Tag: weekof6/21

Discussion Questions wk 6/21

  1. For my assignment I’ve been looking for all types of materials that I can find, I haven’t limited it to just one type (at least not yet). I’ve found 1 experiment, and 2 articles that discuss the topic like Austin and Pissano did. As of right now I’m leaning more towards my topic being Neurodiversity just because I’d like to learn a lot more about it because I wasn’t aware of this term before this course. I also think that it’s very important to realize that neurologically diverse people are just as capable as everyone else. I think it would be very beneficial if I can come across an article that was written in the point of view of someone who is neurologically diverse as well as their coworkers just so we can see a first hand account of how it is in the workplace. So far I’ve used google scholar and i’ve been watching a few youtube videos to find information.
  2. In discussions of challenges that may arise when hiring neurodiverse employees, Austin and Pissano state that many people they have interviewed believe that there should be an emphasis on on the need to be sensitive to their stress. Similarly, Kaplan and Donovan contribute that it is very important to take time to find positive solutions because “a mismanaged event may not lead to a bigger crisis but rather to an unintended impact.

I think I did better on this They say /I say than the first time. I chose to use two they says so that I could connect both articles. Although Austin and Pissano is about Neurodiversity, I think the quote that I chose from the Intent and impact section of Kaplan and Donovan definitely applies the same because if the situation is not handled correctly it can make matters worse.

K&D summary

The Kaplan and Donovan article explored several inclusion concepts as well as detailed explanations of each so that the readers can be left with a deeper understanding of the different components of inclusion. The article is written for the Dagoba group which is an organization that aims to educate leaders on ways to implement and encourage inclusion in their organizations. While reading, one part that stuck out to me was when the authors were discussing Intent and Impact and wrote “Intent Frequently does not equal impact…in order to move the company forward though, leaders intentions have to create a desired impact.” This immediately reminded me current events because Ikea, a Scandinavian furniture chain has been facing a lot of backlash for its “Juneteenth Menu” by it’s Black employees because this action was deeply offensive. This is a prime example of intent not matching impact because Ikea may have thought that it would be a nice gesture, but the impact it had was not what was intended. This article shows how much we deal with issues of inclusion on a day to day basis while also communicating the importance of taking the time to educate yourself and try to apply these concepts in order to foster a more inclusive environment.

Discussion Questions Week 3

Response to #1

The reading in this unit that stood out to me the most was the Austin and Pisano article about neurodiversity. As a result, I would like to focus on neurodiversity in the workplace. The Austin and Pisano article focused a lot on the benefits of neurodiverse individuals, along with how to get them into specific industries which could use their skillsets. However, I would like to focus on areas or industries where there is already an underrepresentation in the industry, the struggles that they have with adding neurodiverse individuals, and see if there is any room for change. In order to have the most success in finding an article which interests me, I plan on using google, as well as the SU library database using key words to narrow down my search. I plan on using the filter features on the SU database, as I believe that this will help me narrow down the results and find something that is relevant towards our class. Some of the filters I plan on using to have an article that is credible and relevant in today is to have the filter set for articles published in the past five years, as well as journal articles. After I have found an article that meets these criteria, I plan on googling the author to make sure that they are respected individuals within that field. The experts I believe that would be relevant would be people in academia, or people in the corporate world who have experience dealing with neurodiverse individuals. So far, I have had success using these techniques to find articles which would be relevant and interesting to research more on.

Response to #2

In their article, Austin and Pisano highlight the fact that people with neurodiverse conditions are not taken full advantage of due to conventional recruitment tactics. In addition, they state some of the benefits associated with neurodiverse individuals, along with ways to get them involved in the workplace. Although Austin and Pisano do not say so directly, they acknowledge that accommodations for neurodiverse individuals often involve extreme amounts of effort and change within the organization.  In their recent work, Kaplan and Donovan have found that having good intentions does not always mean that there will be a positive impact. Kaplan and Donovan argue that to have a positive impact on diverse individuals there must be constant changes taking place in the organization in order to accommodate and help diverse individuals grow.  This is similar to Austin and Pisano as they both illustrate that in order to accommodate diverse individuals,  many things have to change in the workplace. Along with this, both articles stated the fact that it is often difficult for people who do not have the same background as diverse individuals to help them grow, as they do not understand where they are coming from, or their personal needs.

