Challenges of Diversity

10.3 Challenges of Diversity

If managing diversity effectively has the potential to increase company performance, increase creativity, and create a more satisfied workforce, why aren’t all companies doing a better job of encouraging diversity? Despite all the potential advantages, there are also several challenges associated with increased levels of diversity in the workforce.

1.Similarity-Attraction Phenomenon

There is a tendency for people to be attracted to people similar to themselves (Riordan & Shore, 1997). Research shows that individuals communicate less frequently with those who are perceived as different from themselves (Chatman et al., 1998). They are also more likely to experience emotional conflict with people who differ with respect to race, age, and gender (Jehn, Northcraft, & Neale, 1999; Pelled, Eisenhardt, & Xin, 1999). Individuals who are different from their team members are more likely to report perceptions of unfairness and feel that their contributions are ignored (Price, Harrison, & Gavin, 2006).

The similarity-attraction phenomenon may explain some of the potentially unfair treatment based on demographic traits. It embodies the popular adage, “birds of a feather flock together.”

If a hiring manager chooses someone who is racially similar over a more qualified candidate from a different race, the decision will be unfair. In other words, similarity-attraction may prevent some highly qualified women, minorities, or persons with disabilities from being hired. Of course, the same tendency may prevent highly qualified Caucasian and male candidates from being hired as well but given that Caucasian males are more likely to hold powerful management positions in today’s Canadian based organizations, similarity-attraction may affect women and minorities to a greater extent. Even when candidates from minority or underrepresented groups are hired, they may receive different treatment within the organization.

For example, research shows that one way in which employees may get ahead within organizations is through being mentored by a knowledgeable and powerful mentor. Yet, when the company does not have a formal mentoring program in which people are assigned a specific mentor, people are more likely to develop a mentoring relationship with someone who is similar to them in demographic traits (Dreher & Cox, 1996). This means that those who are not selected as protégés will not be able to benefit from the support and advice that would further their careers. Similarity-attraction may even affect the treatment people receive daily. If the company CEO constantly invites a male employee to play golf with him while a female employee never receives the invitation, the male employee may have a serious advantage when important decisions are made

2.Faultlines

A faultline is an attribute along which a group is split into subgroups. For example, in a group with three female and three male members, gender may act as a faultline because the female members may see themselves as separate from the male members. Now imagine that the female members of the same team are all over 50 years old and the male members are all younger than 25. In this case, age and gender combine to further divide the group into two subgroups. Teams that are divided by faultlines experience a number of difficulties. For example, members of the different subgroups may avoid communicating with each other, reducing the overall cohesiveness of the team. Research shows that these types of teams make less effective decisions and are less creative (Pearsall, Ellis, & Evans, 2008; Sawyer, Houlette, & Yeagley, 2006). Faultlines are more likely to emerge in diverse teams, but not all diverse teams have faultlines. Going back to our example, if the team has three male and three female members, but if two of the female members are older and one of the male members is also older, then the composition of the team will have much different effects on the team’s processes. In this case, age could be a bridging characteristic that brings together people divided across gender.

Research shows that even groups that have strong faultlines can perform well if they establish certain norms. When members of subgroups debate the decision topic among themselves before having a general group discussion, there seems to be less communication during the meeting on pros and cons of different alternatives. Having a norm stating that members should not discuss the issue under consideration before the actual meeting may be useful in increasing decision effectiveness (Sawyer, Houlette, & Yeagley, 2006).

3.Stereotypes

Your boss informed you that they need your assistance in training a new hire, Unax Uceda, in two weeks. Stop right there. What went through your mind when you read the new hire’s name? Did you make any assumptions about the person based on their name? To process all the information you’re exposed to on a daily basis, your brain creates shortcuts, which are called stereotypes.

Stereotypes are generalizations about a particular group of people. This stereotype may be based on your past experience with someone of a similar age, gender, ethnicity, background, education, etc., or your cultural biases and prejudices (which we all have). An important challenge of managing a diverse workforce is the possibility that stereotypes about different groups could lead to unfair decision making.

The assumption that women are more relationship oriented, while men are more assertive is an example of a stereotype. The problem with stereotypes is that people often use them to make decisions about a particular individual without actually verifying whether the assumption holds for the person in question. As a result, stereotypes often lead to unfair and inaccurate decision making. For example, a hiring manager holding the stereotype mentioned above may prefer a male candidate for a management position over a well-qualified female candidate. The assumption would be that management positions require assertiveness and the male candidate would be more assertive than the female candidate.

Stereotyping can cause low morale for the individual or group impacted and could potentially make for a toxic work environment. Employees who face constant comments, criticisms or other negative results from stereotyping can lose motivation and interest in performing their jobs, lower their productivity and lead to turnover. Stereotype threats can reduce job engagement, career aspirations, and receptivity to feedback.

Workplace stereotyping has short and long-term consequences. Let’s review three effects.

• Culture. Company culture has a substantial impact on profitability. Workplace stereotypes are a massive roadblock to improving culture because it hampers employees’ sense of belonging at the company.
• Talent. Stereotyping can prevent hiring managers from finding the best candidate for the job or prevent applicants from even wanting to apply to your positions. Candidates often screen companies using various websites (for example glassdoor. ca in Canada) to get an insider view before applying. Here are a few things they will take notice of.
  • Are all senior leadership one gender or ethnicity?
  • Are all the pictures of one ethnic group, or is there diversity?
  • They might review your company’s LinkedIn account to get a feel for how long people stay at the company. If they find someone like them, they may reach out about the employee’s experience of working for you.
  • There are many company review websites that allow candidates to read employee or previous employees’ comments about working for the company and how they felt about leadership.
• Legal. If workplace stereotypes go unchecked, they can lead to workplace discrimination. Being sued for workplace discrimination takes time and financial resources and damages your company’s image.

