...AU/ACSC/0607C/97-03 UNDERSTANDING THE IMPACT OF CULTURAL DIVERSITY ON ORGANIZATIONS A Research Paper Presented To The Research Department Air Command and Staff College In Partial Fulfillment of the Graduation Requirements of ACSC by Maj Molly K. Moon March 1997 Disclaimer The views expressed in this academic research paper are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the official policy or position of the US government or the Department of Defense. ii Contents Page DISCLAIMER ................................................................................................................ ii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.......................................................................................... iv PREFACE....................................................................................................................... v ABSTRACT................................................................................................................... vi INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 1 FROM GRUDGING ACKNOWLEDGMENT TO MANAGING DIVERSITY .............. 3 IMPACT OF DIVERSITY ON INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANIZATIONS.................... 9 Diversity Climate Factors.......................................................................................... 12 Identity Structures................................................................................................ 12 Prejudice...
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...BEHS 220 (2152) Personal Action Plan for Diversity Consciousness 8 March 2015 Introduction Diversity is an ongoing discussion in day-to-day life. Not many situations occur without diversity having a role. There are a multitude of topics that introduces or involves diversity, to include age, sex, race, gender, ethnicity and so on. Prior to participating in this Diversity Awareness class, I’ve always thought diversity was more geared around discrimination and racism. Through weekly readings and discussions, I have discovered that diversity is much broader than that. There are many countries that are mixed culturally with people from all over the world, but none like the United States. The United States has the largest mixed culture in the world. Growing up in South Carolina I was exposed to different cultures, however I never fully witnessed some of the cultural things I’ve witnessed since joining the Army. My time in the Army has taken me places I never would have imagined and have exposed me to many different cultures. Reasons for taking BEHS Diversity Awareness I am pursuing a baccalaureate degree in Criminal Justice and it is required for me to complete 6 semester hours of Behavioral and Social Science courses. I’ve always been fascinated with understanding and learning more about...
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...WEEK ONE DISCUSSION What are the dimensions of cultural diversity? Identify and briefly explain the dimensions by referencing both textbooks. My initial response to the question “What are the dimensions of cultural diversity?” were religion, race, ethnicity and gender. However, upon reading a chapter in the book Understanding and managing diversity : readings, cases and exercises by Harvey and Allard, the chapter A World View of Cultural Diversity by Thomas Sowell (2009), changed my perspective. After reading this chapter, I understood the question much differently and changed my view of what are cultures. According to Sowell, cultures are non static, they are fluid meaning they evolve over centuries. An important dimension of cultures is geography, which is “an important long-run influence on the shaping of cultures as well as in narrow economic terms (Harvey & Allard, 2009, p. 75). Furthermore, Sowell states that “cultures exist to serve the vital, practical requirements of human life—to structure a society so as to perpetuate the species, to pass on the hard-earned knowledge and experience of generations past and centuries past to the young and inexperienced in order to spare the next generation the costly and dangerous process of learning everything all over again from scratch through trial and error—including fatal errors” (Harvey & Allard, 2009, p77). Therefore, the two main dimensions of cultural diversity identified are historical and geographical as these dimensions...
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...will be on the topic of diversity. The focus of this project is very relevant to the issues studied in this course. Diversity in an organization can have a positive effect on a business. The more diverse the organization is, the more views and ideas it can gain from its shareholders or employees. The patterns of behavior within an organization are influenced by interactions with others, and the degree of diversity within the organization. (Merchant, 2011). Performance levels are often increased by diversity. By observing organizational behavior, one can observe the positive influences, and study why they are occurring. This area of organizational behavior interests me very much because I work in the Air Force. I am currently stationed in Oklahoma, but am originally from New York. As a Recruiter I have seen firsthand diversity in the young individuals that are recruited. Before Recruiting duty I worked in the Medical Support Squadron, working with Airmen from all across the United States and also some foreign nationals. In the military, you must work well with others, and have a mutual respect for one another. Whether you work in the civilian side, or the military side, you must follow the same set of rules within the organization. Offices and different workplaces have been very diverse, to include people from many different backgrounds, jobs, and experiences. It is very interesting how much organizational behavior can affect the workplace. In the military, organizational behavior...
