I Learned Quite A Bit About Myself, My Co Workers, And The Organization

One way to face this wave of diversity is to learn to accept and value it (http://www.online.wbc.org/Docs/starting/diversity.html). What is diversity? Why does it matter? Once this is

When looking at diversity in the workplace, many people and companies encourage it. “Cultural diversity has become a defining characteristic of an increasing number of societies” (“Consequences of Cultural diversity” this should be the author and the date). They feel that it is a great thing to have diversity in the workplace, however, what some companies do not think about is the negative effects of having too much diversity in the workplace. “A workforce that has significant differences in ethnicity, race, religion, gender and other individual traits can produce negative effects, especially if not well-managed. These negative effects of diversity are understandable if the work culture does not support tolerance and acceptance of

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,

Diversity in the workplace is important to any organization’s core values. According to Greenberg, diversity includes race, gender, ethnic groups, age, personality, cognitive style, tenure, organizational function, education, background and more (Greenberg, 2004). Fresno County is a diverse, multi-cultural community and FCOE has a greater responsibility to the community to embrace diversity and realize the benefits. With diversity, comes adaptability. “Public policy seeks to minimize discrimination of observable traits. In unobservable traits, discrimination can constrict creativity. Diversity and competition, on the other hand, can further innovation by creating an atmosphere that is challenging and encourages open-mindedness” (Litton, 2016). When organizations hire a diverse group of people, these employees can bring in their own experiences and suggest new ideas that can bring understanding to problems or confusion in the workplace as well as in any classroom. Diversity can meet the needs of the community and handle situations more effectively. Diversity will also bring new challenges. Language barriers break down communication which can result in ineffectiveness. FCOE must create a strategy and implement it to create a diverse culture that permeates every department and function throughout the

My target group for this assignment is African – American men. I encounter members of this group on daily basis, and would like to learn more about this particular group’s workplace experience as it relates to diversity; more precisely if they are experiencing different treatment due to their ethnicity and gender. Even though I encounter members of this group on daily basis, I do not work with members of this group and have not in my previous jobs. I have very little understanding of their views and experiences pertaining to work environment. This group differs from me in two dimensions: gender and ethnicity. This is a distinct group for this essay since I am Caucasian and female. I grew up in Albania and moved to the United States when

As times are changing, so is the world’s vision of normal. Discrimination and segregation were a huge part of history, but the fact is that in this modern society, culture diversity is the new norm. Companies and organizations incorporate culture diversity in the workplace due to the benefits of various experiences, language skills, and productivity. Employees are the face of the company, and if they have the mentality of prejudice and ethnocentrism, it can affect the success of the business. While most people understand that the world is a melting pot, discrimination still exists in this world and these people are at a disadvantage. Whether it is because they are living in the past, had a bad experience, or have not been exposed to it, the world is a melting pot of culture, gender, and ethnicity. Regardless of how we are different, once “we can learn to appreciate that differences do matter and that becoming aware of those differences will make interactions with others much easier” (Devry University, n.d.).

I immersed myself into Northwestern’s current state of diversity. I interviewed various employees and received valuable feedback regarding diversity in the organization’s culture. Additionally, I gained greater insight from a human resource representative. This person has acknowledged the organization has failed to implement a successful plan in the past. During my experience, I gathered three (3) key influencers that make diversity work: 1. train and hold managers accountable with the expectation that prevention and adherence to the policy is their responsibility. 2. implement and integrate a zero tolerance policy. 3. Requiring mandatory diversity training for all employees. The bottom line, be proactive in creating and implementing diversity initiatives and policies. It will have a great return on Northwestern’s investment. With this being said, the immersion experience changed my perspectives for the better. Initially, my personal views of the organization were multifaceted. I fought hard to instill a more diverse workplace within the organizational culture. Northwestern Medicine is the second largest healthcare corporation in the Chicagoland area with no minorities in executive leadership; I find this disturbing. In the final analysis, my thoughts regarding this organization has changed some but not significantly. However, after much scrutiny and employee persistence, CultureVision diversity initiatives will be reestablished. I learned how to incorporate my objectives for affective and personal development. In essence, diversity surrounds us every day. We as individuals, can make small changes in our behaviors to fully realize the advantages of diversity, so whether at work or in the community we can better learn from and innovate to make the world a better

Diversity in our nation and workforce continues to increase each year. People with different backgrounds, degrees, and experiences are coming together to build strong teams, oriented around creativity, innovation, and productivity (Kerby, 2012). A greater emphasis is being placed on acceptance within diverse workforces. “Diversity represents all the ways in which people are unlike and alike— the differences and similarities in age, gender, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, capabilities, and socioeconomic background” (Williams, 357). Understanding these differences are the key to creating a strong company culture. Within an organization, diversity should be seen as a positive—where each individual’s experiences and talents can better

Diversity is what makes people different, not just culturally but in human differences. Having a multitude of differences in the workforce gives an organization the ability to use many ideas to reach a common goal. A person could say that a diverse group of people together in one room can accomplish greater achievements than a room filled with the same types of individuals. Managers understand the concept of diversity, and how important diversity is to the success of a company’s ability to implement programs that continue to develop a harmonious and diverse workplace. The recognition that diversity is a reality in the workforce has generated an enormous amount of activity over the years among leaders in business, government, and civil

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

One of the things I appreciate the most about this organization is that the leadership board is more than half African-American, which reflects their clientele base. This is an amazing opportunity to be outside my cultural comfort zone. Elmer argues that it is crucial for the majority culture in America to understand the way that the minority cultures view different issues to get a more complete understanding. This is important because people belonging to these minority cultures are constantly forced to code switch between their own culture and the majority in order to succeed. Diller goes on to point out that this added stress can produce identity crises and other mental illnesses over time (Diller 11). I realize that I will never be able to fully understand or experience this stress, but because I will be in the numerical minority this semester, I hope that I will be able to love the people I am working with by learning how to code switch from my culture into theirs and put their needs above my

The first thing to acknowledge about diversity is that it can be difficult. In the U.S., where the dialogue of inclusion is relatively advanced, even the mention of the word “diversity” can lead to anxiety and conflict. Supreme Court justices disagree on the virtues of diversity and the means for achieving it. Corporations spend billions of dollars to attract and manage diversity both internally and externally, yet they still face discrimination lawsuits, and the leadership ranks of the business world remain predominantly white and male.

In any society, how we see ourselves and how others treat us depends on many factors. Race, ethnicity, and cultural background are identifiers of individuals. Most people have confronted prejudice based on these identifiers, either personally experiencing discrimination or knowing someone who has. Beyond ensuring organizational compliance with a country’s anti-discrimination laws, it is incumbent upon managers to support diversity in the workplace and to be culturally competent.

There are two major cultural divisions, Hispanic and Caucasian, to further complicate the work environment the ratio of Male to female workers is 20 to 1. No effort from either group of being sensitive to the others existence is apparent. (DuBrin, 2004, p. 67). Management’s main concern is for “ethnic diversity” to the point of not having issues with the equal employment opportunity act.

can we overcome obstacles to diversity such as mistrust and tension, stereotyping, and communication problems in the workplace?