Cultural Change Initiative - Timely, A Non Profit Organization

Regardless of how diversity is defined, it is an issue that is sweeping the nation. By the 21st century, racial and ethnic minorities will constitute 25% of the U.S. population, affecting the makeup of the U.S. labor force (7). By the year 2000, women will constitute 47% of the total workforce and the average age of the workforce is expected to increase from 36 in 1986 to age 39 (7). If the corporate society does not address the issue by learning how to manage diversity, they will fail.

As a child, growing up in a low income household has made me humble and attentive to other’s situations. Similarly, my South Asian family has instilled a strong nature to serve others, which is the reason I have been involved in service learning activities throughout my undergraduate career, such as LIFT – Chicago and Refugee One. Even post-graduation, my work at Wekaw caters to urban underserved populations. In graduate school, I wish to continue this involvement in campus organizations which enforce diversity inclusion, whether it is joining a volunteering club aiding community populations or conducting research with immigrants. This is one aspect of diversity I can contribute to Rosalind Franklin University, and is also why my professional goal is to work in a community hospital serving diverse populations.

The artifact allowed me to gain knowledge in the approaches of diversity leadership issues. Thomas (1995) offers eight basic leadership responses as an approach to diversity. The foster mutual adaption response approach, “…unequivocally endorses diversity” (Thomas, 1995, p. 251). Thomas (1995) states that under this approach, “…the parties involved accept and understand differences and diversity, recognizing full well that those realities may call for adaption on the part of all components of the whole” (p. 251). Thomas (1995) purposes a diversity framework be used to as a, “… point of departure for evolving a framework to guide managers in making decisions regarding diversity mixtures of all kinds” (p. 252). The framework processes revolve around three objectives for leadership as recognize diversity mixtures present, decide whether a response is required, and select an appropriate response or blended response (Thomas,

As nonprofit boards have the responsibility of solving complex issues and a diverse array of problems it would be auspicious to ensure boards employ individuals with a diverse backgrounds/points of view to arrive at creative solutions. Unfortunately, that is not happening in board rooms across the social sector. BoardSource, the recognized leader in nonprofit board leadership, conducts a biannual study, Leading with Intent: A National Index of Nonprofit Board Practices. The study gathers information from chief executive officers and board chairs about board practices, performance, and composition. According to BoardSource 2015 Leading with Intent report of nonprofit boards, 89% of CEOs identified as white. When surveyed again in 2017, the statistic remained the same, 89% of CEOs identified as white. This suggest a lack of diversity within nonprofit boards and the process to change will be slow.

Three ways of gaining executive commitment to diversity are to gather data and to assess the organizations current commitment to diversity to show where and why there is a need for change. The development of diversity council can also garner executive support because it offers a way for executive members of an organization to have a dialog with other members of an organization about diversity. Systematic changes are also necessary such as hiring from a diverse roster of candidates when filling a position. (Moodian, 2009,

Recruiting and retaining a culturally diverse workforce are crucial components for an organization that wants to build and sustain a successful operation. Organization must identify and take necessary action to resolve issues involved in the recruiting and

Healthcare managers are responsible for ensuring that their organization has a plan or strategy that is geared toward eradicating health inequality through cultural competency. Best practices are of utmost importance in assuring cultural proficiency. Buchbinder and Shanks (2012) outlined these practices in their textbook Introduction to Healthcare Management: a diverse workforce, leadership and organizational culture that fosters cultural competence as well as human resource policies which do the same, appropriate training/education for all employees, linguistic services and materials, systems capable of tracking data with regards to health outcomes, and responding to and engaging the community (p. 321). Additionally, a Commonwealth Fund study provided a list of actions that diversity leadership should adhere to in accordance with the National Standards on Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) standards. Aside from employing a culturally diverse staff and patient services and regular re-evaluations of goals, healthcare leaders engage and report their progress to diversity goals the community (Dreachslin, 2008). Inasmuch as cultures change and evolve, it is suggested that cultural competence training be an ongoing process and that organizational policy and strategic plans be reassessed periodically for effectiveness (Buchbinder & Shanks, 2012). Time, revenue, and energy spent in interventions that do not bring the desired results is not

