Week 2 assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Week 2 assignment - Essay Example Each of these perspectives and corresponding strategies has their advantages and disadvantages; one approach reinforces individual attributes at the expense of group identity, while the other approach upholds group adherence at the expense of individual identity. The choice of one or the other approach will suit particular businesses, a decision which will rely on the manager’s understanding of his organization and perceptiveness of human nature. The report by Plaut, Thomas and Goren (2009) sought to determine the impact of diversity efforts from two positions – that of the cultural majority (i.e., Whites), and that of minorities. The study showed that multiculturalism on the part of Whites enhanced engagement among minorities, while minimization of differences (i.e., color blindness) among the majority intensified feelings of bias among minorities. I favor multiculturalism rather than color-blindness, because it assures the minority individual of acceptance of his individuality and uniqueness, maintaining his/her cultural identity and according him/her the respect and dignity due as an equal. It further preserves cultures that may otherwise pass on to obscurity, enriching the cultural fabric of the pluralist society. This plurality is more difficult to apply in other target aspects of diversity such as gender equality. An example is the case of women contending for promotion and equal compensation in traditionally ma le-dominated businesses (e.g. sports, technological, construction and other heavy industries) (Burke, 2009), and the specifically female dilemma of work-home interference (Beauregard, 2009). Two perspectives are identified by Rink and Ellemers (2011): the information decision-making perspective, and the social identity/self-categorization perspective. The former maintains that demographic differences produce greater value in