Making the Team: A Guide for Managers

Strategies for Reducing Prejudice

We have made the point that prejudice, discrimination, and stereotyping are pervasive in organizations today. It is a leader's job to deal effectively with these issues, which can seriously hinder individual, group, and organizational effectiveness. The responsible manager and team leader needs to scan the environment for factors that contribute to bias and try to put into place practices that will minimize discrimination. Once intergroup hostility becomes established, it is no simple matter to reduce it. Fortunately, many companies have dealt successfully with issues of discrimination on an organizational level. Companies that are equal opportunity employers make a public assertion that they wish to avoid bias. ...