Organizational Behavior Reading: Managing Differences

This reading provides principles and practices managers can draw upon to leverage differences in social identities - such as gender and race - to create more effective work relationships, teams, and organizations. The Essential Reading's first section draws upon research to argue that diversity can contribute to organizational effectiveness, but only if managed well. The second section delves into the meaning of social identity and unpacks prejudice, bias, and discrimination in the workplace. The third section lays out how social identity dynamics commonly play out in organizations, and the fourth section presents core principles, with associated practices, to help manage social identity differences. Concepts covered include stereotype threat, implicit bias, tokenism, first- and second-generation discrimination, identity abrasions, and common perspectives on diversity in organizations. The Supplemental Reading addresses three topics relevant to managing gender diversity: work/life balance, sexual harassment, and masculinity in the workplace. The reading has five videos: "Stereotype Threat" presents a seminal study on this phenomenon, "The Invisible Winds of Discrimination" provides a useful metaphor for managers of diverse workforces, "Learn, Unlearn, Learn" shows how identity abrasions can lead to cross-identity learning, "The Impact of Implicit Bias on Leadership Assessment" provides an example of how male and female leaders are often viewed differently, and "Addressing Gender Bias" highlights successful interventions to overcome bias in organizations. The reading includes a link to the Implicit Association Test, enabling them to better understand the concept of implicit bias.