I decided what to focus on in my Unit 2 body of material, by researching something that hit home to me. There are a lot of sub topics one could explore that fall under organizational culture. However, studying neurological diversity in the work place caught my attention more than any other potential sub topic I had. I chose neurological diversity in the work place, because neurological disorders is something I can relate to. My little brother was a slow developer as a baby and a toddler, and at one point we were worried that he may be on the spectrum. Thankfully he was just a slow developer and eventually began to progress into the wonderful young man he is today, but at first we had this scare. This is why I feel closely connected to my sub topic, hence why I chose it. I decided what would make it into the project by selecting research that was straight to the point and closely related to my topic.
I learned a lot and got a lot out of this project, that I put together throughout the course of our class. Primarily, I learned a ton about people with neurological disorders and how they can benefit a company. Before I started collecting my research on this sub topic of organizational culture, I had the opinion that people with neurological disorders were not fit for the workplace. That perspective definitely changed as I gathered research for my project. I learned that people with neurological disorders definitely have their limitations, but they also have unique abilities that outweigh their limitations. They have the ability to hyper focus on a task more than someone who does not have a neurological disorder. I learned a lot about how to take information, digest it, and then write about it. Some of the writing I learned during this course, was writing to help explain my research to my audience or more so, introduce my gathered research to my audience, so it would be easier for them to absorb all the information that I would be throwing at them in my research project. I learned that giving and receiving feedback is a crucial element of developing a research project. The feedback I received on my work definitely benefited what made it into my final portfolio. I learned how to engage a target audience. My targeted audience is professional with the responsibilities of hiring new employees and people with neurological disorders. I learned to engage them, but cutting out the excess writing of the research I gathered, and presenting my audience with the straight forward writing that would bet educate them on my sub topic.
This assignment had a lot of value for me. The most important bit of value I got from the course, is more than just how to conduct research. The value I received is how to conduct research tailored for a specific targeted audience. My targeted audience is professionals in the workplace who are responsible for hiring new employees, and people with neurological disorders. I learned how to present information in an organized way to people that need to see it. That’s the value I gained, gathering research and organizing it in a way that best suits the audience that it is intended for.
Unit 3 Draft, Benjamin Fisch
Statement
My research project is intended to be viewed and absorbed by people with neurological disabilities, and professionals who are responsible for hiring individuals in a company. The reason why my findings are directed towards professionals responsible for hiring, is I want them to learn more about the skillets and positive abilities of people with neurological disabilities, so that these professionals will be more inclined to hire them. I would like my research to be discovered by people through a company’s human resources department, because I think this method of contraction will be most sensitive to the needs of people with neurological disorders.
Project Proposal
The tone that most of the authors use in the research writings I identified and examined for my research proposal, is a direct and straight to the point tone. Some of the texts that I reviewed in my research portfolio are extremely long. Some are even hard to read in their entirety. Also, one are very short and quick to read. The ones that were quick reads and the ones that were slow reads, both succeed in communicating an argument or delivering more research to me on neurodiversity in the work place. The authors in the research I collected are mostly very formal. Some of texts I read if not most of the texts I read, include vivid detail to help explain the points that the authors are trying to make. In the research I conducted graphics do not really play a role at all. Some of the texts that I examined on neurodiversity in the workplace included subtle images embedded in the text, but I did not feel like they were needed to illustrate a point or provide detail on the subject. The images in the text kind of just blended in with every thing else. The vocabulary of the authors texts also stood out to me as something to recognize. The writers use advanced choices of vocabulary in their texts
.! rounding out the conversation
Project Proposal, Benjamin Fisch
The tone that most of the authors use in the research writings I identified and examined for my research proposal, is a direct and straight to the point tone. Some of the texts that I reviewed in my research portfolio are extremely long. Some are even hard to read in their entirety. Also, one are very short and quick to read. The ones that were quick reads and the ones that were slow reads, both succeed in communicating an argument or delivering more research to me on neurodiversity in the work place. The authors in the research I collected are mostly very formal. Some of texts I read if not most of the texts I read, include vivid detail to help explain the points that the authors are trying to make. In the research I conducted graphics do not really play a role at all. Some of the texts that I examined on neurodiversity in the workplace included subtle images embedded in the text, but I did not feel like they were needed to illustrate a point or provide detail on the subject. The images in the text kind of just blended in with every thing else. The vocabulary of the authors texts also stood out to me as something to recognize. The writers use advanced choices of vocabulary in their texts.
