Equality in the Workplace: Performance Appraisals, Sociocultural Concerns, and Organizational Competences

This paper explores the association of performance appraisals, affirmative action, sociocultural concerns, and organizational competences in sustaining equality and diversity within the organization. It evaluates the influence of performance appraisal, sociocultural issues, lawful compliance, and organizational competences at the workplace across organizations in general.

Running head: EQUALITY IN THE WORKPLACE
EQUALITY IN THE WORKPLACE
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EQUALITY IN THE WORKPLACE
Abstract
The following paper has explored the association of performance appraisals, affirmative
action (AA), sociocultural concerns in addition to organizational competences in sustaining its
equalityand diversitywithin the organization. Through the evaluation of the paper it can be
viewed that firstly, performance appraisals have been considered to be a key source of inequality
particularly because of appraisers’ influence on the concrete procedure. Furthermore,
sociocultural issues have been viewed to bekey role as few managers have advanced in their
approach of facilitating their secondary segments, particularly in paternalistic nationswhile on
the other side. Additionally, AA has established in order to guarantee that organizations
attainconstitutional needs but is typically consideredas professional commitments. In the end,
this paper found that organization must develop potentials in order topromoteparity as well as
diversity in the workplace.

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Table of Contents
Literature Review and its Purposes.................................................................................................3
Equality in the Workplace-Introduction..........................................................................................4
Approach ofPerformance evaluation to manage diversity and equality in workplace................4
Impact of Sociocultural approach towards improve equality and diversity in organization.......5
AffirmativeActions in managing workplace equality and diversity............................................7
Approach of organizational capabilities to manage workplacediversity and equality................8
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................10
References......................................................................................................................................11

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Literature Review and its Purposes
Literature Review is known as a critical analysis of the literature or study related to a
specific subject or research question. Literature review is identified as a far-reaching critical
review of the extant literature on the research topic. Okoli (2015) has noted that primary focus of
an academic research paper relies on developing new assertions and argumentswhile research
papers have the possibility to be comprised of a literature review as one of its vital parts. The
focus of a literature reviews however is to review as well as synthesize the arguments and ideas
of derived from other scholars without incorporating any additional new contributions (Boell and
Cecez-Kecmanovic 2015).
The aim of a literature review is to attain perceptive of the current research and debates,
which draw relevance to a specific topic or area of discussion and further to present those
insights in the form of a written report. Furthermore, conducting a literature review significantly
facilitates academicians to establish their ideas and learn about theories, concepts, research
methods as well as experimental techniques which can be used in any field of academic study
(Boell and Cecez-Kecmanovic 2014). Literature reviews primarily comprises of four key
objectives whereby it reviews the literature in the selected area of study and combines the
information in that literature into a review. Furthermore, it significantly analyses the information
obtained by focusing on gaps in existing knowledge and by identifying limits of theories and
perspectives and by formulating areas for additional exploration and reviewing areas of debate
by presenting the literature in a planned way (Okoli 2015).

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Equality in the Workplace-Introduction
There has been a continuing attention in the concept of diversity, equality as well as
inclusion in the workplace over the last few years. As a significant part of their configuration and
expansion, endeavours have been taken in order to categorize factors of diversity, equality and
inclusion as etymologically diverse anti-discriminatory attitudes. Janssens and Zanoni
(2014)have noted that opportunities have been formulate in order to classify and categorize
equality, ethnic multiplicity and inclusion. Globalization of industries has introduced significant
transformations in the outward state of organizations, which have further shaped the idea of
work. According to Ashe and Nazroo (2017), organizations have to be highly cautious in
supervising its employees as the work setting has been experiencing substantial alterations.
However, there can be identified evidences which shed light on the recent interest of supporting
equality and diversity in workplaces. This paper will contribute to the literature by evaluating the
influence of performance appraisal, sociocultural issues along with lawful compliance in addition
to organizational competences at workplace across organizations in general.
Approach ofPerformance evaluation to manage diversity and equality in workplace
Performance evaluation or appraisal is primarily conducted in order to improve
organizationalstructure and support equality and diversity. Equal opportunity is attained when
organizations successfully conduct a culture and administration systems audit. Davis, Frolova
and Callahan (2016) in their study noted that significant purposes of such review must rely on
exposing sourcesof probable preferences to certain cultural groupingsand furtherto
categorizeconstituentsof the corporate culture which may position a number of members at
unfavourable positions. Davis, Frolova and Callahan (2016) have further noted that