Discussion Questions Week 3

1.

I would like to look more into diversity among neurological disorders and different occasions and people who participate and are affected by it. As someone who has ADD and has needed a little extra help in school to do the best possible work that I can, I find the topic as a whole very interesting. I understand that that is not as extreme as what Austin and Pisano discussed in their article, but I am able to relate to somewhat of what they were saying. I also think that this is a kind of diversity that is overlooked and there needs to be a larger focus on it. I think that the experts to talk about this would be people who study neurological disorders and people who work on recruiting and hiring people to work for a company. They can both discuss the different sides to the hiring process and working with the company that will provide helpful and important information.

2.

While Kaplan and Donovan ague that while people may have the right intentions when it comes to diversity and/or inclusion, it is not more or less important than following through and allowing actions to match up with ideas. Austin and Pisano agree that diversity and inclusion need to take place but are less focused on the intentions and more focused on the outcome.

I had a hard time coming up with a statement because both articles discuss similar ideas that I agree with. That being said it was not easy to come up with a way that they “disagreed” or had “contradicting” ideas. However, after thinking about both articles and looking them back over I noticed that the idea of intentions behind the actions differed just a little bit. While I definitely think that like Kaplan and Donovan discussed that the intensions are important, I do think that in the end at least we are getting somewhere and are treating people like they should be treated, as equals.

Kaplan and Donovan Summary

In the article Kaplan and Donovan cover very important and sometimes overseen issues that take place in a workspace. They do so by explaining the typical day of “Kim” who is a woman who works with a handful of different people. They walk through her day and then talk about what actions of hers needs attention because they are things that affect co-workers in ways Kim might not have seen.

They discuss impact vs. intension which is the overreaching theme of Kims actions. While her intension of her words and actions might be positive and most likely are, some people will see it differently and possibly feel offended. They also discuss ways that companies may tell their workers that they are different without saying the words and how that needs to stop being over looked. Between unconscious bias, insider-outsider dynamics and levels as systems are concepts that make some workers feel inferior to their co-workers.

The authors point is that diversity and inclusion is important and these concepts that companies use are doing the opposite of inclusion. These are things that need to be looked over and figured out how they can be eliminated all together so that everyone in the workplace feels comfortable and equal.

Kaplan And Donovan Summary

To some, unpacking the nuances of how to implement Diversity and Inclusion in everyday workplace interactions may seem like a daunting task. In the article The Inclusion Dividend: Why Investing in Diversity & Inclusion Pays Off by Mark Kaplan and Mason Donovan, we find a helpful and insightful exploration of four inclusion concepts and examples of how to apply them at work. The authors’ analysis includes discussion on intent and impact, unconscious bias, insider-outsider dynamics and levels of systems.

Kaplan and Donovan employ a clever technique to immediately engage readers. They tell a relatable story about female executive, Kim’s day at work. Throughout the piece, the authors point to her interactions with co-workers as “case studies” on how not to manage common workplace scenarios vis-a-vis the lens of inclusion. The authors provide a thoughtful, yet no-nonsense approach in breaking down the actions that led to the executive’s missteps, as well as what alternative measures, through implementation of the four concepts, would have been better.

Those that are new to D & I often focus on the benefits of diversity in an organization but not how important the role inclusion plays. The Inclusion Dividend: Why Investing in Diversity & Inclusion Pays Off reminds us that how we manage the impact of our biases is a vital skill that must be learned and developed.

Kaplan & Donovan Summary

In the article, Kaplan and Donovan claim that it is difficult for managers to embrace differences in the workplace due to unconscious bias’, insider-outsider group dynamics, and the idea of different levels in systems. They also suggest that good intentions are often not matched with a positive impact. For example, the article speaks about, Kim, a manager, going into a separate cafeteria only available to a small population. Although the intent is to create a quite space for upper management, it comes off as elitist because of separation from the rest of the employee population.

