Managing diversity in the business management context
Ethnicity and discrimination based on gender in the labour market have been highly prevalent in recent years with many nations and their governments searching for alternative strategies and developing policies to reduce it. Education has for so long been perceived as the only avenue through which this menace can be addressed, and policymakers have been trying to regulate it in such a way as to offer equal opportunities to all individuals. There has been a marked improvement in registration into institutions of higher learning by young BME people in recent years in the UK. This is mainly fueled by the fact that young graduates in this category have realised an avenue that seems to brighten their future and improves hopes of equal opportunity significantly.
According to the UK census (2001), 8% of the UK is nonwhite population and that 75% of the total population comprises of BME people. Other factors such as cultural preferences, religious beliefs, and family relationships are however still weighing on the issue. It is therefore very critical to look at the different ways through which diversity in terms of race, religion and culture affect the opportunities for young graduates in BME, and how they change their dreams based on the same.
Concentrating on the business arena, all graduates disregarding race and ethnicity have equal opportunities of acquiring managerial jobs. Wilton (2007) states that they have a higher chance of being employed in administrative and secretarial work and their chances have equal measure. Brown & Hesketh (2004) explained in their work that the young graduates are very aware of the competitive nature of the UK market. They are also aware that certain factors like accent and social class have an effect on how easily one can get a job. This has led to a higher number of BME people preferring careers in business.
Masculine networking activities according to most BME people have made the process of building successful and profitable client relationships very difficult. This is a case especially for women and BME practitioners than for the white men. They have highlighted that this is because networking is centered on sporting events and women in this case are the marginalized group because of intimidation on these male dominated areas and domains.
Many researchers have proven that ethnicity imposes on self- belief to the BME individuals and has a great effect on the decisions that they make regarding their careers and their own prospects in the different industries. Byars & Winston (2006) stated in their work that there is a group of individuals who tend to be more motivated and have enough self-confidence and ability to tackle the barriers in the labour market. These BME graduates have the power to make it through self-belief and determination to come out strong despite all they face and therefore present the best employees to the different organisations. Thomas & Alderfer (1989) explained that a career decision is supposed to be a decision made by an individual and that they all tend to make the decisions based on the context. It is therefore very likely that their decisions on career paths will be very much affected by the different environmental factors that are mostly not primal to the job itself or even the work environment. In this way, business firms and organisations should take it upon themselves to motivate BME people to give their best based on their passion for the different career paths they take.
Barot et al. (1999) suggest that BME graduates develop their identities based on their social, racial, and family relationships and economic power. The BME people are therefore very likely to use the identities achieved and developed since a tender age and translate this into the career decisions they make. He also states that the identity of an individual can change over any period because the development of the identity is a gradual process, and therefore their decisions made on the same can change and shift to complement their presently acquired identities.
Jenkins 3 points on ethnic identity show the background to which BME graduates careers are formed on. At first, ethnic affiliations being strong and primary to the graduate tend to develop self-concepts and career objectives that are influential to how and what careers they can pursue and the achievements they can ultimately aim for. Secondly, Brah (1994) explains that in situations where employers have doubts about the ability of the graduate to perform certain tasks based on their ability, aptitude attributes and their preference jobs, then ethnicity can be really traumatic and discouraging. Jenkins thirdly postulates that the different components of ethnic beliefs and affiliations can be negotiated, however, Young (1990) explains that the BME groups cannot necessarily forget their identity because their relationships with their kin will often call them back to them. It is therefore very difficult for a BME graduate to try to suppress their identities in pursuit of career objectives and goals. In this light, most black and minority individuals, therefore, tend to go for careers that do not discriminate them and that are complimentary to their social values and family responsibilities.
Connor et al. (2004) states that young people’s parents, from BME backgrounds, do not have a university education. The aspect reduces the chances and rates of joining higher education. Research has shown that most BME people will tend to take up their parents’ careers and delve mostly into self-employment. It is therefore very likely that significant people in the BME graduates lives have a strong influence on their choices for careers. One of the most evident influence is the realisation of the hardships that was faced by their grandfathers, and this has in some way pushed the graduates in search of life, more fruitful and fulfilling than they led.
