Organisational Behaviour-Diversity

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ASSIGNMENT DIVERSITY ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR (BMOB5103) SHARIFAH SHIBRAH BT SYED HUSSEIN STUDENT ID: CGS00838119

Transcript of Organisational Behaviour-Diversity

ASSIGNMENT

DIVERSITY

ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR

(BMOB5103)

SHARIFAH SHIBRAH BT SYED HUSSEIN

STUDENT ID: CGS00838119

BMOB5103 – ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR

Prof. Madya Dr. Rezian-na muhammed kassimOpen University Malaysia

2013

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.0 INTRODUCTION.................................................2

1.1..............................................WHAT IS DIVERSITY?2

1.2......................................CHARACTERISTICS OF DIVERSITY4

1.3.............................................ASPECTS OF DIVERSITY6

i. Aspects of Diversity (Visible):......................................................................................... 8ii. Aspects of Diversity (Invisible):.....................................................................................9

2.0 MANAGING DIVERSITY..........................................13

2.1. DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT.........................................132.2 DIVERSITY & INCLUSION AT GOOGLE................................13

3.0 BENEFITS AND CHALLENGES OF MANAGING DIVERSITY...............17

3.1 BENEFITS OF MANAGING DIVERSITY.................................173.2.CHALLENGES OF MANAGING DIVERSITY................................193.3 HOW TO PROMOTE AND SUPPORT DIVERSE WORKFORCE......................213.4 CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN MALAYSIA.................................22

4.0 CASE STUDY..................................................24

A. INTRODUCTION................................................24B. BACKGROUND OF THE COMPANY...................................25C. SYMPTOMS OF THE OB ISSUES...................................29D. CAUSES OF THE OB ISSUE......................................33E. RECOMMENDATIONS.............................................34F. CONCLUSIONS.................................................48G. REFERENCES..................................................50

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APPENDIX........................................................51

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION QUESTIONNAIRES...............................51

Q1- ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR ISSUE- DIVERSITY

“Strength lies in differences, not in similarities” ― Stephen R. Covey

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1. What is Diversity?

Diversity is generally defined as acknowledging, understanding,

accepting, valuing & celebrating differences among people with

respect to age, class, ethnicity, gender, physical & mental

ability. (Gupta, June, 2013). In other way, diversity also means

the fact or quality of being diverse or difference. In my own

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understanding, diversity means accepting variety; a point or

respect in which things differ. The ways we are different; the

condition of having unique characteristics. The condition of being

diverse: Variety; especially: the inclusion of diverse people (as

people of different races or cultures) in a group or organization.

As mentioned by Mr. Ahmad Atallah, Chairman and Managing Director

of Shell companies in Kuwait; diversity means all the ways they

differ. It include visible differences as well as underlying

differences such as thought, styles, religion, nationality, and

education. (Mr. Ahmad Atallah, 2012)

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1.2. Characteristics of Diversity

The characteristics of diversity can be defined as representing a

multitude of individual differences and similarities that exist

among people. Diversity can encompass many different human

characteristics such as race, age, creed, national origin,

religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation. The characteristics

representing diversity are illustrated in Gardenswartz & Rowe’s

(1994) Four Layers of Diversity Model.

Figure 1 Four Layers of Diversity Model (Rowe, 1994)

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a. The four layers of diversity are:

a. Personality - (Inner Circle)

This is the dimension that constitutes the core model of

diversity and covers all aspects of an individual's

characteristics that could be classified as their "Personal

Style".

b. Internal Dimension

This represents dimensions that may not be easily changed by

individuals and are thus taken into account by the relevant

equal treatment acts and include.

o Gender

o Nationality and ethnicity

o Social Class Background

o Sexual Orientation

o Age

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o Mental  and Physical Capability

o Religion / Worldview

c. External Dimension

These dimensions are characterized by their variableness. 

Religion and Worldview are exceptions as they sit within both

“internal and external dimensions" for two reasons.

Religion and worldview cannot always be chosen freely

Discrimination as a result thereof is legally forbidden.

These include

o Geographic Location

o Income

o Personal Habits

o Recreational Habits

o Religion/Worldview

o Educational Background

o Work Experience

o Appearance

o Personal Status

o Marital Status.

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d. Organizational Dimensions

The final Dimensional layer of this Diversity Model are

defined as corporate or institutional affiliation. These

include

o Functional Level / Classificationo Work Content / Fieldo Research interest / Field of Studyo Faculty / Centre / Department / Branch of Study / Services

and Facilitieso Work Location / Study Locationo Type of Employmento Duration of Employment / Duration of Studyo

1.3. Aspects of Diversity

Diversity refers to the differences between individuals in an

organization; each and every one of us is unique and special in

various aspects; both visible and invisible. Some people are good

at reading and writing. Other people are talented at art and

music. Some people are good at working with numbers or science.

Others are talented by sharing their creativity. Some people are

faced with additional challenges or disabilities such as

blindness, hearing impairment or other physical disabilities.

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There are many aspects of diversity such as age (generational

differences), gender, economic status, religion, physical attributes, race, education,

disability, marital status, sexual orientation, language, accent, job title, function,

skills and many more.

(Diversity Wheel, n.d.) Figure 2

We can divide these differences into primary and secondary

characteristics of diversity:

a. Primary Characteristics: Age, gender, race, ethnicity,

abilities, and sexual orientation represent primary

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characteristics of diversity which are inborn and cannot be

changed.

b. Secondary Characteristics: Work, background, income, marital

status, military enterprise, religious beliefs, geographic

location, parental status, and education—which can be

changed.

i. Aspects of Diversity (Visible): Age (generational differences)

a. Today’s workforce spans four generations:

Traditionalists (born before 1946); Baby Boomers (born

1946-1964); Generation Xers (born 1965-1981); and

Millennials (Born 1982-2000). (Kate Schaefers, 2010)

b. Mature workers (Traditionalists and Baby Boomers) are

portrayed as loyal and hardworking, but dinosaurs when

it comes to innovation and technology. Younger

employees (Generation Xers and Millennials) are viewed

as innovative, but disrespectful, lazy, and egocentric

(Kate Schaefers, 2010)

c. There are four (4) generations in the workplace with

different:

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- expectations,

- motivations,

- attitudes, and

- Behaviors.

