Explain the different types of organizations that result from prevailing assumptions about people and cultures. Compare and contrast how minorities are treated in each case.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

A monolithic organization has very little cultural integration; its employee population is highly homogeneous. Pluralistic organizations have a more diverse employee population and take steps to involve people from different backgrounds. In multicultural organizations, diversity not only exists but is valued. When a monolithic organization does employ people from groups other than the norm, they primarily hold low-status jobs. Minority group members must adopt the norms of the majority to survive. Pluralistic organizations have much more integration than do monolithic organizations, but as in monolithic organizations, minority group members tend to be clustered at certain levels or in particular functions. In contrast to the pluralistic organization, which fails to address the cultural aspects of integration, multicultural organizations fully integrate minority group members both formally and informally.