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organizational culture and evaluation systems have put women employees in the United
Kingdom at disadvantageous position in the workplace. On the other hand, Janssens and Zanoni
(2014) have noted that gender diversity elevated constructive group processes whereas gender
diversity repressed these attributes. Reports of Hoque and Bacon (2014) have revealed that over
41% of Asian female employed in managerial positions expressed dilemmas regarding double
standards that they have to perform competitively in comparison to their male counterparts due
to increased biasness in performance appraisal. Janssens and Zanoni (2014) have found that
modern organization encounter higher attrition rate when their employees viewed that their
performance scores have been influenced due to appraisers’ personal bias and their objective to
penalize employees of lower level. However, it can be argued that methodical discriminatory
insight at workplace through which ethnic prejudice and discrimination normally occurs tend to
play decisive role in the sustainability of equality in the workplace. Berrey (2014) has found that
majority of women along with marginalized sections encounter that women and other minorities
typically to experience a ‘glass ceiling’ which tend to curtail their progress in organizations.
Jyoti and Kour’s (2015) findings have collaborated with the findings of authors which
acknowledge the conjectured effect of ethnic and cultural practices which influence performance
appraisal systems.
Impact of Sociocultural approach towards improve equality and diversity in
organization
Human resource management in abusinessessentially necessitatescomprehensivestudyof
internal as well as external environments. Organizational culture as well as human resource
management primarily applies the ‘culture fit’ model. Sabharwal (2014)has developed a
framework that has been recognized as the ‘cultural fit’ model along within corporate

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mechanism based on power distance in order to observe sociocultural extents. Authors have
conducted to distinguish the recognized scopes along with divergences in cultural patterns.
Hofstede has developed structure of cross-cultural interactions involving factors such as power
distance, individualism, and long-term orientation vs. short-term orientation, masculinity and
uncertainty avoidance. The level to which dissimilarity is likely and acknowledged in some
countries relies on the factors associated with power distance. Marfelt and Muhr (2016) have
noted that individuals belonging to lower level power distance nation to be working in an
elevated power distance nation due to obligations employees with hierarchical structures. Jyoti
and Kour (2015)by observing workers recruited in a leading British bank established that
employees coming from high power distance countries revealed a high rate of occurrence of
discrimination and favouritism and support cultural diversity at the workplace. Furthermore,
Sabharwal (2014) in his evaluation of employee job contentment theory and religious
determinants revealed that dealings between organizations’ arrangement and employees’
demands and requests related to the recognition of workplace religious satisfaction have
considerably leveraged their job satisfaction. Marfelt and Muhr (2016) argued that countries
constituting elevated levels of religiosity have been categorized by factors related to superior
income discrimination as religious conviction calls for individuals to encounter financial
sacrifices as well as contributions thus intensifying the level of income discrimination.
Gender inequality is an extensively contested topic across the word particularly in the
domain of workplace inequality studies. A variety of laws have been identified which aim to
seek the issue concerning workplace inequality whereby the United Nations has sited issues of
gender parity and women empowerment as one of the primary millennium development goals.
Despite of these regulations, policies and approaches there remains a significant level of

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discrimination and biasness in the process of recruiting women employers in various nations.
Ashe and Nazroo (2017)have noted that several women from Asian or South Pacific countries
typically encounter discriminations often leading to intimate partner abuse. Majority of women
face restrictions to step into public due to stringent restrictions established by male members of
their families. Proper management of organizational equality and diversity from a gender based
perspective for that reason varies from the supposed differentiation of genders intensifying from
one society to another. However for instance, women living in countries like Saudi Arabia are
only permitted to work in a place secluded from male employees on account of high prevalence
of inflexible religious issues (Janssens and Zanoni 2014).
AffirmativeActions in managing workplace equality and diversity
Equality in the workplace necessitates substantial level of contemplation on the intensity
of equality and fairness involving men and women. The women’s workforce contribution has led
to major financial progress in the last five decades. Janssens and Zanoni (2014) have noted that
the UK has efficientlyintroducedregulations and laws to shed light on the issues of gender
discrimination in staffing, unemployment judgements andfurther determined rights to support
resilient working, maternity leave and recreational labour. These laws primarily recognized as
Affirmative Action (AA) proclamations particularly introduced by governments of various
nations in order to efficiently seek issues concerning diversity and equality at
workplace. .Janssens and Zanoni (2014) in their study noted that AA along with equal
opportunities is established as statutory requirements whereby organizations must make their
adherence regardless of any discrepancies. However, question remains on the competence of AA
in destabilizing unconstructive stereotypes and its ability in successfully leading to undeviating
advantages for minorities. On the other side, authors have criticized AA and equal opportunities

