4 layers of diversity model

DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT

Understanding the dimensions of diversity help organizations become aware of, appreciate, and value diversity. Four main models emerge from the research carried out in the area of diversity dimensions in the workplace. These are: diversity wheel, four layers of diversity, diversity iceberg, and the kaleidoscope perspective of the individual. The diversity dimensions which are most significant in an Indian organization are language, regional origin, religion, socioeconomic status, gender, ethnicity, and food habits. Irrespective of whichever country or company one belongs to, in order to build a culture of diversity, the key is to respect the sensitivities of the local traditions and norms, understand the ‘hidden’ dimensions, and combine them with global organizational values.

Understanding the dimen-sions of diversity is a keystep for organizations to define what diversity means to them and to become conscious of the at- tributes that are important for them. While developing diversity initia- tive, organizations strive to address

1 Loden Marilyn and Rosener Judy B (1991), Workforce America! Managing Employee Diversity as a Vital Resource, McGraw-Hill.

© 2009 The Icfai University Press. All Rights Reserved.

these dimensions. Recognizing these dimensions also helps individuals and organizations to appreciate how different attributes put together make a person. Overall, becoming fa- miliar with the dimensions of diver- sity helps one to become aware of, appreciate and value diversity.

The Background of Diversity Dimensions

Major researches carried out in this field have been presented below.

Apart from the illustrated models, there are several minute modifica- tions made over the years to the list of diversity dimensions. Research- ers have mostly added a few dimen- sions, which they consider signifi- cant and worth addressing, while managing diversity.

Diversity Wheel

The pioneering research in this field was carried out by Marilyn Loden and Judy Rosener1 (1991). They de- fine diversity as that “which differ- entiates one group of people from another along primary and second- ary dimensions…” Primary dimen- sions according to the researchers are, “Those which exert primary in- fluences on ones identity” and sec- ondary dimensions are, “Those which though are less visible, exert a more variable influence on personal iden- tity and add a more subtle richness to the primary dimensions of diver- sity.” The dimensions given by them can be represented as (Figure 1):

37August 2009 HRM Review

Saumya Goyal

HR Researcher, Hyderabad. The author can be reached at

saumya.goyal@gmail.com

Figure 1: Dimensions of Diversity Wheel

Source: www.diversitycentral.com

Secondary Dimensions Primary Dimensions

DIVERSITY AT WORKPLACE

Four Layers of Diversity

Gardenswartz and Rowe2 (1998) built upon the primary and second- ary dimensions and added two more layers to the diversity wheel. Ac- cording to them, diversity consists of four layers, i.e., four concentric circles (Figure 2). Personality of a person is at the core of the wheel and it covers all those aspects which constitute the personal style of the person. Internal dimensions and external dimensions are similar to the primary and secondary dimen- sions explained by Loden and Rosener. The outermost layer is of the organizational dimensions. These are corporate or institutional affiliations and are associated with past and present experiences.

Diversity Iceberg

Rijamampianina and Carmichael3

(2005) propose that diversity be re-

defined as, “The collective, all en- compassing mix of human differ- ences and similarities along any given dimension.” With so many dimensions in existence, they came out with the iceberg model to de- pict the diversity dimensions. As an analogy to the iceberg, these dimen- sions have three facets. Above the water line are the most visible di- mensions or the primary dimen- sions. Just below the surface, lie the secondary dimensions which are revealed with time, and the tertiary dimensions lie much below the sur- face. These are the core dimensions

and provide the real essence of di- versity. This model is represented in Figure 3. The model is illustra- tive, with only a few possible dimen- sions depicted in the figure.

Kaleidoscope Perspective of the Individual

Maier4 (2005) argued that previous researches on diversity have focused on limited dimensions and out of these, a few, such as ethnicity, race and gender, are over-emphasized. According to him, an individual can be modeled by a kaleidoscope. Just as a kaleidoscope contains certain amounts of particles of various shapes and colors, an individual is a composition of various diverse at- tributes. The individual kaleido- scope can be represented as a multi- colored pie chart, with each pie de- picting a unique attribute, and size of the pie illustrating the impor- tance that an individual gives to a particular attribute. On the basis of this perspective, Maier defines di- versity as, “the variety of kaleido- scope.” Figure 4 illustrates the ka- leidoscope perspective of diversity.

What Dimensions Have Global Organizations Adopted?

Organizations which support diver- sity have either adopted one of these models or have developed their own. Here are a few examples of the di- mensions which global organiza- tions consider as important.

2 Gardenswartz Lee and Rowe Anita (1998), “Managing Diversity: A Complete Desk Ref- erence & Planning Guide”, McGraw-Hill.

3 Rijamampianina Rasoava and Carmichael Teresa (January 2005), “A Pragmatic and Holistic Approach to Managing Diversity”, Problems and Perspectives in Management.

