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Leadership and race
Introduction
The current paper aims at identifying racial discrimination as a global dilemma faced by organizations. Race at the workplace remains one of the global issues faced by organizations and the resolution demands appropriate leadership qualities. The inclusion of constant vigilant leaders can be used as an effective strategy for removing workplace discrimination on the basis of race or ethnic differences. Strong leaders are capable of handling racial segregation at the workplace by adopting adequate strategies that promote equal work opportunities and create a fair work environment for all. The common strategy adopted by such leaders includes honouring fundamental values and rejecting expressions of hatred, supremacy and bigotry. The uncivil behaviors of employees include insulting, jokes on race, demeaning statements and use of hostile tones. Such attitudes create a situation of discomfort and inconvenience for the culturally diverse employees including the African-Americans and Latinos. The paper emphasizes the need for hiring or creating vigilant leaders that promote anti-discriminatory and safe work conditions for the employees.
Diversity at the workplace is a criterion for meeting required quotas for race and gender. Racial discrimination at the workplace is identified as one of the oldest challenge faced by the firms at a global level. Although several anti-discrimination laws have been adopted by the companies and the states for providing equal growth opportunities to the people but little progress has been made. Workplace recruitment companies fight with diversity issues every day. The issue is global because almost all organizations encounter it. Research reveals that employees belonging to different cultural backgrounds encounter difficulties in the workplace. The perceptions of employees related to differences are reflected from dominant racialized stereotypes. Stereotypes and biases play a negative role in the workplace environment. The common observations of practice indicate that employees belonging to inferior groups face more difficulties due to social stigmas. The leader has an active role in handling the culturally diverse work environment and provides equal opportunities to the employees belonging to deprived backgrounds. The race is also defined as, “irrational hatred or suspicion of a particular group, race or religion” CITATION Nad17 \l 1033 (Nittle, 2017). The definition of race depicts that it causes unnecessary hatred and feelings of rejection towards a specific group.
Research questions
Can constant vigilant leaders remove racial discrimination from the workplace?
What strategies can be adopted for eliminating racial segregation from the workplace?
Does the promotion of fair work environment improve employees productivity, morale and organization's bottom-line?
Literature review
A significant amount of scholarly articles are available that identifies the prevalence of racial discrimination at the workplace and its negative impacts on employees performance. The literary database provides evidentiary support that constant vigilant leaders can act to remove racial discrimination. Biased social parameters represent the biases of organisations towards groups. It transmits the notion of treating people indifferently according to their race, ethnicities and cultural backgrounds. Race bias is the most common biased parameter that influences both groups; the superior and the inferior. Different sociologists attempt to uncover the meaning of race bias in realistic settings. although they associate race with the differences among groups living in society but they assure that no biological aspects support the differences among humans. The nature of the differences prevailing in society is purely physical. The theorists identify the differences in terms of physical appearances, skin colour, facial features and ethnicities. Nieto (2006) defines race as, “although biologically meaningless when applied to humans – physical differences such as skin color have no natural association with group differences in ability or behavior – race nevertheless has tremendous significance in structuring social reality". The definition of race explains that it relies on physical differences because there is no biological evidence that supports the differences in human races. The physical differences affect the behaviors of the people living in the society and are not limited to the superior ideology of the whites. According to the definition of race, people perceive blacks different from the whites depending on the differences in skin color CITATION Yuc14 \l 1033 (Cheng, 2014).
Racial discrimination at the workplace
The common practices that reflect racial discrimination include threats made on the basis of race, racist jokes, denial of promotions or growth, company's having different laws or rules for blacks and harassment. Segregating employees to different jobs on the basis of their ethnicities is also a prominent example of racial discrimination. The common example is to hire a black or Latino population for manual jobs only. Similarly, the decision of the firm to hire blacks for low-wage labor jobs also reflects racial segregation. The race is defined as, “races are distinguished by perceived common physical characteristics, which are thought to be fixed, whereas ethnicities are defined by perceived common ancestry, history, and cultural practices, which are seen as more fluid and self-asserted rather than assigned by others” CITATION Yuc14 \l 1033 (Cheng, 2014). The definition of race reveals that it relied on the perceptions of the people including both black and white. The society related people of different ethnicities with a different race. Sharma illustrates race as, “an adverse judgment or opinion formed beforehand or without knowledge or examination of the facts” CITATION Ang161 \l 1033 (Sharma, 2016). The deeper meaning of race relies on the perceptions or beliefs of people that encourage them to judge people of different ethnicities differently.