Discussion, 7/6 Benjamin Fisch
1.) Curt, B. More and a couple of others conducted an experiment to see how neurodiversity is related to entrepreneurial cognition. Their study draws on prior research from entrepreneurship and neuroscience to empirically examine the relationship between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and the entrepreneurial mindset. They examine differences between
entrepreneurs with and without ADHD in cognitive style, entrepreneurial alertness, metacognition, and resource induced coping heuristic. Their results suggest neurodiversity from ADHD is meaningfully related to aspects of an entrepreneurial mindset. The results suggest entrepreneurs with ADHD employ a more intuitive cognitive style and demonstrate higher levels
of entrepreneurial alertness and RICH, while no significant differences in metacognition were found.
This source I am using has tremendous value to my topic and my overall portfolio. When I first started doing preliminary research, I was looking through the lends of only one perspective on neurodiversity, and that was neurodiversity in the work place. Then I stumbled across this source, which was an experiment conducted and written by Curt, B. More and a couple others, that focused on neurodiversity and its relationship to entrepreneurship. This made for a totally new perspective on my topic and that is why its highly valued. This source connects to other sources I’ve gathered thus far, because its focus is on neurodiversity, yet, their is a different perspective that both have on neurodiversity.
Source: https://journals-sagepub-com.libezproxy2.syr.edu/doi/full/10.1177/1042258719890986
3.) I think open space offices would be extremely unproductive for a few reasons, but mostly it would be distractive. In my opinion, it would so hard to get any work done when you can see directly into co-workers areas. I think these types of offices would cause fear for some workers, because it makes you feel like your always being watched, and that might actually be the case. Also, sexual harassment in the work place could grow, because men would have more exposure to their female co0workers.
Research Portfolio, plan, Benjamin Fisch
1.) I want to use my research to understand 2 things. The first thing I want to understand is why employees with neurological conditions are so under represented in the work place. The second thing I want to understand, is how companies will benefit from hiring employees with neurological disorders, because it is clear from research that these types of employees can have a lot of beneficial qualities for an organization.
2.) I am interested in these two questions, because the potential answers for both connect with a personal experience of mine. My little brother, when he was born to the age of about 3, was showing signs of developmental slowness, and as a family we were worried that he may be autistic, which is a type of neurological disorder. It turns out, thankfully, that he grew out of these developmental issues, but still to this day, the scare of them still holds close to my heart.
3.) I believe there will be connections with the research I am doing on this topic, and my later life experiences. The one main connection that I for see, is having to interact with co employees that have neurological disorders. Rather than viewing these hypothetical co workers as limited, I will respect and admire their rare contributions to the organization, rather than focusing in on areas where they may struggle in.
4.) The fields that are going to matter most for my search inquiry, are fields that are heavily dependent on math and numbers. This is so, because neurotypicals are known to be very advanced with math and numbers. Researching fields like finance and technology organizations will definitely benefit my intentions.
prompts Benjamin Fisch
1.) Wong makes many points that add to this larger conversation about diversity and inclusion. One of the points that really stood out to me, is somewhat counterintuitive when thinking about it. The following quote sums up what is trying to be said. “Notions of equality are gen-erally associated with assumptions of sameness; when everyone is treated the same and gets the same things, this is assumed to ensure that everyone is treated fairly. However, treating everyone the same is a surefire way to exacerbate and reproduce inequal-ities, precisely because it actively obscures and denies relevant differences, including how different groups have historically been treated, which must be acknowledged to be fairly addressed at present.” The point of all of this is treating everyone the same in the workplace or in society actually would not work. It actually would back fire and lead to even more inequality.
week of 6/22 discussion, Benjamin Fisch
I have tried mostly 2 different search tools for gathering my research. These are google search and the digital SU library. Google search works easily for me. I just come up with a keyword that I think will produce relevant results to the topic I am intending to research. Then I enter it into the search bar and press enter. The process for the SU library, is very similar to Google Search. I just come up with a keyword and enter it into the search bar. When I search Google, I mostly come up with relevant articles about my subject, and sometimes I few blog posts on the matter. When I search the SU library, I come up with encyclopedia research, and scholarly articles.
