Gender Diversity Initiatives in Contemporary Organisations - Essay Example

Gender Diversity Initiatives in Contemporary Organisations A Discussion and Evaluation Paper Introduction There has been a remarkable development in the arena of human resource management (HRM) throughout the previous years. This development has widened the scope of HRM to encompass further macro standpoints; the macro standpoint has been referred to as Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) and identified as “the pattern of planned human resource deployments and activities intended to enable an organisation to achieve its goals” (Deb 2006, 47). Findings indicate that the match between organisational strategy and HR processes result in improved organisational performance. Nevertheless, earlier studies have failed to examine the effect of HR processes on organisational performance with regard to features of the human resource group (Deb 2006). Consequently, very few studies on the effect of gender on the economic performance of organisations are available. Successfully managing gender diversity in organisations is a growing but essential task because of the way gender influences organisational performance. The rationale for encouraging a multicultural workplace and diversity is rooted in the argument that such practices promote improved decision-making methods and outcomes, develop innovation and creativity, and boost organisational effectiveness. The organisation can totally maximise its diverse human potentials to maintain its competitiveness and satisfy conditions of equal opportunity in the workplace. The Impact of Gender Diversity Management on Organisational Performance Although there is an abundance of literature which discusses the cultural and structural obstacles in male-dominated organisations that prevent women from taking part in an equal opportunity employment, few studies particularly explore the impact of this gender gap on women’s retention in these organisations. Indeed, until in recent times, the subject of retention has been given slight emphasis in SHRM literature, a tendency reflected in the workplace, with companies just starting to express a heightened concern for retention and the function of HRM in retaining major employees (Coyne, Coyne, & Lee 2004). This is a confusing finding due to the wealth of literature which examines the roots of deliberate employee turnover, the trend producing the retention subject in organisations. Moreover, despite of increasing studies which show how gender generates various experiences and outcome in organisations, quite few studies have explored the roots of deliberate turnover and the retention challenge through a gender-focused perspective (Cleveland, Stockdale & Murphy 2000). As a result, our knowledge about these issues is limited. Nevertheless, several studies also reveal that the inferior position of women in the workplace can result in job discontentment, a variable that has been always connected to deliberate employee turnover. For instance, Griffeth and colleagues (2000) reported that job contentment is one of the major determinants of turnover. Moreover, it has been widely accepted that there are several aspects enclosing or related to a work that can be sources of discontentment, and hence predictors of turnover. This involves HR procedures like organisational culture, opportunities for career development, selection and evaluation, and training or mentoring (Brouggy 2010). Yet, an ignored fact in current studies is that these variables are gender-related and thus have distinct effects on female and male personnel. Several studies have reported that in male-dominated organisations, gender-related processes put women in a disadvantaged position, which indicates that women have poorer job contentment and are hence more prone to leave than male employees (Brouggy 2010). A study carried out by Hewlett and colleagues (2008) on women turnover in technological and scientific jobs has recognised an absence of guides and role models as relevant variables influencing women’s job contentment and hence their likelihoods to leave. With no guides and role models women have smaller number of existing resources to participate in networking activities and hence are disfavoured in career development and growth prospects compared with their male counterparts (Brouggy 2010). Ashcraft and Blithe (2009) revealed that women who are segregated with no opportunity for career growth and development are not merely less dedicated, but admit being discontented with their work as well, and hence are more prone to leave. According to Deb (2006), comparable findings on the connection between deliberate turnover, job contentment, and gender inequality have been reported by researchers from investigations carried out on women in construction companies. For instance, Dainty and colleagues (2001) discovered that female construction employees were discontented with current promotional practices in their organisations as they are more favourable to male personnel. This is because the companies’ culture and structure is supported by dedication anchored in inputs and long working hours, aspects which are at odds with the caring and familial functions that until now are expected of women (Coyne et al. 2004). As a result, according to Dainty and colleagues (2001), “men gained promotions more rapidly than women during the first 10 years of their careers,” (as cited in Brouggy 2010, 16) which resulted in a greater female employee turnover compared to males. . The above examples have evidently shown how gender prejudiced and gender insensitive HR practices are related to intentional turnover in male-dominated organisations, and that a great deal of this turnover is preventable if there are gender unbiased rules and processes established. Thus, as claimed by Price (2001), it is vital that HRM has the capacity to identify the predictors of intentional turnover, since understanding of them will allow HR employees to execute plans or processes which will improve retention. Yet, since HRM is gender insensitive, the capacity of HR employees to recognise gender-related predictors of turnover, like the cases presented earlier, is limited. This shows that the gender unresponsiveness of HRM not merely brings about turnover it also prevents its remedy, thus sustaining the trend of disadvantage against female workers in male-dominated organisations (Brouggy 2010). This proposes that HRM should adopt a gender