Gender

Gender equality between men, women and trans-gender where all

should be equally given the same career opportunities,

rewards and resources. A social construct that refers to

sociological and psychological sense of self as a male,

female, or Trans. One's gender is comprised of gender roles

that are the socially constructed, culturally specific, and

subjective behaviors and expectations for women (femininity)

and men (masculinity) (gender, 2011)

Religion

Respect other people beliefs, faith and practices such as

Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Atheism, Buddhism, Hinduism,

Shinto and many more.

Physical attributes

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Accept others as they are by not judging on their physical

features or traits like fat, plump, tall, short, small, hair

styles, facial, etc.

Race

A community where people of different ethnic and races living

together in peace and harmony with no racial discrimination

ii. Aspects of Diversity (Invisible): Socio-economic status

Narrowing the gaps between the poor and the rich.

a. Social Class

Social rank in terms of income, wealth, status, and power.

b. Ruling Class

The stratum of people who hold positions of power in major

institutions of the society

c. Owning Class

The stratum of families who own income-producing assets

sufficient to make paid employment unnecessary.

d. Middle Class

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The stratum of families for who the breadwinner's educational

levels and skills brings a higher income and more security

than those of working class

e. Upper-Middle Class

The portion of the middle class with lower and less table

income due to lower-skilled or unstable employment

f. Working Class

The stratum of families whose income depends on hourly wages

for labor

Education

Multicultural with different backgrounds education

environment-Students who interact with diverse students in

classrooms and in the broad campus environment will be more

motivated and better able to participate in a heterogeneous

and complex society (Gurin, 2003)

Skills

Diversity skills are important because we need to have an

ability to speak with people from different backgrounds and

experiences. If we do not have this skill, we would

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accidentally offend people with what we say even if that was

not our intention.

Political Views

Various types of political ideologies that we all keep within

ourselves. To me, everyone should entitled to their own

ideologies and opinions and everyone else should respect

others’ ideologies as well. Democrats have a permissive social

outlook and believe in restricting the financial sector

(through regulation); Republicans essentially believe the

reverse. In their corner, Libertarians would like to end

restrictions across the board, and, down in the lower right,

we have people who prefer that all aspects of life be guided

by some authority: religion, the government, etc.

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Figure 4 Left/Right political framework

Work/Life Experience

Experiential learning gained from both work and life

experiences produces an individual who with maturity in both

spectrums. This level of maturity varies from one person to

another. The diversity in work life experience is contributed

by a vast array of factors, namely skills, expertise and

competencies. The degree and time of exposure to various

stimuli will determine the level to which a person has

matured.

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A typical example of this would be the level of work life

experiences between a fresh graduate and middle or upper

management which is not determined by the mere rank but

instead by the person’s individual work life experiences

gained.

The combination of commitments from individuals’ work and

life can be interesting and useful as it is vary from one

person to another. Diversity in Work-Life experience can be

measure through level of differentiation in skills,

expertise, exposure, and time. One good example for Work/life

experience is the level of expertise and skills between the

newbies (fresh graduates) with the mid-level management and

the senior management at any organization. Thus, there should

be no barrier between the upper/lower management.

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2.0 MANAGING DIVERSITY

2.1. Diversity Management

a. Diversity management has been described as looking at:

- the mind set of an organization;

- the climate of an organization; and

- the different perspectives people bring to an

organization due to race, workplace styles,

disabilities, and other differences (Reichenberg,

2001: 2).

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b. Managing diversity means acknowledging people's

differences and recognizing these differences as

valuable; it enhances good management practices by

preventing discrimination and promoting inclusiveness.

(Managing Diversity in the Workplace, 2013). Managing

diversity also means creating a corporate environment

where women, Blacks, and other non- traditional

employees can flourish. And diversity itself can be a

source of strength (Konrad, 1990).

c. To manage diversity in the workplace, one should

acknowledge individual differences, and recognize it as

something valuable. No discrimination should be allowed,

where companies can put up a policy on discrimination

and create an awareness on importance of diversity at

the workplace by promoting inclusiveness.

2.2 Diversity & Inclusion at Google

a. For example in Google. The way Google manage its

diversity and inclusiveness is very unique. Google has

put Diversity and Inclusion in their company’s policies

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and values where they appreciate all the differences in

their Workforce. They created a Google employee resource

groups (ERGs) for the employees resided all over the

world and from every background which brings unique

experiences and perspectives to their work. ERGs are

grassroots networks of employees with shared values of

supporting diversity and inclusion within their company

and communities. Members can participate in activities

such as education outreach, mentoring, professional

development, community service and social events.

Currently Google has sponsored 18 ERGs around the globe

(Asian Googler Network, Black Googler Network, Filipino

Googler Network, Gayglers, Google American Indian

Network, Google Capability Council, Greyglers, Hispanic

Googler Network, Indus Googler Network, Mosaic - Ann

Arbor, Mosaic - Boston, Mosaic - Buenos Aires, Mosaic -

Chicago, Mosaic - Colorado, Mosaic - Pittsburgh, Mosaic

- San Francisco, Women@Google, Google Veterans Network).

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b. For diversity in Gender, Google has implemented equality

between men, women and trans-gender where groups like

Google@Women and Gayglers: Google's LGBT Network were

formed in order to ensure that their employees are

treated fairly both inside and outside of Google.

c. Google is also supporting people with disabilities and

special needs where they have created The Capability

Council in order to increase the accessibilities of

their products. The Google Accessibility Group and the

Google Capability Council influence the design of Google

products like Gmail, Google Maps, and YouTube. The

YouTube auto-captioning tool now allows all users to

automatically create captions upon viewer request in up

to 50 languages. While captions help the deaf and

hearing impaired, machine translation enables people

around the world to access video content in any of 51

language.

