WHAT ARE THE BARRIERS TO DIVERSITY?

Barriers to Diversity

Some barriers are erected by diverse people themselves. In the main, however, most
barriers are put in their paths by organizations. 120 When we speak of “the organization’s
barriers,” we are, of course, referring to the people in the organization— especially those
who may have been there for a while—who are resistant to making it more diverse.
Resistance to change in general is an attitude that all managers come up against
from time to time, and resistance to diversity is simply one variation. It may be expressed
in the following six ways.

1. Stereotypes & Prejudices Ethnocentrism is the belief that one’s native
country, culture, language, abilities, or behavior is superior to those of another
culture . (An example is embodied in the title of the Wesley Snipes/Woody Harrelson
movie about urban basketball hustlers: White Men Can’t Jump. ) When differences are
viewed as being weaknesses—which is what many stereotypes and prejudices ultimately
come down to—this may be expressed as a concern that diversity hiring will lead
to a sacrifice in competence and quality.

2. Fear of Reverse Discrimination
Some employees are afraid that attempts to achieve greater diversity in their organization will result in reverse discrimination—that more black or Asian employees will be promoted to
fire captain or police lieutenant, for example, over the heads of supposedly more qualified whites.

3. Resistance to Diversity Program Priorities
Some companies such as 3M offer special classes teaching tolerance for diversity, seminars in
how to get along. 121 Some employees may see diversity programs as distracting them from the organization’s “real work.” In addition, they may be resentful of diversity-promoting policies that are reinforced through special criteria in the organization’s performance appraisals and reward systems.

4. Unsupportive Social Atmosphere
Diverse employees may be excluded from office camaraderie and social events.

5. Lack of Support for FamilyDemands
In most families (63%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics), both parents work; in 29.5% only the father works, and in 4.5% only the mother works. But more and more women are moving back and forth between being at-home mothers and in the workforce, as economic circumstances dictate. 122 Yet in a great many households, it is still women who
primarily take care of children, as well as other domestic chores. When organizations
aren’t supportive in offering flexibility in hours and job responsibilities, these women
may find it difficult to work evenings and weekends or to take overnight business trips.

6. Lack of Support for Career-Building Steps
Organizations may not provide diverse employees with the types of work assignments that will help qualify them for positions in senior management. In addition, organizations may fail to provide the kind of informal training or mentoring that will help them learn the political savvy to
do networking and other activities required to get ahead.