Month: June 2020

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Unit 1 assignment: Expanding the Canon (DAN)

“Bridging the generational gap in the workplace: How I learned to stop worrying and love working with the millennial generation” is an article written by Dr. Thanakorn Jiresevijinda at Cornell university. It was written for the Journal of communication in healthcare and published by Taylor & Francis group.

In Dr. Jiresevijinda’s 20 years of supervising medical students, he has received an unsettling and growing amount of complaints about the millennial generation. One could easily draw a conclusion that there exists a disconnect between Gen X and Gen Y.  This problem encouraged him to explore new ways to create a more integrated work force that understands and accepts each other regardless of age difference. The purpose of his article is to offer the methods that he found to be helpful through his exploration. He admits in the article that he too has experienced frustration while educating the students from the younger generation. By stating this he levels the playing field as he explains that he understands the discontent that his colleagues have with Gen Y. He then continues his article by citing a sentence in a piece written by the prominent figure Chelsea Clinton. Her statement suggested that millennials are often portrayed as disinterested and selfish individuals, though the millennials that she has worked with do not fit that stereotype. He included this quote as it attests to the fact that the Millennial generation tends to have a bad reputation. This also helps persuade the audience to be more accepting of his suggestions as he shares a similar perspective with an influential figure. The author also builds up his argument by sharing his own personal experiences. Dr. Jiresevijinda speaks from both his experiences at work and the conversations he has had with his coworkers. Some of their frustration with the millennial group stemmed from increased technology use; different communication preferences; the students craving for feedback; and their preferred work like balance, which can be misconstrued as students being disinterested in learning. He was then able to identify positive traits from Gen Y and craft methods to remedy these problems. The positive traits that he identified included their tech savviness, confidence, and their ability to work well in a team environment.

The first suggestion that Dr. Jiresevijinda made was to focus on inclusiveness. He understands that in a social media driven world, millennials need to feel that their voice is heard. This has led him to listen more closely to his students without judgement and help them by asking pointed questions. He also allows them to work in groups as they often thrive better through student collaboration. Pre-class quizzes are given to ensure that everyone is engaged and keeping up with the pace of the class as a whole.

His second suggestion is that we must leverage social consciousness. The millennial generation is one that truly values having a positive impact on the world. They tend to be more accepting of diversity and progressive change. This observation led him to see the importance of framing the knowledge he gives his students in such a way that they can see the importance it has on improving society. He keeps this importance in the minds of the students by having them sign up for community service. The students worked alongside the professors and another medical organization to offer a free clinic for refugees seeking asylum in the United States.

His last suggestion is to include more technology in the curriculum. One way he suggested doing this is by incorporating fun and engaging games such as jeopardy to keep his students involved. He also finds it useful to use a smartphone app that is an audience-response system. I found this interesting as the students must stay engaged in the class because the context of the class is literally on their phones on which they must participate.

I find this text to be an important contribution to expanding our canon as every single sustainable organization will always be multigenerational. Though it is not often the first thing that comes to mind when we hear the term diversity, people in different generations have vastly different life experiences and are indeed quite diverse. Rapidly accelerating technological advances; Unforeseen world events; and new global challenges are among the factors that affect the overall behavior of a generation significantly. This inevitably leads to differences in the way that people of a generation view the world and interact with one another. Though this may present its own challenges, it is paramount that we learn to come together to create a synergistic environment at work. This can only be done by valuing each other’s differences. I found Dr. Jiresevijinda’s work to contain the wisdom that is crucial to solving our intergenerational struggles. One final source of valuable information about generational diversity can be found in the video link below. Keevin O’Rourke conducts a TED talk of which he speaks on the issue of generational diversity at work. One may be able to draw multiple parallels between the video and Dr. Jiresevijinda’s article. I found it intriguing how they both had similar suggestions to their respective audience even though one of them is Gen X and one is Gen Y. This gives hope that in the future our organizations will reap the benefits of a more accepting workforce