The authors also illustrate that by giving uniform performance reports, Kim is damaging the opportunity for organizational growth. The article speaks that it is difficult to review others who are different from us, as people are often unaware of the other person’s needs. As a result, the author states that daily actions as well as reflecting on our own biases are essential to foster diversity and inclusion.

After reading the article, I support the idea that changing daily processes are essential in promoting diversity and inclusion. Continuous development and growth are required and can only be done by matching intent with impact within the organization.

A call to action: Preparing a disability-competent health care workforce Summary

Bowen et al.’s scholarly article comes from the Disability and Health Journal and explains the insufficient approaches to people with disabilities in the health care workforce and biased opinions based on the quality or function of their life given by employees. The authors introduce the notion of implementing disability training for healthcare providers while also addressing real organizations and their effort. Two initiatives are proposed in the article: The Disability Competencies and the DCC (Disability Competent Care) model. Both approaches would demonstrate high-quality health care by being more personable and allowing for more access to care, improving responsiveness, and enabling support. The authors use these two initiatives to provide a foundation for a future disability-competent health care workforce. The Disability Competencies consists of objectives that hone in on specific skills and behaviors that would provide quality health care to those with disabilities. At the same time, the DCC model would demonstrate structure to give disability competence training to the health care workforce. The authors stress the urge for systematic change in interprofessional health education and are confident that these initiatives would establish a place to start. Although both initiatives have slightly different objectives, both, when implemented, would improve the health care for people with disabilities by educating the health care workforce. 

https://pdf.sciencedirectassets.com/276914/1-s2.0-S1936657420X00045/1-s2.0-S1936657420300662/main.pdf?X-Amz-Security-Token=IQoJb3JpZ2luX2VjEPr%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2FwEaCXVzLWVhc3QtMSJGMEQCIBXaIpO7jqAKgQm0XLU07QEuw5Sj2YHZ1GfmhhGcCThkAiA0BeWpN%2BQlJ87BbTX0Ph8WXdOoouX8UqkNjdysMK7gfCqDBAjD%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F8BEAQaDDA1OTAwMzU0Njg2NSIMd4c7kLFhFunuWDPNKtcDN8KNEtwD7UN66i%2BRqZYAxRFon8s5Dt1Yh3MoNifN15nwBrKmGdwrEvRrY%2BqQoQ6nvsML3foKr1iVf0x8nMoEYQWiCIyFtXbvSFlHaUMU8veSfkugv2m9y%2Bw7KwNY0r1o4cNW5FMjFcGnt9IZEWDlNALBnuKNH%2FNKewJxm%2BejwxpxKRjkK%2FOciz5910LpbbrrpzImNjQXOvHtfLqUkuhM9SuPmV6dwNaeX9a9qpo7zE3Mp4UVhT4RsnKkOPC9n4tc8Z0o7A%2BXCEnUY5G8Ni8K44b81W7FfIXpdAIwqvJRinAAjVku5X%2Fp4PlxfKvGILcFfvKeMKy2l%2BMaANfGjXyGCK6ccXuTMjtpUU37UJnsl2YE4kMoSkF%2BnZyniUcAEf8zMgTK3KaxhWtgehVHmEXTNNpGGS0aEFmPIrrpQ3oWXOKDlaOl5HOuEpNk9VbHgPQVjacm1c8Y2f9TDihx9Nx21VXWT5Yg597lXqJSnyVGaSCWRAvlI3mNI1sGt9tl%2BWtyNf3uFSXwKXV%2B06heWj%2B7gUgnUjt9q0HWFvEBRCD7oAdQwEoLQV6zVAZI8CeoqKXB23P5J9SdNiVl85RW7VEe8pBI3n4zUUWnau0D9vTTkiZxSL%2BL8p8lMMiXw4YGOqYB6EUaCbrgRiWhH9ayqimuMbZXP1H4kmDexweco1I3PdDY5Xy%2BLpJwCP2I2u37sZm09XlHlBbE%2BmxCYmsNIXGVOejJEvFkaDHAs60mPWqm229QDH5zUxNy%2F0OQ%2BC8WmPdo8QR%2BcJEDRKckr5BrZYPZpIOmDYeLQsRJjtfOlpu0MPTpZOe2Yz5WU7Su9b9Y5y54I7tsOI5nHQqgZmAqi2xDcZmLoJ8G%2Bw%3D%3D&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Date=20210621T175303Z&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Expires=300&X-Amz-Credential=ASIAQ3PHCVTY3FCKRL5P%2F20210621%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Signature=9754a652ff4f008e651ea3629b9a8868307fc3806775e23a2321415266d854cd&hash=c0143100eb9cc17513f4de3f0cd2505653d05dc7625ec7f3fe86cf04e6e355ae&host=68042c943591013ac2b2430a89b270f6af2c76d8dfd086a07176afe7c76c2c61&pii=S1936657420300662&tid=spdf-3c7b4324-aaa7-42fa-9c9f-4ebca94bbf7a&sid=dd8b593970511946284ae7256feb381afe8fgxrqa&type=client

