Cara Stroud

OGL 350
Diversity and Inclusion

“Only when diverse perspectives are included, respected, and valued can we start to get a full
picture of the world.”
”-Brene Brown
To evolve as individuals and in general, we need to be more diverse and inclusive.

Diversity is growing in the workplace thanks to the policies and programs that are set in place,

such as, The Equal Pay Act of 1963, which protects men and women from pay discrimination for

doing an equal amount of work, and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, (ADEA)

was put in place for people 40 and older, this act protects them from being discriminated based

off their age. Multiple policies have been added to the workforce over the years, including the

Pregnancy Discrimination Act, Civil Rights Act of 1991, Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990,

etc. Yes, these programs and policies have been adapted throughout our time, but we still have

a way to go. “Although equal rights legislation and affirmative/positive action policies have

helped disadvantaged groups attain access to a variety of jobs not previously open to them, it is

their exclusion from circles of influence in work organizations that have kept them from fully

contributing to and benefiting from their involvement in the workplace (Barak, 2005).” “Black

women often find sponsorship challenging in their organizations if they have trouble relating to

those they work with. Because of this, they may often attribute their lack of advancement in the

company to a lack of sponsorship (Cheeks, 2018).” Maura Cheeks mentioned that black women in
leadership roles were more likely to be criticized and punished for mistakes they would make than

white women; even though both women had the same educational background and experience,

the woman of color was mistreated due to her race. I related this article by Maura Cheeks to “The

Sneetches” by Dr. Suess.

After reading “The Sneetches” by Dr. Suess, I asked myself, how does this poem relate to

diversity and diversity management? After reading the poem a handful of times, I realized that the

poem was educating children about discrimination. The Sneetches would treat one another

differently if they did not have stars on their belly. In this case, the woman of color was mistreated

because of her skin color. The Sneetches with leads on their bellies believed they were more

critical and valuable. At the end of the poem, the Sneetches realize that they are not different. It

did not matter if the other snitches had stars on them. They were equals. In conclusion, regardless

of your race, gender, sexual orientation, education, etc. We are all the same and should be treated

as equals and be given the same opportunities. Therefore, diversity management is so crucial for

an organization.

Barak (2005) stated that diversity management refers to the voluntary organizational

actions designed to create greater inclusion of employees from various backgrounds into the

formal and informal organizational structure through deliberate policies and programs.

One of the critical things that I learned about diversity management was that diversity

management varies in different cultures. In Korea, married women with children quit their jobs

and devote all their time to their families. Whereas in America, it is not expected for a married

woman with a family to quit her job and take care of her family, it is normal for both parents to

work and have someone watch their children, daycare/nanny/family.

 Diversity management has its pros and cons. One of the advantages of diversity

management is having a group of employees. The collaboration between those who have a

different background comes from another country, people who have different beliefs and

different work values—being able to have a wide variety of people from other areas in their life

brings about creativity, open-mindedness, shared experiences, deals, and so forth. In my

opinion, hiring a diverse group of people can be crucial to an organization’s success.

One of the critical things that I learned about identity was that our identity is shaped by

individual characteristics, family dynamics, historical factors, and social and political context.

Another critical point that I took away from this week’s readings is that we judge ourselves

based on how others perceive us. We notice parts of our identity are what others have seen

about us. Co-workers tell me that I am so kind and selfless, so when I ask myself, “who am I?”

my response is that I am kind and selfless.

When starting my pie chart, I asked myself, “Who am I?” I am a white, lesbian, educated,

married woman. I am a sister, a daughter, a niece, and a friend. I am an athlete. I am family-

oriented. The most significant part of my graph was “being family-oriented,” which showed me

how important family is to me.

I did well on the cultural pre-test. I am conscious of the cultural knowledge I use when

interacting with people with different cultural backgrounds. I adjust my cultural knowledge as I

interact with people from a culture that is unfamiliar to me. I enjoy interacting with people

from different cultures. I feel like you can learn a lot about someone based on their culture and

cultural beliefs. I have not lived in another culture, but I think I would enjoy living in another

culture that is unfamiliar to me. I come across many people at my job and do my best to vary
my speaking rate when a cross-cultural situation requires it. There were some aspects of the

cultural pre-test that I could be better educated on. I am not conscious of the cultural

knowledge I apply to cross-cultural interactions. I do not know the legal and economic systems

of other cultures. I am unsure of other languages' rules (e.g., vocabulary, grammar). I do not

know the arts and crafts of different cultures. I am not confident that I can socialize with locals

in a culture that is unfamiliar to me. I was undecided when changing my verbal behavior (e.g.,

accent, tone) when a cross-cultural interaction required it. I am also unsure if I use to pause and

silence differently to fit different cross-cultural situations.

Diversity management relates to organizations for multiple reasons. Diversity

management allows for organizations to celebrate each other’s differences. Diversity goes far

beyond our race, gender, religion, and sexual orientation. We need diversity management in

organizations to recognize the contributions that everyone brings to the table. According to

Oksana Bojhko (2014), Diversity is not only a moral and a social issue; diversity also can affect

the performance and results of an organization. For example,

Any organization/company that wants to employ diversity must be transparent that

managing diversity means recognizing people’s differences and seeing these differences as value
 References:

The CEO Magazine. (2019, August 13). Brené Brown: 20 of her most inspiring LEADERSHIP
QUOTES. Retrieved March 13, 2021, from
https://www.theceomagazine.com/business/management-leadership/20-of-the-best-
leadership-quotes-from-brene-brown/
Mor Barak. (n.d.). MANAGING DIVERSITY Toward a Globally Inclusive Workplace. Retrieved
March 13, 2021, from http://www.gbv.de/dms/zbw/624173895.pdf
Cheeks, M. (2018, March 26). How do black women describe navigating race and gender in the
workplaceMaur? Retrieved March 13, 2021, from https://hbr.org/2018/03/how-black-
women-describe-navigating-race-and-gender-in-the-workplace.
Hamid, M. (n.d.). Importance of diversity management in an organization. Retrieved March 15,
2021, from
https://www.academia.edu/35988053/Importance_of_Diversity_Management_in_a_Organi
zation