...Diversity Issues in Training Group Workers Given the fact that the U.S. population is characterized by drastically increasing diversity, it is essential that group counselors be culturally competent practitioners (Bemak & Chung, 2004). An integral part of the training of group leaders is promoting sensitivity and competence in addressing diversity in all forms of group work. Being diversity competent is more complex in meaning than "respecting other people". To fully assimilate the meaning into our personal and professional beings, it is important for us to have a common understanding of the principles on which diversity competence is built. The "Principles for Diversity Competent Group Workers" (ASGW, 1999) addresses issues such as racism, classism, sexism, heterosexism, and ableism with sensitivity and skill. These principles emphasize the practitioner's responsibility to have a general understanding of the diverse cultural backgrounds of the group members so interventions are congruent with their worldviews. Most of the ethics codes of the various professional organizations now give some attenttion to applying these principles when working with diverse client populations. Guidelines for competence in diversity issues in group practice are discussed in a variety of sources, some of which include Arredondo and colleagues (1996), ASGW (1999), APA (1993), Bemak and Chung (2004), and Ethical Issues in Group Membership How can group leaders make potential members...
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...Module Five: Diversity in Groups Eli Neff ITT Technical Institute The modern day business model depends on many different factors in order to be successful. One of the most important factors in both internal and external business affairs is the ability to effectively communicate within different cultures, also known as intercultural communication. Intercultural communication happens when two groups or individuals from different backgrounds come together to communicate (Lanqua Team). With the growing amount of diversity in the workplace, intercultural communication is becoming more and more important when leading a business. Globalization With the invention of the internet, businesses across the globe are finding it easier and easier to communicate with other non-domestic businesses in order to strengthen business ties and reach out to foreign consumers. Networking and the commercialization of modern day means of communication are sending employees and entrepreneurs across continents, not only increasing international trade but cultural exchange as well. However, sometimes an increase in diversity can cause a decrease tolerance. In 2014 over 30,000 charges were filed in the workplace for race-based discrimination, over 26,000 for sex-based discrimination, and over 8,000 for pregnancy-based discrimination. The stereotypes that some individuals in the workplace hold can lead to discrimination and therefore lowering the effectiveness of a business team. Unlearning...
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...Feature articles Workplace diversity: developing a win-win-win strategy Joan Marques iversity as a topic earns more attention today than it has ever received before, and the reasons are easily understandable: global migration is increasing, the internet is enabling communication on a worldwide scale, and business leaders are continuously in search for less expensive resources and lower wages to pay. All these trends result in progressively diversified workforces locally and internationally. D Joan Marques is Instructor, Business and Management, Woodbury University, Burbank, California, USA. Increasingly, companies allocate special room for diversity practices on their web sites. Yet, there are some interesting observations that may not necessarily be new, but should nevertheless regularly be brought to the attention of business leaders. Why? So that they can keep track of the best way to develop and implement diversity in their organizations. Let us briefly look at the right reasons and the right way, beginning with the right reasons. The right reasons Often, organizations pride themselves in implementing diversity in order to accommodate customers. But there is only limited reason to be proud of this way of bringing diversity to the workplace. What these companies overlook is that they apply diversity only as a means toward an end, not as an end in itself: B They apply diversity with the primary mindset of profits. They reach out to their customers, but do not...
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...Short Essay | Diversity in the Workplace | How it can create business related advantages | | Madison Roney: 7660183 | 5/15/2013 | | In modern western society, the diversification of culture has increased dramatically in recent years. With this shift, along with the growing competitiveness of the labor market, corporations have been forced to hire more employees who are not familiar with the spoken language or societal norms present in western culture. Many corporations, as much as 80% according to equity activist Trevor Wilson, consider cultural barriers to be a burden on their managers and fellow employees. As a result, these corporations fail to treat their employees equitably. (Hayes, 1999). One could argue, however, that the diversification of employees within the workplace has various business related benefits such as improved efficiency, bottom line revenue, and relationships formed with co-workers, managers and customers alike. However, to ensure its success, principles of transformational leadership must be used on the part of managers and various challenges must be overcome in order for these benefits to take full effect. This is not the first time in Canada's history where ethnic equality in the workplace has been a subject of interest. In 1993 the New Democratic Party in Ontario, whom was the provincial government at the time, enacted an employment equity law to ensure fair employment opportunities to workers from select minority groups. This legislation...