 

Link to the article and citiation

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17538068.2018.1485830

Thanakorn Jirasevijinda (2018) Bridging the generation gap in the workplace: how I learned to stop worrying and love working with the millennial generation, Journal of Communication in Healthcare, 11:2, 83-86, DOI: 10.1080/17538068.2018.1485830

Ted Talk to further explore intergenerational diversity in the workplace

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Unit 1 Assignment: Expanding the Canon

To expand the canon adding to the discussion of organizational culture and diversity, I choose the article Disability and employment – overview and highlight from the European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology. This article includes a wealth of knowledge from the authors Katharina Vornholt, et al. The authors each add value in their way, specializing in Social Psychology, neuroscience, psychosomatic rehabilitation, and more. This article is intended for a small audience of fellow scholars and people who focus specifically on the topics discussed. 

The purpose of this article is to outline how things stand in the existing research on disability and employment. It discusses one section of disabled people, those who have mental disabilities. The authors outline the definition of disability, the legality of legislation regarding disability at work that is already in place in Europe and North America, things that enable employees and act as a barrier to employ the disabled. The authors use the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) of the World Health Organization’s definition of disability; defining it as “the ‘umbrella term’ for impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions, referring to the negative aspects of the interaction between an individual…and that individual’s contextual factors (environmental and personal factors)”. 

The legislation in Europe stems from the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, stating that employees with disabilities have equal rights to work and gain a living, in-job discrimination is not allowed, and that organizations promise workers with disabilities accommodations. In the United States and Canada, the federal law protects those with disabilities rights through The Americans with Disabilities Act that gives those with mental/physical disabilities equal opportunities to be integrated into places of work and stops all forms of discrimination against employees with disabilities.

The article presents a plan for how research should continue in the field  and how these laws can be integrated into the workplace. The plan encourages more research behind the definition of disability, the spreading of knowledge from psychologists (like health campaigns) to change attitudes and behaviors towards those with disabilities, and the increase in public data. The authors also discuss the future of policy encouraging evaluation of the past to see if what has been implemented protects and promotes those with disabilities employment or if they have opposite effects.

This article adds to the existing knowledge of the class because of its relation to diversity and inclusion. Similar to many of the readings we looked at, this text speaks about the inclusion of disabled people in the workplace and how extremely high the unemployment levels are. This brings awareness to how programs and legislation can be put in place to help incorporate diverse people. Their suggestions mirror what we have looked at with the inclusion of neurodiverse people and adds other strategies and data regarding organizational cultures, such as reassessing the definition and analyzing to see if the programs put in place are working or not.

This article highlights how each organization caters differently to each diverse group. Similar to past readings it showcases how each diverse group has specific accommodations and should be analyzed on a case by case basis. The existing legislation in “Disability and employment – overview and highlights” can lead as an example of how to implement systematic changes so that all companies must adhere to a set of rules that promote diversity and inclusion, along with other resources such as media I have found.

The media I have found to supports my claim shows how to implement the plans that the article outlined and enhances knowledge about disabled people. I have chosen a TED talk from Elise Roy “When we design for disability, we all benefit”. Elise Roy is deaf and since she is disabled herself she adds a unique perspective. Her purpose throughout the talk is to promote the use of design thinking to solve problems. Design thinking steps are defining and understanding the problem, observing people and empathizing with them, throwing out hundreds of ideas, prototyping, and finally implementing. That way of thinking could help in how to accomplish the goals of a more inclusive workplace for those with disabilities and create legislation with perspective and empathy in mind. Elise Roy’s insight could be a solution to how we progress within this sphere of disability and life, in general, putting inclusion in front of everyone’s mind when solving any problem.