Cheng (2014) associates the concept of race with the theory of social construct. The creation of race was motivated by the arrival of immigrants that influenced the thoughts of the whites. The American organizations were more focused to consider immigrants different from the original whites. Different treatments of whites towards immigrants including Africans promoted the themes of racism at the workplace. Ethnicities and nationalities played a dominant role in defining the roles of the non-whites. Racial formation theory is also useful in explaining how it worked to benefit certain groups in organizations. The racial formation theory challenges high-level abstractions and lack of micro-level assessment. The transactional migration studies underscored the necessity of integrating national origin into racial formation. Immigrant families residing in America represents the logical reasoning behind the construction of race and how it controlled different dynamics of the American lifestyle CITATION Yuc14 \l 1033 (Cheng, 2014).
Poor management is another significant cause of low motivation that is the result of poor leadership skills. Manager's inability to supervising the employees and identifying issues faced by them reflects poor management. When employees belonging to diverse culture feel that their feedbacks are of no importance for the managers of the organization they develop feelings of dissatisfaction. This undermines their participation and level of performance. The inability of the leader to identify discriminatory practices such as incivility, insolence and bullying have negative implications on the workplace environment. The uncivil behaviors of employees include insulting, jokes on race, demeaning statements and use of hostile tones. Such attitudes create a situation of discomfort and inconvenience for the culturally diverse employees including the African-Americans and Latinos. The white employees are also engaged in activities of bullying that further creates a situation of hostility for the workers belonging to minority backgrounds. Bullying is difficult to identify and it has harmful impacts on the personality of the victims who certainly include blacks and Latinos CITATION Ang161 \l 1033 (Sharma, 2016).
Another possibility of racial discrimination is limited growth opportunities provided by the firm to the blacks or culturally diverse employees. When employees feel that the firm is not offering adequate opportunities for career growth they exhibit low morale. This includes the absence of long-term plans for promotions, no appreciation or raises. The discriminatory treatment discourages the participation of these employees in an organization. When culturally diverse employees continue to work on the same positions it undermines their interests in the workplace they exhibit a low level of motivation. This impacts their ability to engaging with the tasks and performing their duty with efficiency. Lack of motive also causes lack of interest that undermines the performance CITATION Dan101 \l 1033 (Chiaburu, 2010).
Literary evidence identify the role of vigilant leaders in overcoming discrimination from the workplace. The leader acts as allies and trained to prevent situations of mistreatment. Their initiative is to provide support to the employees and protect them from any harmful encounter. Due to the reliance of organizations on diverse culture, the role of leaders has become more evident in mitigating the risks of discriminatory behaviors. Without leaders, the implementation of inclusive policies for providing equal work opportunities is not possible. The leaders this set allies and have to offer consistent support to the minority employees. The leaders serve as educators or trainers who are responsible for promoting positive behavior and traits among employees. They have an active role in taking notice of employees involved in mistreatment. Clear agenda of the leader proves that such behaviors will not be tolerated. This will discourage employees from engaging in such uncivil practices. A vigilant leader is known for taking notice of the event and devising a most suitable response that ensures the safety and protection of employees CITATION Ang161 \l 1033 (Sharma, 2016).
A vigilant leader is capable of implementing changes the promote a fair and equal work environment. He also removes unacceptable or negative behaviors that threaten workplace diversity. The leader must possess adequate skills for handling discriminatory or conflicting situations. The leader must be able to identify employees who need more support. In common scenarios, this involves minority employees such as blacks and Latinos. This requires adequate knowledge about the racially discriminatory attitudes. Inclusion initiative is an effective method from involving minority employees and making them feel that they are part of the organization. This eliminates negative feelings of hostility and fear CITATION Jes061 \l 1033 (Nieto, 2006).
