Management: Managing Diversity and Equal Opportunities
Part 1
There has been the rise in the number of the financial crisis as well as poor corporate governance problems that have prompted the question as to whether having a corporate world run by women would yield fruitful results. Amid the multiple opinions on the topic of the glass ceiling, some people still contest the advantages of workplace diversity and equality. There has been the long pressing issue of the equality of the treatment of women in a similar manner/ equal to men, in the labor market (Gregory‐Smith, Ian, Main, & O'Reilly 109). According to Adams and Funk (3) the authors mentioned in their article that for the glass ceiling to be broken by the women, gender difference issues will have to be a thing of the past in the offices. The authors suggested that there is a difference that rests on the core values of the women and men in corporate leadership, and they expound further on the
According to Nielsen and Huse (16), the authors made note that research available, at least most of it does not relate women leaders to their characteristics and behaviors which affect their functioning in the management positions they have taken. The above authors mentioned above, in another article, referred to the fact that over the years, only the number of the women in the corporate world was the center of attention (136). The element of gender prejudice has got multiple impacts on the organization. The effects that were-were drawn, that are deemed to be negative are the benefits of incorporation of gender diversity in the workplace.
The board diversity is attributed to the gain of competitive advantage over other companies that do not practice the said diversity (Campbell 439). The author further suggested that diversity promoted a much better understanding of the market environment especially in fields where women are thought to be champions. Such like field as made referenced to as in the above statement includes banking, media, and utilities that require customer interaction. Penetration into such markets is provided by the presence of women directors. The competitive edge functions in such a manner that the image of the organization becomes promoted an outcome which would augur well with the customer and the overall performance of the organization (Campbell 440). Gender prejudice reduces the chances of an organization gaining competitive advantage, and so competitive disadvantage becomes a reality (Gregory‐Smith, Ian, Main, & O'Reilly 112)
Gender diversity promotes the presence of innovation. Campbell (440) makes note of a striking point that innovation does not, in fact, occur randomly, but is reliant on the demographic factors and in this case gender matters. With the information mentioned above, it is only fair to make note that those organizations that practices gender prejudice will not reap the fruits of innovation from the talented female corporate leaders. Problem-solving procedures become more efficient with the availability of gender diversity factors. Campbell (440) addressed that in the quest for making a sound decision, having a broader view of the issue at hand would promote the evaluation of multiple assessments to a problem. With gender prejudice, the decision-making process would be impaired in the sense that bias and prejudice would set in.
Gender prejudice in the corporate world interferes with the organization’s independence, negatively. The independence of the organization is likely to take effect with women in corporate leadership given that women tend to ask more questions. Campbell makes note of the existence of the relationship between gender diversity and the firm value. The author mentioned that quality of the elected directors would be improved in an organization with board diversity when selections are made without bias (440).
Gender diversity ensures that women mentorship into leadership positions is promoted (Bilimoria & Piderit. 1454). However, in the advent of the absence of the said diversity, the place of the women and the full potential of talented women will never be realized. It is critical to note that gender is a critical aspect of the organization, and it is also essential to make note that gender is deemed not to be static rather it is a topic that has a place in the social world (Van den Brink & Benschop 72).
The leaky pipeline gives a picture of the actual happenings on the ground regarding the organizational practices that portray the nature of underrepresentation in women (Van den Brink & Benschop 77). Women in the field of academics, for instance, it is notable that the area of humanities has the highest number of applicants however the shortlisting of the candidates reduces during the final appointment. Similarly, the relations of the number of final candidates are the same to the instance in science courses. Despite the qualifications that majority of women possess, the disturbing truth is that the percentage of female applicants lessens by the day. Closed recruitment instances may be attributed to the reduction in women applicants however further analysis ought to provide a proper understanding into the norm. The practices portray that women are overlooked given the male domination which promotes the instance of overrepresentation. The outcome is that women become viewed as the second best or the other available option in case male recruitment does not take effect for example. The image that women do not provide the ideal or, rather the suitable candidate is what in fact plagues the recruitment procedures.
Women have often been biased because they are not in a position to find a work balance given the care responsibilities that they have in their families (Van den Brink & Benschop 79). Other organizational practices include the increment of stakes for the top positions in the fields where the number women applications are deemed to be crowded. Exclusionary instances take effect in favor of the masculine gender where they are mentored to take up positions. Men in such situations are perceived to provide the standard where women are gauged (Van den Brink & Benschop 85). Apart from the exclusionary example, there are instances where women are bundled out in the final recruitment phase because they are said to be under qualified. The question that looms is who exactly qualifies the women as being under qualified during final hiring practices.
Part 2
Particular recommendations can be addressed when dealing with gender inequality in the workplace. According to Parcheta, Kaifi, and Khanfar (245), the authors make note of implications that apply to the human resources functionality in the organizations. One recommendation that would help promote equality in the workplace is the adherence to the legislations that address the issue of equality and equity in the workplace. While making note of this, the legislations should touch on matters of any unfair discrimination against the women and in this case, an address is made on issues recruitment, promotions, pay rise, benefits, and privileges just to mention a few. Transparency in resourcing whether it is done at an international or national level, in summary, describes the above (Ahu, Vassilopoulou, & Özbilgin 4).
The other recommendation will touch on the management style adopted by any given organization in question. It is clear that management is not limited to the HR functions; other duties are of importance as well. However, the HR moiety in the organization can set the pace of the management procedure employed in the organization, and while taking note of that, the aspect of feminine management comes into play. The feminine kind of management is deemed to be an asset and bearing that in mind, it is clear that this kind of management is an asset to the organization. This management style promotes not only creativity and innovation in the workplace; it also promotes the teams/groups that are stronger (Parcheta, Kaifi, & Khanfar 245).
