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 is catering to a certain area or region a person’s ethnicity such as Cuban or Dominican, within a race may be taken into closer consideration. A person’s abilities whether mental or physical are another dimension of diversity that must be acknowledged when dealing with people, depending on the adaptation to their work environment. Finally, sexual orientation is becoming a more trending issue when dealing with diversity. In the past decade, homosexual living has become more open and widespread than in the past, and therefore deserves consideration.
With what ethnic, cultural, or other groups do you identify? Describe what members of your social circle have in common.

I am a Dacotah Sioux Native American from the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. My upbringing, like most around me, was low-income and our wealth was placed in family. We were raised with our heritage and taught the lessons history books left out. As a result of this, I was raised with a bias and untrusting nature against white people. As I got older and my circle of friends became more ethnically diverse I realized that minorities of Hispanic and Black descent shared a common mistrust of white people and had faced similar struggles with racism. Since Native Americans only make up 0.8 percent of this country’s population it is no surprise that when I left the reservation to join the military I had to find a new circle of friends. Originally I looked for friendship amongst the Hispanic groups because we looked similar and I thought if I couldn’t be around other Indians I would go where I fit in physically. However, as time went by I was drawn towards black culture. It was not originally a conscious choice but one made through comfort rather. I realized black culture and indian culture had many similarities. Our childhood upbringings, sense of family and the way we were disciplined had a lot in common. Our histories also had a lot in common regarding struggles and our mistreatment by White America. Another common denominator was hip-hop. While hip-hop culture is mainly populated by the black community, it was a staple of most young Indians culture as well. Hip-hop told our story as well as theirs, and related to what we were raised with. People without knowledge of Native Americans and reservation life have accused me of “acting black”. I tell them “No, I act Indian. I act like I come from a low income impoverished area of minorities that have faced racial struggles that have shaped us as a culture”.
What is the difference between diversity and inclusion?

Inclusion is the true action of diversity while diversity alone is only technically diverse. To be considered diverse a company may have many different races of people working for them. However if employees of a specific race hold all the positions of power, and the minority races of people hold jobs cleaning the building, then the company is not truly diverse. On paper and according to reports the company may be diverse, but only technically. Inclusion is the application of diversity within a group. This means that people of all races, religions and sexes would be capable of holding any position in a company and their ideas would not only be considered equally, but also implemented. You cannot truly have diversity without inclusion.
What is the importance of workplace diversity training?

Like all good things, business requires training and practice. Diversity training provides situations and scenarios outside of a business’s regular routine. Implementing a diversity program helps ensure smooth transition when facing diverse as well as adverse work conditions. For example, an employee from conservative Utah may feel they are well adapted to diversity because they are racially unbiased. However, they may have never faced converging with a person of a sexual orientation other than the common heterosexual one. This may surprise the employee causing him or her to act inappropriately, whether intentional or unintentional. Another good reason for diversity training is to help expand a business’s clientele. The better a company understands the diverse melting pot that makes up society, the better they can assimilate their product to appeal to more consumers. Diverse consciousness and awareness will continue needing exercised as societies continue to grow and new traditions proceed to blur the lines of what is considered normal or standard.
What is your experience with workplace culture? Could there be, or could there have been, more inclusion?

Personally, since I work with the military, diversity is not uncommon. We are all military veterans who have worked across many different countries and have faced many different styles and cultures. While people may fall into comfortable attitudes towards other people they consider less traditional then themselves, everyone has learned to work together for the common goal and to acknowledge different ideas that people different than themselves offer. The workforce is made up of mainly Caucasian males, but this is only a reflection of the countries Caucasian population percentage and the field of work. Our job is heavily mechanical and physically laboring. While women are capable of doing the work, most women in our society still have little interest in this field, probably due to public perception. American society does not consider it feminine for a woman to do jobs such as this. On the other hand, even though our job is heavily male, the director in charge is a woman. While diversity can always expand, I feel a conscious effort is being made in my workplace.