Page 29 - Discrimination at Work The Psychological and Organizational Bases

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DIPBOYE AND COLELLA
The question addressed by the authors of the chapters in part I is as
follows: How can we explain discrimination in organizations? A variety
of models representing different perspectives have been proposed to un­
derstand discrimination at the level of the individual, the group, the orga­
nization, and the environment of the organization. This part examines the
origins of discrimination from each of these perspectives.
In chapter 2, "Discrimination at the Level of the Individual: Cognitive
and Affective Factors," John Dovidio and Michelle Hebl consider the cog­
nitive and affective antecedents of discrimination. It is well established that
people are "cognitive misers" and often take short cuts in their gathering
and processing of information on others. Discrimination from this perspec­
tive is a consequence of the short cuts taken in processing of information on
racial minorities, women, older employees, persons with disabilities, gays
and lesbians, and other minority and historically disadvantaged groups.
These affective factors reflect a very different process. In recent years, in­
creasing attention has been given to how the stereotyping, prejudice, and
discrimination of White persons are driven by unconscious, negative affect
toward Black persons.
At another level of explanation are the relationships in which people
are involved and the groups to which they belong in organizations. These
group and relational level factors are the topic of the next two chapters: "Re­
lational Demography Within Groups: Through the Lens of Discrimination"
by Christine Riordan, Bryan Schaffer, and Marcus Stewart and "Group-
Level Explanations of Workplace Discrimination" by Kecia Thomas and
Donna Chrobot-Mason. Both chapters review evidence that discrimina­
tion is associated with friendships, social networks, and other informal re­
lationships that emerge in an organization (Ibarra, 1993; Riordan & Shore,
1997). Although not officially sanctioned by the organization, these rela­
tionships often impact performance by defining who has access to informa­
tion, physical resources, social support, status, and influence. Still another
social factor is the normative pressure associated with group membership.
Discrimination against a member of an outgroup may reflect conformity
to what is expected of the person by peers and supervisors and may be
independent of the private beliefs or attitudes.
Finally, discrimination can reflect a variety of factors at the level of the
organization. Several of these factors are discussed by Michele Gelfand,
Lisa Nishii, Jana Raver, and Benjamin Schneider in chapter 5, "Discrimi­
nation in Organizations: An Organizational-Level Systems Perspective."
The authors consider structural factors such as firm size and gender and
racial occupational segregation, and the existence of a specialized human
resource management function. Other organizational factors discussed in
this chapter include the policies of the organization, the core values that