I am hoping to find texts from encyclopedias or scholarly articles, written by well respected authors in their respected fields. The field I am researching in a general sense is diversity. I would like to find scholarly articles written by university professors that are well respected. I will work to find these fields and voices, by thoroughly searching through the results that come up on the SU library and through Google Search. Once I find a relevant course for my needs, I won’t just stop there. I will continue to find and collect new sources on top of that, that are relevant, so I can make sure I have all the research I need.
Discussion prompts, Benjamin Fisch
1.) “Providing a more concrete understanding of what a perceived stereotype threat could be allows the intended audience to reflect and comprehend these said threats whether the individual reading experiences them or not.” This quote from a classmates expanding the canon post really caught my attention. Its interesting to me, because it proves that individuals who haven’t experienced any type of discrimination, can still learn about that type of discrimination. This is important, because if more people are educated on a type of discrimination, the more people will take action, and try to do something about it.
“If a single company sponsors or promotes one specific kind of religion, this is questionable.” I really like this quote from a classmate’s expanding the cannon post, because it made me aware of a new type of discrimination that is being seen in the work place. This type of discrimination is religious discrimination. The author of this quote explores ways in which a religion, like christianity, could become the typical religion of a work place. If this is so, it creates a hierarchy of religions in the work place. If Christians were at the type of this pyramid structure, lets say that Jews are in the middle, and muslims and hindus are at the bottom. The religions below the popular and typical religion in the work place, may face discrimination for not being the typical religion.
The following Ted Talk video really stood out to me. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7365IO9l-tw
The speaker identified an example of a law suit between a muslim women and Abercrombie and Fitch. In this example, the women had been denied a position at the clothing shop, because of something as simple as her head scarf. This is outrageous and a clear example of discrimination in the work place, especially religious discrimination within the work place.
3.) The following is the closing line of a paragraph written by Bogost. “That makes diversity a necessary but insufficient solution to social equity in computing systems.” The following is the beginning of the next paragraph. “For years, companies and educators in the tech sector have framed diversity as a “pipeline” problem.” The transition seen in this example by Bogost is smooth. A reason why this is a great transition, is because Bogost ends the paragraph expressing how diversity in the tech industry is a problem. Then, the next paragraph is related to the end of the prior paragraph, because Bogost writes a sentence that will lead into explaining a potential solution for this issue. So, Bogost ends one paragraph by identifying the issue of diversity in the tech industry, and starts the next paragraph by offering a solution for the problem. This makes for a smooth and effective transition.
Bogost assignment, Benjamin Fisch
1.) “I’m looking at the screen,” she says of the image that appeared from her scan, “and my cast, head, and breasts were big blocks of yellow.” This quote is an example of Bogost using rhetorical language to catch the reader’s attention and make them aware of what he is trying to communicate. He does this by using carefully put together, descriptive language to give the reader a real image of what he is trying to say.
2.) “She’s had other problems with the machines, too, including that her mop of thick, curly hair sometimes confuses them. (My colleague Hannah Giorgis, who also has a lot of curly hair, confirms that she, too, suffers a cranial pat-down every time she goes to the airport.)” Here is another example of Bogost using rhetorical language.
3.) “That idea echoes a popular suggestion to remedy computers’ ignorance of different sorts of people: Increase the diversity of representation among the people who make these systems, and they will serve the population better.”
4.) “But their impact might be a drop in the bucket, given the size and composition of the tech industry.”
5.) “But there’s a risk of tokenization; inviting a black man or a curly-haired woman into the room could make a difference in the design of the systems that produced Webb’s experience at airport security.”
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.