sensitive, rather than a gender biased perspective, when managing human capital since just then will HRM gain the ability to deal with gender inequality and develop a system that enhances and advances the valuable involvement and retention of women in organisations. Furthermore, as stated by Hewlett and colleagues (2008), there are studies which show a positive correlation between implementing a gender sensitive strategy in HRM and better retention of female employees, especially in relation to family oriented practices and flexible job designs which explicitly meet the work-life balance requirements of female personnel. For instance, Cabrera (2009) discovered that women leave more often than male employees to pursue an independent career path that allows them to better satisfy their non-work and work needs. This is due to the fact that the conventional career paradigm in many organisations is typified by long term, full-time, and regular working arrangements, aspects that are irreconcilable with women’s additional familial and caring duties (Brouggy 2010). Cabrera (2009) claims that organisations that offer their female personnel favourable career perspectives that greatly complement their needs improve their capability to attract and retain them; Deloitte & Touche of the United States were cited as excellent examples. Deloitte & Touche, a tax, risk management, financial advisory, consulting, and audit company, supplanted the conventional career framework with mass career customisation (MCC), a model that they created that enable workers to handle their careers in line with their evolving life conditions, by changing the tempo of career growth, the job design, working arrangements, and workload (Brouggy 2010, 18). While MCC is relevant to all workers, women and men equally, the favourable effect it has had on the development and retention of women has particularly been considerable, with the number of women in the top echelons escalating by 13% in 2007 (Brouggy 2010, 18). Studies also show the positive correlation between family accommodating privileges, especially employee assistance initiatives, childcare programmes, adjustment of work hours and workloads, and enhanced female retention (Deb 2006). For instance, Glass and Riley (1998) found out in their investigation of personnel retention after childbirth and family friendly practices, with an adjustment in work hours emerging to be the most effectual technique that curbed the rate of female turnover after childbirth. These cases vividly show how a gender sensitive HRM strategy can enhance female retention in organisations. Nevertheless, although such methods satisfy the needs of female workers, it is vital to keep in mind that they do not deal with the gender inequality innate in other organisational practices, like pay and performance evaluation, training and development, and recruitment and selection, aspects which also affect the prevalence of female turnover. A gender sensitive model is hence also important when planning, executing, and evaluating these systems so as to deal with the gender inequalities innate in them (Eveline & Bacchi 2009). Nevertheless, there are very few studies which show a causal connection between attempts to mitigate gender inequality in organisations and reduced female turnover. This is possibly because gender inequality in work practices is embedded and unconscious making it more difficult to deal with or to generate concrete outcomes. However, there are several studies which verify the connection between attempts to lessen gender inequality in organisational practices and reduced female turnover. For instance, Dainty and colleagues (2001) in their investigation of female and male opinions of equality assesses in the construction industry of the United Kingdom, interviewed female employees about how their organisation could enhance the quality of the current work processes, so as to improve and retain them for a longer period of time. They discovered that majority of the female respondents suggested the adoption of gender-oriented programmes designed to develop women’s careers, or to remove the obstacles to women’s careers, like creating a performance evaluation procedure that identifies individual features and abilities, and building flexible work practices (Dainty et al. 2001) with more transparent and just methods. French and Strachan (2009) gave the same suggestions after assessing gender equality in the workplace and its effect on the improved involvement of women and men in the transport sector of Australia. Their research showed that equity management strategies, methods and processes that identified gendered disparities between workers, and dealt with male-oriented prejudice inherent in formal procedures and practices, were crucial methods for enhancing the involvement and retention of female employees in the sector, because they contributed to the development of fair promotional breaks and treatment (Brouggy 2010). For instance, they claim that handling the difference or inequality of involvement between women and men in the workplace “requires positive and equitable treatment in the structure of recruitment, selection and promotion process, as well as proactive measures designed to support women in non-traditional areas” (Brouggy 2010, 19). These studies have plainly showed that there is a correlation between implementing a gender-sensitive HRM model and reduced female turnover. The examples above confirm the significance of taking into account gender when analysing concerns in organisations, and shows that HRM should adopt a gender sensitive, in contrast to a gender indifferent policy, when dealing with human resources, since this would facilitate the recognition and remedy of gender-related aspects aggravating women’s turnover and discrimination in organisations. Furthermore, a gender sensitive model would widen knowledge about and analysis of issues, like retention and intentional turnover, within the area of human resource management. A study carried out by Catalyst in 2004, The Bottom Line: Connecting Corporate Performance and Gender Diversity, studied Fortune 500 firms from five sectors, namely, information technology/telecommunications, industrial, financial, consumer staples, and consumer discretionary services (Catalyst 2004, 2). The research discovered that “companies with the highest representation of women on their top management teams experienced better financial performance than companies with the