Legal requirements centered on recruitment and promotions
Legal requirements have been incepted to address the issue of gender bias among other biases that exist in the workplace. The following are the legal requirements that are aimed at governing HR practices with a bias on the promotion of the topic of gender equality.
It is important to note that HR practices are guided by legal concepts to promote and enforce their conformance with legal issues. The legal requirements are enforceable by relevant bodies. It is critical to note that there are legal specifications that take effect at the time of recruiting (Owais 891). There are legal requirements for the recruitment process that exist. The conditions involve the incorporation of various commissions that expect conformance with certain guidelines that are enforceable. The HR practitioners have to abide by the stipulations noted by the commission that looks into equal opportunities. There are other multiple legal requirements under the topic of discrimination. One such requirement that is of importance to this paper is the Act that protects against sex discrimination. The unfair discriminations types that are protected against, in the Act as above mentioned, falls under the categories of direct, indirect and victimization types of discrimination. The element of collective bargaining can be employed by the HR functionality to ensure that the policies govern the right to equal pay for the female working population. Compliance with the Employment Regulatory standards ought to be adhered to and at no cost should gender discrimination be noted.
When it comes to promotions, some requirements guide the functionality of the HR fraternity in an organization. That said according to Owais (890), the makes note of the guidelines, at a glance of what is expected when carrying out organizational promotions. The guidelines, in the article, address the fact that the need for having policies for filling positions from within the organization ought to be available. The author went on to mention that the individual to be considered should show the desire for making improvements in their functions as well as employer showing some form of belief in the capabilities of the employee. Job posting must be communicated and job bidding should be fair at all costs.
The HR functionality should also take charge of ensuring that women are not left out in the workplace. What is meant is that the HR function should address matters education empowerment and awareness for the women in the workplace. The outcome would be an empowered female population in the workplace who are productive and are climbing the career ladders. This is one benefit of the recommendations as above mentioned. In line with the strength as above mentioned, the organization, from inhibiting gender prejudice, will be able to tap full potential from the female population in the workplace (Ahu, Vassilopoulou, & Özbilgin 4). Some countries can be emulated when talking about gender-related policies, equal pay, and cultures that promote gender equality. Such like examples include but are not limited to Iceland, Norway and Sweden (Lily a630).
There are shortcomings however that are attributed to some of the recommendations as mentioned above that include the following issues. One of the recommendations as noted above touched on legislation matters such as the gender quotas and Employment Acts. It is, however, notable that as much as this component may be viewed as the answer to the issue of gender equality, it may be the source of controversy and conflict as well. According to Peter and Piszczek (2), the authors mention that let alone the execution of collective bargaining procedures, the understanding of the process is poorly understood as well as the analysis of the process. This sends an ugly message when looking at the quest for breaking the glass ceiling for the females as well as embracing the need for equal pay. The development of the process of collective bargaining is therefore impaired, and this well shows a limitation in the legal strategies that are out to address the inequality in the workplace.
Knowledge is power and what amounts from the above research is the need for empowerment being pumped in the masses who venture into the task force. It is a critical concern that the fight against gender inequality is taking a slow motion in the realization of its goals. The need for ensuring that best practices are employed in the workplace is critical that way, matters like inequality will be dealt with. There is the need for the HR functionality to take up the mantle in ensuring best practices are observed right from recruitment of employees to the management of the talent therein. Under the topic of good practices, matters like ethics regarding equality can be enforced with the discouragement of instances of corrupt mindsets that would otherwise weigh a toll on the fight against gender inequality. Without action being taken or rather slow action being taken, then a vicious cycle would ensue about gender inequality which further translates to underrepresentation of the female population in the management positions of the corporate world.
Works Cited
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Berg, Peter, and Matthew M. Piszczek. "The limits of equality bargaining in the USA." Journal of Industrial Relations (2014): 0022185613517469.
Bilimoria, Diana, and Sandy Kristin Piderit. "Board committee membership: Effects of sex-based bias." Academy of management journal 37.6 (1994): 1453-1477.
Campbell, Kevin, and Antonio Mínguez-Vera. "Gender diversity in the boardroom and firm financial performance." Journal of business ethics 83.3 (2008): 435-451.
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Hall, Lily. "Unbinding Working Women in a Binders-Full-of-Women Nation: How the United States Can Learn from Swedish, Norwegian and Icelandic Successes in Gender Pay Gap Legislation." Cardozo J. Int'l & Comp. L. 22 (2013): 627.
Nielsen, Sabina, and Morten Huse. "The contribution of women on boards of directors: Going beyond the surface." Corporate Governance: An International Review 18.2 (2010): 136-148.
Nielsen, Sabina, and Morten Huse. "Women directors' contribution to board decision‐making and strategic involvement: The role of equality perception." European Management Review 7.1 (2010): 16-29.
Parcheta, Nicole, Belal A. Kaifi, and Nile M. Khanfar. "Gender inequality in the workforce: A human resource management quandary." Journal of Business Studies Quarterly 4.3 (2013): 240.
Shafique, Owais. "Recruitment in the 21st Century." Interdisciplinary Journal of Contemporary Research In Business 4.2 (2012): 887-901.
Tatli, Ahu, Joana Vassilopoulou, and Mustafa Özbilgin. "An unrequited affinity between talent shortages and untapped female potential: The relevance of gender quotas for talent management in high growth potential economies of the Asia Pacific region." International Business Review 22.3 (2013): 539-553.
Van den Brink, Marieke, and Yvonne Benschop. "Slaying the seven‐headed dragon: The quest for gender change in academia." Gender, Work & Organization 19.1 (2012): 71-92.
