Myth or Reality: Perception of Frontline Managers about Diversity in Pakistan
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54183/jssr.v3i1.195Keywords:
Diversity, Work Force Diversity, Human Resource Management, Gender Perception, PakistanAbstract
Workplace diversity is a broad notion that refers to the individual variances among those who work for a company. Managing diversity in an organization is top management agenda; however, it is ineffectual to get targeted results due to manager’s perception and definition towards the concept of diversity. Middle managers are responsible in translation and implementation of diversity programs therefore their perception about diversity effects implementation and outcomes of Diversity management (DM). Pakistan has been identified homogenous and irrelevant to diversity paradigm. Contrary to that, this study has explored the value and perception of managers about diversity, exclusively responsible for implementation of diversity management practices in MNCs. Researchers introduced this area of study raising two overarching challenges: to develop more context-specific definitions of diversity; to focus on belief and value of managers about diversity effectiveness and difference in gender perception of managers; within multinational corporations. Qualitative research method has been used and eight MNCs Managers mainly handling DM functions, involve in implementation have been interviewed. Findings of study have helped to provide context based definition of diversity and difference in gender perception of managers for effectiveness of diversity and its value for company growth. Human resource managers perceive diversity mainly surface level, as gender.
References
Akobo, L. A. (2017). An analysis of western diversity management theories in a Nigerian context. Journal of African Studies and Development, 9(4), 23-34.
Akobo, L., & Damisah, O. (2018). Diversity management discourse: An African perspective. African Journal of Business Management, 12(13), 396-405.
Aldaibat, B. F., Alshawabkeh, Z. A. E., Al-Shalabi, F. S., Al-Momani, R. Z., Banyhamdan, K., & AlAbbadi, L. H. M. (2019). Implementation of diversity management and its relationship with organizational justice: Case of Jordan. Academy of Strategic Management Journal, 18(3), 1-14.
Aycan, Z. (2005). The interplay between cultural and institutional/structural contingencies in human resource management practices. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 16(7), 1083-1119
Bacouel-Jentjens, S., & Yang, I. (2019). Do we see the same? Discrepant perception of diversity and diversity management within a company. Employee Relations: The International Journal.
Bendl, R., Hainzl, A., & Mensi-Klarbach, H. (2019). Diversity in the Workplace. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Psychology.
Bhave, D. P., Kramer, A., & Glomb, T. M. (2010). Work–family conflict in work groups: Social information processing, support, and demographic dissimilarity. Journal of Applied Psychology, 95(1), 145.
Breaugh, J. A., & Frye, N. K. (2008). Work–family conflict: The importance of family-friendly employment practices and family-supportive supervisors. Journal of Business and Psychology, 22, 345-353.
Buengeler, C., & Den Hartog, D. N. (2015). National diversity and team performance: The moderating role of interactional justice climate. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 26(6), 831-855.
Castilla, E. J. (2008). Gender, race, and meritocracy in organizational careers. American journal of sociology, 113(6), 1479-1526.
Cho, S., & Mor Barak, M. E. (2008). Understanding of diversity and inclusion in a perceived homogeneous culture: A study of organizational commitment and job performance among Korean employees. Administration in Social Work, 32(4), 100-126.
Cho, S., Kim, A., & Mor Barak, M. E. (2017). Does diversity matter? Exploring workforce diversity, diversity management, and organizational performance in social enterprises. Asian Social Work and Policy Review, 11(3), 193-204.
Cletus, H. E., Mahmood, N. A., Umar, A., & Ibrahim, A. D. (2018). Prospects and challenges of workplace diversity in modern day organizations: A critical review. HOLISTICA–Journal of Business and Public Administration, 9(2), 35-52.
Cook, A., & Glass, C. (2009). Between a rock and a hard place: managing diversity in a shareholder society. Human Resource Management Journal, 19(4), 393-412.
Dass, P., & Parker, B. (2017). Strategies for managing human resource diversity: From resistance to learning. International Human Resource Management (pp. 375-387).
Davis, P. J., Frolova, Y., & Callahan, W. (2016). Workplace diversity management in Australia: what do managers think and what are organisations doing?. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal.
Dobbin, F., Schrage, D., & Kalev, A. (2015). Rage against the iron cage: The varied effects of bureaucratic personnel reforms on diversity. American Sociological Review, 80(5), 1014-1044.
Farndale, E., Biron, M., Briscoe, D. R., & Raghuram, S. (2015). A global perspective on diversity and inclusion in work organisations. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 26(6), 677-687.
Ferner, A., Almond, P., & Colling, T. (2005). Institutional theory and the cross-national transfer of employment policy: The case of ‘workforce diversity’in US multinationals. Journal of international business studies, (36), 304-321.
Greene, A. and Kirton, G. (2011), "Diversity management meets downsizing: the case of a government department", Employee Relations, 33. (1). 22-39. https://doi.org/10.1108 /01425451111091636
Hales, C. P. (2019). What do managers do? A critical review of the evidence. Managerial Work, 263-290.
Harrison, D. A., & Klein, K. J. 2007. What’s the difference? Diversity constructs as separation, variety, or disparity in organizations. Academy of Management Review, 32: 1199 –1228
Harrison, D. A., Price, K. H., & Bell, M. P. (1998). Beyond relational demography: Time and the effects of surface-and deep-level diversity on work group cohesion, Academy of Management Journal, 41(1), 96-107.
Hirsh, E., & Kmec, J. A. (2009). Human resource structures: Reducing discrimination or raising rights awareness?. Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, 48(3), 512-532.
Jones, S. R., & McEwen, M. K. (2000). A conceptual model of multiple dimensions of identity. Journal of college student development, 41(4), 405-414.
