College of San Mateo Comments on The Affirmative Action Discussion Write forum discussion and then make 2 comments. “Affirmative Action does not work. When

College of San Mateo Comments on The Affirmative Action Discussion Write forum discussion and then make 2 comments. “Affirmative Action does not work. When you are hired under an Affirmative Action
program, you are automatically labeled as such and are rarely recognized for the value
that you can bring to an organization”
-Develop one argument for and one argument against the statement .
-Respond to the following posts.
1.
“Affirmative Action does not work. When you are hired under an Affirmative Action program,
you are automatically labeled as such and are rarely recognized for the value that you can bring
to an organization”
1. Affirmative Action allows for a larger priority on diversity than actual skill. Whether right or
wrong, people in the organization might recognize this and hold prejudices with the quality of
work.
2. Affirmative Action makes it possible for less privileged individuals to receive the same or
better opportunities than normally would be available to them. Diversity also offers benefits and
knowledge otherwise not typically prioritized.
2.
In this forum, I will develop one argument for and one against the statement, “Affirmative
Action does not work. When you are hired under an Affirmative Action program, you are
automatically labeled as such and are rarely recognized for the value that you can bring to an
organization.” As a woman, I imagined this statement being said by a woman, however it could
also be said by any minority. How accurate is this statement and could it survive debate? That
depends on the industry and culture of the organization and the social norms of the country
where this exists.
Affirmative action is a program in which an organization “goes beyond discontinuance of
discriminatory practices to include actively seeking, hiring, and promoting minority group
members and women” (DeCenzo, Robbins, Verhulst, 2016, pg. 67.) and it is required by
organizations that have more than $50,000 in contracts with the US government (DeCenzo,
Robbins, Verhulst, 2016, pg. 68.)
The real context of this statement is a demotivated employee, who feels that their placement at
the organization is undervalued and pure tokenism. Is the employee too sensitive or making
excuses? Or are they an early hire in an organization which has not developed Affirmative
Action enough to reflect a representative proportion of the minority population, or enough
organizational cultural training to eliminate discrimination?
FOR –
Being automatically labeled as an Affirmative Action employee, and therefore not recognized for
the value one brings to the organization was an issue brought up in a Gender and Leadership case
study I worked on in Leadership Theory and Practice, where a female employee at a financial
firm was belittled by her manager, not appreciated by her male colleagues, and passed over
during promotion although performing better than peers (Northouse, 2019, p. 418). While this
case study did not address Affirmative Action specifically, it does showcase that perhaps in the
early stages of Affirmative Action, when the numbers of minorities or company cultural changes
are not fully implemented, there is tension and low morale for an employee brought in on these
policies. There may also be retaliation by majority employees, or other applicants that miss out
on promotions or placements depending on how skewed the new Affirmative Action policies are,
especially if they cause reverse discrimination (DeCenzo, Robbins, Verhulst, 2016, pg. 64).
AGAINST –
However, using the definition of Affirmative Action of “going beyond” discrimination and
actively hiring minorities and women, means that eventually, “the workforce resembles the
community for all job classifications, then the organization may be demonstrating that its
affirmative action program is working” (DeCenzo, Robbins, Verhulst, 2016, pg. 68.) This would
mean taking account of the metrics and systems of human resources planning including using the
4/5th rule and geographic comparisons (DeCenzo, Robbins, Verhulst, 2016, pp. 66-67.)
Depending on the volume and speed of Affirmative Action hires, the HR department should
ensure in depth orientation, teamwork and training programs to ensure new hires feel welcome
and company culture is inclusive. As James (Jamie) Dimon says, “Getting off the porch and into
the house,” and ensuring there is “bonding inside the company so they feel like it’s home.”
(Building a Diverse Work Environment. 2015). Additionally, regardless of the organizational
culture response to Affirmative Action, there is a perspective in the initial statement, that fails to
see the opportunity for change, rather than the obstacle. I doubt Dr. Martin Luther King would
have made a statement like this. There may always be resistance to change, but progress is still
progress.

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