- In her article ” The Impact of Organizational Policies on Minority Employees” Gundemir has concluded that multiculturalism and value-in individual differences policies are preferred red by minorities because they make them feel safe in their environment as well as motivate them to do their best work. This conclusion seems valid when taking into account that in the studies conducted, minority groups were more likely to strive for leadership positions when they felt included and valued in their organizations, which also increases the overall productivity of the organization as a whole.
I included Gundemir’s conclusion as the they say and then for my I say I supported the “they say” since I agree with Gundemir’s findings. I’m not sure if I did this correctly since I didn’t see any templates for supporting the “they say” in the chapter. I think the framing is fairly simple to follow but I’m confused on how it would be formatted if we are supporting the they say claim.
- After reading the articles by Gundemir et al and Austin and Pisano I am left with a deeper understanding of the importance of diversity and inclusion when it comes to the workplace. I’ve noticed that really intrigues me is in this weeks articles as well as last weeks articles there was a very prominent connection between diversity and the overall improvement of organizations. The article by Austin and Pisano was very enlightening to me. Something that stood out to me was that companies and organizations have been trying to be more inclusive to people with autism but then it was mentioned that there these accommodations haven’t been adapted to include people with other neurological abilities. I think that although these organizations are trying to take things one at a time, it is also important that they at least begin including people with other neurological abilities as well even if it is on a small scale. In the Gundemir studies both times the minority groups favored the multiculturalism and value-in individual differences policies because they made them feel more included and valued in the organization. This connects to the Austin and Pisano article because in both articles I have seen that when accommodations are put in place to guarantee the inclusion of everyone, then the organization will overall be more successful as well as motivate the individuals to do their best. Also I find it very important that both articles mentioned that diversity also means that you will have multiple ways to reach a goal since people will have different ideas based off of their own experiences.
I can think of a few ways that I am able to connect my experience to the bigger idea of diversity and inclusion presented in these articles. Prior to coming to SU’s campus, I was nervous because I didn’t know anyone and I also didn’t really understand how college worked because I am a first gen student. I was afraid that I would feel left out, however once I got on campus I soon realized that the school does a lot to make sure that each student feels included. I would always get emails about zoom events for the first generation students which allowed me to find a community I related to and have people I could go to if I ever had any questions. This did in a way motivate me because I realized that it was possible for me to survive in this new and challenging atmosphere. I honestly believe that if I did not have these people around me trying to help me, my first year wouldn’t have gone as smoothly as it did.
Highlight of my week
On Monday I had a picnic at Roosevelt Island with my sister and cousin. We also went and got ice cream from Surreal Creamery afterwards. Sadly I didn’t take any pictures but I had a really fun time.
Hi Oumou!
I also was left with a deeper understanding of diversity in the workplace! Before reading the article, neurodiversity did not even cross my mind as an important form of diversity (and I really knew nothing about it). I found the article very interesting and I learned a lot. I think that individuals who are neurodiverse can be easily forgotten and underestimated – This article can spread awareness about the unique perspective and abilities from people who are neurodiverse.
I also am so happy to hear about your positive experience as a first generation student :). I think SU does a great job connecting people with similar backgrounds, interests, and talents.
Thank you! I completely agree as well SU is a great place to be 🙂
Hi Oumou,
I like the way you approached the “they say” assignment. You do a great job summarizing the argument and conclusions of the Gundemir et al article. It flows and is easy to read and has enough details to make me interested in reading more of what you have to say. I agree that the templates in the book will be useful. I wish I knew about this book years ago.
As I read about your first-gen experience at SU and thought about the two articles, it occurred to me that the strategies (mission statements) that Gundemir et al tested were passive while the Austin and Pisano strategies were active and involved people. At SU, real people worked to help you feel welcome and succeed. I think that makes all the difference. In the end, I think people have to help people, not policies.
Your picnic sounds fun. It’s great that things are getting back to normal.
Thank you for your feedback! I definitely agree that it makes a difference when you are being helped by others rather than by policies. It feels more personal and you feel more seen.
YES! You’ve both hit on something important here–that policies only go so far. It’s actual humans who make the difference in people’s experience of a particular organization or workplace. Policies can *help* give people tools to work with, certainly, but they don’t get the job done alone. It’s people who craft policies, apply them, change them, and use them as a force for good.
Picnics at the park–such a nice kind of normal 🙂
It’s interesting to hear about your experiences here as a first-gen college student, Oumou. SU has, I think, put much more effort into supporting first-gen students over the last handful of years, and that speaks to just how important policy can be. We need people to actually get the job done, but when we prioritize a consideration by writing it into policy, they can do good things.