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d. Google has also introduced Global ERG Leadership Awards in

order to reinforce and support employees who have shown

tremendous leadership, passion, and commitment to

diversity. For diversity in its company’s culture,

Googlers celebrating many events like Black History

Month, LGBT Pride, Hispanic Heritage Month, and

Veteran’s Day. In July 2012, Googlers organized an event

at the Google headquarters in Mountain View, CA, where

they celebrated Diversity & Inclusion with good food and

cultural dance performances. (Diversity & Inclusion at

Google, 2013). Fundamentally, embracing and managing

Diversity and Inclusivity at Google can be simplify as

below:

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Figure 5- Diversity and Inclusion Strategies@ Google

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3.0 BENEFITS AND CHALLENGES OF MANAGING DIVERSITY

3.1 Benefits of Managing Diversityi. A benefit of a diverse workforce is the ability to tap into

the many talents which employees from different backgrounds,

perspectives, abilities and disabilities bring to the

workplace. An impressive example of this is found on the

business cards of employees at one Fortune 100 technology

company. Employees at this company have business cards that

appear normal at first glance. On closer inspection, the

raised Braille characters of employee information are

evident. Many organisations now include braille on their

business cards to show they are conscious of the need to be

inclusive of people who are blind or have low vision.

ii. Diversity and inclusion are crucial in today’s global

marketplace, as companies interact with different cultures

and clients. The payoffs touch every area of the business by

potentially resulting in increased creativity, increased

productivity, new attitudes, new language skills, global

understanding, new processes, and new solutions to difficult

problems. Better agility, better market insight, stronger

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customer and community loyalty, innovation, and improved

employee recruitment and retention. Among the advantages of

diversity in the workplace are:

a. Increased Productivity and drives economic growth.:

Diversity and Inclusion brings in diverse different

talents together working towards a common goal

using different sets of skills that ignites their

loyalty and increases their retention and

productivity

b. Increased creativity and Problem solving: With so many

different and diverse minds coming together many

more solutions will arise as every individual

brings in their way of thinking, operating and

solving problems and decision making

c. Attract and Retain talent that add a competitive edge to any

organization. Feeling included and appreciated

increases loyalty and feeling of belonging.

Language skills pool is increased and propels

organization forward either to compete in the

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International global world or to increase its

diverse customer base

d. Help to build synergy in teams and enhances communication

skills that brings in new attitudes and processes

that profit the whole team

e. Applying the proper diversity and inclusion

management strategies does not only save money on

legal process expenses generated by discrimination

lawsuits but is the right thing to do for the

business. It increases market share and create a satisfied

diverse customer base by relating to people from different

backgrounds. (Andrade, 2013)

f. Diversity in the workplace is necessary as it can

create a competitive economy in a globalized world.

g. Diverse workforce often results in improved decision

making, better understanding of customers’ needs, and

increased flexibility in staffing.

h. Diverse workforce also can reduce company’s expenditure on

recruitment processes and absenteeism

i. Building employee commitment, morale and discretionary effort.

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j. Managing better the impact of globalisation and technological

change.

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3.2 Challenges of Managing Diversity

i. Many business organizations today are experiencing "diversity

exhaustion." This is due to disappointing results from all of

the diversity initiatives and programs that human resources

managers have in place. Dr. Martin Davidson at the University

of Virginia's Darden School of Business (Lankan, 2013)wrote a

book, entitled The End of Diversity as We Know It: Why

Diversity Efforts Fail and How Leveraging Difference Can

Succeed. Davidson emphasizes that many companies have only

focused on attracting and retaining diverse employees and

have not critically examined their organizational culture to

assess their capabilities to leverage that diversity for

learning, innovation and achieving superior results.

a. Language barriers can be dangerous since basic safety information

might not be well understood by different groups of people. A case in

point is a Hilton hotel in Washington, D.C., where

workers speak 36 languages and some can’t speak English

at all. To communicate with his staff, the hotel’s

general manager had to translate five different

languages in a memo and read aloud to workers. During

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meetings, supervisors rely heavily on gesturing, tone of

voice, and the written word to clarify complex thoughts

to non-English-speaking workers.

b. High Cost of Diversity Management: To increase job

satisfaction, workplace diversity management could

sometimes be very costly, when an organisation strives

to effectively manage the diverse workforce, it

undergoes a mandatory diversity training during which

supervisors, employees, and managers receive lessons on

the best way to interact with employees and clients. In

recent times, there are lots of Diversity management

program available where companies could choose from,

taking into account the size of the company and its

employees. Some training programs require a high

travelling and participation cost.

c. Myriad Accommodation: Although the premise of workplace

diversity is mutual respect, making way to accommodate

each diverse worker's request can be burdensome of

employers, which makes it difficult to manage diversity.

Some employee work constraints such as race, religion,

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country of origin and gender can sometimes be

overwhelming if the diversity in the organisation tends

to be so much to the extent that the company has to

employ a fulltime staff to keep track of accommodating

the employee’s needs. For example, some Muslim employees

may decide not to work on Fridays, as it is a special

day for prayers. In such instances employers has to make

provision for someone to take their shift when the need

arises.

d. Challenged with losses in personnel and work productivity due to

prejudice and discrimination and complaints and legal actions against

the organization (Devoe, 1999).

e. Diverse organizations may have difficulty converging meanings,

may find it hard to reach a single agreement, and have difficulty

agreeing on courses of action.

f. Incorporation issues: Social incorporation at the workplace

cannot be influenced to the maximum degree. Forming

exclusive social groups is often a natural process that

cannot be controlled sometimes. Therefore, companies

tend to experience some degree of informal divisions

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amongst their workers thereby creating conditions where

diverse employees avoid having contact with each other

during leisure times and when work is over. Although

this scenario doesn't seem fundamentally wrong, it can

reduce the effectiveness of knowledge sharing amongst

teams and hence decreasing productivity. (Ruth Mayhew

2013)

3.3 How to promote and support Diverse Workforce

i. The study team identified the following factors for best

practices in diversity:

Leadership and management commitment : Senior Management and

Managers can promote diversity in the workplace in a number

of ways:

Focus on bringing in the best talent, not on meeting

numerical goals;

set up mentoring programs among employees of the same and

different races;

hold managers accountable for meeting diversity goals;

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develop career plans for employees as part of performance

reviews;

promote minorities to decision-making positions, not just

staff jobs;

ensure that succession planning helps maintain diversity at

all levels of the organization;

make managers accountable for ensuring diversity in their

divisions or groups; and diversify the company’s board of

director

Have a working knowledge and adhere to Equal Employment

Opportunity (EEO), affirmative action, reasonable

accommodation, sexual harassment and alternative dispute

resolution policies.

Employee involvement

Behave in ways that will actively contribute to theenhancement of a culture in which diversity is valued amongthe people they work with;

Demonstrably value diversity through team building andconsultative processes, and the decisions and actions taken

Draw self and others’ diverse skills and talents to enhancework outputs; not condone or ignore harassing or bullyingbehaviour in the workplace; and conduct in a mannerconsistent with the company’s Values and EmploymentPrinciples, and the Code of Conduct.

