Essay On Cultural Diversity In America

The paper presents a literature review of articles that concern cultural diversity in America today. The articles provide insight into some of the current problems Americans face that pertains to cultural diversity. These literature reviews stress the importance of cultural diversity in America by revealing why cultural diversity is and should be important to our society. Whether in the economic, social, educational, or financial arena, the authors in these literature reviews attest that diversity does matter, and that the absence of cultural diversity makes a difference in the environments that we live in.

Over the past few years, there have been numerous literary reviews on cultural diversity in America today. The articles chosen for this paper explain why diversity is needed, and why it is so important. A summary of the five articles included for review are diversity influences in technology parks, trends that drive a diverse workforce, diversity in educational innovations or e-learning, diversity and a “culturally fit” workforce, and diversity outside the

boardroom.
The new trend in the United States is the establishment of Life Science and Health Technology parks. These biomedical parks are “patient-focused” to provide medical technology globally. There are numerous tech parks all over the United States; however, the Miami Life Science Park is one of the most successful. Fisher (2015) notes that the success of this park can be accredited to the cultural diversity of the team. This tech park is filled with a workforce comprised largely of minorities. The innovative move in Miami has changed the entire culture of the faculty and organizations, making this tech park the most competitive telehealth facility in the United States.
Workplace diversity has always been important to minorities seeking a lucrative career with an organization that values not only their skills, but also their diversity. Rezvani (2015) explains that in 2015, one of the key human resource (HR) issues was the opinion on diversity and inclusion of leadership in large companies. The most consistent answer was that diversity was the least important issue within their HR departments. These responses consequently have placed many large corporations in the “hot seat” when it comes to hiring young talented minorities.
Out of fear of losing out on the “top talent,” many organizations have decided to adopt five HR trends toward diversity. First, CEOs are changing their mission statements to include diversity goals. Second, employers are tying many innovative roles within the organization to diversity. Third, employers are further defining diversity as more than race, sex, and religion, but are actively seeking those with diversity in their thinking. Fourth, employers are learning that a lack of diversity can mean a lack of diverse customers who embrace a product or organization. Lastly, technology in software and the HR process will allow diverse individuals to be hired based on skills and assets to the company vice filling quotas (Rezvani, 2015). These diversity trends in essence are designed to change the face of the workplace in America.
Online education, or e-learning is one of the fastest growing educational innovations globally.

In the U.S., e-learning has become very popular because of the convenience and flexibility it provides to the students and staff. In many diverse cultures, education is the key to success or failure in life. For example, the Singh (2015) reveals that in South Korea, online education provides a major portion of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the country. With e-learning come many other aspects of cultural diversity. For example, there is a major need for language training, especially for English learners. Also, cultural differences during group interactions can be an issue in e-learning environments. Therefore, to be effective and successful, educators in the e-learning environment must adapt to the cultural differences of the diverse individuals, not the other way

around.

Hiring practices that discriminate based on race, sex, or religion is illegal. However, one hiring trend that has been around for decades does discriminate using a practice called “culturally fit” employees (Rivera, 2015). Many employers use this term to describe the kind of personnel they are seeking for their organization. We have all seen the ads that state: “looking for a hard-charging, hard worker, with excellent communication skills.” So what does this actually mean? Rivera (2015) explains that many hiring panels look for “like-minded” individuals, which rules out anyone that is diverse. These companies are not looking to hire diverse minds and talents, but only those who share their ideologies, or perhaps their hobbies, race, or other personal preferences. Those that “fit in.” Thus ignoring how well the individual can work with a client, or provide productive and innovative ideas and accomplishments. This is prejudice at its lowest form. For example, a female may be the best candidate for a job, but she may not fit in with an “all male” team who share similar hobbies and values. In conclusion, the trend of employers trying to find a “cultural fit” for the organization may be a new form of discrimination that promotes cultural diversity exclusions.
The final article in this paper deals with diversity outside of the boardroom. Many Americans find themselves interacting with others in a diverse work environment. Over the years, we all have learned to complete job tasks, meetings, and carry out numerous other functions in a diverse work environment. However, once we leave the job, most workers retreat to their comfort zones, whether it is their neighborhood functions, or private functions. Wellford (2017) suggests that many of coworkers do not have relationships with culturally diverse co-workers outside the boardroom. Her claim is that if individuals got to know others in a social setting and not just in a work environment, then maybe a greater understanding and acceptance of diversity can be embraced. Eventually many of individuals will discover that there are more similarities between diverse individuals and ourselves than we realize.
With the vast growing numbers of culturally diverse individuals in America, it is very difficult to avoid diversity. The evidence from these articles suggests that it is more beneficial to have a group of employees who are diverse. Diversity should no longer mean just different, but the idea that diversity can mean greater creativity, innovation, and understanding for everyone involved. Diversity adds innovation and new ways of viewing and solving many problems within an organization. Moreover, it is no longer profitable or acceptable for companies to develop diversity exclusion zones within organizations. With new innovative technology, HR firms can use more subjective processes for hiring the best individual based on their qualities and added value to the organization, not just focusing on race, sex, or culture. Whether in the latest technology parks, innovative education, employment, or social settings, diversity provides a broader asset for organizations that leadership, managers, HR personnel, and employees can embrace.