Link to article: https://doi.org/10.1080/1359432X.2017.1387536

Citation of article: Katharina Vornholt, Patrizia Villotti, Beate Muschalla, Jana Bauer, Adrienne Colella, Fred Zijlstra, Gemma Van Ruitenbeek, Sjir Uitdewilligen & Marc Corbière (2018) Disability and employment – overview and highlights, European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 27:1, 40-55, DOI: 10.1080/1359432X.2017.1387536

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Unit 1 assignment, Benjamin Fisch

To expand the canon and add to the topic of organizational culture and diversity, I chose an article written by Dr. Ronit Molko called “The Benefits of Neurodiversity in the Work Place.” This article addresses neurodiversity within the work place. First, the article addresses how individuals with neurological disorders such as autism, ADHD, and dyslexia are under represented in the work place. Following that, Dr. Ronit Molko, makes the argument that hiring more individuals who suffer from neurological disorders would actually significantly benefit an organization and it’s goals. Using the example of people who are autistic, one could easily fixate on the set backs that having multiple people who are autistic in a company could bring. However, if one could shift their perspective, he or she would realize that people who suffer from autism possess many qualities that are strengths and could potentially benefit a company significantly. Molko adds value for a broad audience of anyone in the work place, but especially those who are in higher up positions, that would be able to make decisions on hiring. He does this by explaining both the strengths and weaknesses of those with autism, and how they can benefit a company. This article is coming from a website called “Forbes Books.” This website is operated and owned by the well known publisher, Forbes. The intended audience of this article is anyone in business, but especially those with hiring privileges. The purpose of this article is to educated individuals in the work place about how individuals with neurological disorders could benefit a company significantly. This is done by Dr. Ronit Molko, by explains who people with neurological issues are under represented and then explaining how big companies are starting to take advantage of people with autism for example, that have advanced skills in some areas. In conclusion, this article supports people with neurological disorders, a group of individuals who are under represented, and their voices are hardly heard. In this course, we have been analyzing the topic of minorities within the workplace. This issue is less of a problem today, because action has been taken, in the form of laws being passed, that require a certain number of minorities to be employed at a company. Minorities voices on the topic of under representation in the work place have been heard, but much more work should be done and could be done\. People who suffer from neurological disorders are similar to people of minorities, because they both have been under represented in the work place. Yet, people with neurological disorders have yet to be heard for the most part. To support my argument and the purpose of the article I have chosen, I am including media. I have chosen a video by the company HSBC. The video is connected to my claims, because it interviews people who suffer form neurological disorders that work at HSBC. The employees with neurological disorders come off to be very bright, and they prove their brilliance, and make it clear that they can benefit a company.

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Exploring the Impact of Cultural Diversity on Professional Soccer (Football)

Written by Keith Ingersoll, Edmund Malesky and Sebastian M. Saiegh, and published in the Journal of Sports Analytics, “Heterogeneity and team performance: Evaluating the effect of cultural diversity in the world’s top soccer league” is an academic study focused specifically on determining the impact cultural diversity has on the success of European soccer (football) clubs. Using data science, the authors determine that those clubs which are more culturally diverse have a greater rate of success on the pitch.

I had heard it said by a commentator during a FIFA World Cup broadcast in 2014 that the national teams whose squads were comprised of players who played their “club football” in Europe had an advantage. It wasn’t only because the European leagues are considered the most competitive in the world. The announcer believed it was also because of the exposure those players had to the different styles of play utilized by clubs across the continent.

This seemed plausible to me, but was there any actual evidence to back up such claim? Could exposure to such diversity translate to better performances? It was with these questions in mind that I sought out such a study. “Heterogeneity and team performance” goes a long way towards answering them both.

The UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) Champions League is an annual competition comprised of the top clubs from around the continent. It is by far the most popular club competition in the world, with viewership numbers in the millions. In order to qualify for the Champions League, a club must have finished in the top four or five positions of their domestic league the previous season. In “Heterogeneity and team performance”, Ingersoll, Malesky and Saiegh focus on the English, French, German, Italian and Spanish clubs who competed in the Champions League during a ten year stretch from 2003-2012.

