Dychtwald, Erickson & Morison, 2006) The advantage of having such diverse group of workforce is that when positively managed, it can help the company (Robbins, 2003). But if it is managed incorrectly, numerous problems may happen. And one of the causes is stereotyping of fellow co-workers (McShane & Travaglione, 2007). What is Stereotyping? When we judge someone base on their looks and without knowing them and categorize them to a social category or assigning traits to people based on their membership in a social category, we are using a shortcut called stereotyping. Mcshane and Travaglione, 2007; Robbins, 2003) Stereotyping occurs due to three reasons, firstly, categorical thinking, which is a natural process in simplifying our understanding of the people around us and the world.
Secondly, an innate need to understand. Humans want to understand and anticipate how others will behave and as we do not have enough information on them, we rely heavily on stereotyping. And lastly, to enhance our self perception and social identity. Stereotyping has caused number of problems at work as it is not accurate, thus leading to discrimination and prejudice.
(McShane & Travaglione, 2007)What kinds of Stereotyping are there in the working world? Ageism is a stereotyping of and discrimination against people due to the fact that they are too old or too young. Old people (those born in days of Radio Babies and Baby boomers) are categorized as slower, rigid in thought, less adaptable, old-fashioned in morality and skills and lastly, with lower computer capability than younger people thus adding no value to the company, (Henderson, 1994; Martin, 2005) while the current generation (Generation X and Generation Y) are categorized as hot shots and can’t add value to the company due to their inexperience.Ageism allows the two generation to see each other as very much different from themselves, thus they subtly think and, as time goes by, believe that they are much better than the other generation. (Henderson, 1994; Gravett & Throckmorton, 2007) Sexism is the process of assigning life roles according to gender. It usually relegates men to higher position and women as the weak and is also an integrated part of most societies.
Women had been criticized in workplace due to the myths that they are more emotional, low commitment to the world of work motivation compared to men. Henderson, 1994) In truth, it depends on individuals, for example, those born in the Radio Babies and Baby Boomer years maybe physically slower, but their brains are still moving all the time, they also had seen much changes in the world around them since young, and they’ve adapted and worked through all these changes till this day. It is certain they can learn new technology and skills. For the current generation not having enough experience, it is actually quite far from the truth as almost every business decision today is made by rapid changes in technology.And technology is where they excel at. So whether it’s young or old, it’s the brains that add value to the company.
(Gravett & Throckmorton, 2007) Question: To what extent does the changing workforce influence stereotyping in organisational settings. Discuss and reflect why the info found is important knowledge to know especially for people working in Sing. How your new knowledge of workforce trends will change your behaviour as an employee. Textbooks Joseph W.
Weiss, ‘Organizational behavior and change: managing diversity, cross-cultural dynamics, and ethics ( Continue with this book?Martin, J, 2005. ‘Organizational Behaviour and Management’, 3rd edition, Saxon Graphics Ltd, Derby, pages 96, 97 McShane, S and Travaglione, T, 2005. ‘Organisational Behaviour on the Pacific Rim’, 2nd edition, McGraw-Hill, Australia, pages 8-10, 75-78 Stephen P. Robbins, ‘Organizational Behavior’, International Edition, 2003, Pearson Education, Inc.
, New Jersey, pages Academic Journals Henderson, George, Praeger Publishers, 1994, ‘Cultural diversity in work place: issues and strategies
