Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Challenge Faced
By
Organizational Behavior
Project Report
Submitted By
Vishal Vats
Roll No. 03
Personnel Management
2010-2012
• Organizational Behaviour
• Workforce
• Diversity
• Managing Workforce Diversity
• Historical Background
• Present Scenario
4. CONCLUSION
INTRODUCTION
Organizational Behavior
DIVERSITY
One of the most important and broad based challenges currently facing
organizations is adapting people who are different. While globalization
focuses on differences between people from different countries,
workforce diversity addresses difference among people within given
countries.
Workforce diversity means that organizations are becoming more
heterogeneous in terms of gender, race and ethnicity. Employees don’t
set aside their cultural values and lifestyle preferences when the come
to work. The challenge for organizations, therefore, is to make them
more accommodating to diverse group of people by addressing their
different lifestyle, family needs and work style. Workforce diversity
has important implications for management practice. Managers have to
shift their philosophy from treating everyone alike to recognizing
differences and responding to those differences in ways that ensure
employee retention and greater productivity while, at the same time,
not discriminating. This shift includes for instance providing diversity
training and revamping benefits programs to accommodate the
different needs of different employees. Diversity if positively managed
can increase creativity and innovation in organizations as well as
improve decision making by providing different perspectives on
problems. When diversity is not managed properly, there is
communication and more interpersonal conflicts.
Quality management is driven by constant attainment of customer
satisfaction through the continuous improvement of all organizational
processes. It has implications for Organizational behavior because it
requires employees to rethink what they do and become more involved
in workplace decisions. Today’s managers understand that the success
of any effort at improving quality and productivity must include their
employees. These employees will not only be a major force in carrying
out changes but increasingly participate in planning those changes.
Organizational behavior offers important insights into helping
managers work through there changes.
WHY MANAGE DIVERSITY
IBM
• Workforce Diversity:
IBM has operations in 170 countries of the world. They have created an innovative and
strategic global framework for this new era of diversity. IBM understands the
importance of diversity in its many dimensions. It is much more than good social policy
for IBM. An international company with local management, IBM addresses diversity
issues that are representative of local priorities and experience. Issues vary across
regions, as well as from country to country. For example, in Europe, Latin America, the
Middle East, and Africa, IBM's policies and practices are mindful of gender, people
with disabilities, and the growing awareness of ethnic minorities. In Asia Pacific
countries, IBM is putting increased focus on issues related to gender, disability, and
respecting and valuing differences among countries and regions. Their focus on the
advancement of women and the diversity of leadership team helps ensure that all
employees have an opportunity to develop into successful leaders. Attention to cultural
awareness and to the inclusion of people with disabilities in the workplace helps
provide an environment free of discrimination and harassment (Global Diversity).
• Corporate Culture:
IBM put’s a lot of energy into managing employee behavior through creating a strong
culture (2007, managing your corporate culture). No matter where IBM employees are
they are aware of what the organization stands for. This is done through their new-
employee program “Your IBM”. It sets the stage by providing new hires with a learning
continuum and action plan to help them gain the knowledge needed to understand IBM
its culture (Learning and Opportunity).
• Diversity Training:
IBM conducts training sessions in a variety of diversity-related subject areas. For
example, "Shades of Blue" is a learning experience for managers to develop
competencies for engaging in business across cultures. Consisting of online learning
followed by a two-day face-to-face workshop, the program combines presentations,
group discussions, role playing and videos to build understanding and skills for
multicultural engagement. IBM also offers "Quick Views" and "Learning Clusters" —
online programs — to educate managers on the issues of diversity (Workforce
Diversity).
• Recruitment/Development:
IBM recruits employees from all over the world and does not take into account the race,
gender, religion, culture etc of people. It is the skills and potential of the people they are
interested in. IBM has structured programs to help employees develop the skills that
are most in demand in the marketplace, giving them IBM a competitive advantage. But
this isn't random, nice-to-have self-improvement. These investments are supported by a
methodology designed to move people along a development continuum, so that as
demand declines for certain skills in yesterday's technologies, applications or platforms,
they focus and invest in the market-valued skills employees will need now and in the
future. IBM's internal redeployment processes are designed to make the most of the
industry's top talent by reducing potentially wasteful loss of skilled employees whose
talents are often needed elsewhere in IBM. These processes also help manage the
inevitable changes that take place in a services business as clients renegotiate their
requirements (Learning and Opportunity).
IBM started recruiting women professionals well before the Equal Pay
Act, 1963. A letter issued by Watson Sr. in 1935 stated, "Men and
women will do the same kind of work for equal pay. They will have
the same treatment, the same responsibilities, and the same
opportunities for advancement." IBM's management has made efforts
to find out what are the specific needs of its women employees and
provided women-friendly facilities accordingly. This improved the
productivity (of women) even while maintaining a proper balance
between work and family life. IBM treats diversity as a part of its
business strategy. It Have employees from different social and
cultural strata which helps them to understand and serve its
customers better. IBM responds to the needs of its employees and
tries to satisfy them it observed a significant increase in the number
of women in its workforce and made program catering especially to
their needs. IBM observed that women like other employees; usually
want to advance in their careers. At the same time, they want to
make sure that, while they're working, their children are receiving
good care. This was made possible by the introduction of Child care
and Dependent care programs. As childcare and eldercare became
increasingly important to IBMers, the company responded by creating
the Global Work/Life Fund with a five-year, $50 million commitment.
It was the first fund of its type to address employee issues on a global
basis (Employee well being).
MOTIVATION
IBM also has many rewards and recognition programs from manager-determined
recognition awards to technical recognition awards to peer awards.IBM sloe has a
global recognition program which includes cash rewards as well as merchandise.
Award values vary by country, depending on currency exchange rates and local
customs. IBM also places a lot of emphasis on employee health an well being
(Compensation and Benefits)
IBM being a technology company has many employees who work form home without
ever coming to the organization (Dittmann, 2005). For these employees motivational
and other HR management practices would be different as they have completely
different needs and requirements.
Issues
1. To provide an understanding of diversity and its
significance at the work place.
Introduction
In the year 2004, IBM was listed among the top 10 companies
on Fortune magazine's list of "America's Most Admired
Companies." The ranking was based on eight variables like
employee talent, innovation, use of corporate assets, social
responsibility, quality of management, financial soundness,
long-term investment value, and quality of products/services
Fortune was appreciative of IBM for recruiting and retaining
the best talent across the world. Analysts attributed IBM's
success to its skilled diverse workforce that included people
from almost all the countries in the world.
Women at workplace