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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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...ABSTRACT Workplace diversity exists when companies hire employees from various backgrounds and experiences. Many companies see workplace diversity as an investment toward building a better business. Although workplace diversity provides many benefits, it also poses many challenges to employees and managers. To reap the benefits of workplace diversity, employees and managers must understand the challenges and know how to effectively deal with them. Diversity is commonly interpreted in relation to ethnicity, gender and culture. Diversity also captures the differences and similarities between individuals and group, encompassing race, ethnicity, gender, culture, age, sexual orientation, religion, language, education, family status, physical and mental ability. These demographic variables are related to other important diversity characteristics such as values, attitudes, interaction styles, physical and cognitive abilities and non-work commitments. The impact of diversity is both positive and negative. The research questions was: How can diverse workforce affect the organization? Table of Contents Chapter 1. Introduction 4 Background of the Study 4 Statement of the Problem 4 Purpose of the Study 5 Research Questions 6 Chapter 2. Literature Review 6 Chapter 3. Methodology 12 Data Analysis 12 Final Results 14 References 15 CHAPTER 1. BACKGROUND Today, globalization has become...
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...Chapter 12: Managing Diversity in the Workplace The Chancellor's Committee on Diversity defines Diversity as: "The variety of experiences and perspective which arise from differences in race, culture, religion, mental or physical abilities, heritage,age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and other characteristics." So why is it when many people think of diversity, they think first of ethnicity and race, and then gender? Diversity is much broader. Diversity is otherness or those human qualities that are different from our own and outside the groups to which we belong, yet present in other individuals and groups. It's important to understand how these dimensions affect performance, motivation, success, and interactions with others. Institutional structures and practices that have presented barriers to some dimensions of diversity should be examined, challenged, and removed. A good starting-point for thinking about diversity is to become familiar with UC’s systemwide Non-Discrimination Statement: “It is the policy of the University not to engage in discrimination against or harassment of any person employed or seeking employment with the University of California on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, medical condition (cancer-related or genetic characteristics), ancestry, marital status, age, sexual orientation, citizenship, or status as a covered veteran. This policy applies to all employment...
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...Cornell University ILR School DigitalCommons@ILR Student Works ILR Collection Spring 2013 Which Organizations are Best in Class in Managing Diversity and Inclusion, and What Does their Path of Success Look Like? Pin Zhou Cornell University Daniel Dongjin Park Cornell University Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/student Part of the Human Resources Management Commons This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the ILR Collection at DigitalCommons@ILR. It has been accepted for inclusion in Student Works by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@ILR. For more information, please contact hlmdigital@cornell.edu. Which Organizations are Best in Class in Managing Diversity and Inclusion, and What Does their Path of Success Look Like? Abstract Question: Which organizations are best in class in managing diversity and inclusion, and what does their path of success look like? What are the criteria to measure ‘best in class’? Keywords human resources, diversity, inclusion Disciplines Human Resources Management Comments Suggested Citation Zhou, P. & Park, D. (2013). Which organizations are best in class in managing diversity and inclusion, and what does their path of success look like? Retrieved [insert date] from Cornell University, ILR School site: http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/student/46/ Required Publisher Statement Copyright by the authors. This article is available...
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...Group and Teams Paper By: Evelyn Burns 11/8/2010 Introduction Many people often use the words group and team in the same way, but there are differences when it comes to the real world corporate functions. Everyone has heard many leadership courses often speaking on the importance of the team building events and not the group building events. The word team has many definitions. In a work environment the term team is a number of persons associated in some joint action. A team has one primary goal and will work together to achieve it. The word group is defined as a number of persons or things ranged or considered together as being related in some way. People may being in a group but it doesn’t mean that they will or want to work together on a goal. Some of the differences which can be enumerated between the terms team and group are as follows: The strength of the team relies on the fact that the members of a team have similarities in the purpse and there is interconnectively between the individuals members and on the other hand the group is larger in number. The group’s strength could be assessed from the fact that they need to be willing to execute the commands of a leader. Workplace diversity refers to the mixture of differences between people within an organization. This may sound simple but diversity includes race, gender, ethinic group, age, personality, cognitive style, tenure, education and background are naming a few. Diversity...
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...When defining diversity, one must acknowledge the differences between groups on human beings. These differences may include attributes such as ethnicity and race, religious and spiritual beliefs, educational and economic backgrounds, physical abilities and disabilities, age, gender, marital status and occupational status (McRae, 2012). By having all this diversity, individuals can have positive and negative impacts on the workplace. Diversity in the workplace can be perceived as a function of forced societal tolerances (McRae, 2012). No one employer has the right to turn down an applicant based on race, age or gender, it is a law. The workplace should have a diverse group of people. Diversity in a working environment could be seen as evidence of fair hiring practice within an organization (McRae, 2012). The most important impact of diversity in the workplace is perspective. By having different groups of people in the workplace there are different viewpoints to discussions and more than one resolution of issues. By having all these attitudes and ideas, the groups can provide valuable input to brainstorming sessions and issues demanding creative solutions. Businesses should strive for diverse groups and teams. When individuals are able to work with others whom are different from each other it challenges people’s preconceived notions about how the world works and it forces people to step outside their comfort zones and consider new thought processes. By opening people up to new...
