Don’t Manage Like Michael Scott

So many people think diversity is determined solely on a person’s complexion and race; this video really demonstrates this. In the hit show The Office, Michael Scott, the manager of a regional branch of Dunder Mifflin, takes it upon himself to train his employees on the significance of diversity in the workplace. This is of course a noble and worthwhile endeavor in which at one point Michael shows his workforce a video he made in attempts to explain the significance of diversity. See link below to view the video Michael Scott made:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1XIfUy9bdY

 In this video Michael starts by saying “Diversity…is the cornerstone of progress.” Now of course diversity management is crucial to businesses, Michael’s correct about that, but only if understood and applied correctly.  In Michael Scott’s limited view of diversity, he automatically thinks of racial divides and skin color. The fact is though, many other managers, while they might not fabricate such ridiculous “quotes” from Abraham Lincoln, still have just as limited a view of what diversity truly is and how it impacts a business.

Judging people by purely their race of origin or other outward features does not address any sort of deep-level diversity or its effects on performance. When in management, you need to recognize more than just outward appearance and racial background. For instance, is the employee positive or negative affective, and how might that impact the workplace? If you have several employees that are rather negative individuals, it might be prudent to not have them working on projects together. Being a positive or negative affective is not correlated to any surface level diversity.

Also, as a manger, one must be wary of potential faultlines that could develop leading to strife and disunity amongst employees. Now, sometimes faultlines can arise due to surface-level diversities, but those are easier to overcome than the alternative, deep-level diversities. Two groups of people divided on politics, religion, or ethical codes, are much more difficult to manage than two groups of peopled that are divided by race, age, or gender.

Even knowing what an employee’s level of self-esteem is can be important. Some employees might need to be praised and encouraged frequently or else they will quickly become discouraged, while other employees have very high self-esteem and are aware of their own self-efficacy. This again has very little to do with surface-level diversity and has everything to do with the specific individual and their unique characteristics.

So don’t manage like Michael Scott and stereotype people based on minor, surface-level differences, but consider the more complex characteristics of people, the deep-level factors, and manage people accordingly.

Posted by Josh Throop

Abercrombie and Fitch

As a young adult, I believe that the pressure to conform to a certain type and appearance is ever more increasing.  From the media to our own parents and mentors, someone is always advising us of what to do in order to get the farthest in life.  Whether those suggestions are to study hard and attend college or to dress and act a certaing way so as to be accepted by our peers, we always experience influence from the people who surround us.  Some of these influences can definitely benefit us; however some take it too far.

Abercrombie and Fitch is one of the nation's leadeing apparel retailers among teens and young adults.  Abercrombie and Fitch is known for its very provocative marketing campaigns which typically flaunt a half naked 'ideal' male or female on bags, billboards, commercials, etc.  The 'ideal' model for Abercrombie tends to be either a caucasian male with rippling muscles and minimal body fat or a caucasian female with a very lean figure and accentuated bust.  To emphasize this marketing strategy, Abercrombie hires floor representatives that fit the ideal image they try to make for themselves. 

Because Abercrombie and Fitch has a very specific image, applicants tend to be weeded out for not having the required appearance.  This means hispanic, asian, and african american men and women were often turned down or else offered a position in the stock room out of sight.  As it turns out, Abercrombie was found to have gone one step further by recruiting specifically to sororities and fraternities in order to find the most socially appealing young adults possible. 

It didn't take long for one Hispanic male, Gonzalez, to realize he was being treated unfairly when Abercrombie suggested to him that he apply for a position in the staff room rather than on the sales floor.  His case encouraged some 10,000 others to step up and join the fight against Abercrombie's discrimination.  Abercrombie and Fitch lost a large class action lawsuit and was forced to put several affirmative action plans into place.

We all most likely see and are influenced by the image that society has created today.  The pressure to fit in sometimes makes it hard to focus on just being ourselves.  But when an employer targets that image and makes it unacceptable to be different, the consequences are large, on both an employer as well as the people affected by the company's behaviors.

Posted by Meghan

Introduction

Group five, consisting of Josh Throop, Alec Holmes, Brian Gubriel, Jordan Carlton, and Meghan Johnston, will spend the semester discussing the many various aspects of diversity and how it affects the workplace.