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3.4 Cultural Diversity in Malaysiai. In Malaysia; a country which boasts of having a

multicultural; multi-religion and multi-ethnic society,

living in peace and harmony and we see ourselves as Malaysian

anywhere in the world. As Malaysians, we embrace other

people's differences, showing respect and tolerance

throughout the country. If there was any country that has a

diversity of cultures to exhibit to the world, Malaysia would

be an outstanding candidate as diversity enriches our lives.

Much as the biological diversity of an ecosystem increases

its stability and productivity, cultural diversity brings

together the resources and talents of many people for the

benefit of a nation.

Figure 6- Unity in Malaysian context

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ii. According to Dr. Shahren Ahmad Zaidi Adruce (Adruce, 2008) in

the Eighth International Conference on Diversity in Organisations, Communities

and Nations; the racial conflicts of the past have taught

Malaysians a lot about the importance of racial integration

and the need to accommodate diversity. Diversity could be an

asset – but if improperly managed, could also lead to

conflict and disaster.In order to establish a strong and

united nation like Malaysia today, Malaysia has gone through

its difficult phase in 1969, where there was a traumatic

ethnic riots on May 13.It happens due to the constitution

gave Malays permanent spots in the government, made Islam the

national religion, and made Malay the national language. The

government, controlled by the United Malay National

Organization, passed the New Economic Policy, which attempted

to increase economic opportunity for the Malay by

establishing various quotas in their favor. Unsurprisingly,

many Chinese opposed the new arrangement and formed a

significant opposition party. In 1969, after the opposition

party won a significant seats, riots swepts through Kuala

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Lumpur and the country was placed in a state of emergency for

two years. It was a painful moment in the young nation's

history that most Malaysians prefer to forget. Looking back

on the fifty years since Independence, there is no doubt that

Malaysia is a development success story where race and

religion are inextricably linked. Taking everything into

account, Malaysia has chosen an ethnic and cultural diversity

as ways of life - that of unity in diversity and

inclusiveness, while ensuring fairness to all.

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4.0 CASE STUDYQ2- Identify a company (can be your current employer or any company / employer) that is either excellent or poor about the OB issue that you have identified above.

Objective:

The purpose of this assignment is to conduct a reasearch on all

the symptoms and causes of the Diversity Issues in a practical

company. Particularly, the study shed light on the diversity

management issue of a local Telecommunication organization. I have

analysed the diversity management strategies of TIME dotCom on

giving focus between business success and diversity.

A. INTRODUCTION

Diversity and diversity management in multicultural workforce is

increasingly becoming an important issue for the business in the

era of globalization. It affects the productivity and efficiency

of the workforce in general. The term diversity has many

interpretations. Different scholars have defined it in different

way. Cox (2001) defined diversity as the variation of social and

cultural identities among people existing together in a defined

employment or marketing setting while Gupta defined it as

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differences among people with respect to age, class, ethnicity,

gender, physical & mental ability. (Gupta, June, 2013). But what

about Diversity Management, and how does it functions?? Well,

according to a website which I found online recently, diversity

management means acknowledging people's differences and

recognizing these differences as valuable; it enhances good

management practices by preventing discrimination and promoting

inclusiveness. (Managing Diversity in the Workplace, 2013). And

according to Konrad, managing diversity means creating a

corporate environment where women, Blacks, and other non-

traditional employees can flourish. And diversity itself can be

a source of strength.(Konrad, 1990, August 6).

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B. BACKGROUND OF THE COMPANY

TIME dotCom Berhad (TIME) is a data-centric telecommunications and

solutions provider based in Malaysia, with a business reach across

the Asia-Pacific region. With fixed-line telecommunications,

submarine cable and data centre businesses, TIME has been breaking

ground since starting out in 1996.

TIME's core business focuses on providing best-in-class backhaul

and wholesale bandwidth to leading local, regional and global

operators in Malaysia and the Asia-Pacific region. The Group

delivers extensive fibre optic-based telecommunications solutions,

including private leased lines and dedicated Internet services to

large corporations, government organisations and enterprises that

demand state-of-the-art, always-on connectivity.

In Malaysia, TIME has made considerable headway in the consumer

segment, with the country's first 100% fibre-optic broadband

service. With speeds of up to 100Mbps, TIME's service, currently

the fastest in the country, has been effectively supporting some

of the industry's biggest names with innovative solutions.

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TIME's Malaysian business is anchored by its Cross Peninsular

Cable System (CPCS™), a 6,000 kilometer-long advanced fibre optic

network that traverses Thailand through Singapore. Designed as a

fully meshed network, the CPCS™ is the most robust trans-border

terrestrial system ever built. Following extensive upgrades in

2012, TIME is today, the only provider in Malaysia to have a next-

generation, 100% IP|MPLS network.

Regionally, TIME's network extends beyond Malaysian shores via its

investment in the Global Transit Group of Companies (GT). GT's

global footprint includes Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan and the US,

and strategic investments in submarine cable systems. These

include the highly-sought Unity Cable System connecting Japan and

the US, and the Asia-Pacific Gateway (APG), a 10,000 kilometer-

long international fibre optic cable system linking Malaysia to

Japan and South Korea. The APG is expected to be completed at the

end of 2014.

The Group's data centre business is spearheaded by the AIMS Group

of Companies (AIMS), one of the region's most inter-connected

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sites. Located strategically in the Malaysian capital's central

business district, AIMS is an award-winning, carrier-neutral

facility. AIMS is already home to all of Malaysia's

telecommunications providers and approximately 200 service

providers, making AIMS a premier choice for discerning customers.

The industry has recognised TIME's push for service and

technological excellence. In 2012, TIME was accorded the

prestigious Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) certification, making the

Group one of 47 international firms to win recognition for the

performance, interoperability and reliability of its network.

TIME's compliance with global standards ensures that it is able to

link up to any other telecommunications network in the world.

TIME's domestic fibre optic network, combined with GT's regional

nodes for wholesale bandwidth and ownership in several submarine

cable systems, as well as AIMS' data centre business, offers

customers a complete land and subsea fibre optic network and

value-added services that tap fast-growing ASEAN demand for fast,

reliable bandwidth.

