Abstract

Corporations frequently anticipate problems when hiring minority employees due to their lack of skills, educational weaknesses, and cultural differences. Underlying the corporation's concern is the difficulty they have experienced in handling white employees whose personal value system does not match that of the corporation. An increase in minority employment could then intensify an already difficult situation by increasing value conflict in an organization which has a low tolerance for such conflict. The hidden issue of organizing to achieve constructive value conflict is a prior condition to an effective minority employment program. The author recommends that one has to carefully consider the areas of an organization within which lower participants have relevant contributions to make. Within those areas, encourage participative decision making under conditions which provide a winning-while-losing atmosphere. In such a situation a constructive conflict of values might be worked out and, at the same time, provide an ever-increasing satisfactory role for minority participants.