Diversity has become a major part of society in the past decade and organizations have continued to adapt to our changing world. One way that organizations provide support for human and world differences is by creating a diversity mission statements that support the company’s actions. Diversity mission statements for corporations compared to non-profit organizations are more similar than I expected since. Verizon Wireless is the corporation I chose to research due to their current market share and success of the company. Verizon (2017) stated in their diversity statement how important and vital their employee differences have contributed to their success. According to Verizon (2017), 59% is their current workforce diversity and over half of

In my research on non-profits, I have found there have been many reports and studies about the racial makeup of the non-profit sector. In these findings, it is common to see the demographics not keeping up with the changes in the population. (State of Diversity in the Nonprofit Sector, 2015) According to the U.S. Census, approximately 30 percent of the population is comprised of people of color, a figure that is expected to grow to 50 percent by 2042. The Hispanic/Latino population is one of the fastest growing minority groups, currently representing 15 percent of the overall population. (US Census Bureau) Within the next five years, more than 43 percent of new applicants to the workforce will be people of color. (Employment Outlook 2006-2016, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics) There is a great need for non-profit organizations to reflect the diversity of the areas they serve. I find a significant disconnect exists between Timely’s values, beliefs and mission. I hope to help them understand the importance of racial diversity, and proactively work towards increasing diversity within their organization.

The senior executives of the Sunrise Senior Living corporation, to include the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and Chief administrative Officer, are all White males. The remaining fifteen key corporate leaders consist of 67% White males and 33% White females. The leadership structure within Sunrise at Fair Oaks is more diverse and consists of seven people; four males and three females. One of the male leaders is African American and another is Asian. The Executive Director, whom I discussed some of my facility reflections with on Sunday, April 23, 2017, is a White forty-something male. Beyond the key leaders, the workforce at the local facility is very diverse. There are approximately 100 employees. Minority

Cultural shapes how individuals experience the world around them. These experiences are a vital component of how services are both delivered and received. Gladding (2012) describes three key aspects of a multicultural leader. The first key aspect is to be aware of a diverse population and the effect on group work interventions (Gladding, 2012). To better facilitate a multicultural group, a leader

Today’s management in the workforce is composed of all types of people verses thirty years ago when white males held a majority of upper-management positions in companies. These positions are now held by a mixture of ethnic back grounds and women who hold just as many if not more management positions then men. Just by looking at the changes in management demographics shows how important it is for people to understand cultural competency in the workplace. Dr. Roosevelt Thomas Jr. (1999) stated, “Diversity is the collective mixture of whomever we have in our workforce characterized by their differences and similarities” (p.11). Managers and supervisors must understand the characteristics of a diversity mature individual; they also need to be

Large data-set studies have an obvious limitation: they only show that diversity is correlated with better performance, not that it causes better performance. Research on racial diversity in small groups, however, makes it possible to draw some causal conclusions. Again, the findings are clear: for groups that value innovation and new ideas, diversity helps.

In today’s society there are many culturally diverse people in the workforce. Most organizations can no longer make the assumption that every employee has similar beliefs or expectations. When entering into the global marketplace, people are considered one of the most valuable resources to an organization’s success. A well-managed culturally diverse workforce has the potential to thrive if managed correctly; or if mismanaged, there can be devastating negative attributes. With great expectations, culturally diverse employees can foster positive outcomes in the workplace. A company’s acknowledgement to embrace diversity and change, and implement the value of management techniques are

population. Companies need to focus on diversity and look for ways to become totally inclusive organizations because diversity has the potential of yielding greater productivity and competitive advantages (SHRM, 1995). Stephen G. Butler, co-chair of the Business-Higher Education Forum, believes that diversity is an invaluable competitive asset that America cannot afford to ignore (Robinson, 2002). Managing and valuing diversity is a key component of effective people management, which can improve workplace productivity (Black Enterprise, 2001).