BSST H3029
Diversity in the Workplace
Reflective Journal
Adapted from Van Mannen (1995); and Susilowati et al. (2004)
Name David Greene
Student Number B00066343
Due 10/4/2014
Word count
I Self-evaluation
1.1 Overview of competence
Write dates where you feel you are
Level 0 Denial
I am unwilling to interact with other cultures.
I feel stressed when dealing with other values, customs and practices. I find them odd and surprising. Level 1 Basic
I am willing to interact with people of other cultures.
I feel stressed but I tend to pick things up. I am reasonably tolerant but I often judge situations (approve/disapprove) Level 2 Intermediate
As a result of experience or training, I am developing skills to cope with intercultural situations. I am quicker to see patterns and I draw conclusions without seeking advice. I respond in a neutral way to differences. Level 3 Full
I am constantly ready for situations in which I will exercise my knowledge.
I have a large repertoire of strategies.
I not only accept that people can see things differently but I am also able to put myself in their place.
I am able to act when difficulties arise and support other members in understanding each other.
26/2/2014 I find we as a nation have become les tolerable of others and do not reflect on what previous generations of Irish people had to endure when they emigrated.
03/4/14 In my place of work they have sports and society and people are free to set their own societies. In many instances there are cultural days whereby different ethnic groups run a diversity day to highlight their culture, they offer up their food types, play their music and discuss their history. They tend to be very interesting. 15.03.14
As I mentioned in a previous l...
... middle of paper ...
...ged.
-Determine the short-term and long-term, if any, goals of your strategy (e.g., change people's attitudes and/or change an institutional policy).
-Consider how far the selected strategy(ies) will take your community (e.g., as far as initial awareness, or all the way to electing officials from the under-represented groups).
-Consider what existing resources you can build on and what additional assistance or resources you may need (e.g., anti-racism training, funding, or buy-in from the mayor).
-Consider how much time you have (e.g., are you responding to a crisis that needs to be dealt with immediately, to the need to curb a festering issue, or to the desire to promote the value of diversity).
-Review your strategies to ensure that they deal with racial prejudice and racism at the individual, community, and institutional levels, and they link dialogue to action.
... practices could be put into action, to build towards an anti-biased curriculum and inclusive environment.
The book, “The Irish Way” by James R. Barrett is a masterpiece written to describe the life of Irish immigrants who went to start new lives in America after conditions at home became un-accommodative. Widespread insecurity, callous English colonizers and the ghost of great famine still lingering on and on in their lives, made this ethnic group be convinced that home was longer a home anymore. They descended in United States of America in large numbers. James R. Barrett in his book notes that these people were the first group of immigrants to settle in America. According to him, there were a number of several ethnic groups that have arrived in America. It was, however, the mass exodus of Irish people during and after the great famine that saw the use of the word “immigrant” being used to refer to them. Irish people descended to America fully loaded with their culture and religious beliefs that according to the writer of this book enabled them to assimilate faster into the American society more than any other group. Phrases and words like, Irish-American policemen, Irish-American teachers, Irish –American politicians were coined in social cultural set up of America. This wave shaped the process of assimilating other immigrants that came after them.
The reason why many actions to combat racism seem futile is because we focus on the manifestations of racism and fail to realize that all forms of racism stem from structural racism. In order to combat racism in societies such as in New Orleans, we must first understand that our society is built on the oppression of people of color for the benefit of
Professor’s comment: This essay assignment was designed to equip students with an understanding of academic research, theories, and concepts on race relations and then use that as a basis from which to critically think about, analyze, and develop strategies for change, both for themselves and for the world around them.
Whether you have experienced a lot of traveling to other countries and continents or perhaps you have never left the East coast, it can be assumed; whether through school or a work environment, you have had at least one experience dealing with different nationalities and cultures. The realization is that we may come from different places and have different backgrounds but most people, cultures included, have more in common then we could imagine.
