Organizational Behavior

Essay by ajschaeferUniversity, Bachelor'sA, December 2006

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Various diversity and demographic characteristics are present in our everyday lives. These characters each have a unique impact on individual behavior. Gender, age, religion, and geographical differences are four characteristics that influence individual behavior. As each of these characteristics varies from person to person, actions vary from person to person. Many times these actions are dependent on the various characteristics present in individuals in our society.

Gender has a large impact on individual behavior, especially in certain workplace environments. Since gender and equal rights had been a large part of the history of both the United States and the world, it is not surprising the gender impacts individual behavior in such major ways. In the workplace, gender has become a controversial issue. Many women are fighting for the same rights as their male counterparts. In more traditional workplace environments, women are delegated tasks that have stereotypically been seen as women's professions, for example secretaries or administrative assistants.

If a woman is delegated to such a position simply based on gender and not on skills, her behavior may reflect a certain lack of satisfaction with her position. This may manifest itself in frequent complaining to management, an unwillingness to complete tasks for her male bosses, or a quiet submissive attitude in which the female employee completes all of her duties without complaint.

On the flip side, many women are entering high powered professions, for example investment banking, law, medicine, and take full authority, asserting themselves as equally competent to their male counterparts. In these environments, women are seen as equal to men, although unfortunately sometimes that does not always occur. Men in these upper level jobs can also be stereotyped based on their gender. For example, history designate that men are the breadwinners; they are to earn the money to support...