Equal and Equitable Treatment
Managers should learn to balance equal and equitable treatment of their employees. However, the application of equal treatment should be in moderation since it may affect employee morale. For instance, if there are employees that perform their duties well and there are some that do not, treating them equally may create disharmony among the employees. This can be in terms of equal bonuses or responsibilities. The manager should ensure that compensation is based on the level of performance of the employee.
Rewards based on performance aid in increasing the productivity and performance of the employees (Goerg, Kube, and Zultan, 2010). Thus, any form of rewarding should be given based on the level of performance. In addition, favoritism should be avoided in the division of tasks. Each employee should be given an equal opportunity to lead a team project. The manager should ensure that not one person is given the supervisory role every time. Developing a rotational program where each employee will have a week to be a leader in the different activities of the organization is an effective strategy. Any salary increments should be done on merit of performance. Further, how employees are treated will affect their level of motivation. Employees that are treated with kindness and consideration tend to be more confident and value their self worth (Thau, Troster, Aquino, Pillutla, and De Cremer, 2013). This is an crucial aspect in treating the employees equally.
Personal Biases
Implicit Prejudice
Implicit prejudice is strongly rooted in human thought. According to Banaji, Bazerman, and Chugh (2003), implicit prejudice tends to compromise the judgment or decision making based on merit. Implicit prejudice is quite common in discrimination scenarios either due to race or due to gender. Thus, it becomes necessary for a manager, before making a decision that affects the employees, to be sure that no form of discrimination is being applied and that the decision that is being made can be backed by facts.
In-group Favoritism
In the workplace or organizations, managers tend to have or develop teams that work on different projects in the organization. Certain members in one group may be of the same social class, race, close friends, or religion with the manager (Banaji, Bazerman, and Chugh, 2003). Therefore, the manager unknowingly may develop a close relationship with members of such a group. Thus, this group may be given preferential treatment and may have increased access to resources compared to other groups or teams in the organization.
Overclaiming Credit
This biasness is common in cases where there is a team effort in attaining the goals of the organization. Managers can easily claim credit for the work that was done by the team members. This form of biasness can be detrimental to employee motivation and may disrupt cohesion between the management and employees. According to Banaji, Bazerman, and Chugh (2003), unconscious overclaiming has the likelihood of reducing the longevity and performance of teams within the organization.
Conflict of Interest
Mainly results by favoring individuals in the organization that can be of benefit especially to the manager. According to Banaji, Bazerman, and Chugh (2003), conflict of interest increases corrupt behavior within an organization especially where finances are concerned.
Ethical behavior
Ethical behavior is how people especially in businesses and organizations conduct themselves when faced with challenging situations. Managers should apply good ethical behavior in running of the organization. This should be applied not based on what the organization stands to lose, but rather on the situation at hand and the best approach to handle the situation. It becomes essential for organizations to have ethical policies and reporting procedures that govern the running of the organization. This can be used in cases where persons in authority act or make their subordinates perform duties contrary to the ethical standards.
Diversity
Diversity relates to the differences that exist among people in the organizations. These differences can be based on sills, religion, race, cultural upbringing, social class, and geographical location of residence or birth (Kreitz, 2007). These aspects of diversity affect the performance of an organization. For instance, the case of virtual teams where the team members come from different geographical locations negatively influences the level of innovation in the team (Gibson and Gibbs, 2006).
Managing Diversity
Managing diversity enhances organizational effectiveness. One of the important ways of managing a diverse organization is by having a recruitment process that attracts diverse applicants. Furthermore, having a diversity-training program is essential in educating employees on the various numerous benefits of having a diverse organization (Kreitz, 2007). Further, the organization policies and standards should be designed to take into consideration the different cultural aspects of the diverse individuals in the organization. Having polices that are clear on issues of discrimination is important in managing a diverse workforce.
References
Banaji, M., Bazerman, M., & Chugh, D. (2003). How (Un) Ethical Are You? Harvard Business
Review, 81(12), 56-64.
Gibson, C., & Gibbs, J. (2006). Unpacking the Concept of Virtuality: The Effects of Geographic
Dispersion, Electronic Dependence, Dynamic Structure, and National Diversity on Team Innovation. Administrative Science Quarterly, 51(3), 451-495.
Goerg, S., Kube, S., & Zultan, R. (2010). Treating Equals Unequally: Incentives in Teams,
Workers' Motivation and Production Technology. Journal of Labor Economics, 28(4), 747-772.
Kreitz, P. (2007). Best Practices for Managing Organizational Diversity. Retrieved from
http://www.slac.stanford.edu/cgi-wrap/getdoc/slac-pub-12499.pdf
Thau, S., Tröster, C., Aquino, K., Pillutla, M., & Cremer, D. (2013). Satisfying Individual
Desires or Moral Standards? Preferential Treatment and Group Members’ Self-Worth, Affect, and Behavior. Journal of Business Ethics, 113 (1), 133-145.