There have been beliefs and stereotypes that the Chinese and the Asians are hardworking people. These two groups of BME have in turn been acquiring even better financial returns than the white graduates mainly due to their stereotype of being more hardworking people. Khattab (2009) disputes this by the fact that not all Muslim groups that are British necessarily follow in the same footsteps as characterised by the others. He is of the opinion that Indian Muslims are different when it comes to broaching the subject of prospects. Khattab (2009 ; p.557) “ south Asian Muslim Indians have a strong social, economic profile than many other south Asian Muslim groups and which Is even better than some of the south Asian non-Muslim groups, such as Sikh Indians”. It is, therefore, the responsibility of business organisations to remove these beliefs and stereotypes and give equal opportunity to the BME group irrespective of colour, race, or religious beliefs.
There is also media representation that labels young Muslim women as rebels or as individuals who tend to live double lives. The media also brands them as individuals on the verge of experiencing a cultural clash in that they will soon be unable to make a devotion to their studies or employment responsibilities in respect of their family responsibilities. Tyler and Ahmad (2006) outlined that it is possible that the female BME graduates are likely to receive family support through encouragement. There is evidence that they are also likely to be given encouragement to pursue mostly business degrees with the view and traditions that their community is branded as being mostly an entrepreneurial one. Research also shows that the young BME women do not consider University as a Marriage Market but have similar if not greater endeavour to learn than men do.
The BME group has been left with no choice than to adopt tactics of assimilation, which is mainly through taking up hobbies, customs, and dress codes of the dominant work group. For women of Asian origin, clothing is a common issue with many of them making conscious decisions to wear the western rather than traditional Asian clothing wear. This is done with an aim of not looking too ethnic and enabling them to fit in the larger group.
Shiner & Modood (2002) indicated that BME students who have graduated are more likely to have trouble in accessing jobs that are considered high quality. Business organisations should, however, try to gauge the contribution of an individual on individual merit that is not attached to the organisational affiliation. Businesses should also try to factor in the experience and will of the different individuals.
Connor et al. (2004) explained that young BME people are more likely to prefer moving on to institutions that offer higher education because they certainly face challenges in acquiring jobs regarded as graduate level jobs compared to the native and established counterparts. Research shows that other graduates would prefer to take careers in accountancy and teaching that are considered as friendly to the BME graduate. They take these courses as professional courses to complement their speciality and give themselves a chance.
Over half of the men in the BME category consider remaining in the private sector and hoping for career growth in large organisations. King (2003) indicates that most BME graduates are prepared to adapt to what the market offers and to the other factors that determine how readily they can get formal employment. They consider the current order legitimate and are willing to take it as is. Most men consider entrepreneurship as a means of achieving independence and a way out of the discriminatory treatment that they are likely to face if they go in search of jobs. Research has shown that they perceive this as an avenue to gain the individual freedom of both mind and actions and a chance to observe their own religion and ethnic beliefs. Therefore, businesses should advocate for diversity in through the provision of freedom to individuals through enabling to connect to the things that make them identify with their kin.
There is a general agreement that BME people face discrimination in careers that are up the ladder. This is due to the ethnic reality with many people being of the opinion that this affects their chances of entry into the job market and getting promotions in their workplaces. There is, however, an improvement in the view and stance taken by BME people although research shows that they still need to possess something special to have a chance at consideration. Reay et al. (2001) believe that the intention of people in the BME category to work in an ethnically diverse area is just thinking local. This is because the BME people tend to restrict their job hunting prospects to areas that they perceive as ethically fit for them. surprisingly, people from Pakistani and Bangladeshi have not experienced ethnicity and do not even regard ethnicity as being a barrier in their careers according to research. This shows that there is an improvement generally, in how the society addresses people of different races and social beliefs.
