What key things did you learn about diversity management?

 
Diversity in the workplace has been shown to increase creativity and productivity. In order to

create a diverse workforce, managers must create a workplace that is free from discrimination.

According to Shih, Young, and Bucher, because of the nature of discrimination, it can happen to

anyone. Those in the majority change from place to place and situation to situation, so managers

need to continually have strategies in place to guard against discrimination. (Shih, Young, &

Bucher, 2013) But Guarding against discrimination is not enough. Companies need to encourage

practices that grow diversity. According to the journal Behavioral Sciences, Diversity

Management is needed to build a culture of diversity. It can’t be forced. Rather the culture needs

to be a place where everyone person’s contributions are considered important, and every

individual is seen as an equally important member of the group. (Furtada, Moreira, & Mota,

2021) Furtada, Moreira, and Mota also explain that quotas can be effective. They don’t

necessarily lead to equality, but they do raise awareness. (Furtada, Moreira, & Mota, 2021)

Diversity management helps take a workplace from awareness of a place of inclusion. Where all

genders and groups can be heard and where their contributions are valued. Diversity

management is an important tool that needs to be used effectively as the business world becomes

more and more globalized. Even companies that do not have a global footprint can benefit from

it. The U.S. is a country that has many cultures, so there is a need for even the smallest

companies to embrace diversity of gender and ethnicity by creating nurturing and safe

environments for everyone.

What key things did you learn about identity (for you? In general?) 

I have spent many years getting to know myself. This has included therapy, groups, and lots of

introspection. I realized that I needed to get to the core of who I was. I understood that, as
humans, our identity is ours. It isn’t always the same as what others may tell us about ourselves,

even though they may be well-meaning people like our parents or our partners or spouses. My

identity is truly my own. Because of the time I have already spent learning about my identity and

identity in general, I don’t feel that I learned anything new by going through this module. Had I

taken this course in my twenties, that answer would have been much different. That being said,

while I may not have learned something that was new, I did reinforce some things that I learned

had already learned. Chief among them was that it’s important to be who you are and to be

comfortable being that person. I believe that each person is created to be a specific individual

and to fulfill a role that only that person can fill, and because of that, we all need to find out what

our true identity is and then embrace that person. I also believe that we have a responsibility to

encourage those around us to take the same journey and discover their true identity. And to

support and embrace them as they make that discovery too.

Discuss your pie chart 

My pie chart was divided into seven sections. I think I could have divided it into more sections,

but I felt that seven was the right amount. The largest piece was religious. I am a Christian,

which affects how I see and interact with the world more than anything else.This is from the

secondary dimension, which means it is a choice. The next largest section is American. This is

not something that I chose, but it does also affect how I see the world and how I interact with

others. The next is gender which is a man. This is also something I did not choose but it also

affects everything I do and every interaction I have. The next section is family. This is important

because the first place I learned to interact with others and develop relationships was with my

family. The next two are about the same size. They are business and artist musician. They are

secondary dimensions but are both important to my identity. And finally there is sexual
orientation. Being gay does affect my identity, but not in a major way. It affects whom I choose

to spend my life with, which is major, but it doesn’t affect my work or how I view or treat other

people. It sometimes affects how people view me or treat me but because of my identity as a

Christian, I don’t allow that to affect me. That part of my identity says that I always choose to

forgive others, accept them, not be offended, and move on with my life.

How did you score on the cultural intelligence pre-test?  What were your strengths and

what areas do you need to improve upon?

My total score on the cultural intelligence pre-test was 101. My strengths were all related to

being aware of cultural knowledge, being open and enthused to experiencing new cultures, and

interacting with members of different cultures. All the areas that I need to improve are related to

knowledge of other cultures. I don’t understand all the differences in different cultures, and while

I am working and studying to learn new languages, I don’t always know the rules of other

languages and cultures. I do hope to continue to learn and increase my knowledge in those areas

so that I can further understand and better interact with other cultures.

Describe your family “organization” (or you may choose another organization, but family

is often best for this particular paper) using terms from A/V lessons 3-5.

Havcussiing just spent over a week with my family, I feel equipped to use that as the

organization for this discussion. And I am using Hofstede’s cultural values model. Starting with

individualism vs collectivism, I would say that we are in the middle. There is a concern for

ourselves as individuals, but there are also very close bonds in my family. There is a regard for

how our actions affect the others and that we are all concerned for one another’s well-being. It is

understood that at any time, any member of my family can go to anyone else for support or
assistance, and it will be given. There is also constant communication within our family, so

everyone knows what is happening. We also each have personal goals, and sometimes those

goals take precedence over the group and sometimes not. For the most part, there is equality

within our group, although extra respect is shown to our parents. I would also say that our power

distance is on the low end since everyone is considered equal. Our family culture leans toward

low uncertainty avoidance with few rules, but I wouldn’t say there is a lot of risk-taking.

Problems are taken separately, and differing views are accepted. I would also describe us as

being in the middle as far as masculinity/feminity. There is a focus on nurturing and

relationships, but performance and achievement are also encouraged. Gender rolse are more

clearly defined but at the same time everyone is free to choose what they want to do. And while

achievements and wealth are not hidden, modesty and humility are prized. As far as time

orientation I woud just say that we are all very American in that regard. We do plan for the future

but we live very much in the present as well.

 References

Furtada, J., Moreira, A. C., & Mota, J. (2021). Behavioral Sciences.

Shih, M., Young, M. J., & Bucher, A. (2013, April). Working to reduce the effects of discrimination
Identity management in organizations. American Psychologist.