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i. Overview on TIME dotCom’s History

Too often TIME dotCom Bhd had failed to turn things around and

National investment arm Khazanah Nasional Bhd has also been trying

for years to fix the problem at TIME dotCom Bhd. But things have

changed since the new CEO; Afzal Abdul Rahim and his team took

over the business in 2008. Afzal was given only three months to

come up with a turnaround plan and he made it. The plan was

divided into four sections: a business plan, turnaround

initiatives, divisional initiatives and quick win labs.

During his first three months, Afzal flattened the organisational

structure. Twenty-three of TIME dotCom Bhd’s senior executives

have left the company – via a voluntary separation scheme,

resignations or unrenewed contracts. A cost reduction initiative

was put in place and TIME dotCom Bhd has moved from its Jalan Tun

Razak office to its current premises in Glenmarie in Shah Alam.

Within the first 115 days in office, Afzal had identified TIME

dotCom Bhd’s weak links – a weak brand, drain on human capital, a

lethargic work culture, poor financial planning and disengaged

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sales force. To address that, he has put in place a total overhaul

plan. Within a few months he successfully turned around the

company and set it on a new direction of growth.

In 2010, TIME dotCom has successfully made a significant progress

where they have met all their business goals. Over the course of

the year, TIME became a financially healthy company by

demonstrating consistent EBITDA growth and strong operating cash

flow. Operational efficiencies were further strengthened with

their customers as their primary focus.

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ii. All in all dotCom is: TIME dotCom is the 2nd largest and fast growing fixed Line

Telecommunications network and solutions provider in Malaysia

TIME dotCom has been listed on the main board of Bursa

Malaysia since 2001

TIME dotCom business is built on its advanced fibre optic

network- CPCS

iii. dotCom is aiming to be an Employer of Choice throughits People Division

They believe that their employees, whether present or future

are their most important asset in achieving and realizing

their visions and goals for the company

They have the means, assets and facilities to make their

organisation the ‘ideal’ place to be, and they take this very

seriously

To be known as a great organisation, or the organisation of

choice, they need a platform that recognises their efforts.

Hence, Human Resources Excellence Awards 2013 is the best

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BMOB5103 – ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR

platform for them to gauge their efforts within the industry.

Recently, they have won awards for the Excellence in

Compensation and Benefits Strategy, Excellence in Employee

Engagement, Excellence in Work-Life Balance and also

Excellence in Recruitment and Retention.

C) SYMPTOMS OF THE OB ISSUES

TIME dotCom wanted a diversity strategy that made a clear link

between business success and Culture. This was led by a CIC

(Culture and Internal Communications) steering group and delivered

by the organisation with People Division (HR) providing

coordination and ‘thought leadership’.

i. Defining and inculcating a desired culture at time dotcom.

Organizational Culture – A Definition

Culture is the environment that surrounds you at work all of the

time. Culture is a powerful element that shapes your work

enjoyment, your work relationships, and your work processes. But,

culture is something that you cannot actually see, except through

its physical manifestations in your work place. In many ways,

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culture is like a personality. In a person, the personality is

made up of the values, beliefs, underlying assumptions, interests,

experiences, upbringing, and habits that create a person’s

behavior.Culture is made up of the values, beliefs, underlying

assumptions, attitudes, and behaviors shared by a group of people.

Culture is the behavior that results when a group arrives at a set

of - generally unspoken and unwritten - rules for working together

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About dotCom Berhad (Time):

TIME dotCom Berhad (TIME) is the second-largest but fastest

growing fixed-line telecommunications network and solutions

provider in Malaysia. TIME has been listed on the main board of

Bursa Malaysia since 2001. The Group underwent a management change

in October 2008 and has since completed its business turnaround,

recording strong quarterly profits since mid-2009.

Despite the improvements in financial profits, TIME still carries

its stigma from the past where the Company has often been

associated with being passive and lethargic in terms of working

culture. Despite the many (turnaround) initiatives to revive the

values and culture at TIME, the impact and result hasn’t been

significant, nor enough to engage and inspire the employees to

move as aggressively.

Rationale:

In 2009, the Company embarked on a series of initiatives to

inculcate the Five (05) Core Values (Bold, Quick, Creative, Focused and Fun)

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as part of its turnaround exercise. This was then followed by The

People Manifesto in 2010 and the Brand Promise later that same

year. TIME introduced these measures as a means to develop a

corporate culture that would provide a competitive edge above all

its competitors both locally as well as globally

.

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ii. Core values:

Bold

- Courageous, challenge conventional rules.

- Daring (dare to be different, dare to take

risks, dare to make a point).

- Confident but not arrogant.

- Energetic and full of life.

Creative

- Resourceful and highly competent.

- Does things new to organization, improves

performance by doing something new, meaningful

and different.

- Does things that are unique or leading edge

Focused

- Obsess at achieving business objectives.

- Be meaningful rather than procedural.

- Know what she/he wants and how to get there.

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Quick

- Decisive, fast respond and adaptive.

- Intuitive.

- Able to anticipate needs, contingencies.

- Design solutions based on real customer

needs.

Fun

- Present in all that we do

- (We) don’t take ourselves too seriously.

- Reflected in the way we communicate with our

customers and the manner we interact with each

other.

- Boring is NEVER in our game

iii. Brand promise

The three (3) elements within the Brand Promise of Pushing

Performance are:

Can-do attitude

Challenger

Straightforward & witty47

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D) CAUSES OF THE OB ISSUE

TIME has seen a shift in the racial make-up of its employees with

a slight shift in racial composition. The ratio of Malay employees

has declined slightly while the ratio of Chinese and Indian

employees has gradually been increasing. It was initially thought

that this was a cause for concern among employees. However, upon

further investigations, it was found that Management Style was of

greater influence to the performance and productivity of TIME

employees.

Henceforth, the newly defined culture are all inclusive of the 5

Core Values, the Brand Promise as well as the People Manifesto. Through an EGM

held on the 23 November 2011, TIME was given the go ahead from its

shareholders to acquire three (3) companies - Global Transit Ltd.

