Organizational Behaviour

Assignment-1
MBA FT (2024-26)

Submitted to: Prof. Nidhi Bansal

Gender diversity in the workplace involves an expanded view of realizing that women and men

have to be given equal chances of working or taking part in organizational development and

managerial processes. Lately, that interest has been rekindled as organizations and institutions

embrace the diverse advantages represented by a broad workforce from different demographics.

Gender diversity is no longer simply an issue of balancing the number of men and women in the

workforce; it is the equal provision of opportunities for all genders in an organization to grow,

participate, and influence.

Many companies have had workplaces characterized by uneven distribution in terms of gender,

with the female and non-binary population underrepresented in most of the senior and decision-

making roles. This historical inequality at work gave rise to DEI initiatives to have increased

scope in finding resolutions to such issues. They aim at solving the systemic problems, including

gender bias and unequal hiring practices, that would form a basis for gender disparities.

Gender diversity indeed has a sound business case. A number of studies have proven that

diversified teams lead to enhanced creativity, better ways of problem-solving, and enhanced

organizational performance. Companies with a higher level of gender diversity consider it a sign

of greater employee satisfaction, higher employee retention rates since a different view in
decision-making means an increased inclusive work culture. Further, gender diversity is in tune

with the larger social expectations as well as the regulatory requirements placed on corporates in

modern times.

Fostering gender diversity, in essence, involves creating cultures that are inclusive for all

employees, regardless of gender, so that they are valued and are able to contribute purposefully

to the organizational success. This basically means a strategic commitment by leadership,

comprehensive policies, and continuous efforts to address and overcome the biases and structural

inequities that may exist.

Literature review : Gender Diversity

Mousa, Massoud, and Ayoubi studied the links between gender views about diversity

management, job satisfaction, and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) among doctors in

Egyptian hospitals . More importantly, they find out that OCB is enhanced by workplace

happiness and this effect is mediated by perceptions of diversity management, which suggest that
effective diversity practices can improve employees’ engagement and positive behaviors within

organizations. (Mousa et al., 2020)

Kang and Kaplan present gender inequalities in medicine, debunking some common myths

associated with zero-sum game fallacies and that merit alone is enough to change the gender

imbalance. They outline concrete steps toward change that involve transparent recruitment and

mentorship, along with supportive workplace cultures that would increase gender diversity and

inclusion. (Kang & Kalpan,2019)

In this article, we examine reasons behind the continuous gender wage gap, such as job

segregation and systemic biases. Though laws have changed over time and people’s perceptions

toward this matter have improved, it still exists to a large extent. Therefore, there is need for

broad-based policy reforms; enhanced transparency; as well as specific organizational strategies

to tackle this problem (Kochhar,2023).

Turban, Wu, and Zhang argue that improving gender diversity may increase company

productivity by bettering problem-solving skills and enhancing innovation. They emphasize the

significance of creating an inclusive culture to maximize these benefits while also promoting the

professional growth of women (Turban et al., 2019).

In this research, we analyze how gender diversity leads to greater corporate sustainability. It was

found that companies with gender-diverse leadership are more likely to commit themselves to
environmental protection, thus enhancing their performance on such related matters. (Altunbas et

al., 2022)

Report argues for a focus on gender inclusion and not just diversity, advocating for equitable

hiring practices and policies that address unconscious biases to create a truly inclusive

workplace. It also states that there is still ongoing gender imbalance in leadership positions and

that real progress in this respect can only be achieved through continuous effort and deliberate

actions aimed at achieving gender balance as well as improving organizational performance.

(McKinsey & Company, 2023)

Bhattacharjee and Sen have suggested a model towards gender equality based on commitment,

capability and culture. They contend that meaningful gender diversity can only be promoted

through leadership support, skills development and an inclusive atmosphere. (Bhattacharjee &

Sen, 2023)
 Managerial insights

• Commitment to Diversity: This has to come from the top. Leaders must actively support and

advocate initiatives that promote gender diversity in developing an organizational culture that

ensures inclusion. It must show top-down commitments manifested in the strategic plan, down to

day-to-day activities.

• Positive Diversity Management Perception: This could be the diversity management practices

being viewed as positive by employees, since this will be very important in workplace happiness

and engagement. The managers should therefore work to create and maintain effective policies

on diversity that improve employee satisfaction and behavior.

• Fair and Transparent Processes: Institutes should incorporate transparent recruitment processes

and thus ensure that the hiring methods are also fair. The managers should provide mentorship

and support career development opportunities with regard to gender disparity and fairness.

• Pay Gap: Regular pay audit coupled with transparency is a critical component to rectify the

issue of persistent gender pay gap. Managers should continue to take active interests in closing

the pay disparities through comprehensive reforms and targeted strategies.

• Inclusive Culture: The leverage of gender diversity depends on how the inclusive culture is

developed in the workplace and how diverse perspectives are valued. This will require managers

to focus much more on issues of inclusivity, women's career development, and creating an

environment where each contribution is encouraged.

continuous effort and systemic changes in an organization. This will involve managers

embedding the gender diversity goals into the organizational long-term strategic framework and

making constant efforts to reduce such disparities at the leadership and pay levels.

• Organizational Performance: Gender diversity serves not only the ends of equity but also

enhances the performance of organizations. This is where managers should know a diverse team

can lead to better problem solving, innovating, improving environmental stewardship.

References

 Mousa, M., Massoud, H. K., & Ayoubi, R. M. (2020). Gender, Diversity Management Perceptions,

Workplace Happiness and Organisational Citizenship Behaviour. Employee Relations.

https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/ER-10-2019-0385/full/html

 Kang, S. K., & Kaplan, S. (2019). Working toward Gender Diversity and Inclusion in Medicine:

Myths and Solutions. The Lancet. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-

6736(18)33138-6/fulltext

 Kochhar, R. (2023). The Enduring Grip of the Gender Pay Gap. Pew Research Center.

https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2023/03/01/the-enduring-grip-of-the-gender-pay-

gap/

 Turban, S., Wu, D., & Zhang, L. (2019). When Gender Diversity Makes Firms More Productive.

Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2019/02/research-when-gender-diversity-makes-

firms-more-productive
 Altunbas, Y., Gambacorta, L., Reghezza, A., & Velliscig, G. (2022). Does Gender Diversity in the

Workplace Mitigate Climate Change? Journal of Corporate Finance.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0929119922001468

 McKinsey & Company. (2023). Women in the Workplace. https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-

insights/diversity-and-inclusion/women-in-the-workplace

 Bhattacharjee, A., & Sen, K. (2023). Unlocking Gender Diversity in the Workplace: The 3Cs of

Success. IE Insights. https://www.ie.edu/insights/articles/unlocking-gender-diversity-in-the-

workplace-the-3cs-of-success/