- Some of the researchable questions that this week’s readings raised for me is wanting to know which other companies in the US stand at being the most diverse, like McKinsey, and how they can further set examples of expanding diversity in the workplace. While I completely agree with putting race, ethnicity, and gender aside when hiring someone because I do think the decision should be based on an individual’s skills and knowledge for that position, one statistic in the “Why Diversity Matters” caught my attention. The article says that “the unequal performance of companies in the same industry and the same country implies that diversity is a competitive differentiator shifting the market share toward more diverse companies.” As I read this, I came to understand how diversity is a strong component to making up a company. At the end of the day, it’s the consumer’s choice whether or not to purchase from a business or invest in them. I feel as though if consumers notice that a company is lacking in diversity, for this reason they may not choose to not give them any business. So while it gives me hope that more diversity in a company may equal more success for that business, it will be interesting to see how long (will it be years and years?) other companies will take to become accustomed to this new change in the work space.
- In the article, “What is organizational culture and why should we care?,” Richard Perrin writes that “Culture is a carrier of meaning.” This sentence alone intrigued me because it reinforced the thought that everything we do, we do for a purpose. In this definition, he puts emphasis on the “why is” and on having a story. I think this idea is very significant because it can help employees understand their importance in a company and how they’re so much more than just a worker. I feel as though having values and rituals create a routine, so I really like the glue analogy. That without these values and rituals, cooperation and strategy in a business would not be as successful. I understand that culture is how we communicate, as Richard explains the importance of understanding language and symbols. A question that this definition sparked within me though is how opened to accepting other values and rituals would leaders need to be while also making sure they do not lose sight of their own narrative and original culture?
Discussion prompts for Week of 5/25
Everyone should respond to the 1st question and then select 1 of the other 2 to answer. Responses should be >150 words each. Please tag your responses with “unit1,” “week of 5/25,” and [your name]. Categorize as “Discussions/Homework.”
Please post your responses by 5/27, and then read through your classmates’ posts and my comments and respond where you wish.
- Graff and Birkenstein (in the opening chapter of They Say/I Say) remind us that in researched writing we are always starting from what others are saying. That means we must first be able to fairly and accurately represent the ideas of others. They suggest a number of different shapes this might take. Try out one of their approaches from chapter 1 to craft a statement about some piece of Gundemir et al’s argument. Write a sentence or two using this approach, and then explain what you’ve done and how it went. Did you find this approach to framing useful? How/why/why not?
- How do this week’s readings from Gundemir et al and Austin and Pisano add to your understanding of diversity in organizations? Draw some connections between these readings and the texts we examined last week–-how is this broad topic starting to take shape for you? Are there ways that you find yourself able to connect to your own experience to these Big Picture concepts (i.e. as a member of the SU community and/or as an employee/intern in another work setting)?
- These articles we’re reading this week have rather different purposes. Gundemir et al raise important questions about the impacts of how diversity is framed (as either valuing individual differences or as de-emphasizing individual differences). Austin and Pisano examine the opportunities and challenges that a specific type of diversity (neurodiversity) brings to workplaces. While heading in different directions, both articles ask readers to consider the social implications of workplace decisions. Explain and respond to their conclusions about the ripple effects of diverse workplaces. In other words, help us to understand how and why their ideas matter.
responses for week of 5/18
- A researchable question that came to mind was the culture of workspaces and work areas where racism is highest. What does that say about the company? If organizational culture is driven by incentives and is adaptable to society, what does that say about society? I think it is interesting with the increasing diversity to analyze the deeper workings of companies who have employees who experience institutional racism. If organizational culture reflects the society surrounding it and adapts to culture in it, how come many are still made to feel left out. Another question it raises is why do many employers tolerate or try to excuse discrimination. Although it is clear and evident that many employees experience it, why do many workplaces fail to conduct diversity training. These are questions that I would be interested in exploring further as I am coming up on looking for jobs and internships. A moral standard that is important to me is how the workplace is conducted and if employees feel comfortable going to their employers with an issue. And if they do not feel comfortable, why is that so?