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...Challenges of Diversity in the Military | Morgan Marais, Frank Porter, Cheryl Cameron, Larry Franklin1Q-HRL303X-A1-07January 28, 2016 | Abstract The problem of managing today’s diverse workforce, in my opinion, stems from the inability of humanity to comprehend the personal prejudice attitudes and the failure to see past another individual’s race, gender, or sexual orientation to see the positive potential and the ability to perform the job. “Immigration, worker migration (guest workers), and gender and ethnic differences continue to change, dramatically, the composition of the workforce” (Barak, 2013). The US Armed Forces is home to virtually every possible ethnic and religious group, a team with whom has a single purpose to protect our nation, to fight for and preserve our freedom. Introduction In the military, diversity is a complex subject, both conceptually and regarding managerial and practical implications. This is one of the most significant and challenging tasks that human resource management, and military leaders, over the past two or three decades, have had to face. Recruitment, training, and maintaining employment is challenging traditional military attitudes, norms, beliefs and values. Human resources have adapted, and revised programs, philosophies, practices, and policies. Diversity (or heterogeneity), in all its forms, is a topic of contemporary concern and debate, as well as an influence on transformation and change; which gives challenges for...
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...Emerging Standards of Care Kassandra Snow NUR 531 May 25th, 2015 Greg Friesz Emerging Standards of Care In the United States, it is no secret that there are many differing cultures, ethnicities, religious and racial in an abundance. In the nursing field, we see many differing cultural diversities on a daily basis. Racial, religious, and ethnic differences are mostly easy to spot in the health care world. These differences are readily discussed in nursing education, and education is given on how to provide culturally competent care for many different backgrounds. While this is an amazing thing to have in the nursing world, my question is what about the culture of military Veterans? Veterans are typically overlooked when it comes to the concept of culturally competent care. They have their own way of thinking, own belief systems and even their own language along with the specific mental and addiction health disparities. It is important that nurses do not overlook the rising number of Veterans, and the specific care they need due to the differing culture. Culturally competent care for veterans, any vulnerabilities of the Veteran culture, standards of culturally competent care in the Veterans Administration, application of nursing theory, and solutions for providing culturally competent care for Veterans will be addressed in this paper. Culturally Competent Care and Standards The United States is widely known as the “melting pot” of the world, and that comes with many...
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...Abstract Culture Diversity in Business is Simple you First have to have the steps in order to be successful both America and Overseas, which is not easy because you have to appeal to both areas and have the necessary steps put in place already in order to be successful. The second important thing in my eyes is that you have to make it diversity and appeal to all workers and customers of your business. Cultural Diversity In order to be a successful company overseas you have to have Cultural diversity but not only that I think you have to have attitude acceptance. I think that the reason why we as American work so good together is because we learn to welcome others people diversity and I think that is the reason why we are call the melting pot because we have so many different cultures in America and the military and I’m so thankful as a person I get to experience that as a soldiers and become wiser on life but sometimes in America we may have diverse cultures relating to ethnicity but then there is the culture we have as Americans that reflect the thoughts and actions of our environment. Because of our history of assimilation we are not always as acceptable of difference, but as we evolve and understand ourselves and the world around us that will also change and sometimes that is for the better. I feel that we as American don’t fully understand the cultural differences so then I ask you what is culture it is to me, what we think...