Ingersoll, Malesky and Saiegh collected data on 168 players across 41 clubs. Each of the clubs were given a cultural diversity rating based on a calculation referred to by the authors as “linguistic distance”. This, they explain, is to account for clubs comprised of players who may be from different countries, but where the same language is spoken. (For example, South American players who play for Spanish clubs.)

Keeping in mind to address potential impacts to the results of the study, such as the financial resources of each club, player movement, etc., Ingersoll, Malesky and Saiegh used the linguistic distance measurement, and per-goal difference as variables. They then used total and average roster value as a control variable. To measure overall club quality, they cited such resources as player rankings published by ESPN and The Guardian as a means to establish player quality and averaged that across each club. It seems that the numbers do in fact back up the assertion made by that commentator back in 2014. More diverse teams do have a greater rate of success.

Put simply, goal differential is the number of goals a club scores minus the number of goals allowed. It’s an especially effective measurement for success, because the higher the goal differential, the more likely a club is winning or drawing matches, as opposed to losing them. As you can see in the above chart taken directly from the study, clubs with a greater rate of linguistic diversity also had higher average goal differential per season.

If cultural diversity translates to success in soccer, does it not also stand to reason that the same would be true across a myriad of endeavors? The cultural influence of soccer, the UEFA Champions League, and of clubs such as Barcelona, Real Madrid, Juventus, Bayern Munich, Paris San Germain, Manchester United and Arsenal cannot be overstated. Soccer is a game played and watched by billions around the planet. The most successful clubs in the most successful competition are comprised of the most talented players from around the world. To see a collection of players from diverse backgrounds work together towards a common goal and be rewarded for it, should serve as an inspiration for soccer fans around the world. Maybe, just maybe, soccer fans will see that success, and attempt to emulate that in their own lives.

Heterogeneity and team performance

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Unit 1 Assignment: Expanding The Canon

As we’ve seen throughout this unit, diversity is essential in the work place. It brings openness to new and creative ideas, a wider range of employee talent, and helps attract new customers. This then creates success for not only the companies financial returns, but the goals of the individual as well. While we have progressed through this unit, reading numerous articles about diversity and inclusion, I have still yet to really see how the LGBTQ+ community faces these everyday challenges.

The article I chose is titled “Between Homohysteria and Inclusivity: Tolerance Towards Sexual Diversity in Sport.” I chose this article because I thought it would be a great addition for our unit on diversity and inclusion. The article  does a great job at explaining the issues that are currently happening in sports surrounding gender and sexuality, as well as giving evidence on why sexual diversity is in fact beneficial. The authors are Joaquin Piedra, Rafael Garcia-Parez and Alexander G. Channon and the article was published in April of 2017. These researchers are experts in the field and have done numerous studies about homophobia and homohysteria in all facets. The goal of this particular article is to broaden the knowledge of Individuals who might not know much about it and create a new way of thinking for ones who often neglect people just because of their sexual orientation. The authors do this by providing evidence for why gender and sexual diversity is good for not only sports, but in all fields of work.

The article begins by stating how there are a small number of openly gay and lesbian people in top flight sports which raises the question about whether sporting or social context makes it easy or difficult for these people to come out. There have been various studies about tolerance towards sexual diversity in sport and this article focuses on exactly that. Ever since sports were created, it has always been very male dominant, but even more specifically, a site of hegemonic masculinity. Gender and sexual diversity has always been ignored and the sexual minorities have been stigmatized for quite some time now. The presence of the LGBTQ+ community in sports functions as a challenge to hegemonic ideas about gender. The article states that the reason for this is because male dominance in sports has always been the norm. Often times people are weary to differ from the norm. As a result, causes discrimination and hatred to the minority. “In order to understand the complexity of changes in the sport, you must know the broader theory of inclusive masculinity,” the authors state. This can be defined  as “the fear of being socially perceived as gay.”

