Alison M. Konrad

Formalized Hrm Structures: Coordinating Equal Employment Opportunity Or Concealing Organizational Practices?

Do formalized human resources management (HRM) structures promote goals of equal employment opportunity and affirmative action or symbolize good faith in the absence of real change? We examined the antecedents and outcomes of formalized HRM structures in over a hundred organizations, assessing the presence of “identity-conscious” and “identity-blind” HRM structures. Findings indicated that identity-conscious structures were associated with some positive indicators of the employment status of women and people of color. II was concluded that such practices, although perhaps adopted for symbolic purposes, improved the employment status of protected groups.

The impact of work-life programs on firm productivity

This research examined the adoption of work‐life programs and the impact of work‐life programs on firm productivity. Human resource executives in a national sample of 658 organizations provided survey data on firm characteristics and work‐life programs. In these 658 organizations, the percentage of professionals and the percentage of women employed were positively related to the development of more extensive work‐life programs. Productivity data were obtained from CD Disclosure for 195 public, for‐profit firms. Significant interaction effects indicated that in these 195 firms work‐life programs had a stronger positive impact on productivity when women comprised a larger percentage of the workforce and when a higher percentage of professionals were employed. Copyright

Understanding the Hiring of Women and Minorities in Educational Institutions.

The conditions under which women and minorities were hired for managerial positions in higher education administration were studied using data on 821 institutions from the 1978 and 1983 College and University Personnel Associations annual compensation surveys. The percentage of women in a particular job across institutions, the percentage of women in all the administrative positions in an institution, and the fact that the previous occupant of the position was a woman all had a positive, unique effect on the odds that a new hire was a woman. The effects of minority composition on the hiring of minorities were similar.

Special Issue Introduction: Defining The Domain Of Workplace Diversity Scholarship

Workplace diversity crystallized as a management sub-field only when members of historically excluded groups became serious contenders for power positions in North American organizations. This article asserts power/dominance relations between identity groups as a central factor driving diversity dynamics in organizations and questions the predominance of the trait model, which locates the fundamental mechanisms driving diversity dynamics within individuals and ignores contextual factors, including power. The author argues that it is important to draw a distinction between diversity scholarship and the individual differences tradition in organizational studies in order to retain a central focus on power relations among identity groups and avoid diluting the diversity construct to the point that any group composed of non-identical individuals becomes diverse by definition.

Race and Sex Differences in Line Managers' Reactions to Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Interventions

Previous authors have used laboratory experiments and public opinion surveys to examine attitudes toward equal employment opportunity and affirmative action (EEO/AA) programs. This study adds a level of specificity to this research by examining attitudes toward the actual human resource management (HRM) practices comprising organizational EEO/AA programs. EEO/AA-related HRM practices were identified in in-depth interviews. Line managers in four organizaions (n = 242) responded to a survey asking them to express their attitudes toward 26 EEO/AA-related HRM practices and to indicate their level of organizational commitment and perceived career opportunities with the company. Findings indicated that although demographic groups differed in their attitudes, all demographic groups expressed neutral to positive attitudes toward EEO/AA-related HRM practices.

The Effects of Gender Role Congruence and Statistical Discrimination on Managerial Advancement

This paper makes the argument that the managerial advancement process is different for women and men. Men in management who choose to participate more fully in family labor experience gender role congruence pressures and are penalized in the workplace. Women in management experience statistical discrimination, meaning that they are viewed with suspicion and that their commitment and competence is over-tested. Findings from data collected in two large firms supported the gender role congruence and statistical discrimination perspectives. Specifically, effort expended on paid work was more strongly positively associated with advancement for men than for women. Participating in household labor hurt mens advancement more than it did womens. Demonstrating competence in a series of internal organizational experiences was more strongly associated with advancement for women than for men. Implications for theory, management, and future research are discussed.

Desirability of the Bem Sex-Role Inventory Items for Women and Men: A Comparison Between African Americans and European Americans

The Bem Sex-Role Inventory (BSRI) is a widely used instrument for measuring gender role perceptions, but questions have been raised regarding whether its items reflect contemporary views on gender. A recent study (Holt & Ellis, 1998) revalidated all but 2 of the 40 adjectives included in the masculine and feminine BSRI indices for a predominantly European American undergraduate sample in a rural Southern town. We examined whether European Americans in a different geographical area and 2 samples of African Americans would show similar findings. Study participants were recruited in undergraduate management courses in 2 universities and included 62 European American women, 69 European American men, 40 African American women, and 31 African American men in a large Northeastern city and 56 African American women and 33 African American men in a small Southern city. Findings indicated that European American men in the urban Northeast and African American men in the South gave the most traditional ratings, whereas European American women in the urban Northeast expressed the most liberal views. European American women considered only 4 of the 40 BSRI items to be differentially desirable for women and men, a considerable departure from the findings of Holt and Ellis (1998) as well as Bem (1974).

Sex Differences in Job Attribute Preferences among Managers and Business Students

Meta-analysis of 31 studies examined whether women and men in management and business schools differ in their job attribute preferences. Findings indicated no significant sex differences for 9 of the 21 job attribute preferences studied. The 12 significant sex differences indicated that men considered earnings and responsibility to be more important than women did, whereas women considered prestige, challenge, task significance, variety, growth, job security, good coworkers, a good supervisor, and the physical work environment to be more important than men did. The significant sex differences were small, nine of them having a magnitude of .10 standard deviation units or less. Students showed larger sex differences than managers did, and changes over time showed that women increased their ratings of the importance of four job attributes relative to men. The findings imply that sex differences in job attribute preferences are not an important determinant of women’s lower status in management.

Granovetter Was Right The Importance of Weak Ties to a Contemporary Job Search

Using a longitudinal research design, the authors investigate the impact of the relative growth or decline of a job seeker’s predisplaced industry on the use of personal contacts in the job search process. They also examine the effect of a job seeker’s network on important job search outcomes, including occupational status and salary following reemployment. Results reveal the subsequent emergence of distinct networking strategies and outcomes dependent on industry growth. Job seekers displaced fromgrowing industries tend to focus their search on the inclusion of weak ties. Their counterparts, displaced fromdeclining industries, indicate the tendency to connect with strong ties. However, job seekers in declining industries who made the more difficult connections with weakly tied contacts reaped important benefits in terms of salary following reemployment. The theoretical and practical implications for conducting a job search in a contemporary environment are discussed, along with suggestions for future research.

Gender Differences in Attitudes Toward Affirmative Action Programs in Australia: Effects of Beliefs, Interests, and Attitudes Toward Women

This research identified mediators explaining the relationship between gender and attitudes toward affirmative action programs for women. Structural equation modeling was conducted on survey data obtained from academics at an Australian university (n = 198 with listwise deletion of missing data). Findings indicated that the relationship between gender and affirmative action attitudes was mediated by (1) perceptions of affirmative actions impact on material self-interest, (2) belief in the existence of gender discrimination, and (3) traditional attitudes toward women. Implications for organizations, policymakers, and researchers are discussed.