lowest women’s representation” (Catalyst 2004, 2). As Barbara J. Bowes states in her work The Business Case for Diversity (Weiss 2011, 13): Furthermore, diversity can encourage a more balanced view of problems and an increased richness of decision making through consideration of different viewpoints and perspectives. Diversity has also been shown to strengthen the overall corporate culture, enhance corporate reputations, act as a recruitment and retention tool, enhance service levels, reduce turnover, lower absenteeism rates, and improve a company’s global management capacity. Diversity creates a sense of worldliness that otherwise would not be possible. As argued by the Chairman of the Race for Opportunity, Allan Leighton, organisations that take for granted diversity will eventually fail in terms of competitiveness (Weiss 2011). In addition, diversity reinforces brand recognition or identification. Earlier research on gender diversity has come across substantiation for its favourable and unfavourable impacts on organisational practices and performance. Inopportunely, these investigations of the favourable and unfavourable impacts of organisational diversity have mostly been carried out in independent research institutions, and a consolidated theoretical perspective from which to recognise the impacts of diversity on the performance or outcomes of organisations has yet to be built (Ashcraft & Blithe 2009). Currently, diversity seems to be two-faced. Organisational performance, on the one hand, can gain from (1) better prospects for organisational survival, (2) improved creativity and innovation, and (3) the capacity to attract and please customers. Diverse organisations, on the other hand, are more vulnerable to conflict or disagreement which can destabilise their unity and result in increased turnover and reduced morale (McMillan-Capehart & Simerly 2008). Hence, supporting the connection between organisational performance and gender diversity is favourable or unfavourable fails to completely identify the impact of gender diversity. In skewed groups composed of 1 to 20 percent females, as demonstrated by Kanter (1997, 967), males have a tendency to establish a social boundary (i.e. out-group members are women, in-group members are men) and work together and intermingle often with males. In these groups the abilities of the females are often overlooked, and it is more probable that these women will experience social bias and exclusion. Social contact theory states that males and females have more chances to interact with each other as the percentage of women rises. In this circumstance, men more often recognise women, and the constructive contribution of women can be shown (Kanter 1997, 969). This favourable relationship between females and males, according to Murphy and Cleveland (1995), may produce creativity and enhance problem-solving capacity, whilst gender diversity can improve group productivity and efficiency. Once the proportion of females goes above that of males, there are two outcomes (Hewlett et al. 2008): (1) even though the percentage of women grows, authority remains limited to few superior men, and the limitation of women authority may result in lost chances to use this authority for the success of the organisation, hence influencing organisational outcomes; (2) men in the group composed mostly of women feel their authority and sense of worth are intimidated. Men in the group may begin to encounter unenthusiastic feelings, resulting in disgruntlement, which consequently boosts turnover, leading to poor productivity. As shown in the above examples, when managed correctly, gender diversity produces growing prospects for both men and women. Both women and men have distinctive and useful abilities to offer to organisations. Once these abilities are consolidated in an encouraging, fair organisational culture, the outcome is not a reallocation of power, promotions, and other incentives from males to females. Instead, the outcome is the formation of a growing and bigger ‘bread’ that can be equally shared by all members of the organisation. This positive outcome presents an important rationale for dynamic involvement by both women and men in gender diversity initiatives. Recommendations The emphasis of this essay is on gender diversity initiatives in organisations, and for the intentions of this paper, analyses of organisational integration include analyses of the extent of women representation in various levels and sectors of an organisation. Initiatives aimed at enhancing organisational integration will probably include getting rid of obstacles to recruiting, selecting, and retaining females and making encouragements to enhance their organisational representation. It is vital to note that a gender-sensitive organisation is not identified only in terms of its population. A great deal of the diversity debate has been confused by a disproportionate emphasis on statistical representation. Statistical parity in every job category is neither the objective of many diversity initiatives nor the final measure for assessing these initiatives (Cleveland et al. 2000). Instead, the vision of many diversity initiatives is that transformations in organisation generally will significantly curb the numerical disparity presently observed in numerous organisations and jobs. However, it is logical to claim that a gender-conscious organisation will perhaps have men and women represented all over the organisation, and that an organisation that has many women in occupations within the ‘pink-collar ghetto’ (Cleveland et al. 2000, 369)—underpaid, low-wage jobs—is not likely to be classified as gender-conscious. Instead, it appears understandable to believe that an organisation that does not have the capacity to attract and retain female employees poses organisational barriers to women’s admission into and accomplishment in the organisation. Several instruments and models for bolstering organisational integration are presented then. More often than not, if an objective is really vital to an organisation, the organisation will track advancement toward realising that objective and give rewards and inducements for achieving it. Hence, one method to identify whether an organisation is really determined to organisationally integrate females into the labour force is to evaluate the incentives at the disposal of executives and managers to carry out this plan. According to Murphy and Cleveland (1995), organisations usually present