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...Cultural Diversity and Multiculturalism in MD Anderson Cancer Center. Introduction The concept of diversity can include non-only respect, but also acceptance; it signify accepting that every individual is unique and recognize our own difference. According to MD Anderson web page, diversity can be defined as an amalgam of difference and similarities between all individuals in the MD Anderson setting. Diversity encompasses dimension such as race, ethnic group, gender, age, personality, religion, social status, organization function, education and more. The success of an organization depends on it capacity to accept and recognize diversity. If organizations actively evaluate their handling of workplace diversity issues, establish and enable diversity plans, multiple benefits can result from that; without enough resources and leadership, it is challenging to make diversity an asset. There are initiatives that an organization can implement such as recruiting a diverse board, appointing a chief diversity officer, providing effective training and mentoring programs, forming adequate employee resource groups, etc.(Harvey & Allard, 2014). This paper will outline a research made about cultural diversity and multiculturalism in MD Anderson Cancer Center. The term diversity is frequently used to characterize the composition of work groups. At the most basic level, diversity is seen as demographic differences. Most likely, diversity focuses on the composition of work groups around factors...
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...Thinking About Diversity and Inclusion SOC/315 Cultural Diversity Abstract In this paper I will be answering the following questions: What are the dimensions of cultural diversity? Identify and briefly explain the dimensions by referencing both textbooks. With what ethnic, cultural, or other groups do you identify? Describe what members of your social circle have in common. What is the difference between diversity and inclusion? What is the importance of workplace diversity training? What is your experience with workplace culture? Could there be, or could there have been, more inclusion? Thinking About Diversity and Inclusion Dimensions of cultural diversity are racial groups. It is a group that is socially set apart by obvious physical difference. Ethnic groups are groups set apart by culture patterns or nationality. There are also religious groups and gender groups. Age can also be considered a dimension. Minority groups generally share the characteristics of experiencing unequal treatment, sharing similarities, involuntary membership, group solidarity, and marriage within the group. I identify myself with being in a religious group. There are many similarities but we also have many differences. However, the things that my social circle has in common are the want to just have peace amongst us. I mean we all go to work every day and deal with the variety of people’s attitude, and their different mood swings day to day. So, when my social circle gets together all...
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...Thinking About Diversity and Inclusion Wesley J Ackerman Soc 315-Cultural Diversity September 14, 2011 Ernest Hernandez Thinking About Diversity and Inclusion What are the dimensions of cultural diversity? Identify and briefly explain the dimensions by referencing both textbooks. The dimensions of cultural diversity are measured through similarities and differences between items in a group. A broad or macro look into a group helps to discover similarities between items while a detailed or micro look is helpful when looking for differences. According to the reading, the primary dimensions that are looked at when dealing with diversity are age, gender, race, mental and physical ability, sexual orientation and ethnicity (Pg. 47 “Understanding and Managing Diversity”). With age comes certain connotation. Native American and Asian cultures hold their elders in revere for their years of wisdom, youth is often more appreciated in the global workforce for their energetic drive. While the number of women in the workplace continues to grow and they prove capable of holding positions of responsibility, when dealing with gender it is still often thought that men make decisions based on business while women tend to bring emotion into their decision making. Ethnicity and Race usually go hand in hand unless working within a very particular group. Amongst a workplace with a broad business, a person may be acknowledged only by their race, such as Hispanic or Latino. Now if the business...
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...1. What are the dimensions of cultural diversity? Identify and briefly explain the dimensions by referencing both textbooks. Diversity in the workforce has evolved throughout history. From ancient times where nobility and religious figures ruled all to more current times with the struggle for civil rights in the 1960s or the workforce diversity in the 1990s with woman and different ethnic groups becoming leaders and executives. According to the text, diversity is defined “as the ways in which people differ that may affect their organizational experience in terms of performance, motivation, communication, and inclusion” (Harvey, 2009, p. 1). Dimensions of diversity include components related to a person's race, gender, ethnic background, religious/spiritual dogmas, lifestyle, sexual orientation, age, abilities, and appearance (Schaefer, 2012). These are known as primary dimensions. Secondary dimensions are considered less central to someone’s social identity. Some examples are: Geographic location, military/work experience, family status, income, education, communication and work styles, and first language/education. 2. With what ethnic, cultural, or other groups do you identify? Describe what members of your social circle have in common. I am associated with many diverse groups of various backgrounds. Culturally and ethnically, I identify with Latino/Hispanic, African American, Caucasian/Anglo and Asian. Being of an “All-American” Caucasian background I am...