4 Maier Christoph (2005), “A Conceptual Framework for Leading Diversity”, Int. J. Hu- man Resources Development and Management, Vol. 5, No. 4, pp. 412–424.

38 HRM Review August 2009

DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT

5 http://www-01.ibm.com/software/globalization/topics/diversity/diversity.jsp 6 http://www.gm.com/corporate/responsibility/diversity/employee_diversity.jsp 7 http://www.gm.com/corporate/responsibility/diversity/diversity_initiatives.jsp 8 http://www.sun.com/aboutsun/globalinclusion/dimensions.html 9 http://www.daimler.com/dccom/0-5-1096059-1-1098886-1-0-0-1161462-0-0-135-876574-0-0-0-

0-0-0-0.html 1 0 h t t p : / / w w w . d a i m l e r . c o m / P r o j e c t s / c 2 c / c h a n n e l / d o c u m e n t s /

1652464_daimler_sust_2008_reports_sustainabilityreport2008diversity_en.pdf

Figure 2: Four Layers of Diversity

Source: www.gardenswartzrowe.com

*Internal and external dimensions are adapted from Marilyn Loden and Judy Rosener

Source: A Pragmatic and Holistic Approach to Managing Diversity, Rijamampianina Rasoava and Carmichael Teresa

International Business Machines Corporation5

IBM has adopted the diversity wheel of Loden and Rosener. It ac- knowledges the importance of these dimensions on culture and values the diversity in its workforce.

General Motors6,7

GM has also incorporated the Loden and Rosener diversity model. This model was also used to assist the de- velopment of the General Motors Diversity Logo. GM’s diversity logo is illustrated in Figure 5.

Sun Microsystems8

The three dimensions of global in- clusion which Sun has adopted are Human, Cultural and Workplace. The human dimension includes at- tributes which are visible to others. This resembles the primary dimen- sions given by Loden and Rosener. The elements of cultural dimension are less visible and comprise those

elements, which help define an individual and in- fluence the way he or she functions. These are simi- lar to the secondary dimension. The workplace di- mension is similar to the Gardenswartz and Rowe’s organizational dimension.

Daimler9,10

Daimler has introduced a ‘42 dimensions’ program to enable a better understanding of comprehensive diversity. The figure of ‘42’ is arbitrary and repre- sents several diversity attributes of an individual. As a German automobile manufacturer, it follows the German Equal Opportunities Act (AGG) and pays special attention to a few personal dimensions of diversity. These are: race and ethnic origin, gen- der, religion and worldview, age, and sexual identity. The ‘42 dimensions’ model in a way resembles Maier’s kaleidoscope perspective of an individual, as it sug- gests that an individual is made up of a combination of varied attributes (Figure 6). The 42 dimensions are given in table.

Figure 3: Diversity Iceberg Primary Dimensions: • Race • Ethnicity • Gender • Age • Disability

Secondary Dimensions: • Religion • Culture • Sexual Orientation • Thinking Style • Geographic Origin • Family Status • Lifestyle • Economic status • Political orientation • Work experience • Education • Language • Nationality Tertiary Dimensions: • Beliefs • Assumptions • Perceptions • Attitudes • Feelings • Values • Group norms

39August 2009 HRM Review

Figure 5: GM’s Diversity Logo

Source: www.gm.com

Table: Diversity at Daimler – The 42 Dimensions of Diversity

1. Addiction 2. Age 3. Authority handling 4. Character 5. Clothing 6. Communication style 7. Courage 8. Culture 9. Definition of quality 10. Disability 11. Eating habits 12. Education 13. Employment 14. Ethics

Source: www.daimler.com

15. Ethnic background 16. Experience 17. Family 18. Family status 19. Gender 20. Hierarchy 21. History 22. Humor 23. Intelligence 24. Interests 25. Language 26. Language proficiency 27. Law 28. Leadership style

29. Mentality 30. Morale 31. Nationality 32. Physical ability 33. Power 34. Professional style 35. Religion 36. Sexual identity 37. Stress handling 38. Subject matter

competence 39. Time handling 40. Values 41. Weight 42. Work-life balance

11 http://www.raytheon.com/diversity/ap- proach/

1 2 UBS diversity brochure. Available at: http:/ /www.ubs.com/1/ShowMedia/about/ d i v e r s i t y ? c o n t e n t I d = 160533&name=UBS_Diversity.pdf

1 3 United States Library of Congress, Note on Ethnic groups (2004), “India, a Country Study”, Available on http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ frd/cs/profiles/India.pdf

14 h t t p : / / e n c a r t a . m s n . c o m / text_761557562__0/india.html

1 5 h t t p : / / e n c a r t a . m s n . c o m / text_761557562__0/india.html

Figure 4: Example of Kaleidoscope Compositions of an Individual

DIVERSITY AT WORKPLACE

Raytheon11:

Raytheon has developed its own di- versity wheel which represents equal importance being given to demo- graphic, as well as non-demographic attributes of a person (Figure 7). The diversity wheel illustrates those traits which are identified as impor- tant in order to make the company’s culture strong and unique.