Jonsen, K., Maznevski, M. L., & Schneider, S. C. (2011). Special review article: Diversity and its not so diverse literature: An international perspective. International Journal of Cross Cultural Management, 11(1), 35-62.
Kalev, A., Dobbin, F., & Kelly, E. (2006). Best practices or best guesses? Assessing the efficacy of corporate affirmative action and diversity policies. American sociological review, 71(4), 589-617.
Kelli, A., Tavast, A., & Pisuke, H. (2012). Copyright and constitutional aspects of digital language resources. Juridica Int'l, 19, 40.
Kunze, F., Boehm, S., & Bruch, H. (2013). Organizational performance consequences of age diversity: Inspecting the role of diversity‐friendly HR policies and top managers’ negative age stereotypes. Journal of Management Studies, 50(3), 413-442.
Lambert, J. R., Basuil, D. A., Bell, M. P., & Marquardt, D. J. (2019). Coming to America: work visas, international diversity, and organizational attractiveness among highly skilled Asian immigrants. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 30(15), 2293-2319.
Mazibuko, J. V., & Govender, K. K. (2017). Exploring workplace diversity and organisational effectiveness: A South African exploratory case study. SA Journal of Human Resource Management, (15), 10. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajhrm.v15i0.865
Mor Barak, M. E. (2005). Managing diversity towards a globally inclusive workplace. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
Mor Barak, M. E. (2013). Managing diversity towards a globally inclusive workplace (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
Mor Barak, M. E., Lizano, E. L., Kim, A., Duan, L., Rhee, M. K., Hsiao, H. Y., & Brimhall, K. C. (2016). The promise of diversity management for climate of inclusion: A state-of-the-art review and meta-analysis. Human Service Organizations: Management, Leadership & Governance, 40(4), 305-333.
Mousa, M. (2021). Does gender diversity affect workplace happiness for academics? The role of diversity management and organizational inclusion. Public Organization Review, 21(1), 119-135.
Mustafa, D., & Maliqi, Z. (2020). Managing inclusion at a diverse workplace : from a managerial and employee perspective (Dissertation). Retrieved from http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hkr:diva-21165
Nielsen, M. W., Alegria, S., Börjeson, L., Etzkowitz, H., Falk-Krzesinski, H. J., Joshi, A., & Schiebinger, L. (2017). Gender diversity leads to better science. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 114(8), 1740-1742.
Omoyele, S. O., & Olabisi, J. (2020). Diversity management and performance: evidence from nigerian multinational companies. Economic Review: Journal of Economics & Business/Ekonomska Revija: Casopis za Ekonomiju i Biznis, 18(2).
Reddy, S., & Jadhav, A. M. (2019). Gender diversity in boardrooms–A literature review. Cogent Economics & Finance, 7(1), 1644703.
Sabuhari, R., Sudiro, A., Irawanto, D., & Rahayu, M. (2020). The effects of human resource flexibility, employee competency, organizational culture adaptation and job satisfaction on employee performance. Management Science Letters, 10(8), 1775-1786.
Shen, J., Tang, N., amp; D & Netto, B. (2014). A multilevel analysis of the effects of HR diversity management on employee knowledge sharing: the case of Chinese employees. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 25(12), 1720-1738.
Shore, L. M., Cleveland, J. N., & Sanchez, D. (2018). Inclusive workplaces: A review and model. Human Resource Management Review, 28(2), 176-189.
Sippola, A., & Smale, A. (2007). The global integration of diversity management: A longitudinal case study. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 18(11), 1895-1916.
Suharnomo, A. Y., Wahyudi, S., & Wikaningrum, T. (2017). A systematic literature review of managing workplace diversity for sustaining organizational competitive advantage. International Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Technology, 8(12), 398-406.
Taneja, S., Sewell, S. S., & Odom, R. Y. (2015). A culture of employee engagement: A strategic perspective for global managers. Journal of Business Strategy, 36(3), 46-56.
Tatli, A. (2011). A multi‐layered exploration of the diversity management field: diversity discourses, practices and practitioners in the UK. British Journal of Management, 22(2), 238-253.
Tsui, A. S., & O'reilly III, C. A. (1989). Beyond simple demographic effects: The importance of relational demography in superior-subordinate dyads. Academy of management journal, 32(2), 402-423.
Wahyuningsih, S. H., Sudiro, A., Troena, E. A., & Irawanto, D. W. (2019). Analysis of organizational culture with Denison’s model approach for international business competitiveness. Problems and perspectives in management, 17(1), 142.
White, H. L., & Rice, M. F. (2015). The multiple dimensions of diversity and culture. In Diversity and public administration (pp. 11-31). Routledge.
Yadav, S., & Lenka, U. (2020). Diversity management: a systematic review. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, 39(8), 901-929.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Copyright in the Journal of Social Sciences Review is retained by the author(s). Authors also grant any third party the right to use the article freely as long as its integrity is maintained and its original authors, citation details and publisher are identified.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
SSR's Editorial Board shares the vision of providing free access to information, education, and science for everyone, thus promoting its content through an OPEN ACCESS POLICY, fulfilling the DOAJ definition of open access. The JSSR adheres to an Open Access and Copyright Licensing Policy based on the belief that making research freely accessible to the public promotes greater global knowledge sharing.
The JSSR uses the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. The authors who apply and publish in JSSR consent to abide by the copyright policy set out in the Creative Commons 4.0 license (Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license).
- Copyright in the Journal of Social Sciences Review is retained by the author(s).
- Authors also grant any third party the right to use the article freely as long as its integrity is maintained and its original authors, citation details and publisher are identified.
While "By 'open access' to this literature, we mean its free availability on the public internet, permitting any users to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of these articles, crawl them for indexing, pass them as data to software, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without financial, legal, or technical barriers other than those inseparable from gaining access to the internet itself."
