This case study research paper will examine the case of Kathy Levinson, former President and Chief Operating Officer of E*Trade and her personal decision about openly supporting gay rights initiative in California. The case was originally created by Joseph Badaracco, Jr. of the Harvard Business School. The purpose of the case study project is to provide students a platform to summarize and take an in depth look course materials discussed in Managing Diversity in the Workplace. Required course text and additional sources are referenced.…
The concept of Diversity and obtaining its 'true' understanding continues to shape and reshape organizational culture globally. Article written by R. Roosevelt Thomas on Redefining Diversity, broadens the general knowledge of diversity within the workplace and our everyday lives. In fact, in the early 1990s studies were done to determine the meaning of diversity. For example, in 1997 the National Naval Research Council defined diversity as the presence of a significant number of women, members of underrepresented racial groups, and persons with disabilities throughout the organization (National Research Council Staff. Building a Diverse Workforce: Scientists and Engineers in the Office of Naval Research. Washington, DC, USA: National Academies Press, 1997. p viii. ) Although a general relative definition, R. Roosevelt Thomas provided a more in depth understanding of diversity and indicates in his article that diversity is no longer about the crucial distinctions between groups, but is the elements that encompasses both the differences and similarities of employees (Understanding and Managing Diversity, pg ___.) thus, creating a diversity mixture within corporations. For me, it is surprising to adjust to the notion that diversity can in fact relate to the similarities and/or qualities of constituencies. This helps to eliminate the thought process that diversity is one dimensional.…
Wentling, R. M. (n/d). Diversity Initiatives in the Workplace. Retrieved August 1, 2012, from http://ncrve.berkeley.edu/CW82/Diversity.html…
One of the objectives that the team discussed was diversity in the workplace. Major corporations have encountered issues concerning diversity in the work place. Our team can directly relate to this subject in the workplace since all of us are diverse minorities in our individual work place. It was discussed in the group that diversity in the workplace is the manager’s responsibility to insure that the workplace is a diverse environment. Managers in most companies are required to hire a diverse staff. Managers have the ability to use race, religion, and tenure as qualities to inspire success and productivity at work. Our team agreed that in the real world not all individuals will set aside their differences to work effectively together, but the process of how management deals with issues concerning diversity is crucial to building and maintaining an efficient workforce.…
Koonce, Richard. (2001). Redefining diversity: It 's not just the right thing to do; it also makes good business sense. Training and Development, December.…
Workplace diversity is defined as “ways that people differ that may affect their workplace experiences in terms of performance, motivation, and communication” (Harvey, 2011, p. xiv). It is important to have an understanding of cultural, ethnic and gender differences by managers and professionals in order to have an effective working environment. This can be accomplished when managers and professionals are able to understand their own identities, race/ethnicity, and their own biasness. While attempting to overcome our own biasness can be challenging, acknowledging them can prevent us from discriminating actions (Harvey, 2011).…
Diversity literally means difference. Diversity recognises that though people have things in common with each other, they are also different and unique in many ways. Diversity is about recognising and valuing those differences.…
So what is diversity; and, how do we “manage” it? As defined in the context of the workplace, diversity means “acknowledging, understanding, accepting, valuing, and celebrating differences among people with respect to age, class, ethnicity, gender, physical and mental ability, race, sexual orientation, spiritual practice, and public assistance status” (Esty, et al., 1995). A paradigm is an example serving as a model. In the business world it could be defined as “a cognitive framework shared by members of any discipline or group: a company’s business paradigm” (paradigm, 2009, Collins English Dictionary). For many modern companies, there are two common models, or paradigms, used for managing diversity: the discrimination-and-fairness paradigm and the access-and-legitimacy paradigm. The authors also introduce a third: the learning-and-effectiveness paradigm, which is comprised of elements from the first two, and establishes a more modern and effective way to manage diversity in the workplace.…
Diversity has it’s advantages and disadvantages. But when it’s in the health and social contexts it’s very beneficial, to both service user and staff. By having a more culturally diverse and different array of service users it challenges the staff and prompts them to expand their knowledge about their patients and also their differences. Staff will have to really lean about their patients, their religion if they follow one, their medical problems and background and much more.…
Diversity has many faces that range from gender, culture, ethnicity, race, economic status, physical abilities, and many more, and this can be a problem that can affect many people who are employed or looking for employment in society because they are being judged or discriminated against for their differences. But if business took the time to understand the importance of differences in people so many doors could open for the employers and employees. Allowing diversity in the workplace could increase work morale, attendance, customers, and efficiency and create a less stressful environment for employees. This is possible by first increasing the diversity in the workplace and allowing for employees to learn about each other’s differences and…
I believe diversity has a wide variety of definitions. It means accepting others despite their moral values. As a young African-American woman attending a school where people come from all different walks of life, I am challenged with different types of people and accepting their moral values. One of my best friends is an African-American male, Christian, and homosexual. Typically Christians and black people don’t accept those who attribute to same-sex relationships, but I love and see past his beliefs and accept him for who he is. He has stayed by my side and helped me through all of my issues. He has held me when I cried and we cried laughing so hard together. We do everything together and I would not be the same person if I hadn’t met him 5 years ago at an 8th grade.…
This sense of pride in diversity has led the nation to where it is today. It is important to identify various dimensions of workplace diversity. The first dimension involves primary levels of diversity. That is, people with disabilities, gender, race, color, ethnicity, sexual orientation, creed, religion, and age are primary dimensions of diversity. These basic groups require the greatest degree of management dexterity and attention because they play an important part in workforce interrelationships and communication. These areas are also more prone to conflicts and negative reactions among employees. Managers must recognize that there is a need to train, inform, and sensitize their employees to deal with issues relating to this type of diversity. Consequently, managers must recognize the…
Diversity to me is the balance of different cultures, races, sexes, religion, appearance, sexual orientation, disabilities, and many more things. It’s the ability to look at someone else and to realize they are different but not treat as they are. The way you look at others and judge them could be the same way others look at you and judge you and make decisions based on what they do and do not like about you. You would not want someone to do this to you or to treat you unfair so why would you do it to someone else. Diversity is a way of saying yes I know your different from me, but I accept it!…
UCSF Human Resources. (n.d.). Managing Diversity in the Workplace. Retrieved 12 10, 2011, from ucsfhr.ucsf.edu: http://ucsfhr.ucsf.edu/index.php/pubs/hrguidearticle/chapter-12-managing-diversity-in-the-workplace/…
common a concern with the relationship between language and culture, and the development of intercultural communicative competence.…