Deck 6: Managing for Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing

Question 1

Diversity consists of many attributes that can affect individual, group and organisational outcomes such as performance, job satisfaction and absenteeism.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Workforce diversity includes all aspects that make us different including:

A) gender, sexuality, needs and desires
B) race, age, culture and nationality
C) religious beliefs, interests and lifestyle
D) all of the above

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Social categorisation implies that there are in-groups and out-groups and these groups are not necessarily work orientated?

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Diversity management is the same as equal employment opportunity and affirmative action.

Question 5

Workforce diversity tends to result in employees not sharing information and not learning from each other, resulting in a reduction in organisational learning.

Question 6

Research about the similarity attraction paradigm, social identity theory and social categorisation theory indicates that when people are similar to each other they are likely to inadvertently discriminate against people who are different.

Question 7

Negative emotional and behavioural consequences of diversity are largely explained by which three theories?

A) similarity attraction paradigm, social identity theory and equity theory
B) similarity attraction paradigm, social identity theory and social categorisation theory
C) social identity theory, social categorisation theory and equity theory
D) similarity attraction paradigm, social categorisation theory and equity theory

Question 8

Groupthink is most likely to occur in organisations when:

A) 'in-groups' are formed
B) people are unwilling to state what they privately think
C) employees agree with what the majority of the group says
D) all of the above

Question 9

Groups that have diverse members will be more cohesive and produce better outcomes if their leader is open to dissimilarity, has good conflict management skills and is able to manage emotions in the group.

Question 10

Two key skills that assist in the management of individual differences are dissimilarity openness and cultural knowledge.

Question 11

Diversity produces cognitive benefits for the organisation.One cognitive benefit is group decision effectiveness and this results in:

A) employees 'thinking outside the square'
B) broader alternatives and varying solutions to problems
C) employees developing similar ways of dealing with issues
D) both a and b

Question 12

When employees work in teams that consist of a large proportion of people similar to themselves they are likely to enjoy a greater allocation of rewards and support.This is consistent with:

A) the similarity attraction paradigm
B) social identity theory
C) social categorisation theory
D) autonomous work teams theory

Question 13

In order for diversity-open performance evaluations to be effective they must include diversity criteria in manager performance appraisals that meet the organisational diversity objectives.

Question 14

Work-family conflict can make work-life balance difficult.However, flexible employment opportunities do not guarantee that employees will have any greater commitment to their job.

Question 15

Discrimination legislation varies between countries and states.In the event of discrimination in Australia there are three steps an organisation or employee can take.They are:

A) seek advice from work colleagues, obtain professional advice and take personal action
B) directly contact the commission then seek advice from your organisation and speak with your work colleagues
C) discuss the issue with management, seek advice and present the case to a commission
D) seek assistance, talk to work colleagues and take no action

Question 16

Programs that are established to teach employees about diversity in their workplace help change employee attitudes and increase their awareness and understanding of diversity.

Question 17

An organisation advertised for people over 180cm tall for a job that could be performed by people of any height.An organisation adopting this recruitment process is engaging in:

A) discrimination
B) direct discrimination
C) indirect discrimination
D) anti-discrimination

Question 18

Ian is a HR manager listening to Karen talk about her experiences at work.While Ian listens he shows concern for Karen's feelings and for her relationship with her boss.According to Geert Hofstede, which national culture dimension is Ian displaying?

A) uncertainty avoidance
B) risk tolerance
C) femininity
D) masculinity

Question 19

The dimension of Geert Hofstede's national cultures that proposes that people tend to look after their own needs and put these before others is known as:

A) power distance
B) uncertainty avoidance
C) time orientation
D) individualism versus collectivism

Question 20

Negative effects of diversity can occur because:

A) cognitive benefits of diversity outweighing affective and behavioural costs
B) potential cognitive costs for the HR department
C) discrimination costs aligned with poor work practice
D) budgeted communication costs of diversity

Question 21

Jeff has shown that when interacting with other employees he is able to cope with his own and others' feelings, and constructively uses his feelings to make decisions and solve problems.Jeff shows evidence of:

A) dissimilarity openness
B) emotion management skills
C) conflict management skills
D) diversity management skills

Question 22

Due to the increasing participation of women in the workplace, the longer working hours of many employees and the increasing need to care for elderly relatives, organisations are adopting policies and practices that address:

A) diversity
B) work-life balance
C) affirmative action
D) equal employment opportunities

Question 23

An organisation believes that employees who are near to retirement should not have access to training and development as they will soon leave the organisation and the firm will not benefit from the training.This is an example of:

A) diversity management
B) diversity-open training and development
C) equal employment opportunity
D) none of the above

Question 24

Organisations adopting HRM policies and practices that aim to attract, employ, develop and promote high-potential diverse employees are using:

A) diversity-oriented HRM
B) diversity-open recruitment and selection
C) diversity-open performance evaluation
D) diversity-open training and development

Question 25

Describe the similarity attraction paradigm, social identity theory and social categorisation theory.What are the similarities and differences between the theories of negative emotional and behavioural consequences of diversity? Explain how the organisation can overcome the negative consequences of these theories.

Question 26

Describe the needs that are to be satisfied for a qualify outcome of work-life balance as outlined by Chan and Wyatt (2007).

Question 27

There are three cases for diversity: the legal, moral and business cases.Briefly describe each case and exlain why the business case for diversity should be the underlying motive for implementing diversity in an organisation.

Question 28

Organisations that practice diversity-open performance evaluations will find that:

A) employees have a better understanding of each other
B) it is essential to the motivation, retention and promotion of diverse individuals
C) there is less chance for equal opportunity between managers and individuals
D) the performance evaluations are not also accurate

Question 29

One way that organisations can accommodate employees' commitments to their families and religious observances is to:

A) introduce flexible work practices
B) provide employees with extra work space to accommodate family practices
C) shorten the working week to Monday to Thursday as many commitments and religious observances occur between Friday and Sunday
D) only employ childless people and Christians as their commitments will not impact on the working week

Question 30

An organisation advertises a vacant position.The advertisement states that important criteria for the position are educational qualifications, proven work experience and a knowledge of relevant legislation.It implies that gender, race, and age will not influence selection decisions.This is an example of:

A) diversity management
B) equal employment opportunity
C) affirmative action
D) diversity-open recruitment and selection

Question 31

Define what is meant by cultural knowledge.How can cultural knowledge be acquired in an organisation?

Question 32

Managers can help prevent discriminatory behaviour in an organisation by:

A) punishing those people who engage in it
B) providing diversity training and awareness
C) ensuring that groups are largely homogenous
D) ensuring that there is a strong group subculture that is not the same as the organisation's culture

Question 33

Alice enjoys working in teams with employees who are different to herself; she is open to their opinions and believes she can learn a lot from them.Alice's behaviour is an example of:

A) dissimilarity openness
B) similarity attraction paradigm
C) knowledge management
D) cultural knowledge

Question 34

Hartel et al (2010:136) suggest: "The changes in work and employment patterns have changed in recent times." Discuss this statement and provide implications for the transformation of non-standard employment arrangements and non-standard work arrangements in recent years.

Question 35

Albert is working on an international project where the skills of five people from various different locations are developing a new IT system for the organisation.Albert understands that all of the members of the team have different ways of communicating, different values and beliefs.Albert shows he has:

A) dissimilarity openness
B) similarity attraction paradigm
C) knowledge management
D) cultural knowledge

Question 36

Name the five dimensions of national culture proposed by Geert Hofstede.Give an example of how each manifests itself in organisations.Why is it important for a manager to be aware of these dimensions?