A good leader must possess adequate listening and communication skills. This allows him to understand the issues faced by minority employees by directly engaging them in discussions. This requires a neutral and non-biased attitude of the leader. A manager who is taking the role of a leader must be capable of overcoming biased behavior and analyze the situation with neutrality. This improves the scope of understanding the issues of the racially segregated employees at the organization. Good listening skills are crucial because it allows the leader to understand the concerns and problems of the employees. A neutral approach improves the possibilities of removing unequal or unfair practices. The leader is thus capable of listening to all complaints and taking feedback from the employees. This reflects their ability to encouraging employees to share their problems that lead to a possible solution CITATION Dan101 \l 1033 (Chiaburu, 2010).
A strong leader is capable of taking an immediate stand against the mishappening such as the prevalence of discriminatory practices. A vigilant leader identifies the risks of inappropriate behaviors such as jokes on someone's race or belief. This will enable him to discourage such behavior by explaining the company's policy. Evidence suggests that organizations that hire more vigilant and strong leaders manage to control racial discrimination. These firms have managed to provide fair work opportunities to all employees that leads to the promotion of fairness CITATION Ang161 \l 1033 (Sharma, 2016).
Improved cultural diversity has a direct relationship with high morale and productivity of employees. The evidence suggests that organizations that manage to overcome discriminatory practices attain an efficiency of operations due to the high morale of employees. Motivation is crucial for employees who are responsible for initiating a direct process. Mental and behavioral territories are the central factors behind motivation. Psychology relies on thee elements for defining motivation that include activation, persistence, and intensity. Activation is the primary phase required for attaining a goal. this can also be viewed as a phase in which an individual prepares himself for the test. Persistence is the second element that reflects one’s efforts for working towards a goal CITATION Ang161 \l 1033 (Sharma, 2016). A strong manager is focused on putting all efforts and avoid distractions for the attainment of a target. Intensity is the third crucial element that refers to one's ability to stick to the goal. motivation is a desire that provides energy and directs behavior required for the completion of a certain task.
Organizations that provide an equal work environment to the employees irrespective of their racial or ethnic backgrounds attain high productivity. This is due to the provisions of fair work opportunities that encourage all workers to feel that they are part of the organization. A positive and collaborative environment is positively correlated with employees morale and enthusiasm CITATION Cas14 \l 1033 (Okechukwu, Souza, Davis, & Castro, 2014).
Theoretical Framework
The Critical Race Theory is utilized for understanding the employment discrimination on and its remedies. The Critical Race Theory includes a collection of scholars and activists that studied the transformation of relationships among power, race and racism. CRT is synonymous in understanding the concept behind black identity and racial segregation. The theory provides deeper insights into the ideology of racial bias and its adverse outcomes CITATION Ric01 \l 1033 (Liu, 2019). Critical Race Theory emerged during the mid-1970s when social scientists and activists attempted to demonstrate the negative implications of race and its connection with black deprivation. Crenshaw and Bell determined the need for a new theory that could describe the reasons behind the discriminatory attitudes of the people. It is crucial in conducting the analysis of racial bias and racism. The legal scholarship of race highlighted the strong intertwined and interconnected racial bias in American society. it is against the ideology of liberalism and meritocracy. It criticizes the role of liberalism and illustrates how it failed to provide justice and equality. It is against the ideology of colorblindness that attempts to neglect the prevalence of race. It recognizes the prevalence of race at an institutional level, having relevance with social inequalities.
CRT uncovers the multidimensionality of racial bias and how it controls the lives of whites and non-whites. Its stress on the notion of white supremacy highlights the factors that allowed one race to dominate over the blacks. It also explains how white actors affect the neutrality of the society appeared in the biased judgments of the people. It provides the reasoning behind the black thought that the bad treatment is for non-white complexion CITATION Ric01 \l 1033 (Liu, 2019). Social scientists identify black thinking as micro-aggression becoming the cause of sudden and dispiriting transformations among people. Events have a significant role in the formation of assumptions that influence the perceptions of blacks.