People for years have been hesitant to come out just from hearing the backlash that goes on towards their community. While it has gotten much better over the years, there is still room for improvement. The fact that in todays society, people are still not accepting of this is a major issue. We must stride as a society to improve because it will end up benefiting all parties involved.

Furthermore in the article, the authors go on to state a bunch of statistics showing how individuals within the LGBTQ+ community have been discriminated against. They use this information to then prove how openness on a team is actually very beneficial for not only the individual, but the team as a whole. They used an example of a losing women’s soccer team where one of the players was very closed off and she didn’t necessarily feel part of the team. The success of the team however shifted quickly when one of the players came out. The team and individual showed growth and leadership that wasn’t there before. This example demonstrates how gender and sexual diversity allows for better performance and helps one grow. Sports should be an open and accepting place where athletes won’t get discriminated against for being sexually diverse.

Link to article-  https://link-springer-com.libezproxy2.syr.edu/article/10.1007/s12119-017-9434-x

Citations- Piedra, J., García-Pérez, R. & Channon, A.G. Between Homohysteria and Inclusivity: Tolerance Towards Sexual Diversity in Sport. Sexuality & Culture 21, 1018–1039 (2017). https://doi-org.libezproxy2.syr.edu/10.1007/s12119-017-9434-x

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Unit 1 Assignment: Expanding the Canon

 

The article titled “Employee Assistance Program Services for Alcohol and Other Drug Problems: Implications for Increased Identification and Engagement in Treatment” written by Jodi M Jacobson and Paul Sacco follows the study they conducted regarding the use of Employee Assistance Programs, or EAP’s, in the workplace and the further effects that it had on the company and individual. The article originally published on The American Journal on Addictions can be found on the website EBSCOhost, which provides scholarly articles and similar published works.

The central argument the researchers focused on was to determine whether or not EAP services were significantly beneficial for those with AOD, also known as Alcohol and Other Drug addiction. Furthermore, their study was directed to show employers how individuals with AOD can benefit in an environment where their needs can be met in a judgment free workplace. In order to gather data, the researchers drew from the pool of individuals associated with the National Epidemiologic Survey of Alcohol and Related conditions, or NESARC, from different backgrounds in all 50 states. To narrow the data, the researchers then separated participants into those who had access to EAP’s in their workplace and those who looked elsewhere for help. The researchers concluded that those who had used EAP’s in their workplace were less likely to foster feelings of negativity in the workplace for fear of being stigmatized compared to those who did not have access to an EAP. 

Jacobson and Sacco elaborate on individuals in their study who had previously had experience with EAP’s and the demographics of those individuals. The study emphasizes how the use of EAP’s has varied across co occurring disorders and those who struggle with addiction, but they reported that the EAP gave them an outlet to receive help while simultaneously being able to live a normal life. 

The influence of EAP’s on the vulnerable portion of the workforce reflected individuals who felt more comfortable reaching out for help, and did not feel they were outcasts. Individuals who suffer from an AOD addiction struggle to reach out and receive the help they need. However with the help of Employee Assistance Programs, those who are struggling have improved performance in the workplace. 

The linked article below is published by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration , or SAMSHA, which elaborates on the use of EAP’s and how to use them within a company. SAMSHA is an agency that promotes receiving help for addiction while simultaneously educating the public of addiction in hopes of reducing substance abuse. The organization breaks down what an EAP is, the different types (i.e. internal programs and external programs) that can be adapted in the workplace, how to select one, the costs and benefits of choosing an EAP and lastly the costs and services of adapting an EAP. SAMSHA shares this knowledge with the public in hopes of encompassing diversity and promoting a work environment that is suitable for peoples of all abilities and disabilities. As promoted by SAMSHA, Employee Assistance Programs target the needs of the individual in order to provide them a way of healing while continuing a healthy lifestyle. 