UBS12

At UBS, diversity is defined across a continuum, ranging from the more visible aspects, like gender and ethnicity, to the less visible aspects, like function and thought. The visibility continuum is illustrated in Figure 8:

India – A Mosaic of Diversity

Being one of the oldest civilizations in the world, the concept of diver- sity in India has been existing since ages. Its people are culturally diverse and religion plays an important role in the life of the country. Scholars estimate that only the continent of Africa exceeds the linguistic, cul- tural, and genetic diversity of India.13

With the country boasting of such diverse population, the Indian work- place also reflects this diversity and constitutes people from varied back- grounds, cultures, status, etc. The diversity dimensions which are most significant in an Indian orga- nization are discussed below.

Diversity Dynamics in the Indian Workplace

There are certain dimensions which have shaped India’s present work- place environment. These are: lan- guage, regional origin, religion, so- cioeconomic status, ethnicity and food habits. Each dimension is ex- plained in brief below:  Language: According to India’s

national census, 114 languages and 216 dialects are spoken in the country. Eighteen Indian languages and English, have been given official status by the central or state governments.14

 Regional Origin: Differences in the way people live and work also

stems from the regional origin. People from the northern part of India are referred to as North Indians and people from the southern states are referred to as South Indians. Apart from this, people are also associated with their state of birth or where their ancestors belong to. For example, Gujaratis are ‘North Indians’ from the state of Gujarat.

 Religion: Around 80.5% of the people in India practice Hindu- ism, a religion that originated here. Another 13.4% are Mus- lims, and other religious groups include Christians, Sikhs, Bud- dhists, Jews and Jains.15

 Socioeconomic Status: This di- mension is predominantly based

Middle age Animal lover

Professor

MBA

Hindu

Nuc lear

fam ily

Mother

Women

Urban

Indian

40 HRM Review August 2009

Figure 7: Raytheon Diversity Wheel

Source: www.raytheon.com

Figure 6: Illustration of Various Diversity Attributes That Constitute an Individual

Figure 8: UBS Diversity Visibility Continuum

Source: www.ubs.com

Reference # 12M-2009-08-06-01

Visible Invisible

G e n d e r • E th n i ci t y • A g e • D i s ab i l i t y • S e x u a l O r i e n t a ti o n • R e l i g i o n • F u n c t i o n • T h o u g h t

Geographic Location

Gender Identity and Expression

Language

Sexual Oreintation

Legacy Company

Religion

Hierarchy Status

Age

Nationality Ethnicity

Race

International

Functional DisciplineEducation

Work Experience

Veterans

Family Situation Physical

Ability/ Disability

Gender

Building an Inclusive Culture

DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT

on one’s caste. The caste system in India is more than 3,000 years old and conceived as a division of labor based on ability. There are four main castes in the Hindu religion, which are fur- ther broken down to thousands of smaller caste groups. Today’s workforce comprises of diverse people, irrespective of their caste.

 Gender: 48.3% of India’s popu- lation constitutes women and their numbers are gradually in- creasing in the urban workforce. Especially, the service-based in- dustries are witnessing an in- crease in the proportion of women employees over the years. For example, Information Tech- nology and Information Tech- nology Enabled Services sectors

employ nearly 30% women in their workforce.

 Ethnicity: Most of the Indians are either Indo -Aryans or Dravidians. Generally, the ‘North Indians’ are Indo-Aryans and the ‘South Indians’ are Dravidians. A few groups, espe- cially in the north- eastern states, are Austro-Asiatic; a few are Sino-Tibetans and various other smaller ethic groups also exist across the country.

 Food Habits: India is one those few countries where a large num- ber of populations is non-meat consuming or ‘vegetarians’. The food habits are mostly guided by one’s religion and caste, but with the younger generation, this practice is not as ‘strict’ as it was earlier. Interestingly, the food

habits are also influenced by one’s region as climate is a major de- ciding factor on the availability of a particular type of crop.

Conclusion Scholars have presented compre- hensive, all-attribute -encompass- ing models of diversity dimensions. Any organization which truly un- derstands the importance of diver- sity in its workforce can adopt any of the models to understand the di- mensions. Most importantly, in or- der to build a culture of diversity, the key is to respect the sensitivi- ties of local traditions and norms, understand the ‘hidden’ dimen- sions, and combine them with glo- bal organizational values.

Source: www.daimler.com