The ideology of color blindness explains the formal concepts of equality, discrimination and injustice. CRT also relies on the social construction theory, determining race as a social phenomenon. The reason for the prevalence of race is not natural because the society's tendency to treating people according to color is the result of self-created assumptions. These assumptions have a negative impact on the overall personality of people belonging to different groups. Race lacks any biological or genetically reality, making it a social issue. People belonging to common origins share similar traits including skin color, physical appearance and facial features. This reflects a small portion of the genetic endowment. Dominant groups in the society realized the roles of different minority groups in shifting the needs of labor markets. Whites cultivated the group of colors for low-paid jobs. The social conditions also played a vital role in the evolution of race CITATION Ric01 \l 1033 (Liu, 2019). the cultural tensions in America become prominent in the overlapping identities, allegiances and loyalties of the black population. It questions the status of the minority population leading to confused views regarding their originality and current roles. Black people who are unable to accept their oppressive roles, develop rebellious attitudes that often work to misguide them.
Solutions for dealing with racial discrimination
Diversity at the workplace is considered as a dominant solution for overcoming the issues of race and ethnicities. The concept of diversity stresses the promotion of respect, acceptance, teamwork irrespective of age, gender, race, ethnicities, political or personal beliefs and religion. Having a diverse workplace offer many benefits to firms. Companies that employ people from a wide variety of backgrounds and demographics attain innovation in process and product development. Cultural diversity is an effective strategy to improve the performance of employees belonging to diverse cultures. Workers belonging to minorities undergo more difficult experiences compared to workers who are native Americans. Prejudices become part of work culture where employees belong to different cultural backgrounds, providing advantages to the dominant groups but discouraging the employees of non-American backgrounds. Leaders or managers are an agent to change so they need to identify the issues faced by the workers in diverse environments. Research reveals that the provision of equality and social justice leads to the improved performance of the employees. The cultural plunge is “to have direct contact with people who are culturally different from oneself in a real-life setting which represents the target group’s” CITATION Jes061 \l 1033 (Nieto, 2006). Cultural plunge helps in identification of problems encountered by the employees in diverse cultures.
Different strategies and programs can be adopted for addressing the issues and difficulties faced by the African, Chicano and Latino employees having connections with diverse cultures. Early identification of the issue is an effective step for improving the capabilities of employees who are encountering issues of social injustice at the workplace or organization. Providing support to the workers belonging to such social groups can be an effective tool for improving their feelings regarding their backgrounds. In the case of workers encountering severe issues, the manager or the supervisor must talk to them personally and determine the issues CITATION Ang161 \l 1033 (Sharma, 2016).
Another effective strategy is to eliminate privileges by treating all employees with fairness. Organizations that treat all employees equally will improve the conditions of work as they would be able to overcome their feelings of discomfort. Subjectivity allows understanding the relationship of the environment with the workers and how it influences their participation. At the larger level, the firms must adopt fair policies that focus on hiring black and non-white people without any discrimination. The organizations can use a diverse culture to benefit the employees of different backgrounds. Improving interactions through discussions and group projects can help them to know each other and enhance cognitive skills. Providing a comfortable environment is another strategy to improve their competency and capabilities CITATION Ric01 \l 1033 (Liu, 2019).
Role of constant vigilant leaders
Highly competent managers can create interactive culture promoting the concept of fairness, friendship and equality thus eliminating class discrimination. Taking actions against the racist attitudes that may involve worker, manager or administration. Adoption of cooperative techniques and social-cognitive training improves the work environment. the manager takes the role of leader and is responsible for uncovering the areas that require more attention. A competent leader makes observations about the workplace and finds the groups or employees that are facing negative implications due to racial attitudes. The leader ensures that the indispensable resources of the organization are used without any discrimination. He himself adopts a fair behavior towards all employees and treat them equally irrespective of their cultural background, ethnicity, religion or race. This is crucial for showing the employees of the diverse culture that the leader gives them respect and dignity is the same way as he treats white employees CITATION Ang161 \l 1033 (Sharma, 2016).