There is a strong belief that different sectors and occupations have different perceptions of the BME people. Accountancy is considered as a sector in which BME people can thrive easily. Ram & Holiday (1993), made an assertion that literature on topics that regard to ethnic beliefs and willingness to start own businesses is a result of experiences and perceptions and not modelled by cultural values. There is a perception that skin colour differences between individuals could really hurt their chance into careers and hence the preference for the BME group to get into careers that offer as little discrimination as possible.
Elliot et al. 2001 outlined that the professional status of an individual is mostly based on how qualified and credited the person is. This has therefore made women develop a perception that these professional careers are more merit based and therefore better than organisational positions. This is the same stance taken by BME people who prefer them because they have a simple basis for evaluation. This is because the person only has been good at what they don and ensure that they deliver. They consider these types of careers as having a clear path compared to organisational careers due to their upward mobility.
There is clear evidence that both white and BME women mainly due to the career patterns and structures face barriers in the legal profession. This is because this profession has already been branded as a male den. Women require flexibility in working hours, exceeding targets and dedication to the firm’s clients and this has posed limitless challenges to this group. Zimdars (2010) indicated that their law profession is still immersed in racial discrimination. Women may, therefore, be considered as people that cannot commit, and this has left less demeaning chances to women in these professions.
Bolton & Muzio (2007) wrote that the evolution of the promotion criterion to firms had developed a very different angle to the previous approach. In recent times, promotion is pegged to the ability of an individual to bring in new clients into the organisation. Although this method seems innocent, it has different and varying implications and consequences to the different groups of people in an organisation. The strategies that are involved in the acquisition and recruitment of new clients into a firm are rooted in the different societal ideologies and values. These ideologies solidify the differences in gender, culture, religion, and ethics into barriers that are different for each individual. There are those clients that require you to associate with them through drinks, games in sporting clubs and in exclusive events. All these platforms, however, have restrictions, and they may continue to haunt the individual and reduce the equal opportunity measure considerably.
Francis & Sommer lad (2009) indicated in their work that BME people that are from the “wrong class” are liable to facing the greatest barriers in the ascension ladder. There is also evidence to show that certain ethnic groups are less disadvantaged than others, for example, the British citizens of Chinese and Indian origin are more advantaged than their counterparts of African origin. Gender is therefore but a word and cannot be equated. White women are faced with challenges but this cannot be said to be similar to those faced by the individuals in the BME category, and therefore gender loses the baseline in terms of its relation to the labour relations.
In conclusion, race, religious beliefs, and culture remain a huge determinant in a Young BME’s career path. There is a clear influence on the decision by the BME group on the career by the family and other environmental factors that are permanent. These factors have also contributed to the differences in career and employment opportunities for them. There is, however, a positive that at present, many organisations are currently seeking diversification through the provision of equal opportunities. There is also an improvement in the number of fields and choices to the BME group with an improvement in sensitization, and this can be considered a milestone.
It is quite clear that the BME group dwells in a declining self-worth and those considerable efforts need to be directed to lift their spirits with a promise of a better future. It is also evident that career opportunities are not only underscored by ethnicity and that other factors weigh in on the same. There is growing optimism, enthusiasm, and determination that the BME graduates’ aspirations will be changed to become all encompassing and that they will not be undermined by a labour market that is discriminating them.
Bibliography
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Barot, R., Bradley, H., and Fenton, S. eds., 1999. Ethnicity, gender, and social change (p. 1). London: Macmillan.
Thomas, D.A. and Alderfer, C.P., 1989. The influence of race on career dynamics: Theory and research on minority career experiences. Handbook of career theory, 133, p.158.
Shiner, M. and Modood, T., 2002. Help or hindrance? Higher education and the route to ethnic equality. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 23(2), pp.209-232.
Bolton, S.C. and Muzio, D., 2007. Can't Live with 'Em; Can't Live without' Em Gendered Segmentation in the Legal Profession. Sociology, 41(1), pp.47-64.
