” TALK WILL UNITE THE TEAM

-RUNS UP AGAINST THE DOMINANT ENGINEERING CULTURE.

PERSPECTIVE 1

• FIRMS OFTEN SCREEN OUT THE DIVERSITY• SELECT PEOPLE THAT THINK ALIKE• SAVES TIME• MORE EFFICIENT• BUT LESS QUESTIONING• LESS EFFECTIVE BECAUSE CONFLICTING INFO IS

NOT CONSIDERED• CREATIVITY MAY BE HINDERED FOR THE SAKE OF

EFFICIENCY

PERSPECTIVE 2

• HOMOGENOUS GROUPS HAVE HIGHER MORALE, BETTER COMMUNICATION, HIGHER COHESIVENESS

• HETEROGENOUS GROUPS HAVE DIVERSITY OF IDEAS– MORE MISUNDERSTANDING– MORE CONFLICTS– MORE ANXIETY– MORE DISCOMFORT, HIGHER TURNOVER

• BUT:MORE INFO• HIGHER CREATIVITY

GROUPTHINK PHENOMENON

PERSPECTIVE 3

• MINORITY VIEW EXPRESSED• FIRST RESPONSE MAY BE DERISION• MINORITY INSISTS• BEARS THE CONSEQUENCES• SHOWS BEHAVIORAL CONSISTENCY• MAJORITY MAY START PERCEIVING THE MAJORITY

VIEW LESS NEGATIVELY• IF ONE OF MAJORITY MOVES OVER, IT MAY

SNOWBALL• MAY LEAD TO HIGHER CREATIVITY

V. BYSTANERS, THIRD PARTIES, WHISTLE BLOWERS

• EVANS FINDS OUT THE BANK FAMILY DAY IS SCHEDULED AT A WHITES ONLY CLUB

• HE IS TOLD TO “RELAX”, “DON’T MAKE WAVES”• “THINGS CHANGE SLOWLY”

• STEWART FINDS OUT THAT A SUSPECTED GAY LAWYER WILL NOT MAKE PARTNER

• CUMBERLAND IS BEING DENIED FOR HIS PREFERENCE

• STEWART HAS A GAY FRIEND, HAS PROBLEMS MAINTAINING HIS FRIENDSHIP

PERSPECTIVE 1

• HOW MUCH OF IT TO TOLERATE

• WHERE DOES ONE DRAW THE LINE

• PERSONAL VALUES AND PRINCIPLES

• WHEN TO OBJECT

• HOW TO DEAL WITH REPERCUSSION

• FATHER MARTIN NIEMOLLER’S PREDICAMENT

PERSPECTIVE 2

• BYSTANDERS ARE THE BIGGEST THREAT• THEY ARE ABOUT 60%• THEY WATCH AND SILENTLY CONDONE BIGOTTED

BEHAVIOR• THEY CONSIDER IT SOCIALLY APPROVED• SO, NO ONE TALKS ABOUT IT, NOBODY TAKES

NOTICE• NOBODY PAYS A PRICE EXCEPT THE VICTIM

• SEGREGATION MAY BE PERPETUATED BY SOCIAL CONTROLS AND SOCIALIZATION PROCESSES

PERSPECTIVE 3

• EEOC USES “NOT ONLY THE INDIVIDUAL VICTIM BUT ANYONE AFFECTED BY THE OFFENSIVE BEHAVIOR” STANDARD.

VI. FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

• JILLIAN REESE: HAIR STYLE-ETHNIC IDENTITY

• JACQUELINE LARUE: “EUROPEAN PREFERENCES FOR APPEARANCE”

• NAHUM PRAGER: WILL NOT WORK OR TAKE CALLS DURING SABBATH

• TERRY O’LEARY: BENCHED FOR NOT ALLOWING DIVERSITY IN MANAGEMENT. AND DECLARING IT– CENSORSHIP???

PERSPECTIVE 1

• DIVERSITY TRAINING IS– AN ATTEMPT TO TEACH POLITICAL CORRECTNESS– THIS IS REINFORCED BY ANTI-HARRASMENT CODES– SUPPORTED BY SENSITIVITY TRAINING– NOTHING MORE THANMORAL THERAPY THAT

ENCOURAGES GROUP IDENTITIES

• GEORGE WILL

PERSPECTIVE 2

• ACTING PROFESSIONALLY

• SPEAKING PROPER ENGLISH

• ARTICULATING CLEARLY

IS AMERICAN SUCCESS A WHITE ATTRIBUTE? WHO SETS THE STANDARD?

PERSPECTIVE 3

• BLACK DOUBLE BIND

• RACIAL IDENTIFICATION OR INDIVIDUALISM

• ETHNIC CONCIOUSNESS URGES AN ADVERSERIAL STANCE

• INDIVIDUALISM URGES WORK ETHIC, EDUCATION, INITIATIVE, INTEGRATION, MAINSTREAM VALUES

• TWO IDENTITY DIMENSIONS AT A TUG OF WAR• WHITE BACKLASH

• POST RACIAL SOCIETY: IS IT UPON US ALREADY?

VII. RESULTS OF INVOLVEMENT

• ANDIE THE MOVIE GUY. GAY BUT KEEPS IT PRIVATE. NOW GETS AN OFFER TO MAKE A GAY POSITIVE MOVIE

• REYNOLDS, SPILLER, ADDAMS FEEL PRESSURED TO SUPPORT WOMEN, BLACKS AND PROFESSIONALS BECAUSE THEY ARE ALL THREE.

• THEY FEEL PIGEONHOLED AND FRUSTRATED

THREE PERSPECTIVES

• BLACK DOUBLE BIND

• GAYS FEEL AFRAID ANDISOLATED IF THEY TRY TO PASS

• GLASS CEILING FOR GAYS• INCREASING % OF FIRMS PLEDGED NOT TO

DISCRIMINATE BASED ON SEXUAL PREFERENCE• ARE THESE ATTITUDES CHANGING?