Case analysis of racial issues and content development

Case Statement

This case involved a white woman and a black man who had an encounter in a parking lot and there was controversy if discriminatory action ensued. The two, Hope and Dillon, gave two different versions of the encounter.

At its very core, the conflict in the case is about racial discrimination. Legal advocates and scholars have given various definitions to racism and have focused on disparate impact and differential treatment. Their definitions can be crystallized into differential treatment occurring when individuals are accorded unequal treatment because of their race and disparate impact occurring when individuals are subject to the same treatment based on specific predefined procedures and rules, but where the procedures and rules are structured in favor of one group (Devah Pager & Hana Shepherd, 2008).

Issues to Resolve

Where there is a history of discriminative practices, an exchange like the one between Dillon and Hope is just one of many that have happened. Jack should appreciate both parties' points-of-view and respond appropriately to each one. The objective should be creating an environment where such incidents are openly discussed in a constructive manner without blame, judgment and defensiveness. There is need to understand the pattern of prejudiced beliefs and attitudes about blacks could be grounded on negative stereotypes about the race (Lawrence D. Bobo & Cybelle Fox, 2003).

Alternatives Courses of Action

1. Jack should use the event to push for organization-wide action. Given the responses other employees had to the incident, it is evident there is racial tension in the organization.

2. Jack should allow the two to narrate their experience to the other individual without being interrupted and also explain the historical context in which the event occurred. If the two can view their actions as reasonable, given the contexts, then blame should immediately stop.

Evaluating the Alternatives

1. There is always the possibility of a threat to security when "piggyback" situations take place. There is need for identification, regardless of sex or race. Hope's actions could have been necessary as protective measures.

2. There should be open conversations so employees can freely interact with one another and learn more about each other's cultures. Trying to understand both parties yielded several solutions to the problem.

Course of Action

There were several factors that influenced Dillon, Hope and Jack. To resolve the problem, they need to be patient and understand where each person is coming from. Besides just having an understanding of other people's culture, people should be able to adjust to other people's points-of-view so they understand them better. Further, Jack should have an open conversation with all his employees about these occurrences so they are accepting of the different cultures they hail from.

Case Discussion Points

There are several studies that have shown that blacks and other minority groups are disadvantaged in the current labor market. The particular reasons for the disadvantage and the place of race in the job market have been fiercely contested. Social scientists and economists predict that the labor market's demands would eventually eliminate most forms of racial bias at the workplace (Lawrence D. Bobo & Cybelle Fox, 2003). In the white collar job market, African-Americans are sometimes assumed to be incompetent by white coworkers and clients and face various kinds of racial bias including being excluded from informal social networks. They may be skipped for promotions and greater administrative duties. The discriminative practices usually hinder their prospects for professional advancement and growth (Dr. Lilly Fermandes & Dr. Nora Hadi Q. Alsaeed, 2014).

Courses of Action in Resolving Discrimination

The settings promoting or discouraging such discrimination are identified and the role played by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the Human Rights Commission as well as social, cultural and economic rights in preventing racial discrimination is examined. The liability of the employer in promoting discrimination is also to be discussed from the point-of-view of African-Americans (Dr. Lilly Fernandes & Dr. Nora Hadi Q. Alsaeed, 2014). Research shows that diversity management can have a good spillover effect on the rest of the workforce. It has been found that most women hired for jobs on the grounds of affirmative action actually were qualified for the positions they held but the fact that affirmative action was involved stigmatizes their position regardless of ability and qualification. Research has also shown that where ability is the same, creativity is higher among heterogeneous teams than in homogeneous teams (Harold Andrew Patrick & Vincent Raj Kumar, 2012).

Weakness in Action Plan

Several studies indicate that current discrimination in the workplace is a major concern. Employers often have stereotypical views about blacks and rate them as possessing weaker hard and soft skills than their white colleagues. Some of these managers openly admit to employing discriminatory recruiting procedures when hiring. This results to blacks being hired at a far lower rate than their white counterparts even where controls exist to avoid such a reality. Gender discrimination makes the issue even worse for women of color. Social class seems to not have a big impact on racial discrimination, but the actions are reported more frequently as education levels rise (Lawrence D. Bobo & Cybelle Fox, 2003).

Course of Action in such a Situation

Every person should be more careful in a social group like the one at the organization with their words and actions so they take care not to offend other people. To solve the issue, Jack needs to acquaint himself with others' cultures and share them with the people around him. He should also talk about the incident with other employers and take action to reform the behavior of employees toward one another. Further, he could have actually noticed the existence of unfair treatment of Dillon and acted on his own volition before issues escalated. Verna Meyers puts forth a suggestion explaining the conflict of managing a diverse workforce explaining that a series of micro-aggressions can at times be as serious as blatant actions of aggression. The affected individual feels excluded and makes it a lot harder for them to commit fully to the organization and affects their performance in a huge way. Jack should address this concern and the emergent larger issues (Jeffrey C. Connor, 2000).

Application Theory

1. Relative Deprivation Theory

Relative deprivation theory is used in explaining how social dictates and norms moderate the extent of the effect of perceived racial discrimination on variables of outcomes. Discrimination should therefore be examined in the context it occurs (Maria del Carmen, Mevan Jayasinghe, & Jenna R. Pieper, 2015).

Relative deprivation theory argues that feelings of individuals on being denied something are pegged on fair treatment standards, which are informed by the particular context of the action. According to the theory, for someone to feel that they've been unfairly treated, they must

• Perceive that other people (from a different or one's own group) possess the outcome

• Want the outcome

• Feel that they are entitled to getting the outcome

• Believe that it is practically possible to get the outcome

• Not be willing to accept personal responsibility for not getting the outcome

Where all of the above are there, job dissatisfaction, psychological stress and other coping behaviors result from the deprivation feeling. Such behaviors can be either destructive or constructive (Maria del Carmen Triana, Mevan Jayasinghe, & Jenna R. Pieper, 2015).