Vigilant leaders have a significant role in building a successfully diversified workplace. A vigilant leader in an organization can adopt the strategy of promoting values such as respecting all care for all and sharing promotes the concept of humanity and harmony. Discouraging bullies and any discriminating practices from the workplace will ensure security and fairness. Organizing seminars and meetings for the employees are useful for providing guidance about the negative impacts of discrimination and also suggests ways for discouraging them. The leader has a profound role in promoting values of acceptance and respect. This is an effective way of removing the conflicting situations that arise due to a lack of acceptance from diverse culture. The leader encourages employees to accept differences of each other and share ideas in an effective way. Acceptance is crucial for promoting feelings of respect and prevents conflicting situations. The employees learn to respect each other's beliefs, ethnicities and race that prevent them from engaging in disruptive behaviors CITATION Kim171 \l 1033 (Schneider, Wesselmann, & DeSouza, 2017).
The leader creates a collaborative environment by encouraging employees to share their views. However, they are trained not to impose their beliefs or values on others. This is an appropriate strategy for eliminating the possibilities of disputes. They are also trained to keep their ethnic or personal beliefs disconnected from their work responsibilities and also that they must not impact their relationship with colleagues. Collaborative work environment eliminates negative behaviors such as bullying or hostility towards co-workers CITATION Ang161 \l 1033 (Sharma, 2016). Such environmental are also crucial for promoting equality in the workplace. The leader briefs the employees that they are only evaluated on the basis of merit. He himself refrain from engaging in discriminatory attitude by treating all workers in a fair way. The leader ensures that the workers meet the laws and statutory requirements that prevent them from engaging in discriminatory behavior towards certain groups.
The possible solution adopted by the leader for overcoming employees motivation is to eliminate conditions of stress resulting from workplace discrimination. By dividing work in a fair manner the organization and the manager would be able to remove conditions that create anxiety. This also suggests preventing employees from overwork or excessive burden that undermines their efficiency. By acknowledging work the leader could improve employees morale. This will involve a reward strategy and appreciating the work of employees. Adding value for the employees who perform better will enhance their productivity and efficiency. By giving rewards the firm will promote the ideology that better performers are more valued and appreciated. This will encourage other employees to do good for attaining the same rewards and appreciation CITATION Ric01 \l 1033 (Liu, 2019).
The vigilant leader stresses creating a positive workplace environment. It is another factor that promotes motivation and satisfaction among black and Latino workers. Such an environment will eliminate conflicting or negative situations. The pleasant work environment also reflects eliminating conditions that created distractions for the employees. The leader will take an active role in identifying conflicting situations encountered by black or Latino employees. The leader can discourage such discriminatory behaviors by taking immediate actions against workers who have been engaged in a racist act. This involves explaining employees the policy on the fundamental rights of workers and the company's strict response in the form of termination. A vigilant leader is responsible for identifying potential risks associated with certain behaviors and taking timely action for changing disruptive attitudes. Some of the disruptive behaviors that a leader can identify include gossiping about a co-worker and cracking jokes about the employee's color or race. Similarly, the use of aggressive and hostile tones can also be determined by the leader. This will encourage him to stop workers from indulging in non-professional behaviors CITATION Ric01 \l 1033 (Liu, 2019).
The leader focuses on improving participant of culturally diverse employees is by offering opportunities for self-development. This activates their biological drive for overcoming challenges and attaining reward. This process also demands to offer training and opportunities for building the required skills set. Offering opportunities for career development is also an effective tool for improving motivation. This will involve rotating employees to different positions and offering opportunities for promotions. Allowing black and Latino employees to set their career goals will encourage them to work more efficiently and with dedication. This is an effective strategy that prevents them from wasting time and enhances productivity CITATION Dan101 \l 1033 (Chiaburu, 2010).
