- One approach from Chapter 1 of They Say / I Say which I will be taking is: In discussions of organizational diversity, one controversial issue has been if having organizational diversity policies show any changes among employee minorities’ self perceptions and goals, and if these changes are positive or negative. On the one hand, Gundemir argues that Mulitculturalism and Value-in-Individuality Differences prove to have a positive effect on the self perceptions and goals of minorities. On the other hand, the Value-in-Homogeneity policy emphasizes equality and uniformity of treatment rather than individual uniqueness, which is what several companies may choose to follow. I definitely found this approach to framing quite useful because it made me think outside of the box. Now I understand what the preface / introduction was talking about when they mentioned templates. I feel as though having this guide made me reference back to the article by Gundemir and dive much deeper into the content and comprehend it, rather than just read the paragraphs over and over again without understanding the information displayed.
- The readings for this week strengthened my thoughts on why diversity is so important, and why I look forward to reading more passages in this class. As I was reading Gundemir’s article, I associated the connection to improving the minorities’ self perceptions and goals just with overall self confidence, and what this can do for a person. By using the policies of Multiculturalism and Value-in-Individual Differences, there is so much room for self growth which can they be carried into a work environment. As a result, these policies make it easier for those not belonging to majority groups to feel more comfortable in who they are, radiate happiness, and boost their self – esteem. In just the two weeks that I’ve enrolled in this course, I already have become way more educated on the topic of diversity which I am very grateful for. Having a company that includes many different mindsets / outlooks / perspectives on life that people of all races and ethnicities can bring to the table is much more beneficial than just a bunch of employees doing every single task with the same idea, which is hopefully a bold step that more businesses are looking to take in the near future.
Writing and organizational cultures
Isn’t it a cool concept using templates? This whole course so far (especially the text “They Say/I Say”) has taught me something I never really experienced before, or even thought was necessary. The concept of writing to get a point across by first outlining to your audience what other people have said or think about it seems like common sense, but in all honesty was never something I imagined I had to do in writing. Your template was really well done! Also the second question about bringing diversity into the workplace and not just having a homogeneous atmosphere is a good thing to read about and think about. Having everyone inside the same sort of physical and thought bubble seems boring and scary!
I agree, the templates helped me to understand the introduction of the book! I also like the template that you used because it was much different than mine, so it gives me a different perspective. I definitely agree with your response to the second questions when you say that diversity brings more to the table. I said something similar in my response. I think it is important to understand that having various perspectives can really benefit a company/business.
Pleased to see that you’re engaging with and learning from each other–it’s a bit different doing it this way as opposed to in person, but the benefit can be much the same!
Glad to see you’re finding value in the template approach–like you said, Sam, it’s really about the *framing.* You’re still doing the thinking; the template just gives you a way to organize it. The mental image I have is a drawer organizer insert–it’s up to the user to decide what to keep and what to put where, but the organizer helps to keep things orderly and usable.