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because of the control of quota that compels organizations to employ workers who severely lack
adequate skills and qualifications in order to ascertain compliance with legislation. Sabharwal
(2014) argue that AA has created a rewards system in which employees that have never
experienced any forms of bigotry behaviours at workplace are benefitting at the cost of white
males. Furthermore, authors have noted that because of the frequency of AA, there have been
occurring lower employment and performance standards applied to discriminated sections. Thus,
Affirmative Action must be reinforced and supported by affirmative and confirmatory
recognition which sheds light on changing the attitudes of individuals in the strategic level
instead of focusing on recruitment employees in order to guarantee legal compliance.
Approach of organizational capabilities to manage workplacediversity and equality
The organizational capabilities approach in order to sustain organizational diversity as
well as equal opportunity efficiently enables in seeking issues regarding gender fairness in
relation to remunerated labour while further offering a collective equality model which is
embedded in the acknowledgment of social diversity. Ahonen et al. (2014) have added to the
considering of a collective, cross culturally insightful attitude to distinguish acts of prejudice,
inequality and reasons behind it. Konrad, Yang and Maurer (2016) in the study have proposed
three primary types of capacities namely basic capabilities, internal capabilities along with
combined capabilities. The concept of basic capabilities varies from one country to the other thus
compelling organizations to be well-equipped of sustaining workplace inequality and diversity.
However one way of improving employees’ basic potentials relies on the enhanced
communication as it enables organization as well as managers to identify ways in which they can
extract most efficient capabilities and talent of employees. Oswick and Noon (2014) have argued
that a capable way of attaining diversity at workplace relies on successfully integrating

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employees in focus groups, surveys, interviews in addition toa range of culture audits or needs
achievements. These implications have aligned to authors who put forward that organizations
should have certain types of mechanisms in which the employers can successfully realize the
needs and concerns of workforce.
Meanwhile, on the other hand, internal experiences are identified as internal or individual
states of inclination to act which could further be protected by knowledge, numeracy, education
or training courses. Konrad, Yang and Maurer (2016)have noted that organizations, which
requires managing diversity and equality successfully, must constitute internal competences
primarily related to decrease internal conflict or disparagement which tend to emerge from
employing a diverse individual. Janssens and Zanoni (2014) have disagreed that organizations
which can proficiently manage equality as well as diversity through developing internal
capabilities have the competence to obtain greater reward in relation to reduced employee
attrition further condensing the costs of companies. Furthermore, Ahonen et al. (2014) have
associated the capacity of an organization to manage equivalent, unbiased and diverse workforce
with improved level of organizational creativity and innovation.
On the other hand, a constructive approach of linking internal and external capabilities
can beexecuted using flexible work arrangements. Janssens and Zanoni (2014) in their study
found that resilient work engagements have improved and stimulated the employability of a
highly diverse group of employment, particularly in relation to minority and gender participation
but also associated with religion, age, and disability along with other attributes. However, several
organizations companies have discovered the transformation of flexible work policies into
practice because of business pressures including stretched deadlines to accomplish their clients’
needs and demands.

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Conclusion
Hence, to conclude, sociocultural attitude tomanage equality, impartiality and diversity
has been reviewed. Through the socio-cultural approach has reviewed that components related to
power distance, religion as well as gender have been highly considerable cultural mechanisms in
the study of equality and diversity. In addition to this, through the review of Affirmative Action
it has been found that governments of several nations especially U.K favoured laws governing
equality and diversity due to their competitive gain it could obtain from severe labour
contribution.

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