Employee Preference
The article under analysis shed light on the process of selection for contemporary HR management operating with a diverse staff and gender quotas using identity conscious initiatives involving the pursuit intentions of individuals. The article demonstrated an experimental approach toward comparing identity blind and identity conscious perspectives on gender diversity. The practice and acceptance of diversity is under analysis, highlighting a diversity management paradox. That is, “initiatives perceived as more effective made organizations using them less attractive as employers” (Windscheid, Bowes-Sperry, Mazei, & Morner, 2015, p. 1). Therefore, organizational needs may not coincide with employee preferences.
The research offered insight on how gender representation impacts organizational performance. Conducted in Germany, the research represents a recent gender initiative stating that women should occupy at least 30% of the positions on supervisory boards in public and private organizations. This quota is meant to prevent underrepresentation (Windscheid et al., 2015). The German framework for gender initiatives in the workplace offers a model for such transformations in other EU countries.
Identity conscious initiatives are perceived as useless for the promotion of women to managerial positions. However, they help to improve gender diversity in the workplace by decreasing the rate of intentional gender discrimination. In this respect, their perceived effectiveness in an organization should increase with more diverse and identity conscious initiatives related to gender. In turn, such initiatives will enable employees to view their jobs with a more positive attitude and to accept gender diversity in terms of the organizational code of conduct.
Based on the research model, identity conscious initiatives provide opportunity enhancement and preferential treatment, which lead to increased perceived effectiveness and improved pursuit intentions...