Those who struggle with substance abuse often find the process of healing difficult, especially in the work force where they often feel like an outcast and carry a specific stigma. EAP’s work to break down the barriers to promote a work environment where individuals of all race, gender and socioeconomic backgrounds can receive the help that they need. In terms of diversity inclusion, those looking to promote an equal workplace should expand their thinking to ailments that burden individuals on a daily basis. Addiction is found in individuals of all ages, races, and socioeconomic backgrounds and is something we should further expand our minds to include when thinking about a more tailored workplace.

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Unit 1 Summary

In the book “What Universities Can be”, Robert Sternberg (a psychologist and psychometrician at Cornell University)  devotes a chapter to diversity in higher education. He begins this chapter by saying rather frankly that people learn better and learn more if they are mixed in with people who don’t look and think like them. He says “You cannot be an active concerned citizen if your only concerns are for people you view as like yourself” (Sternberg, 73).

This is an anecdotal claim at this point, and he uses it to identify with the readers because it is sort of a no brainer concept if you think about it. Our social and educational experience can only benefit if we have variety in our peers. Sternberg than uses a few study examples, one being done in rural Kenya. This study pooled Kenyans and asked them to identify herbs that would help heal with different ailments. They all did a great job with this, but when the objective changed and they tested these same people in more academic tests, the results weren’t as good. This study is used to illustrate his point that there are different types of knowledge and intelligence. One group of people (mostly western, white people in this case) can be better at testing and doing well in standardized settings, while the other group of people might not do so well in that area but excels in the area of experiential knowledge, of being able to identify and do things in the real world outside of the classroom.  Another example is using Alaskan Yup’ik peoples, who are able to do things like ride a dog sled over vast areas and hunt animals and identify that storms may be on the way by examining their kill. These sorts of things are unimaginable for most students or people who aren’t part of that culture.

This goes further into what Sternberg calls implicit theories of intelligence- folks ideas of what they consider to be smart. The same idea is very prevalent in high school and college testing, where white people who tend to be more affluent do better on these exams and end up in a better situation for college and life afterwards, and minorities who may not do as well on these exams are slighted, yet they excel in other areas of intelligence such as in the social realm.

In previous readings we learned about unconscious bias in terms of hiring practices. This phenomenon of bias is very closely related to implicit theories of intelligence. Essentially, deciding what you think constitutes being smart is a bias- you’re predetermining if a certain ethnicity, social group, gender, age range, etc is intelligent. When we take a step back and pull the blinds off of the window that is our mind, it’s easy to realize that differences between people is not a hinderance, but an asset. We should embrace them all.

This chapter from the book has an academic style to it, yet the messaging to the audience could be more broad than someone who is in one of his psychology courses. He uses studies to back up his arguments about diversity and also brings personal experience to identify with the readers easier. What we can take from this chapter is that diversity and inclusion are important to the whole picture of academic life, and we benefit as a whole from participating in it. There is more than one cog in the wheel when it comes to intelligence so it serves us better to include as many of them as we can.

An article focusing on the changes to college admissions testing and how it may benefit minorities who were previously hurt by this process: https://www.forbes.com/sites/kimelsesser/2020/04/27/sat-act-policies-may-improve-diversity-at-colleges-and-universities/#3a9183f3bd57

The academic article i used to write this post:  j.ctt20d890h.8

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Unit 1 Assignment: Expanding the Canon

The standard way of thinking about diversity has it that ethnicity, gender, and race are the predominant merits companies need to consider at the workplace.  Where they often fall short, however, is in fully realizing the impact language diversity has amongst its employees. From the Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, researchers Regina Kim, Loriann Roberson, Marcello Russo, and Paolo Briganti stress why global leaders and managers should embrace multilingual backgrounds more as a way to leverage diversity in our increasingly globalized society. Their article “Language Diversity, Non-native Accents, and Their Consequences at the Workplace” addresses the type of challenges native and nonnative speakers face, how a lack of linguistic diversity can negatively affect intraorganizational dynamics, and why it has been overlooked these past few decades.

