Team M.A.I.N.S. 

Research statement: The purpose of this project is to identify how a firm’s marketing and diversity are represented in the media versus how the firm actually treats employees in regard to diversity, and the impact of this treatment on employee satisfaction and involvement. 

  • Chien-Chin Su, Hsiang-Chen Hsu, & Shu-Ya Chang. (2022). The Application of Human Resource Management: A Study on Workforce Diversity in Employment Model. International Journal of Organizational Innovation, 14(3), 30–39.

https://web-p-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.library.wwu.edu/ehost/detail/detail?vid=4&sid=a2e10cea-fab9-4649-b318-676d23d676f0%40redis&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=bth&AN=154730950

The authors, Chein-Chin Su, Hsiang-Chen Hsu, and Shu-Ya Chang from I-Shou University and Air Force Institute of Technology in Taiwan had a study done to showcase workforce diversity and the trends of it. Within the study, all authors were looking into what affects employee work ethic and what harms it, looking at both the pros and cons of each. Things like wage increase, personal management, and having a diversified team were studied to see the effects it has on a company. They explored human resource management and how a diversified workforce can increase employee performance and even increase important factors for an employee like having an increased personal salary while benefiting and promoting economic growth as a whole. The study helps to inform the importance of modern day human resource management teachings and the success it can bring for a business when done and taught to the team correctly. How this source relates to our project is by giving up to date diversity benefit examples within the workforce and by making it known that having a diversified team can help cut down on labor costs for on job training ultimately benefiting the companies operational costs. We will be able to apply these findings to our project due to its factual information on the uptrends in workforce diversity, positive work ethic, and human resource management.

The authors, researchers from Pennsylvania State University, University of St. Thomas, Indiana State University Bloomington, and University of Iowa, surveyed 1,206 full-time employees across the United States to find what parts of the workplace environment influence their satisfaction and organizational behaviors/attitudes in their workplace. While using data from their research, the authors also supported their data with secondary research. The results from this study illustrated that employee workplace satisfaction, workplace environment, and organizational behaviors have a strong interconnected relationship. An employee’s satisfaction and attitudes vary with their workplace environment and organizational behaviors. The study suggested that workplaces that value and have space for “tolerance and openness to diversity and places to develop friendships.” This source is relevant to our project as it pertains to employee satisfaction and attitudes and how these feelings are influenced by a workplace’s environment and organizational behaviors. We can further relate this source to our project as it includes the ideas of diversity and a firm’s openness to inclusion. While the study does not address marketing operations, we can apply this study to our project through its research on workplace environment, organizational behavior, and employee attitudes.

  1. Proof that positive work cultures are more productive. Harvard Business Review. (2017, May 8). Retrieved April 26, 2022, from https://hbr.org/2015/12/proof-that-positive-work-cultures-are-more-productive

The authors from the Harvard Business review the benefits of a positive environment in a workplace. The article speaks about the trust from the top of management trickling down to the floor and lower level workers. It explains that without trust there is a much higher turnover of employees. The article strongly suggests that having a firm with strong values and a very positive environment greatly impacts the chances of said firm becoming successful. In terms of diversity this article aims to show that any work environment needs to be fair and equal and that is one of the biggest keys to being successful for them in the future. We can use this source to explain the needs of having primary trust in the founders of the company. If the company is not founded on trust and it does not communicate a strong sense of meaning to its employees or it communicates only to a very specific group of people then the company will struggle to succeed in becoming diverse and grow. -Marc Egnal

  1. Akpapuna, M., Choi, E., Johnson, D. A., & Lopez, J. A. (2020). Encouraging Multiculturalism and Diversity within Organizational Behavior Management. Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, 40(3/4), 186–209. https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.wwu.edu/10.1080/01608061.2020.1832014

 The authors, Akpapuna, M., Choi, E., Johnson, D. A., & Lopez, J. A. have researched the lack of multiculturalism in workplaces and ways to effectively improve the workplace for everyone. This article addresses how different cultures impact people’s opportunities, perspectives, and performances in their fields. Cultural training is introduced to develop a diversity awareness in the workplace and improve the performance of employees. As for senior management they suggest diversity in leadership to improve profitability by offering a greater variety of perspectives to innovate within the field. Also opening a easily path for POC to continue there higher education to include them in higher positions within the workplace will help the company grow. As described many individuals bring different approaches to problem-solving or ideas that many of the same culture don’t have. We can use this source to explain benefit of having a multicultural company. As it becomes an asset to have a diversity of individuals bring more different qualities to contribute to the goals of the company. 

  1.  Wright, T. A. (2003). Positive organizational behavior: An idea whose time has truly come. Journal of Organizational behavior, 24(4), 437-442.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/4093718?seq=1

Thomas A. Wright researched the concept of positive psychology that began to catalyze a change in focus of psychology from preoccupation, repairing the worst things in life to also building the positive qualities. This article speaks on the dire need for a POB approach in a computer search of contemporary literature in psychology (i.e., mental illness, depression, anxiety, fear and anger). Considering employees as a means to the end of higher organizational productivity which includes the pursuit of employee happiness, health, and betterment issues as viable goals or ends in themselves. Providing value-added contribution to organizational research, positional organizational behavior (POB) should consider issues of employee betterment as essential goods for which all should work and strive. This source allows us to strengthen our idea of multiculturalism and diversity within company employment. Managing positional organizational behaviors to impact treatment on employee satisfaction and involvement. 

 

Photo source: Celebrating workplace inclusion-the 50 best companies for diversity. Agility PR Solutions. (2019, March 23). Retrieved May 4, 2022, from https://www.agilitypr.com/pr-news/public-relations/celebrating-workplace-inclusion-the-50-best-companies-for-diversity/ 

Members present: 

Marc Egnal

Alexis Janis

Navjot Singh

Isak Kim

Stephanie Ortiz