Factors Affecting the Adoption of Employment Equity: An Example From Canada

Abstract

Historically, Canada has always been a diverse nation made up of a wide variety of different peoples. However, the nature, causes and manifestations of diversity have been changing, along with the attitudes towards the treatment of diversity within the country's social, economic and political structures. For example, the dominant organisational culture in business and government has traditionally been created by white, able‐bodied, Canadian‐ born males with shared values and behaviours (McDonald, 1991). Other groups, described as non‐dominant or minority, were often excluded from full participation in the economic, social and political life of such organisations. Increasingly, however, non‐ dominant groups such as women, people of colour and persons with disabilities have been entering the workforce, creating the phenomenon known as workforce diversity.

CEO Leadership Styles and the Implementation of Organizational Diversity Practices: Moderating Effects of Social Values and Age

“…Consistent with strategic choice theory (e.g., Child 1972;Hrebiniak and Joyce 1985;Oliver 1991) and the premise that CEO leadership plays a pivotal role in the adoption of organizational diversity practices (e.g., Ng 2008;Mighty 1996), results from this study suggest that both CEO transformational and transactional leadership influence the extent to which organizational diversity practices are implemented in organizations. Specifically, transformational leadership was found to be directly positively associated with the implementation of organizational diversity practices, while the influence of transactional leadership on organizational diversity practices was moderated by the social values and age of the CEO.…”

Why Organizations Choose to Manage Diversity? Toward a Leadership-Based Theoretical Framework

“…The voluntary adoption of diversity management practices is an example of strategic managerial choice. For example, although institutional factors may pressure organizations to implement EEOs and AAPs, organizational decision-makers exercise discretion as to whether and how to manage diversity (Mighty, 1996). Miles and Snow (1978) identified three characteristics of the strategicchoice perspective.…”

“…The self-interest hypothesis (Bell, Harrison, & McLaughlin, 1997) suggests that an individual's attitude will be shaped largely by positive expected outcomes that satisfy one's self-interests. Mighty (1996) also suggested that female leaders are also more likely to have experienced systematic discrimination themselves or to be more aware of the disadvantages women face in employment because of their gender. Although it is possible for women who have gained prominence in management ranks to deny that there was systemic discrimination against women, a phenomenon known as the "queen bee syndrome," and are consequently reluctant to assist other women (Rindfleish, 2000), research studies have concluded that a majority of women do not hold such views.…”

“…Racial identifications of a leader also affect several leadership cognitions, including leadership attitudes, behavior, and performance (Bartol, Evans, & Stith, 1978). In the context of growing social awareness of truly multicultural origins of a majority of immigrants, managers cognizant of their own non-White race are expected to be more tolerant of diversity (Mighty, 1996). It is expected that managers who identify themselves as non-White are more likely to have experienced some disadvantages associated with nondominant or minority status.…”

“…This article integrates issues of diversity into the theories of leadership and organizational behavior and argues that although institutional and environmental factors, such as legislation, organizational size, type, age, industry, and location (Blum, Fields, & Goodman, 1994;Jain & Lawler, 2004;Mighty, 1996), may pressure organizations into implementing EEO and AAPs, top executives exercise discretion in the adoption of diversity practices. The theoretical framework and resulting propositions will enable future researchers to answer other important questions such as: How do CEOs' characteristics, values, and leadership styles affect their commitment to managing diversity?…”