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...Diversity and Inclusion SOC/315 November 09, 2011 Diversity and Inclusion Diversity refers the inclusion of different types of people in a group or organization. Many people with different backgrounds work together every day to accomplish tasks assigned on daily basis. Before working together the group should know the different dimensions of diversity. “Dimensions of diversity exert an important impact on our early socialization and a powerful sustained impact on our experiences, values, assumptions and expectations throughout every stage of history ” (Harvey, 2009). The different dimensions of diversity are race, gender, age, education, sexual orientation, and geographic origin, or employment. “Dimensions adds layers of complexity to individual identity, it is the dynamic interaction among all the dimensions that influences self-image, values, opportunities, and expectations” (Harvey, 2009). Dimensions of diversity apply an effect on each of us at home, work, and in society giving definition to our lives. “The United States is a very diverse nation and becoming more” (Schaefer, 2011). Concerning ethnic, cultural, or other groups I identify with all. My social circle is consistent with people from all groups. My social circle consists of individuals not a group. I think of all my associates as individuals with different personalities. My social circle member’s personalities are very different and the dimensions play a part from the way we dress, race, gender, and sexual...
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...Cultural means "of or relating to culture or cultivation". Diversity is defined as "the fact or quality of being diverse; difference or a point or respect in which things differ". Put these two words together and you get "cultural diversity". Cultural diversity is defined as "the cultural variety and cultural differences that exist in the world, a society or an institution". Also known as multiculturalism, cultural diversity is based on the idea that cultural identities should not be discarded or ignored, but rather maintained and valued. When I think of diversity I think "different" but I also think "change". I am in the military and you should be very diverse; you work with people from all types of backgrounds as well as from different countries, so you have to know how to keep an open mind. Diversity covers so many areas from work environment to living environment to a person way of thinking so to be diverse would make it easy for a person to flow from one scene to next. It also covers age, race, and gender. If there was no diversity everything would be the same, which would get boring very fast. Someone has to be the first. Think about the guy who created the wheel, I bet at first the people around him thought he was strange. He became a part of diversity when he accomplished this, look at how far his creation has gone. Now think about the history of our country and the world many different cultures have contributed to progress we have made thus far. For example: Otis...
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...The Kingdom of Armenian Cilicia was essentially a major epicenter of trade and cultural interaction through the foreign policy objectives of the Rubenid and Hetum Dynasties in the formation of the kingdom during Middle Ages. The transcultural interaction between European, Mongolian, Seljuk, Byzantine, and Mamluk cultures became part of Greater Armenia throughout the 11th to the 13th centuries. Transcultural ideology is defined by Ortiz (1947) when identifies Cuba as another example of the multiple ways in which differing cultures met at international epicenters, such as the kingdom of Armenian Cilicia, over many centuries. This transcultural ideology provides a basis for the massive influx of cultural interactions, which occur at an international...
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...Diversity Tabitha Davenport Cultural Diversity February 10, 2011 Richard Gilbert Diversity Cultural diversity is the idea that cultural identities, whether a difference or a similarity should be maintained and valued. America experiences much of this diversity as it is the “melting pot” of countries. The philosophy of America that “all people are created equal” is false because of people keeping racism alive. When a group of people think they are superior to another group this is racism. Diversity is the unification of many cultures living, learning and advancing together for the greater good of the society (Schaefer, R 2011). The primary dimensions of cultural diversity include age, ethnicity, gender, race, sexual orientation, and mental/physical abilities. The secondary dimensions may include geographic location, income, family status, education, military, and work experience. Diversity and Inclusion Diversity, being the fusion of many cultural groups residing in harmony can relate to the workplace as well as the home. Developing a diverse environment in the workplace creates an “inclusive” feeling among employees. Diversity is the encompassing of the differences and the similarities of each employee. Diversity, according to Harvey & Allard, 2009 (p. 1) is “the ways in which people differ that may affect their organizational experience in terms of performance, motivation, communication, and inclusion.” Inclusion occurs when these diverse employees feel...
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