- In regards to the diversity article, there have been a few instances in my life where I have experienced a lack of ethnic diversity, but diversity in other identifications. In the past, I have worked at an assisted living home serving food to the elderly. In this job, I noticed that all of the wait staff were female while the kitchen crew was only male. For the waitstaff, majority were white females aged 16-30 while the kitchen crew ranged in age however they were predominantly white. Although each staff member came from a different economical background, we all shared the basic superficial traits. I thought this was interesting as the elderly who lived in the home were all white, creating no physical diversity in the workplace. I never had gone through a diversity training or having a job properly address workplace discrimination until I started working at the Syracuse Barnes Center as a lifeguard where the staff is more diverse. The team I am surrounded by at my job at the Barnes Center is more efficient and we are able to have an open dialogue with each other at any moment, while my other lifeguarding job at a country club yielded very little diversity and less comfortability with addressing issues. Although the lifeguarding staff at both jobs were predominately female, at my job at the country club we never had training on how to address if someone makes us uncomfortable, only if a woman was wearing a revealing bathing suit and how to address the situation. The difference in efficiency of the staff was clear to me once I started working at Barnes, which coincides with the points made in the article surrounding workplace diversity.
Week of 5/18–let’s get started
We’ve got a mix of assignments this week as we gear up for the course and get familiar with the platforms. Please see below for a quick rundown of the week’s work.
- by Wednesday, post a brief introduction to yourself on the blog
- by Saturday, respond to 2 of the discussion prompts below (on the blog)
- by Sunday, submit your analysis of the introduction to They Say/I Say (in the Blackboard Dropbox)
Discussions on the blog will serve as class discussion work throughout the summer. For this week, please respond to Question #1 and to either #2 or #3.
Create a new post for your responses. Categorize it as “Discussions,” and tag it with “unit1,” “week of 5/18,” and [your first name]. Each of your responses should be >150 words. Once you have posted, please review your classmates’ posts and comment on at least 2 of them (>75 words each). You should complete this work by the end of the day on Saturday, 5/23.
- What are some of the researchable questions that this week’s readings raise for you? In other words, what issues do these readings make you wonder about? What questions would you be interested in exploring further?
- Anytime we learn about something new, we start from where we are. Use your own experiences to respond to one of these articles–draw some connections between your experiences of work and/or school and the claims/ideas that these authors raise.
- Select one of the definitions from “What is organizational culture and why should we care” OR one statistic from “Why diversity matters,” and discuss what questions this sparks for you? What do you think is interesting or significant about this idea? In other words, how does your look at this article open up questions about what organizational culture is and why it matters?
A quick note on protocol: In order to keep our blog organized, it will be important for us to use categories and tags appropriately:
- categories will sort posts into different locations (pages) on the blog
- tags will make posts easily searchable.
When you click the “+” button to create a new post, your text editor window will have boxes for Tags and Categories in the right menu.
Welcome to WRT 205 online
Welcome to WRT 205 online for Summer 2020. I hope this finds you well and ready to get started with our critical research and writing course. We’ll be looking at issues relating to organizational culture, specifically at diversity and inclusion.
My name is Karen Oakes, and I’ll be your instructor the course. I’m looking forward to working with all of you this summer. A few thoughts as we gear up:
Let’s acknowledge that we’re all coming into this course from a really challenging semester. The transition to remote learning in March was far from smooth, and I recognize that that experience may have affected your perception of online courses. I hope to show you that online teaching and learning can be really productive, especially when a class is designed that way from the start, as this one was. We’re not shifting course midway through and trying to make up a plan as we go. We’ve got things all plotted out here right from the start.
Secondly, let’s acknowledge that there is still a lot of uncertainty swirling around us at the moment. That might be something you’re feeling in your own life. And we’re all feeling degrees of it in our communities and institutions–not knowing what to expect for the fall semester, keeping an eye on the ever-changing news, and worrying about economic prospects. All of those concerns will invariably shape our work this summer, likely in both theoretical and practical ways.
That’s the context we’re working in, and we’re going to roll with it. This course will give us opportunity to meaningfully explore and reflect upon the issues around us, as we’ll be researching organizational cultures and can really delve into how those cultures work in moments of crisis. Furthermore, as a studio course (albeit a virtual studio space), we’ll work to build a supportive learning community in which you can share and test ideas, give and receive feedback, and make connections.
And, finally, as to the practical stuff, part of the value of a fully online course like this is the inherent flexibility. We’ll generally have 2 sets of deadlines each week, but within those parameters, you can decide when you complete your work. We’re fully asynchronous, so there are no scheduled meetings–you can fit this course in around your other commitments. I’d like you translate any deadlines to your local date/timezone. And if your individual circumstances change, and that interferes with your ability to meet those deadlines, just let me know, and we’ll adjust as needed.
Let’s get started.