Many studies in the past have shown how one speaks, being a leading social force in communication, can stigmatize those especially with nonnative accents and in turn create negative perceptions of the speaker. While Kim et al attest to this past research, they point out that it often only ever examined how nonnative speakers are or were evaluated from the perspective of native speakers. As a result, Kim et al study look at giving more attention to understanding the cognitive and emotional experiences between both native and nonnative speakers in an organizational workplace setting. Their research design and data collection approach involved inquiring 99 respondents’ experiences through in-depth semi-structured interviews and open-ended survey question formats.

The study’s strength lays in its inclusive ability to hear from all ends of the spectrum. It allows the reader to empathize with the point of view from many others and at a greater personable scale because of the various detailed, first-hand accounts given. From both parties, they found that language diversity resulted in two challenges at work which included the real difficulty of communicating amongst varying levels of a speaker’s fluency, and the perceived difficulty in communicating that cues one to assess a speaker’s competency, regardless of their actual competence.

Since language and communication ultimately pervade every facet of organization life, having different linguistic backgrounds will inevitably present challenges between employees. Cognitive scientist and professor at UCSD, Lera Boroditsky, expands this horizon of thinking in a TED Talk she delivered explaining how linguistic diversity reveals just how ingenious and flexible the human mind is. Giving cultural, mathematical, and everyday case by case scenarios, she highlights how language can influence and have big effects on how we perceive even the most basic perceptual decisions such as color. She connects these ideas to bigger implications within our daily lives giving examples of how speakers from varying backgrounds can process ideas and remember eyewitness events differently. Applying this to our topic of diversity and inclusion, the greatest takeaway we can note is how different language abled people can think or conceptualize events not seen by another individual, group, or organization in a workplace setting. Failure in recognizing the value this brings can create obstacles in creating an inclusive environment that performs at its best. Worse yet, Kim et al argue that it can create subtle forms of discrimination, the undervaluation of foreign employees, and fewer opportunities in careers for nonnative speakers.

Towards the end of the article the authors openly discuss the importance this sort of diversity has in the workplace. Here it becomes evident that the data this publication presents is consistent with many of the readings we’ve had including Gundemir et al take on the impact of minority employees’ self-perception at the workplace and Kaplan and Donovan’s call for a better level of systems framework. Similarly, they address how language diversity can serve as source of competitive advantage like Austin and Pisano go on to describe with neurodiverse populations. By accommodating a space both native and nonnative speakers feel safe to express fears, concerns, and emotions, encouraging openness and inclusion will become the set norm. The bigger picture of their argument, I find here, aims to expand who/ what we consider when discussing diversity at a deeper level.

While documented research has shown organizational culture playing an important role in promoting diversity (Shore et al 2009), Kim et al extend this conversation addressing that language diversity continues being overlooked despite its ability to elicit more forms of discrimination at work compared with other diversity attributes. In publishing their research, they are bridging a gap in diversity and literature that has glossed over the role language plays in our conscious and unconscious actions. They provide concrete reasons as to why these issues are critical to address and the potential it has to improve organizational performance and therefore, benefit everyone in the organization. At its cores these discussions make us pause to reflect on the organizational systems and persistent inequalities we have ongoing today.

Scholarly Article:  

https://journals-sagepub-com.libezproxy2.syr.edu/doi/full/10.1177/0021886318800997?utm_source=summon&utm_medium=discovery-provider

Media Artifact: A better understanding of how language shapes the way we think and the impacts it has on the culture, society, and organizations we create.