Another solution adopted by the vigilant leader for improving the motivation of culturally diverse employees is by providing opportunities for career growth. The leader can assure the employee's adequate promotions and salary raises. In most of the organization, blacks or employees belonging to minority populations receive low wages compared to the whites. This has a direct impact on their work performance and motivation. Offering an environment of knowledge sharing and creativity also assist employees in building skills CITATION Dan101 \l 1033 (Chiaburu, 2010). This also involves providing them with training and learning opportunities that are crucial for the development of adequate skills set. The leader stresses on removing the situations of stress. By creating a positive work environment the employees will be less stressed. The supportive environment is offered by encouraging employees to work with unity. The firm will ensure that no worker is overworked. This can be attained by setting standard work hours. No worker will be forced to work beyond the standard hours. Suggesting equal work hours for employees irrespective of their race or background will promote positive diverse culture CITATION Ang161 \l 1033 (Sharma, 2016).
Another solution selected for dealing with the problem of discrimination is by recognizing the work of culturally diverse employees. The leader will evaluate the work of employees individually and give them feedback. The employees who perform better will be appreciated and offered a reward. This will promote positive feeling among employees and they will be encouraged to perform better in the future. This is an effective strategy that makes employees feel that they are part of the organization and they recognize their worth. This will encourage blacks and Latinos to recognize their importance in the organization and will result in increased participation CITATION Ric01 \l 1033 (Liu, 2019). A strong leader also discourages discriminatory behaviors by giving warnings to the employees. This requires maintaining authority over employees and giving the reason for abiding the laws and regulations. Zero-tolerance for the race is also the agenda of the vigilant leader who imposes such beliefs by using his power.
Conclusion
Workplace recruitment companies fight with diversity issues every day. The issue is global because almost all organizations encounter it. Research reveals that employees belonging to different cultural backgrounds encounter difficulties in the workplace. The overall analysis of racial discrimination art workplace reveals that the managers can play a positive role by eliminating social injustices. The best approach is to make black employees feel that they are part of the workplace and are equally important as whites. Negligence plays a negative role in their performance and participation. The leaders have a useful role in improving the work environment for the employees belonging to diverse backgrounds by promoting social justice and equality. A negative attitude or discriminating behavior have adversarial impacts on these employees. An efficient leader needs to address their issues individually and ensure the provision of a safe work environment. The organizations and leaders need to adopt adequate policies to address the issues of racial discrimination in the workplace. Common strategies involve, building interactive environment, eliminating discrimination, allowing equal participation and acknowledging the work of employees belonging to diverse backgrounds.
Offering opportunities for career development is also an effective tool for improving motivation. This will involve rotating employees to different positions and offering opportunities for promotions. The possible solution adopted by the leader for overcoming employees motivation is to eliminate conditions of stress resulting from workplace discrimination. When employees belonging to diverse culture feel that their feedbacks are of no importance for the managers of the organization they develop feelings of dissatisfaction. The leader acts as allies and trained to prevent situations of mistreatment. Their initiative is to provide support to the employees and protect them from any harmful encounter. The leader must possess adequate skills for handling discriminatory or conflicting situations. The organizations can use a diverse culture to benefit the employees of different backgrounds.
References
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Liu, T. (2019). Ethnic Studies as Antisubordination Education: A Critical Race Theory Approach to Employment Discrimination Remedies. U. Jur. Rev, 165.
Nieto, J. (2006). The Cultural Plunge - Eric - U.S. Department of Education. Teacher Education Quarterly.
Nittle, N. K. (2017). Understanding Racial Prejudice. Retrieved 03 18, 2018, from https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-racial-prejudice-2834953
Okechukwu, C. A., Souza, K., Davis, K. D., & Castro, A. B. (2014). Discrimination, Harassment, Abuse and Bullying in the Workplace: Contribution of Workplace Injustice to Occupational Health Disparities. Am J Ind Med, 57 (5).
Schneider, K. T., Wesselmann, E. D., & DeSouza, E. R. (2017). Confronting Subtle Workplace Mistreatment: The Importance of Leaders as Allies. Front Psychol, 8.
Sharma, A. (2016). Managing diversity and equality in the workplace. Cogent Business & Management , 3 (1).
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