2. Employment Discrimination Theory

It is my proposal that employment discrimination theory looks at changes taking place in the political, social and legal environment that can have an influence on the employees' fair treatment threshold. These factors will influence whether or not organizational culture and practices meet the bare minimum for required fair treatment, at least as they understand it (Maria del Carmen Triana, Mevan Jayasinghe, & Jenna R. Pieper, 2015).

3. Dual Labor Market Theory

New positions in an organization may be filled by colleagues of the same race based on personal recommendations as people are less likely to recommend African-American based on the stereotypes they hold of them. Most organizations who hire African-Americans give them jobs on the lower ranks of the organization even if they are qualified and experienced enough to hold higher ranking positions. Diversityinc.com reports that of all the 500 company CEOs, only six were black. This is just 1.2% of the total fortuned 500 CEOs. Dual labor market theory aims to address the urban poverty and underemployment issues not given enough attention to by neoclassical economies. Primary-type and secondary-type jobs make up the economy. High ranking jobs with better pay make up the primary-type. They are more stable and the working conditions are better but the opportunities for advancement are limited as personal connections play a role in securing a higher ranking position. Dual market theory asserts that black men and women typically start off in the secondary labor market. White and black people's job standings vary a lot because of discriminative practices is both recruitment and promotion (Dr. Lilly Fernandes & Dr. Nora Hadi Q. Alsaeed, 2014).

Public Sector and Non-Profit Sector

Is the nature and extent of discrimination different across sectors? Research done in the area so far cannot conclusively address this question since one of the key variables research has depended on, wage disparity, is one-dimensional. There is less accountability in the public sector and this has made managers place less value on seniority and sabotage various formal procedures as far as hiring and promotion is concerned. Furthermore, the checks set to prevent discrimination can at times lead to more discrimination. The private sector also has its problems too as employers can misuse the employment-at-will principle to subject workers to different treatments and so fire or terminate the employment of those they don't want and justify the same as cost-saving measures. An analysis of various sectors reveal that aggregate discrimination rates does not vary much by sector but there is a higher rate of discrimination when it comes to promotion in the public sector and a higher rate when it comes firing in the private sector. An in-depth look into the two sectors reveals that it is the internal processes established in the sectors that are the major contributors to this reality (Reginald A. Byron, 2010).

Case of Racial Discrimination in Coca Cola

A class action lawsuit was brought against Coca Cola in April 1999 by 4 former African-American employees. They sued the company for racial discrimination under the Civil Rights Act. They argued that they, together with other 2200 African-Americans working for the company, had been discriminated against as far as performance evaluation, promotions and pay are concerned. They availed statistics that showed that African-Americans' median salary was about a third less than that of their white colleagues. They also claimed that there were glass ceilings that hindered their progress in the company and its departments. Very few African-Americans held senior positions even with their relatively big number in the company. The plaintiff asserted that the company had failed in preventing and remedying the discrimination (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, 2014).

In 2002, the plaintiffs and Coca Cola agreed to settle. The settlement agreement was the largest in the history of corporate racial discrimination cases and amounted to $192 million. While the company denied the existence of systemic racism, they agreed to make several changes to their personnel procedures and policies. Further, an outside panel which was selected jointly by the lawyers of the plaintiff and those of Coca Cola and approved by the court was given the duty of serving as a watchdog over a five-year period to evaluate if the company was complying with the agreements reached. In a report made in 2006, the Task Force said that the mission has indeed been a success. They said that Coca Cola had "made significant progress" in addressing the issues that were raised by the plaintiffs (Business & Human Resource Center, 2014).

Conclusion

It is apparent that racial discrimination exists in many organizations even when members of those organizations fail to appreciate that it exists. Systemic racism may be difficult to overcome because it is ingrained in organizational culture as well as policies, but making people aware of the effects the policies have on the minority members of the organization is a good place to start to stem them out. Managers should encourage members of the organization to interact freely and learn about each other's culture so they can understand one another better and so eliminate prejudices and biases that come with preconceived ideas and stereotypes. Organizations should also look into their policies and procedures and revise those areas that systemize racial discrimination.

References

Lawrence D. Bobo, & Cybelle Fox. (2003). Race, Racism, and Discrimination: Bridging Problems, Methods, and Theory in Social. Social Psychology Quarterly, 319-332.

Business & Human Rights Resource Centre. (2014). Coca-Cola lawsuit (re racial discrimination in USA). Business & Human Rights Resource Centre.

Devah Pager, & Hana Shepherd. (2008). The Sociology of Discrimination: Racial Discrimination in Employment, Housing, Credit, and Consumer Markets. Annual review of sociology, 181-209.

Dr Lilly Fernandes, & Dr. Nora Hadi Q. Alsaeed. (2014). AFRICAN-AmericanS AND WORKPLACE DISCRIMINATION. European Journal of English Language and Literature Studies, 56-76.

Harold Andrew Patrick, & Vincent Raj Kumar. (2012). Managing Workplace Diversity. SAGE Open Journals.

Jeffrey C. Connor. (2000, September - October). It Wasn't About Race. Or Was It? Harvard Business Review.

Maria del Carmen Triana, Mevan Jayasinghe, & Jenna R. Pieper. (2015). Perceived workplace racial discrimination and its correlates: A meta-analysis. Management Department Faculty Publications, 491-513.

Reginald A. Byron. (2010). Discrimination, Complexity, and the Public/Private Sector Question. Work and Occupations, 435-475.