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Unit 1 assignment – Isaac Haseltine

Organizational culture diversity has surpassed the idea of being an extra step in forming a business, it is now increasingly clear that it is crucial for an organization to include a diverse workforce for maximum positive growth in the company. The article “Workforce diversity and organizational performance: a study of IT industry in India” written by Subhash Kundu and Archana Mor elaborate on the findings from the study created on the perception of diversity inclusion in the Information Technology industry in India. The study focused on gender, race/ethnicity, caste, and disability minorities and how individuals reacted to companies conscious diversity inclusion tactics. The author’s focus is in the analysis of the diversity and imbalance and researching the underlying issues within the systemic inequality. Their goal was to continue pushing forward for diversity in the workplace by addressing the issues that are taking place with the current status of the conscious inclusion. The two authors aim to inform the reader that the steps being taken for equality are still facing contrasting mindsets against the tactics in place. India was chosen for the study because of its large population that is made of many groups and subgroups of minorities. It is an extremely diverse country with 1.38 billion people who all fall into the social pyramid. Religious and societal classes segregate India, and the complex caste system creates a wide variety of minorities. How each subgroup interprets the forced diversity effects creates the diversity outcome, so it is vital to approach the conscious addition of diversity with a mindset that adheres to the wide variety of individual perceptions. 

The IT industry in India has created huge economic growth for the country, it has placed India in a top position of the global IT industry and has raised the GDP from 1.2 percent to 9.5 percent from 1998 to 2014. Although studies show there is an extreme difference between the countries diversity and the IT industry’s. the data recorded showed that of the 114 employees 90% of them were a part of the general category in the caste system and the remaining 10% was made up of Other Backward castes, and the ST’s and SC’s percentages were null. In a related study of 132 employees from eight IT companies 93% were Hindu while the remaining 7% made up the rest of the major religions in India. These percentages do not align with the proportions of the country, thus proving the homogeneity taking place in the industry.

The article addresses many studies that have been done on Indias IT industry’s diversity, as well as their own study they conducted. What differed was the interpretation of the diversity findings. Many of the studies they referred to were based on the statistical data they collected on the minority groups that made up the study populations, while the author’s study was based on the receptiveness of diversity of each subgroup. Their findings show that the separate minority groups tend to perceive diversity in relatively the same views. The greatest difference was found where men were the least receptive to diversifying, and women were much more supportive. The study also helped create a deeper analysis of diversity in organizations, and they discovered that the hierarchical position of an employee has a significant impact on their receptivity of diversity along with the social class they belong to. Even though most countries don’t have a defined social class system there are still physical and monetary boundaries that separate every country, city, and town. To understand how and why a person’s current position in life affects their perspective on diversity in crucial because with our global population in the billions, there isn’t a standard life that stays consistent for most people across the world anymore; The more complex the world becomes, the farther away we drift from a world that is shared equally. 

 

Article

https://www-emerald-com.libezproxy2.syr.edu/insight/content/doi/10.1108/ER-06-2015-0114/full/html#sec002

 

Photo citation

Reuters Graphics. “Caste Politics.” Reuters, fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/rngs/INDIA-ELECTION/010031Y54EE/index.html.

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Overview for Week of 6/15

We begin Unit 2 this week, during which each of you will identify and begin to plot out your research path and assemble a body of sources to carry your inquiry along. For many of you, this will mean continuing to build on something you learned in Unit 1, but you are not limited to that topic. Our work will continue to unfold beneath the big umbrella of “diversity and organizational culture,” but as you’ve seen from how your classmates have taken up this work, there are a whole lot of possibilities to explore. Read on for an overview of this week’s assigned work.

Readings

Writing Assignments

Blog post in which you list at least 5 rhetorical moves you see Bogost making in “The problem with diversity in computing”–in other words, 5 different places in the text where you see that how he says something helps you as a reader understand what he is trying to say. Think about how he works to make a connection with the reader, how he introduces key ideas/evidence, how he tries to make a point stick.  Quote these briefly so we know what you’re talking about, and try to name/explain what you see him doing there (due on blog by Wednesday, 6/17)

Complete the Focusing Flowchart exercise on Blackboard (due in Unit 2 dropbox by Sunday, 6/21)

Discussion work on blog. See this post for the prompts and instructions (due by Thursday, 6/18): 

Discussion prompts for week of 6/15