Page 131 - Discrimination at Work The Psychological and Organizational Bases

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of behavioral scripts that results from a diverse workforce (i.e., the value-
in-diversity hypothesis; Cox, Lobel, & McLeod, 1991). This is based on the
evidence that diverse groups are more likely to produce a diverse set of
ideas compared to homogeneous groups (Milliken & Martins, 1996), and
the wider set of ideas is expected to translate into better decisions (O'Reilly,
Williams, & Barsade, 1998). An organization that perceives the differential
competencies and experiential bases of diverse employees as a source of
competitive advantage is less likely to engage in practices that discriminate
against nontraditional groups.
Human Resource Systems
Human resource practices play a critical role in shaping the extent of dis­
crimination that occurs within an organization by influencing the access
that employees have to opportunities and valued rewards within the or­
ganization (access discrimination) and their treatment as organizational
citizens (treatment discrimination; Levitin, Quinn, & Staines, 1971). One of
the hallmarks of equitable HR systems design is the establishment of ob­
jective or formalized criteria for various HR practices, which leads to the
elimination of bias and subjectivity in the implementation of HR practices
(Delaney & Lundy, 1996). It is important to emphasize that HR practices
work as a system in influencing the level of discrimination that is experi­
enced within an organization—disproportionate opportunities or biased
treatment in one area (e.g., access to mentoring, training) can have ripple
effects in other areas of functioning (e.g., promotion) within an organiza­
tion.
Recruitment and Selection Affirmative action programs (AAPs) are
aimed at eliminating employment discrimination against women and
racial minorities and to redress the effects of past discrimination within
an organization. In a review of the literature, Kravitz et al. (1996) con­
cluded that white males respond more negatively to AAPs than other de­
mographic groups, and women generally have more positive attitudes
than men. In addition, reactions to AAPs are more favorable when atten­
tion to demographic status is given during recruiting stages as compared
to the final stage during which selection decisions are made (Kravitz et al.,
1996). Thus, while AAPs may help to alleviate initial access discrimination,
they may create stigmas (Heilman et al., 1992) that exacerbate problems
related to treatment discrimination. Methods of combating discriminatory
perceptions that might result from AAPs involve providing justifications
for the adoption of AAPs and providing clear and compelling evidence
of the target members' competence (Biernat & Kobrynowicz, 1997; Kravitz
et al., 1996).