(GTL), Global Transit Communications Sdn. Bhd. (GTC) and AIMS Data

Centre Sdn. Bhd. (AIMS). In order to be ever more competitive,

TIME has to develop its staff to be top notch performers with a

strong corporate culture which encapsulates the core values, brand

promise and is aligned to the people manifesto. As such, a strong

corporate culture was introduced at TIME. Unfortunately, the

prevalent culture lacks a unified definition among all employees,

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BMOB5103 – ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR

especially Senior Management. Hence, having a unified definition

of the culture which is developed by the senior management of the

organisation is paramount given that Culture Inculcation is a Top

Down initiative. An external consultant was hired to facilitate 2

sessions on a unified definition of the Corporate Culture at TIME

based on the Core Values, Brand Promise and People Manifesto.

o Management (EXCO) off-site session

o Senior Management off-site session

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E) RECOMMENDATIONSi. Cultural Diversity and Inclusive through Culture & Internal

Communications- Strategies and Planning

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ii. There are four main areas of focus:

Top down messages

Bottom up messages

External communication

Core values roll out

- Single window of

communication within the

company

- To drive the cultural shift

Deliverables:

Roll out the core values

Cultural shift agent

Goals:

To ensure that all employees within the organisation have

access to all the information they require to make informed

decisions and maximise their output.

To foster engagement while helping employees understand the

company’s business objectives and how they fit into them.

Objectives:

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Create a workplace where all employees are informed and

working toward the same goals through clear direction for

everyday activity

Create a common vision and reduce the capacity for

workplace conflict by reducing ambiguity of messages or

ideas

Encourage a sense of belonging to the whole by feeling

privy to what is going on.

Enable all employees to be able to articulate the business’

mission, values, and goals and support those business

objectives.

Empower employees to make better and more informed daily

decisions that are aligned with meeting long-term business

objectives.

iii. TIME Employees’ Demographics Research 2011

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The average age of their employees is 36.2 and the average

length of service is 7.3.

Of the 648 employees, 66 are in their regional offices.

The internal communication strategies were designed based on

their employees demographics data in order to make the

messages easily available and understood by all

The demographics are also used to determine the media that

they are going to utilize to convey the message.

iv. Internal communication strategies – top down

  Strategy Intended Results Implementation Plan Frequency Media

1 Message from the CEO

“The CEO pens…”

Clarity ofdirection and tokeep employeesup to date oncompany’s

CEO to write and emailbrief messages at the endof each month to allemployees. Subsequently,these messages will be

Monthly Emailand Intranet

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progress uploaded on the E-stationunder “CEO pens….

2 Townhall sessions

Clarity of direction and tokeep employees up to date on company’s progress

Quarterly

Meeting

3

Disseminationof information arising from the Management Meeting

All senior management decisions are communicated effectively to staff.

Coordinate with the CEO’soffice on the disseminationof non-classifiedinformation arising fromthe weekly EXCO meetings.

Weekly Email

4Relevant Board decisions

All Board’s decisions are communicated effectively to staff

Coordinate with the L&SDivision on thedissemination of non-classified informationarising from the Boardmeetings.

As and when theBoard meets

Email

v. Internal communication strategies – bottom-up

  Strategy Intended Results Implementation Plan Frequency Media

5 Project Updates

To keepemployees up todate oncompany’sprogress

Establish a key contactat each division andthese contacts willupdate the InternalCommunication dept on theproject progress.

MonthlyEmail and Intranet

6 Get to knowthemanagement

To close the gapbetween themanagement and

Each Head of Divisionwill host an open “tehtarik” session so that

Monthly Informalmeetings/TT

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sessions the staffstaff will get to knowthem better and voice outproblems

sessions

vi. Internal communication strategies – external communication

  Strategy Intended Results Implementation Plan Frequen

cy Media

6

News on TdC –e.g. Sales closed, projects completed, current promotions, product launches

To keep employees up to date on company’s progress

Work closely with theCorporate CommunicationDept. to ensure TdC relatednews is broadcast to allemployees prior to orconcurrently with theofficial news release onexternal media.

Daily Intranet

7News on the competitors and industry

To keep employees up to date with news on competitors and industry

Upload current news oncompetitors and industry onthe intranet on dailybasis.

Daily Intranet

8.

Staff news - current

To boost employees’ morale

Weekly Intranet

vii. Media

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E-Station – A face-lift is in the works and feature more newson the company and competitors, staff and what’s going on in the company.

Reduced E-mail messages and E-Station will be used primarily for the staff to get information

Cartoons are used to convey messages especially on leadershipand core values.

Objectives:

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- To internalize the core values among the employees- To align the behaviors with the core values- To create a culture in which the core values truly live in

the organization.- To prepare our employees for the rebranding.-

viii. Core values rolled-out in 2011 Phase 1

Strategy Intended Results Media

1 Identification of the behaviors associated with thecore values (Employees’ level)

Establishment of key behaviors that are associated with the core values. To ascertain what the core values mean to different divisions

Focus groups

2 Development of corevalues booklets

All employees are aware of the company’s core values and the behaviors associated with the them

Comic book/illustrations

3 Identification of Change Agents/Facilitators

Implementation of the roll out program

Phase 2

Strategy Intended Results Media

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1 Full and Active Executive Support for Successful Strategic Planning

Commitment from the Management and forthe Management to” walk the talk”

Workshops

2 Establishment of Expected Behaviors and Actions

Establishments of actionable behaviorsand performance results.

Workshops

3 Establishment of Implementation and Control Plans

Workshops

4 Effective Communication and Dissemination of Expectations

A powerful and compelling communications campaign to disseminatethe management’s expectations

Workshops

5 Train the Trainer Program A group of passionate and talented individuals trained to communicate, disseminate and review the results of the roll out programs.

Workshops

Phase 3

Strategy Intended Results Media

1 Company-wide rollout

Alignment of core values Workshops

2 Measurement of the effectiveness

Survey

3 Reinforcement programs/activities

Continuous alignments over the second half of theyear.

ix. Results

After they have successfully inculcated the Cultural Diversity, the results is very impressive:

Core Values

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Attrition rate and Employee Satisfaction Index

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Attrition rate for employee voluntarily resigned is reducing

from 22.60 % in 2009 to 13.7% in 2012.

62

1 2 3 4 50%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

20.00%

22.60%

13.40%11.50%

13.70%

Series1

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65

Male412, 66%

Female

217, 34%

Gender

Male412, 66%

Female

217, 34%

Gender

BMOB5103 – ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR

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dotCom Road-Map

5 Key Thrusts to making this possible

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F. CONCLUSIONS

Company : TIME Dotcom Berhad

No of Employees : 827 employees

Primary Business : A data-centric telecommunications and solutions provider

Title of Initiatives : Workplace diversity & Equality and inclusiveness

Specific grounds : Cultural, Gender, Work-Life balance

Initiatives taken :

1. Provide flexibility for supporting employees to balance Work-

Life responsibilities- Telecommuting & Flexible Work Hours

2. Increasing the recruitment and retention of employees from

culturally and linguistically diverse background

3. Ensure selection processes that involve Indigenous applicants

and members of ethnic or other diversity groups are fair and

those involved in interviewing are sensitive to cultural

issues.