insincere assurances to HR practices, such as performance evaluations, but give no significant recognitions for performing them well and no significant punishments for performing them inadequately. Organisations can demonstrate their dedication to organisational integration by giving and promoting important encouragements to managers for determining and creating high-performing female workers and for improving the abilities possessed by and the prospects presented to women in the organisation. For instance, organisations usually give recognitions for achieving improved diversity. More essentially, according to Deb (2006), numerous organisations are starting to consider diversity-oriented activities as a component of the performance evaluation of executives and managers. This method can be very effective since it will help advance organisation from a focus on the temporary ‘numerical competition’—diversity recognitions are at times give to organisations that employ large numbers of women, although these organisations have performed poorly in building success-friendly environments for these newly employed women—to a focus on enhancing a diverse labour force. Organisations that aspire to attract and retain competent employees have to create HR practices that meet diverse requirements and demands. For instance, family-oriented privileges are prone to become more and more essential in attracting and retaining females if the labour force is composed mostly of mothers of infants or young children. Friedman and Galinsky (1992) emphasized that several aspects are promoting the concept of family-oriented privileges. Organisations may sense the importance of implementing family-oriented practices and privileges due to union demands, enlarged media interest on family and work concerns, government directives, or demands from workers (Cabrera 2000). In addition, there are economic rewards to forming family-oriented practices. For instance, according to Friedman and Galinsky (1992), “parents of children who are not in supervised care are absent an average of 13 days a year compared to an average of 7 to 9 days” (as cited in Cleveland et al. 2000, 371). As reported by Friedmand and Galinsky (1992), parents of young children, especially those in preschool, admitted having a hard to an extremely hard time locating sufficient, if not expert, child care. The requirements of a diverse labour force surpass creating sufficient child care, or elder care, programmes. Workers are asking for more flexibility in their occupations to handle non-work and work areas. Alternative work agreements (e.g. part-time employment, telecommuting, etc.), flexible privileges, flexible workloads and work hours, are among the choices assumed to boost employees’ control, focus, and balance of their non-work and work (Cleveland et al. 2000) obligations. One definite strategy is to advance women’s involvement on major decision-making processes. Advisory groups are extensively formed by organisations, both to give evident proofs of the organisation’s interest in integrating diverse opinions and to inform members of the organisation about diverse points of view. There are a number of cases in organisations where decision-making committees have been intentionally formed to evaluate manifold domains of diversity. As a component of their general diversity management initiatives, a number of organisations have formed advisory teams to notify senior or top management of important issues of the members they embody. For instance, Xerox Corporation has advocated women’s caucus teams for decades now. An expert services company, Coopers & Lybrand, has created its diversity programmes on the idea of strategic working class model, where in groups interested in diversity in relation to organisational success can, with organisational reinforcement, carry out experimental initiatives (Cleveland et al. 2000). Assessments of their programmes are re-examined by top management, who make a decision whether the initiatives will be established more widely in the organisation. Ultimately, the stereotypes we have about women and men in an organisation are critical to majority of the concerns discussed in this paper, and a clear arena for creating gender-conscious organisations is in transforming stereotypes (Murphy & Cleveland 1995). The justification for this strategy is that stereotypes are intuitive constructions that we employ to simplify and categorise our views of other people. As individuals become conscious of their dependence on stereotypes and of the meaning of these stereotypes, they will turned out to be less prone to resort to this intuitive classification method and more prone to be cautious about other features of women and men when interrelating with them in work environments (Murphy & Cleveland 1995). Initiatives should place emphasis not just on curbing dependence on stereotypes but also on transforming the meaning of these stereotypes. Conclusions Because the discipline of human resource management has been founded on the knowledge that the common employee is gender unbiased, its fundamental principles and the practices and procedures used by HR staff in an organisation are gender insensitive, which means that they are unaware of the presence of this gender-related subcomponents inherent within organisational practices that marginalise women and favour men, and that contributes to the preservation of gender inequalities in organisations. This paper argues that by obliging organisations to determine and deal with the gender discriminations that are possibly present in these organisational practices, they persuade them to identify and give importance to women’s distinctiveness, and value this distinctiveness in organisational issues, which consequently enhances the productive involvement and retention of females in organisations. References Ashcraft, C. & Blithe, S. (2009) “Women in IT: The Facts” National Centre for Women and Technology, 1-50. Brouggy, L. (2010) Gender, Retention and Human Resource Management. Australia: University of Sydney. Cabrera, E. (2000) “Protean Organisations- Reshaping Work and Careers to Retain Female Talent” Career Development International, 14(2), 186-201. Catalyst (2004) “The Bottom Line: Connecting Corporate Performance and Gender Diversity” BMO Financial Group, pp. 1-3. Cleveland, J., Stockdale, M., & Murphy, K. (2000) Women and Men in Organsiations: Sex and Gender Issues at Work. 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