ARTICLES
00-02 Comparing Affirmative Action, Valuing Differences, and Managing Diversity
--Linda Gravett, Ph.D.
| Affirmative Action | Valuing Differences | Managing Diversity |
| Quantitative: Emphasizes achieving equality of opportunity in the work environment through the changing of organizational demographics. Monitored by statistical reports and analysis. | Qualitative: Emphasizes the appreciation of differences and creating an environment in which everyone feels valued and accepted. Monitored by organizational surveys focused on attitudes and perceptions. | Behavioral: Emphasizes the building of specific skills and creating policies which get the best from every employee. Monitored by progress toward achieving goals and objectives. |
| Legally driven: Written plans and statistical goal for specific groups are utilized. Reports are mandated by EEO laws and consent decrees. | Ethically driven: Moral and ethical imperatives drive the culture change. | Strategically driven: behaviors and policies are seen as contributing to organizational goals and objectives such as profit and productivity and are tied to reward and results. |
| Remedial: Specific target groups benefit as wrongs are remedied. Previously excluded groups have an advantage. | Idealistic: Everyone benefits. Everyone feels valued and accepted in an inclusive environment. | Pragmatic: The organization benefits; morale, profit and productivity increase. |
| Assimilation model: Assumes that groups brought into the system will adapt to existing organizational norms. | Diversity model: Assumes that groups will retain their own characteristics and shape the organization as well as be shaped by it, creating a common set of values. | Synergy model: Assumes that diverse groups will create new ways of working together effectively in a pluralistic environment. |
| Opens doors in the organization: Affects hiring and promotion decisions. | Opens attitudes, minds, and the culture: Affects attitudes of employees. | Opens the system: Affects managerial practices and policies. |
| Resistance due to perceived limits to autonomy in decision making and perceived fears of reverse discrimination. | Resistance due to fear of change, discomfort with differences, and desire for return to the "good old days". | Resistance due to denial of demographic realities, the need for alternative approaches, and/or benefits associated with change; and the difficulty in learning new skills and altering existing systems. |
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