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Ethnic balance in the workplace?
wa P
#11 Posted : Friday, October 30, 2009 8:45:00 AM
Rank: Member

Joined: 5/26/2009
Posts: 326
Location: Nairobi
I worked in a large firm managed by foreigners. As it was a startup,they recruited almost everyone thru' PWC.
After about 1 year and promotions were nigh,there was a concentration of one tribe at the top. Nobody read too much into it as those folks were very good at what they were doing.

But lower cadre recruitments started taking a tribal angle,and the 'galagarias' noticed the skew at the top. A tribal war of influence at the shop floor level found its way up,good senior managers left,the dominating tribe hounded good employees from the resigning tribe.

The Orange/ Banana nonsense of 05 was the last nail on the coffin - the company became a joke,today it is the best case on 'how not to run a company' - Notwithstanding that it is in the fastest growing sectors.

There is a high end IT firm,10 employees - where recruitment is only on merit,as it require very high quality skills for the systems they deal in. Recruitment is through public vacancy notices. Very rigourous,practical aptitude tests. Interviews are done to those who attain a specified mark on the aptitude test.

80% of staff are from one tribe.

Very confusing.

Healthy eating = nutritious urine. Nyama choma anytime!
tutebeng
#12 Posted : Friday, October 30, 2009 8:52:00 AM
Rank: Member

Joined: 10/29/2009
Posts: 40
The progression Mukiha writes about is one I have noted in the many local organizations I have had the opportunity to interact with. The challenge is whether many of these SMES can actually transform.

I have witnessed companies make an effort to detribalise themselves especially when they select to become corporate. This is encouraging. One such indicator is when there is collective agreement on the non-use of vernacular languages in the office. Then a board of directors is constructed,and the directors accounts are eliminated from the financial statements. Later on the owners elect to develop a recrcuitment policy which forms the basis of interviews.

These challenges are not unique,but the fortunate firms are those that from the onset embrace the some of these formal structures right from the start,but those are the exceptions.

Often many of us do not realize the impact of discrimination,but it does occur in offices where colleagues discuss the workmates in other languages. All is well until one discovers what the others are saying.














Tutebeng
tutebeng
#13 Posted : Friday, October 30, 2009 8:56:00 AM
Rank: Member

Joined: 10/29/2009
Posts: 40
3000 employees probably also includes in my estimate the top 2 or 3 commercial banks

Tutebeng
tutebeng
#14 Posted : Friday, October 30, 2009 9:02:00 AM
Rank: Member

Joined: 10/29/2009
Posts: 40
The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) published a perceptions study on 'tribal divide' in Kenya,to say the least,there are some very strong ethnic perceptions in the country across the board.It is therefore not suprising that even when there is no 'tribalism' the perception is quite different.

Tutebeng
simonkabz
#15 Posted : Friday, October 30, 2009 4:20:00 PM
Rank: Elder

Joined: 3/2/2007
Posts: 8,776
Location: Cameroon
Where I work,a very fair ethnic distribution is easily noticed. I doubt anyone can complain. I guess I knw at least several names fm each of our tribes

Can silence be misquoted?
TULIA.........UFUNZWE!
pm
#16 Posted : Friday, October 30, 2009 6:31:00 PM
Rank: Member

Joined: 11/11/2006
Posts: 60
I normally peek at KCSE results (http://www.examscouncil.or.ke/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=27&Itemid=34 ;Top Candidates Natinally) to gauge competitive makeup of potential candidates ... and this validates your results as being non-biased...

Having said that, we must acknowledge a tremedous national bias towards urban dwellers and those within proximity to Nai ...

StocksKenya : Your Insert Link does NOT work :(
Mkimwa
#17 Posted : Friday, October 30, 2009 6:33:00 PM
Rank: Member

Joined: 10/26/2008
Posts: 380
No one chooses to become a luo,a kikuyu,a lunje,a waria.. no one. However,the level of education and skill depends on the person.

An employer looks for skill,not ethnicity. Get the skill,diversity is a plus. Merit wins,any day.

On the other hand,if one or two ethnicities dominate,doesnt that mean that those ethnicities are more developed,more skilled?

In my department,out of 20 people,we have abt 10 diff ethnicities,We dont notice that there are diff ethnicities. My firm encourages different cultures,races,ethnicity and interactions. maybe thats why we are that diverse..
caesar
#18 Posted : Saturday, October 31, 2009 4:33:00 PM
Rank: Member

Joined: 5/25/2007
Posts: 149
The population should determine the weighting of people in Government. If Kikuyus are 22% of the country they should have 22% of the positions. Thats my take
itz
#19 Posted : Saturday, October 31, 2009 7:00:00 PM
Rank: Member

Joined: 3/20/2009
Posts: 348
This is very great insight guyz.i dont live in kenya but this is a great discussion and am glad to see that most organizations hire on merit. affirmative action would help as it would bring a little bit more balance,but it should only be implemented in a way that makes the people who benefit earn it rather than just get it handed to them.
VituVingiSana
#20 Posted : Sunday, November 01, 2009 8:04:00 PM
Rank: Chief

Joined: 1/3/2007
Posts: 18,376
Location: Nairobi
merit not tribe... sso what if kikuyus are 22%... it shud not mean they shud have 22% of jobs... it cud be higher or lower... they shud have 0-100% as long as it is merit based...

Greedy when others are fearful,Very fearful when others are greedy - to paraphrase WB
Greedy when others are fearful. Very fearful when others are greedy - to paraphrase Warren Buffett
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