The problem of minority performance in organisations

Citation

(2001), "The problem of minority performance in organisations", Journal of Management Development, Vol. 20 No. 8. https://doi.org/10.1108/jmd.2001.02620hab.001

The problem of minority performance in organisations

The problem of minority performance in organisations

The apparent under-performance of minority ethnic employees is due more to the perceptions of their white managers, than to true measures of their performance or abilities, a report has concluded. The findings come in the report The Problem of Minority Performance in Organisations, the latest from the UK-based Institute for Employment Studies.

IES Director Richard Pearson commented:

Blanket claims of institutional racism are notoriously imprecise, inevitably emotive, and not particularly helpful for finding answers to the challenges of managing diversity in the workplace. Over time, organisational cultures and systems evolve their own subjectivities, and these only emerge as people become more aware of potential side effects. By actively looking for unconscious or indirect bias in systems, processes and attitudes at work, the real problems of workplace discrimination can begin to be eliminated. This report is a reminder that problems widely exist and that organisations are insufficiently aware of them.

There are two theories as to why this difference in perception occurs. The first is that managers, when assessing subordinates' performance, subconsciously look for evidence that confirms broader stereotypes based on, for example, gender or race. Once a certain group has negative attributes associated with it, all the members of the group are seen in the same light. Outstanding exceptions to the rule are explained by luck or extraordinary effort, rather than genuine ability.

The second theory is that in organisations, people belong to two kinds of groups: those identified primarily by the physical characteristics of their members (such as race, ethnicity, gender or disability), and those identified by the roles and functions of their members. Managers, it is suggested, tend to assign people to groups depending on a combination of these characteristics, and treat them differently according to whether they are in an "in-group" (i.e. share the same group membership), or the "out-group". In-group people get treated more favourably, out-group people are managed in a more authoritarian, contractual style.

Behaviour towards individuals forms part of organisational culture, within which self-limiting behaviour may be found. Minority ethnic individuals may hold themselves back because of previous lost opportunities, or simply be demotivated because they feel less valued or overlooked.

For organisations that are seeking to understand if they unwittingly discriminate against minority ethnic groups, and what they might do to address any identified problems the report recommends:

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  Review your workforce thoroughly to identify any areas of concern.

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  Is the issue in recruitment or in treatment of people, once employed?

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  Where are differences focused: e.g. shortlisting, promotion, assessment?

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  Where might the causes lie: systems, processes, attitudes or behaviours?

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  How might you challenge written and unwritten rules of how things are done?

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  What needs to be changed if behaviour is the problem? How much is possible?

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  Review the impact of all your actions and revisit the solutions.