Diversity in Organizations
Karl Marx argued that the divisions between capitalists and workers resulted in organizational conflict. He believed that one form of domination was replaced with another. New classes and, therefore, new conditions of oppression, created new forms of struggle to replace the old ones. Doeringer and Piore’s dual labor market theory offers similar views. They separate the labor market into primary and secondary sectors. The primary sector is dominated by white males who get paid more and have better career prospects, and the secondary sector is made up of women, ethnic minorities, and youth who receive low pay and little job security. Critics argue that economic reasons do not explain the inequitable distribution between the sectors. They do not believe that divisions between capitalists and workers are the only bases for class conflict. “Conflict must also be explained along gender, race, ethnicity, and age-related lines which form the bases for different classes of employees in contemporary work organizations” (Hatch, 1997, p. 319).
[Contributing Disciplines: Sociology and Economics]
Diversity in organizations (including libraries) has benefits that include increased creativity and innovation in daily decision-making practices. Hatch (1997) writes that diversity’s benefits come from greater levels and more varieties of the aforementioned class conflicts. She thinks the expression of these conflicts will result in more minority voices being heard. Diversity is important to organizations that are becoming increasingly global. They must adapt to the global environment in order to survive (as we discussed with population ecology theory).
Diversity in libraries is especially beneficial. The existence of diverse users means the need for a diverse workforce, diverse collections, and diverse services. In her article “This Trend Called Diversity” Sandra Rios Balderrama indicates that librarianship mirrors the lack of diversity reflected nationally and that everyone in the organization shares accountability for making change. She also writes, “Longer-range effectiveness of the work will involve a required interplay between all employees at every level of the organization” (Balderrama, 2000, p. 201).
Melissa Doebele
The Balderrama article can be found in v.49 #1 of Library Trends, Summer 2000
posted by Mary Ann @ 12:08 PM
1 Comments:
Diversity as a core value
Diversity was discussed in an assigned article for our class entitled "Changing the culture of libraries: The role of core values," by Patkus and Rapple. The authors explain that diversity is frequently cited in organizations as a core value, and gives as an example Levi Strauss. This company goes beyond the standard categories of diversity, such as race, sex, and age, to qualities such as experience and perspective. The latter qualities, though derived from the more basic and obvious subdivisions of the human race, are deeper and more subtle.
Though the staff at certain libraries may not seem to be very diverse on the surface, it often is in the less obvious ways mentioned above. I have worked at a couple libraries where the staff looked like a relatively homogeneous bunch (white, middle-class), but we had so many different experiences and ideas between us that it was never boring. One of our employees was in her nineties and could run the library by herself; several others were from different areas of the country; some of us had attended college, some hadn't; and our political affiliations ran the gamut from fairly conservative to outspokenly liberal.
Because of this diversity, we were all learning from each other and got to enjoy the stimulation of being around people with differing viewpoints. Race and gender are important factors in a diverse environment, but they aren't the only ones. Differing experiences and viewpoints can be just as useful and effective in creating a diverse organization.
Patkus, R. & Rapple, B. A. (2000). Changing the culture of libraries: The role of core values. Library Administration & Management, 14(4), 197-204.
Katy H.
Post a Comment
<< Home