I assertively believe that discrimination in the workplace is a cause for concern in today's business community. The increasing cultural and gender diversity in the workplace has driven employees from different ethnicities and backgrounds to work together to meet organizations goals. However, these differences between employees often lead to misunderstandings which result in conflict and discriminations. Although the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has made it its duty to ensure that any biases in the workplace are dealt with, it has not been sufficient. The differences that arise among workers which are mainly may be based on gender, and power disparities, also influenced by culture can negatively impact an organization if not resolved accordingly.
Today’s multicultural business community frequently faces cultural differences which can interfere with the success of organizations. Studies conducted by Geert Hofstede and Fons Trompenaars propose a set of cultural dimensions with dominant value systems that affect human thinking, feeling and acting, and the behavior of organizations and institutions in ways that can be predicted (Anbari, Romanova, Umpleby, & Khilkhanova) . These two sets of dimensions reflect fundamental problems that societies have to cope with but for which solutions differ. When it comes to the aspect that considers the relationship between people, cultural differences that include individualism and collectivism are identified. Motivational orientation, a way in which society chooses to cope with the inherent uncertainty of living, on the other hand, identifies masculinity versus femininity and the amount of uncertainty avoidance and power distance (Anbari, Romanova, Umpleby, & Khilkhanova) . However, when it comes to organizational performance and success which is mainly influenced by these dimensions, masculinity, femininity and power distance is considered in that they are the essential elements that affect work structures and outcomes.
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Power distance is the degree to which the less powerful persons in organizations and institutions accept and exact that power which is distributed unequally. It is an underlying problem which involves the degree of human inequality that underlies the functioning of each society. Power distance is determined by Power Distance Index (PDI) according to research conducted by Hofstede. It focuses on the values and attitudes found at any national level and contrasts low-PDI countries with high-PDI countries (Anbari, Romanova, Umpleby, & Khilkhanova) . Some nations are however placed in between (Anbari, Romanova, Umpleby, & Khilkhanova) . Moreover, the attitudes and behavioral outcomes of employees vary from culture to culture and are based on the values that employees have in their workplaces. Cultures where power distance is low; organizations are less hierarchical, employees are given a free choice, and they have more autonomy hence are pleased when their preferences are fulfilled from the organization (Gul, Usman, Liu, & Jebran, 2018) .
However, in cultures where power distances are high, employees are not allowed free choice. Also, organizations are hierarchical, and employees have less autonomy. Furthermore, employees in high power distance cultures are "context-sensitive" and are more loyal to authority as they are not too much jealous on issues concerning value choices (Gul, Usman, Liu, & Jebran, 2018) . Therefore they correlate more with organizations specific outcomes that include turnover intentions and organizational results. Employees in high power distance cultures often give more attention to what has been provided to them by their organizations and supervisors. They are well trained to respect and obey what has been presented to them (Gul, Usman, Liu, & Jebran, 2018) . The decision-making process in high power distance organizations is centralized and autocratic. Thus employees are less empowered. For most organizations, the differences between culture power distances can negatively impact employee performance and thus the overall organizational performance. This comes about in that employees from high power distance cultures often feel lost in low power distance organizations as they lack dependable superiors to provide them with clear instructions (Khatri, 2009) .
Moreover, masculinity and femininity which refers to the distribution of emotional roles between genders is a fundamental problem for various societies. As Anbari et al. state, this distinction is often opposed between “tough” masculine and “tender” societies in which the duality of sexes is an important fact with which different societies cope in different ways. When it comes to assessing work goals, universally women attach more importance to social goals such a relationship, helping others and the physical environment (Anbari, Romanova, Umpleby, & Khilkhanova) . On the other hand, men attach more importance to ego goals such as careers and money. However, the importance that people attach on “ feminine” versus “masculine” work varies across societies and occupations (Anbari, Romanova, Umpleby, & Khilkhanova) .
In a masculine society, gender roles are distinct in that men are supposed to be assertive, robust and focused on material success. Women, however, are supposed to be more modest, tender, and concerned with the quality of life. In a feminine society, gender roles overlap in that both women and men are supposed to be tender, modest and involved with the quality of life. This dimension is known as the Masculinity Index (MAS) however shows different gender roles distinction at work in different societies. Countries with low MAS are characterized by cooperation at work and good relationships with bosses, belief in group decisions, promotions by merit, lower job stress and preference for smaller companies (Anbari, Romanova, Umpleby, & Khilkhanova) . Consequently, countries with high MAS are characterized by challenge and recognition in jobs, belief in an individual decision, higher job stress and pref erence for large corporations. Therefore discriminations that arise in workplaces based on masculinity and femininity may adversely affect organizations and institutions in that it may lead to high turnovers, low morale, conflicts between employees and legal actions against the organizations.
The differences that arise within organizations and institutions based on gender and power disparities are not in any capacity suitable for the performance of organizations. They often create disagreements among employees which in turn lead to decreased employee performance as they are not in harmony with one another to achieve organizational objectives. Therefore employers should make it their duty to ensure that there is no any form of discrimination in their organizations to maintain organizational performance.
References
Anbari, T. F., Romanova, V. M., Umpleby, A. S., & Khilkhanova, V. E. (n.d.). Cross-Cultural Differences and Their Implications for Managing International Projects. Retrieved from GWU: https://www2.gwu.edu/~umpleby/recent_papers/2003_cross_cultural_differences_managin_international_projects_anbari_khilkhanova_romanova_umpleby.htm
Gul, H., Usman, M., Liu, Y., & Jebran, K. (2018). Does the effect of power distance moderate the relation between person-environment fit and job satisfaction leading to job performance? Evidence from Afghanistan and Pakistan. Future Business Journal, 4 (1), 68-83.
Khatri, N. (2009). Consequences of Power Distance Orientation in Organisations. Vision-The Journal of Business, 13 (1), 1-9.
