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Enjoying Your Work Richard Brislin |
Improving intergroup
relations gives workers
sense of equalityPEOPLE in organizations often form strong in-group and out-group bonds based on similarities in ethnicity, gender, age and other reasons that cause people to use the pronouns "we" and "them."
A danger is that time and energy might be invested into reaping benefits for one's own group and denying the same benefits to individuals from other groups. This time and energy then becomes unavailable for essential company goals such as product development and customer service.
If they so choose, executives can intervene in their organizations and can introduce changes likely to improve intergroup relations. During the last several weeks, I have discussed some of these interventions. They include insisting on equal status in the workplace so that everyone has equal access to company rewards. Assigning tasks to people that move them beyond the stereotyped abilities of their groups is effective, as is encouraging new, overlapping group ties. Many times, people's new group affiliation can be with the organization for which they are proud to work.
Improving intergroup relations is difficult, and potential problems must be openly addressed and discussed. No benefits will accrue if executives sweep problems under the rug. One potential difficulty is that employees have multiple roles. They work for an organization and are also neighbors in a community and members of various voluntary associations. Employees could come to recognize the benefits of positive intergroup relations in the workplace. However, they might drive home to communities where neighbors maintain sharp in-group and out-group ties with the help of gender-, ethnic- and class-based epithets. This is the sort of problem that should be openly discussed at workplace meetings. Employees might decide to learn social skills that allow them to contribute to company goals and to maintain good standing in their neighborhoods. These skills include learning how to say "no" politely, changing the subject of neighborhood conversations and challenging the negative feelings behind the epithets in a nonthreatening manner.
Another problem can occur if the desired outcomes of improved intergroup relations are too overblown. Goals should be realistic, such as respect in the workplace regardless of group ties, and equal access to promotions and advanced training programs.
People from different groups might not necessarily become best friends. If this becomes a company goal, executives could become discouraged when employees do not start socializing with each other during evenings and on weekends. Adults interact based on shared interests, and many times these interests were develop during childhood. Whether it is grand opera, lion dancing, cricket, arguing politics or bluegrass music, people from one group might find the activity interesting while others find it an unattractive use of their time. Perhaps people will eventually expand their interests and interact more outside the workplace, but executives should not establish such interaction as a short-term goal. If they focus on equal opportunities and benefits in the workplace, they will be making a major contribution to improved intergroup relations and to the reduction of prejudice.
See the Columnists section for some past articles.
The purpose of this column is to increase understanding of human behavior as it has an impact on the workplace. Given the amount of time people spend at work, job satisfaction should ideally be high and it should contribute to general life happiness. Enjoyment can increase as people learn more about workplace psychology, communication, and group influences.
Richard Brislin is a professor in the College of Business Administration, University of Hawaii. He can be reached through the College Relations Office: cro@cba.hawaii.edu