...elopment of diverse understanding through my life. I found that The further you explore and understand your own culture, you will be better prepared to face counseling issues in other cultures while avoiding possible pitfalls like bias.
Old habits die hard. It has been said again and again. We are humans and not just the resources. People can 't be replaced and one can 't expect the same results. We should respect people for what they are and how they are. Values and culture are not spread/shared by putting it on the board or printing it, but by living it, carrying it and setting up an example yourself for others to follow.
There is also need to introduce non-mainstream clusters of people in the middle of civic activity for the following reasons: for purposes of establishing communities with the capacity of achieving change in a significant way – when different groups work together, common goals will be realized more effectively as opposed to when working in isolation; different cultural groups possess inimitablestrengths and ideas that can benefit the larger community – when there are wide range of ideas, problems can be solved quickly and community life enriched; overcoming and averting separations both racially and ethnically through understanding the different cultures; achieving effective policies and programs by including people from varying cultures in the decision making process – people that are affected by a decision normally need to be included in articulating solutions; having a society that is just and impartial through appreciating the different diversity of cultures; and for purposes of learning the influence that cultural groups have in the mainstreaming of culture and history so as not to miss out on how the society and community at large is viewed (Puccetti,
Cultural intelligence is the capability that could give insights on how to cope with multi-cultural situations and how to engage properly in intercultural interactions. It is the individual’s ability to interact effectively in culturally diverse situations (Brislin, Worthley & Macnab, 2006). We could consider the cultural intelligence as constantly improving concept; something we can develop over time and it is not only changes through experience, but also through knowledge as well, which includes communication with other
Companies such as Buzztronics are leading the way in the global economy because of their dedication to diversity in the workplace. In order to build a diverse and successful workforce, a business needs to recruit, train, and retain capable and talented minorities.
In a world that has grown increasingly smaller due to mass media, world travel, and readily available information, the workplace has grown increasingly diverse in both gender and cultural aspects. Individuals no longer live and work within the confines of their geographic locations. At almost any position with any company the individual employee is a part of a larger world economy that harvests assets from the ends of the earth. Because of this, companies seek to capitalize on diversity to become more creative and flexible in their business models.
The qualities that make individuals different from (unique characteristics or various cultural groups) or similar to others is diversity(Meeting The Challenge of Diversity, 2005). Workforce diversity in the other hand, refer to as policies and practices that seek to include people within a workforce who are considered to be, in some way, different from those in the prevailing constituency(McInnes, 2013).
My cultural identity influences my perspective on the interaction between individuals in American culture versus my family’s belief of the standards followed in Thai culture. My culture is strict on the aspect of respect
“Many times we, as societies and individuals, think that racism will dissipate on its own; so, we ignore it, repeatedly.” (). By thinking that racism will be gone on its own we are even giving it more time to spread because we are taking less action towards the main issue. Racism will not dissipate on its own so we must start taking action about discrimination as a whole. “I’m talking about low intelligence, lack of mental ability, cognitive rigidity.” (). It’s not necessarily the lack of intelligence because that is slightly far but rather the lack of thinking because in order for us to recognize racism we need to stop for once and think about who we treat that way and why we treat them that why? This might make a difference. “If an organization like the KKK with around 5,000 members can 't be removed, how can one possibly believe that racism as a whole can be stamped out?” (). The reason we can’t stop the KKK is the same reason we can’t stop racism which is not being able to find its roots, and if we keep ignoring it and we will come to a realization that neither of them aren’t going anywhere. By stopping racism in the Denver community we might be able to get people to recognize that racism is less in Denver and maybe people will start to do something about
There are federal laws that prevent discrimination in the workplace which is what the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is for. They “enforce antidiscrimination laws, and protect individuals and groups from discrimination.” (Plunkett, Allen, Attner). Some of the important laws are the Equal Pay Act, American with Disabilities Act, Title VII 1964 Civil Rights Act and many more. These laws clearly state the provisions that employers must always follow in the workplace.