Time DotCom is the 2nd largest and fast growing fixed Line

Telecommunications network and solutions provider in Malaysia.

Today, Time DotCom is confident of its ability to communicate to a

diverse and multicultural Malaysians because they have

successfully turn around the company within less than a year. As a

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result of the Turnaround and Cultural Transformation Programme

recently, TIME has managed to emerge their 5 Core Values and

People Manifesto, Launched Brand Promised Internally & Externally

and designed initiatives that would authentically cascade the Core

Values & Brand together with institutionalization of the People

Manifesto as a Value Add to People policies. At the heart of TIME

today is a philosophy called Equality and inclusiveness, which

represents TIME’s thinking about equality and diversity developed

in the last 3 years. During this time, TIME dotCom has been

convinced of the business benefits of a diverse workforce and

diverse audiences, and has integrated an understanding of

inclusion throughout the company, from employment policies to

product development and customer service. Equality and

inclusiveness is research driven, influenced by future gazing and

underpinned by sophisticated demographic analysis, enabling TIME

to collect data about changes in its workforce composition and

customer base.

Results Reviews and Recommendation :

As a result of its diversity initiative, the awareness and

commitment of TIME dotCom employees has been enhanced

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significantly.

a. There is a major improvement in the company’s attrition rate as it has been

reduced from 22.6% in 2009 to 13.7% in 2012.

b. TIME has managed to increase its Employee Survey Index (ESI) from 71.4% in

2009 to 75.9% in 2012

c. On the recent survey that was done recently, 84% of the TIME dotCom’s

employees have agreed TIME dotCom has an excellent future.

d. On the cultural impact, 80% of the employees believed and passionate about The

Brand Promise which is “Pushing Performance”

e. Results have also shown that the percentage of Female employees has been

increased from 32% in 2011 to 34% in 2012; while the Male employees is reduced

by 2%.

f. In their overall performance, its total revenue gained has been the most

remarkable and significant success as they have managed to gain profits for the

3rd year in a row; which is from RM 313.9 million to RM 419.1million in 2012.

g. Human Resources Excellence Awards 2013 is the best platform for them to gauge

their efforts within the industry. Recently, they have won awards for the Excellence in

Compensation and Benefits Strategy, Excellence in Employee Engagement,

Excellence in Work-Life Balance and also Excellence in Recruitment and

Retention.

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G. REFERENCES1. Adruce, D. S. (2008). Diversity and Integration in Malaysian

Organizations: A Review. Eighth International Conference on Diversity in Organisations, Communities and Nations. Montréal, Canada.

2. Andrade, S. (2013, November). 6 advantages of Workplace Diversity. Retrieved from http://saharconsulting.wordpress.com/: http://saharconsulting.wordpress.com/2010/03/26/6-advantages-of-workplace-diversity/

3. Diversity & Inclusion at Google. (2013, Nov). Retrieved from Diversity: http://www.google.com/diversity/index.htm

4. Diversity Wheel. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.stclaircounty.org/: http://www.stclaircounty.org/offices/hr/Diversity.aspx

5. gender. (2011, September 10). Retrieved from http://www.sco.uncc.edu: http://www.sco.uncc.edu/gswa/diversity/gender.html

6. Gupta, R. S. (June, 2013, June). Workforce Diversity and Organizational Performance. International Journal of Business and Management Invention, Volume 2 Issue 6, 36-41. Retrieved from www.ijbmi.org

7. Gurin, P. (2003). BENEFITS OF DIVERSITY IN EDUCATION.

8. Kate Schaefers, P. L. (2010, Aug 30). Age Diversity in the Workplace.Retrieved Oct 21, 2013, from http://www.careerthoughtleaders.com: http://www.careerthoughtleaders.com/blog/age-diversity-in-the-workplace/

9. Konrad, W. (1990, August 6). Welcome to the woman-friendly company. Business Week, 48-55.

10. Lankan, M. (2013). Diversity Is Not Just a Human Resources Function Anymore. Diverse Issues in Higher Education 2013.

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11. Managing Diversity in the Workplace. (2013, November). Retrievedfrom http://ucsfhr.ucsf.edu/index.php/pubs/hrguidearticle/chapter-12-managing-diversity-in-the-workplace/#681: http://ucsfhr.ucsf.edu/index.php/pubs/hrguidearticle/chapter-12-managing-diversity-in-the-workplace/#681

12. Mr. Ahmad Atallah, C. a. (2012, September). Empowering women leadership in the oil and gas. Retrieved from www.shell.com/kwt:http://www.shell.com/kwt/aboutshell/media-centre/news-and-media-releases/2012/empowering-women-leadership-in-the-oil-and-gas.html

13. Rowe, G. &. (1994). Four Layers of Diversity Mode.

14. Vickers-Willis, T. (2013, November). Managing Workforce Diversity-Diversity between some Asian Countries. Retrieved from http://www.vwcorp.com.au/html/informationresources.htm.

APPENDIXDiversity and inclusion questionnaires

1. Have you ever experienced a conflict(s) caused by cultural or demographic diversity in your company?

1) yes [ X ]

2) no ->please proceed to question 5 [ ]

2. If yes, what were the sources of conflicts that took place in the company?

(Please mark ‘x’ after the appropriate option, maximum 3).

No.

Sources:

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Employees’ gender X

Employees’ age X

Disability

Nationality of origin

Education level

Values and beliefs X

Language

Problems in communication

X

Other reason (Such as?) ……

3. Choose the most often types of conflicts in the company that you are currently working at.

(Please mark ‘x’ after the appropriate option, maximum 3)

No Types of conflicts:  1 Concerning reward types (salaries,

bonuses, etc.)  