Being aware of stereotypes is the first step to preventing them from affecting decision making.

4.Neurodiversity

Virgin billionaire Richard Branson – perhaps the business icon of our times – created a multi-billion dollar empire across industries such as music, media, and travel.

Branson – who has ADHD and dyslexia – has credited these conditions with his business success, saying on his own website of his dyslexia ‘”I see my condition as a gift, not a disability. It has helped me learn the art of delegation, focus my skills, and work with incredible people.”

Ingvar Kamprad was a Swedish business magnate and the founder of IKEA. Kamprad was both dyslexic and an ADHDer – it was his difficulties remembering product codes that led to IKEA’s famously creative furniture names (chairs and desks have men’s names, garden furniture uses names of Swedish islands, and so on…) This ended up being one of the defining aspects of the ultra-successful brand.Kamprad was also a great example of the positive ADHDer traits of high energy, drive, and creativity.

During one of Musk’s guest appearances, the entrepreneur, billionaire and business icon announced that he is on the autism spectrum. This announcement sparked many conversations about neurodiversity globally. “I don’t always have a lot of intonation or variation in how I speak … which I’m told makes for great comedy. I’m actually making history tonight as the first person with Asperger’s to host SNL( an American TV show)  … So, I won’t make a lot of eye contact with the cast tonight. But don’t worry, I’m pretty good at running ‘human’ in emulation mode.”

Neurodiversity describes the idea that neurological differences like autism, ADHD, and dyslexia are natural human variations that have benefits. The term “neurodivergent” describes people whose brain differences affect how their brain works. That means they have different strengths and challenges from people whose brains don’t have those differences. The possible differences include medical disorders, learning disabilities and other conditions. The possible strengths include better memory, being able to mentally picture three-dimensional (3D) objects easily, the ability to solve complex mathematical calculations in their head, and many more.

Neurodivergent isn’t a medical term. Instead, it’s a way to describe people using words other than “normal” and “abnormal.” That’s important because there’s no single definition of “normal” for how the human brain works.

The word for people who aren’t neurodivergent is “neurotypical.” That means their strengths and challenges aren’t affected by any kind of difference that changes how their brains work.

Dr. Nick Walker, a leading thinker in the emergent field of neurodiversity studies, says,” Neurodiversity is a natural, healthy, and important form of human biodiversity — a fundamental and vital characteristic of the human species, a crucial source of evolutionary and creative potential.”

Research has shown that people with autism often outperform others in auditory and visual tasks and do better on non-verbal tests of intelligence. A study by University of Montreal found that in a test that involved completing a visual pattern, people with autism finished 40% faster than those without the condition.

“Ideally, they would be employed in fields that don’t require constant group meetings, like programming, software developing, scientific research work or music,” says Ritika Aggarwal, consultant psychologist at Jaslok Hospital and Research Centre in India.

What neurodiverse persons may lack in social skills, they can make up for with other talents such as attention to detail, the ability to stick to a routine, and to recognise patterns. A person with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), for example, can bring in creativity and innovation, and not get tired easily.

“When you bring in these other perspectives to the organisation, your company is more likely to succeed,” she says. It is a way to innovate, and that requires fresh perspectives.

We have to first get rid of our assumptions about neurodiversity and find the right person for the right job based on individual strengths and interests.

Click on this webiste: Unique job site can help neurodivergent people find meaningful work — while being themselves

Some commonly occuring neurodivergent behaviors

ADHD – Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder- is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders of childhood. It is usually first diagnosed in childhood and often lasts into adulthood. Children with ADHD may have trouble paying attention, controlling impulsive behaviors (may act without thinking about what the result will be), or be overly active.

Autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), refers to a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication.

Dyslexia is a learning disorder that involves difficulty reading due to problems identifying speech sounds and learning how they relate to letters and words (decoding). Also called a reading disability, dyslexia is a result of individual differences in areas of the brain that process language.

Is being neurodivergent a disability?

Some neurodivergent people struggle because of systems or processes that don’t give them a chance to show off their strengths or that create new or more intense challenges for them.

• Example #1: Many people who are neurodivergent struggle in social situations, which can make it hard to find work because they struggle during job interviews. However, they can still get the job if the hiring process emphasizes their abilities, such as screening potential hires with a skills test. Once on the job, their attention to detail means they’re an outstanding accountant or record-keeper because they can easily process data that others might find more tedious.
• Example #2: Some who are neurodivergent struggle in noisy environments or situations. That means a busy office can feel overwhelming to them. However, a pair of noise-canceling headphones might give them the quiet they need to make them the most productive person on their team because one of their strengths is the ability to focus on their work intensely.

In both examples, accommodations helped the person overcome their particular struggle. For someone with a disability, an accommodation is a way to accept that they’re different or have challenges, and then give them a tool or a way to succeed. For the people who are neurodivergent in the examples above, the accommodations were the hiring process and the headphones.

How do we connect productively with neurodivergent people.? Be patient, be empathetic, be supportive and be kind. This link on valuing differences gives you practical advice on how to conduct yourself when your classmate or even your colleague at work displays certain characteristics that seem odd with what you would consider “normal” behaviour.

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