08.07.2014

The Illusion of Identity: I Differentiate Therefore I Am (Not)

Main event: Lectures "WIFO-Extern"
Persons: Andri Georgiadou
Language: Englisch
Österreichisches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung
Culture is one of the most powerful forces operating within a company that may influence its development. Indicative of that view is the number of important roles which it fulfils. Explicitly, the culture of the company provides a feeling of identity and belonging to the members of the organisation, contributes to enhancing the employees' commitment to the company's mission and vision, whilst it clarifies and reinforces standards of ethical and behavioural conduct. Considering that though every human being is unique, with a distinct and individual character, each person is also a member of a wide array of identity groups, we have measured the perceptions of employees on what they consider as effective diversity management and explored the relationship of these perceptions with the established organisational culture. An empirical analysis was carried out with employees at a private organisation in Cyprus using a survey, interviews, and observation. The purpose was to examine the employees' attitudes about diversity management and to determine which diversity practises to incorporate into the organisational strategy. We will discuss the results of our research and how these can be used to determine criteria for selecting methods to address the topic of culture within an organisation.