2 Based on social hierarchy  X3 Between the management and the

employees  

4 Due to incorrect company’s information system

 

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5 Due to insufficient knowledge of labour legislation

 

6 Due to incorrect personnel policy  7 Due to employee’s cultural variety X 8 Other (such as?) ……………………  

4. How often did any of the following forms of conflicts occur in the company?

No. Forms of conflicts: Often Rarely Never

1. Pranks, ‘innocent’ jokes 3 21

2. Uncomfortable argument 3 2 1

4. Verbal conflicts which required employer’s intervention 3 2 1

5. Development of hostile attitudes among the employees 3 21

6. Launching an official complaint 3 21

7. Elements of physical violence among the employees 32 1

7. Conflicts that had to be settled (legally) 32 1

8. Other form (such as?)……………………………................……………. 32 1

5. Does the company have a policy based on cultural diversity?

a) Yes 74

BMOB5103 – ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR

b) No

6. What types of actions are taken in your company in order to remedy conflict situations?

(Please mark ‘x’ after the appropriate option, maximum 3).

No Ways of remedying conflicts:

1.1

Such situations tend to disappear naturally

2.If one party feels offended it informs about it and then both parties seek a compromise

X

3.If one party feels offended it informs about it and then both parties seek a compromise

4.Co-workers usually put pressure on both parties in order to find a solution as quickly as possible

5.It is manager’s duty to help resolve the issue

X

6.Identify the source of the conflict X7.Usually managers put pressure on both to help

solve conflict8.It happens that there is no solution. One of

the parties has to leave

7. Have you ever been personally involved in any conflict that wasbased on cultural diversity at your work place?

a) Yes b) No X

8. Does the company provide all employees with equal access to trainings?

a) Yes Xb) No

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9. Does your employer facilitate development of work qualifications?

a) Yes Xb) No

10. Does the company that you are currently working at supports the employees in terms of combining professional life with family one?

a) Yes Xb) No

11. If yes, please specify organizational solutions that are in favour of it.

(Please mark ‘x’ after the appropriate option, maximum 3).

No. Type of solutions:

1. Work Life Balance X

2. Flexible time X

3. Maternity and paternity leave X

4. Recognition of “official/statutory holidays” X

5. Home support services

6. Social gatherings

7. Other (such as?).

12. Does the company that you are currently working at conduct anyactions which aim is protecting the worker? (Please mark ‘x’ after the appropriate option)

No. Type of action:

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2. Protecting the worker against layoffs

3. Protecting the worker against gender discrimination

4. Protecting the worker against racial discrimination

5. Other (Such as?) ………………………………………………

13. Do you feel like an appreciated worker in the company that youare currently working at?

a) Yes Xb) No

14. Do you feel that you utilize your full potential in the company that you are currently working at?

a) Yes Xb) No

15. If you would receive an attractive job offer from other company, would you stay in your current place of work?

1) Definitely yes 2) Rather yes 3) Hard to say X4) Rather not 5) Definitely not

STATISTICAL DATA

MP1. Your gender:

a) Female b) Male X

MP2. Your age:

1) 25 years or less 2) From 26 to 35 years

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3) From 36 to 45 years X4) From 46 to 55 years 5) 56 years or more

MP3. Your education level:

1) Higher X2) Secondary 3) Vocational education 4) Elementary 5) Other (such as?)

MP4. Your marital status:

1) Not married (Miss/Mr) 2) Married (Mrs/Mr) X3) Divorced 4) Widow/Widower 5) Domestic partnership

MP5. Do you have children?

1) Yes X2) No

MP6. Work experience

1) 5 years or less 2) From 6 to 10 years 3) From 11 to 15 years 4) 16 years and more X

Theoretical Questions

1. Provide the mission statement with value on diversity. How has yourexperience and background prepared you to be effective in this

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environment with this diversity value/initiative?

Equal and inclusive opportunities for all

2. What do you see as the most challenging aspect of a diverse workingenvironment?

What steps have you taken to meet this challenge?

Getting staff of different racial backgrounds to be closer beyond merely a professional capacity. This is important for great teamwork

3. What kinds of experiences have you had working with others with different backgrounds than your own?

Learn new things about different cultures, religions and beliefs

4. Tell me about a time you had to alter your work style to meet a diversity need or challenge?

I had to think of a creative approach to plan a core valuesinculcation programme. This included a paintball challenge, a gokarting event and an off-road treasure hunt challenge, just tocater to the demands of the Gen-Y staff. Obviously some of the morematured staff didn’t completely agree with the plans at first, butwith some coercing, in the end the whole programme was a success.In fact staff are now looking forward to even more such programmesin the future.

5. How have you handled when a colleague was not accepting of others’ diversity?

The most important element when dealing with such situations isunderstanding. Ensure both (or all) parties understand each other’sneeds, wants, desires, expectations etc. and the job is more thanhalf done. After that, all it takes is creative negotiations. Inthe most extreme case, (which I haven’t personally had to handle)the best alternative is to ask one party to leave. This party

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should be the one who causes the most disruption. These troublemakers are like a cancer and should be removed to prevent even morewidespread of a negative influence which can potentially destroythe serene eco system of the organization.

6. What does it mean to have a commitment to diversity and how would you develop and apply your commitment at this company?

Ensure inclusiveness in all dealings. Strike the best compromiseand ensure open and frank communications to all personnel. Its alsoimportant to highlight differences about cultural and/or religiousrequirements. (Eg. Christmas and Lion Dance are culturalcelebrations)

7. What was/is the diversity value at your current/former employer? What impact did you make on this value?

Equality and inclusiveness

8. What efforts have you made, or been involved with, to foster diversity competence and understanding?

Ensure the cultural differences are as clearly communicated upfront aspossible. Its always better to inform of the diversity and differences(or required interventions) beforehand than trying to explain yourselfafterwards. A reactive approach to communications should always beavoided as this is usually seen as an afterthought and not preplannedwith all parties in mind

9. What have you done to further your knowledge about diversity? Have you included diversity in your professional development? How have you demonstrated what you have learned?

Learn about others. You don’t have to be an anthropologist, but at least show that you know a little bit more about others.

10. What kind of leadership efforts would you make to ensure a commitment to the diversity initiative or value?

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Leadership by example. Show you respect others. But don’t overdothings else one party will feel shortchanged. Striking a goodbalance comes with experience. Try and be seen trying..

11. What strategies have you used to address diversity challenges?What were the positives and negatives?

By understanding that the Lion Dance is a Cultural event and not areligious one, of other religions in the company were more acceptingof the event. The Chinese were also thrilled that a company which isnot predominantly Chinese can accommodate such a celebration.

(Diversity, 2013)

http://www.shrm.org/TemplatesTools/Samples/InterviewQuestions/Pages/Diversity.aspx

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