Organizational Changes In General Motors Essay Help Service

Table of Contents
Introduction Diversity Program Discussion Context of the Case The Case-Specific Discrimination Problem Possible Approaches to the Discrimination Problem Citations

Introduction

The historical setting, social developments, and globalization trend that have occurred over the past century have resulted in a shift in the structure of the work force, making it more diversified in terms of ethnicity, demographics, and gender. These changes, coupled with the correlation between staff diversity and firm performance, have elevated diversity management to the level of a strategic business challenge. This was evident in the shift towards more targeted human capital management and talent management techniques directed at certain employee groups. The management of diversity in the public sector is similarly affected by these positive tendencies. However, several interpretations exist in this domain. The case in question demonstrates how crucial it is to have a clear plan for diversity management to prevent legal ramifications.

Diversity Program Discussion

The term "workforce diversity" refers to a group of employees comprised of individuals with specific human attributes or who belong to various ethnic groupings. It is predicated on the premise that people can differ in a variety of ways, including by age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, nationality, and culture (Berman et al., 2019). Research indicates that workforce diversity can impact the success of firms (Berman et al., 2019). It promotes the creativity, innovation, and productivity of work teams and improves their problem-solving capacity by combining the knowledge and experience of each individual employee (Ritter-Hayashi et al., 2016). In this way, diversity can provide competitive advantages to businesses and reduce staff turnover and absenteeism.

A diverse workforce helps to higher employee job satisfaction due to an improved organizational climate, in addition to its organizational benefits (Berman et al., 2019). In addition, work teams comprised of professionals of varied sexes, ages, and ethnicities are 60% more productive than decision-makers and homogenous groups (Larson, 2017). Respecting gender diversity in the workplace is also vital since it provides a company with varied types of expertise and management styles, a high level of innovation, and a source of sustained competitive advantages (Roh & Kim, 2015).

Numerous legislative initiatives promote public sector diversity management. First, it is the principle of equal employment opportunity, which is one of the tenets of labor relations in a civil society and states that all workers have the same employment, promotion, and termination chances, regardless of their color, gender, age, ethnicity, or other characteristics.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964, which formalized the ban of discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin, was the most significant piece of legislation to come from the civil rights movement in the United States between 1958 and 1968. In the area of employment, prohibit the use of discriminatory terminology in legislation governing electoral procedures and prohibit segregation in schools and public areas. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 are all important. All of these laws and other normative legal acts demonstrate that the government has responded seriously to the issues posed by society, the heterogeneity of which necessitated the formation of new rules for interaction between different social groups.

Affirmative action presupposes that the rights of the dominant majority are necessarily protected, given that the culture of this majority is official and develops at the state level, and that the rights of minorities are inherently violated (Berman et al., 2019). The objective of the policy of special measures is to combat inequality and social stratification. Diverse sources of affirmative action measures have been incorporated: constitutional provisions of the legislation, court rulings, informal and voluntary programs, diverse affirmative action plans for the business and public sectors, and enforcement mechanisms for affirmative action measures.

The major federal statute regulating the equal employment rights of individuals is Executive Order 11246, which mandates the filing of documented affirmative action plans by all firms with fifty or more employees and Federal contracts worth at least $50,000. The plans must specify objectives for the hiring of women and minorities, as well as timeframes for the contractor's good faith efforts.

Context of the Case

Unanticipated economic turmoil took California's higher education institutions off guard. This includes the Office of Philanthropy (OOP) of Santa Anita State University. OOP confronted the difficulty of reducing expenses while maintaining maximum productivity in the Office of Marketing. Darlene Stewart was selected when analyzing the performance of staff. Despite her nearly two decades of service at The Special Communications section and her commitment to the business, staff productivity remained low. When the team’s work was rearranged, the burden was significantly reduced; the team was unable to meet deadlines and increased demands. As a result, she was entrusted with minor, routine chores, as it is easier to keep a woman employed than to terminate her and face the ensuing legal ramifications. Darlene Stewart will be terminated as a result of the company's inability to continue supporting her position.

The Case-Specific Discrimination Problem

In addition to age discrimination, Ms. Stewart confronts discrimination in performance evaluations. Identifying profit-dependent personnel in a timely manner, interacting with customers and partners, implementing project directions, fostering staff loyalty, and maintaining a positive brand reputation allows one to maximize the team's potential and grow the firm. However, discrimination based on the value of employees in terms of their utility to the firm might be blatantly discriminatory and viewed as social injustice. The apparent flaw of the resource-based strategy is that it does not account for employee engagement, well-being, burnout, and business loyalty – the crucial HR categories that drive global employment market trends today (Rubin & Edwards, 2020). Today, HR professionals have little doubt that these elements may transform a non-key employee into a key employee, and vice versa.

Key company personnel are typically informal leaders with great social capital (Rubin & Edwards, 2020). However, the previous policy of the director precluded Ms. Stewarts from team communication, preventing her from developing her social capital. Additionally, the system for measuring performance indicators must be open and easily understood by both employees and supervisors. Ms. Stewart's officially insufficient output was not reflected; furthermore, the employee was not warned of probable penalties, and her performance metrics were not reviewed or recorded following the discussions.

Potential Approach to the Problem of Discrimination

To correctly use the criteria for evaluating employee performance, the procedure must be reflected in legal papers (the employment contract and other associated actions) and the assessment system must be discussed beforehand. The assessment presents a unique challenge because the effectiveness of the work of the personnel is determined by numerous factors, including those assessed by quantitative and qualitative methods: the characteristics of the employee's functional responsibilities, the quantity of work completed, the deadlines (intermediate and final results), the level of employee qualifications, the complexity of the tasks, and many other indicators. Each quality indicator must be strictly operationalized while generating indicators and criteria. A quantitative evaluation is preferable because it is more accurate and objective. In actuality, however, every organization contains multiple positions for which quantitative analysis is insufficient or irrelevant. However, as evidenced by the practices of industry leaders, precise metrics are essential for evaluating employee performance (Rubin & Edwards, 2020). The appraisal of employee performance begins with them, and the clearer and more exact the indications, the fewer the grounds for discrimination.

References

Berman, E. M., Bowman, J. S., West, J. P., & Van Wart, M. R. (2019). Management of human resources in the public sector: paradoxes, methods, and issues. Publications by SAGE.

Böhmer, N., & Schinnenburg, H. (2016). (2016). The effects of gender and career conceptions on global talent management. Employee Relations, 38(1), pages 423 to 441

Chrobot-Mason, D., and N. P. Aramovich (2013). The psychological advantages of fostering an atmosphere of acceptance for diversity in the workplace. 38(6), pp. 659-689 in Group & Organization Management.

Gardenswartz, L., & Rowe, A. (2003). Diverse teams in the workplace: using the power of diversity Society for Human Resource Management.

Larson, E. (2017). New research indicates that diversity with inclusion equals improved workplace decision making. Forbes. Web.

Roh, H., & Kim, E. (2016). The business case for gender diversity: analyzing the role of investments in human resource management. Human Resource Management, 55(3), 519-534.

Rubin, E. V., and A. Edwards (2020). The performance of performance appraisal systems: comprehending the relationship between appraisal structure and allegations of appraisal discrimination. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, volume 31 issue 15 (1938-1957), pages 1938-1957.

[supanova question]

× How can I help you?