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...Evolution of Business Nikoa Jefferson MGT/426 April 25, 2015 Sharla Walker Evolution of Business Role of Innovation The business environment is continuously evolving with the integration of new management trends developed to create opportunity and respond to various challenges. However, with the unpredictability of the business environment which is driven mainly by globalization and technology, innovation turned out to be increasingly important to success. It means that innovation and strategy is converging to help in productivity. Innovation has the potential to change the agents within an organization to become better entrepreneurs to meet various challenges. Strategic thinking is crucial in creating a coherent, integrative and unifying framework for making decisions particular regarding the direction in which an organization goes and the resources it plans to utilize (Goldsmith, 2009). In some way, strategic thinking utilizes external and internal data, perceptions and opinions. It is proactive, conscious and explicit while defining competitive realm for strategic advantage in the organization. Strategies are formed to improve the performance of an organization which means that the company will have to conduct something unique and different compared to that of the competitors. Whenever an organization develops a new strategy, it means that they are establishing change whether it is innovative...
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...D & I Times are changing and so are we. As we move toward a more global economy and the demographics within our own country continue to change at a record pace, the ways in which we conduct business must change as well. We must embrace difference as a competitive advantage to our own success. From different cultural backgrounds, customs, and languages to varying work styles, perspectives, and thoughts, our diversity provides us with a vast array of skills and talents that often go unrealized and undervalued. Those organizations that harness these differences and leverage varying perspectives and talents are better positioned to meet the ever-changing needs, wants, and expectations of their customers. Diversification of thought is the driver of innovation. Leveraging our differences for a competitive advantage does not necessarily come easy. It is not simply “common sense” and it is not achieved by just “getting along.” Successful diversity and inclusion (D&I) initiatives require a strategy that is inextricably connected to the organization’s overall business goals. There must be a strong connection to the business and senior leadership support in order for any initiative to be successful. Many organizations wrestle with myriad questions when putting together and executing a D&I strategy. The success of a D & I initiative is dependent upon employees clearly understanding the business case and their individual role in creating an inclusive workplace...
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...Workplace Diversity: Challenges and Opportunities Jane A. Hannon Southern New Hampshire University Workplace Diversity: Challenges and Opportunities The fastest growing segment of the workforce in the United States is adults over 55 years of age (Robbins & Judge, 2015). Given advancements in medical treatments, diagnosis, and wellness initiatives; a forecast of continued sluggish economic growth; and the changing landscape of employer-sponsored benefit programs, the increase of workers in this age group does not show signs of slowing down. An aging workforce presents challenges and opportunities for organizations. While some of these challenges are unique to the demographic, many are similar to the challenges and opportunities of managing other “surface-level diversity,” which includes race, gender, culture, and disability (Robbins & Judge, 2015). By effectively addressing diversity through the creation of policies and their consistent implementation, organizations have the potential for greater productivity and growth. Changes in Employee Relationships Generationally diverse workplaces pose distinct challenges for employers and employees. Because workers of different ages bring their own perceptions and personalities to the workplace, there exists the potential for misunderstanding and conflict. “Diversity involves not only how people perceive themselves but also how they perceive others. Those perceptions affect their interactions” (Patrick & Kumar, 2012)...
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...Value of Diversity in the Workplace Carolina Silva Soc/315 April 11, 2011 Ashraf Esmail Value of Diversity in the Workplace Introduction In the active times that we are living now, every company faces challenges that could be better handled if a diverse environmental workplace is put into play. Some issues may arise leaving some of the protagonists defenseless and the majority of the time unable to deal with the daunting situation at hand. Diversity is one of the most useful tools that any company at any point in time could ever possibly used, due to the fact that trends of growth in the population—in the US particularly—is becoming more diverse than ever. “Diversity in the workplace is about learning from different groups enabling a Company to benefit from the diverse perspectives and achievements.” (Cornell University ILR School, 2009) I am a real estate agent and a few years ago when I first started working my profession as a realtor in Florida, I joined a big franchise to get acquainted with the market and to make a name in the business. As a big franchise, one of the duties of the realtor is to stay at least one day in the office to provide information and to help any walk-in client that might happen to walk in. On one occasion, I was the one doing “floor duty” when a middle-aged Korean couple sat and waited for me at the office. I welcomly introduced myself, asking “How may I assist you?” Beyond obviously looking for a place to live they mentioned how they would...
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