Discussion Questions Week 3

Response to #1

When it comes to my addition of valuable texts that will expand our “canon”, I want to focus on the neglect of disability. However, as we have seen how those with disabilities have been treated in the workforce, I want to research how they are treated in the health care workforce. I began thinking about this after reading Pisano’s article about neurodiversity. In the past, neurodiversity, and disability, when introduced into a business-type setting, could have been seen as foreign to uneducated and biased people. However, I want to explore what happens when these people are introduced into a legally supposed setting to cater to them and help them. I have been googling my topic, trying to find a majority of articles, and then will want to hone in on a reoccurring theme between them. I hope that once I find this theme or idea that I want to follow up on, Summon Libraries will have an article that encompasses it well. 

Response to #2

For this week’s template exercise, I decided to use two “theys.” The articles I will be referring to are Pisano’s and Kaplan and Donovan’s. My attempt reads:

Pisano reminds us through SAP’s experience that by acquiring people in the workforce that see differently, employees won’t all look in the same direction for an answer, while Kaplan and Donovan acknowledge that while having the good intention of hiring diverse employees, the desired impact will only be tangible if there is common ground. Kaplan and Donovan do not suggest avoiding diverse employees but rather encourage the balance between intent and effect, which all happens by being aware of words and behavior.

This template was harder for me than the previous weeks’ attempt. However, it was easier for me to make my point by using two “theys” because the ideas bounce off each other, and I did not have to think too hard yet about my opinion and input. I am glad I did two theys first because now I will feel more confident about creating a “they say/i say” sentence. 

Overview of Week of 6/21

Now that we’re getting our feet under us in terms of what organizational culture is, why diversity and inclusion are part of the conversation, and how thinking about rhetorical situation can help us to engage with complex texts, it’s time for us to build on that.

As a group, we’ve all been working with the same set of texts, and that gives us a shared foundation of knowledge. What I’ve tried to assemble here is a set of texts that function as a canon–works that are essential to an understanding of the subject matter, important and influential works. But there’s so much more out there to explore, and that will be your primary work for the week–looking around to locate an additional text that you think should be part of the canon.

Canonical works are substantive–building on careful and thoughtful research. They provide new insights and ideas, and don’t simply re-present known information. They work well for their audience, so that they can contribute to the world of knowledge.

Chances are you’ll need to look at several articles to find one that does all this and that meets the particular criteria that are set forth on the

Unit 1 schedule and assignment sheetDownload

The SU libraries’ website is a good starting point. You can use the Advanced Search functions there to help filter the results so they meet some of the basic criteria to start with (i.e. adjusting the publication dates, limiting the types of publications, etc.). You’ll find a number of useful tutorials on the library site if you’re not already familiar with using it. This search tips page is a good place to start.

(A quick note on using SU libraries vs. Google Scholar–you’ve already paid for the SU services and won’t ever bump into a paywall; on Google Scholar, you often will. The library also provides free research support, which you can’t get on Google.)

So, where to begin? Here’s an overview of your tasks for the week:

Reading assignments:

  • chapters 2 and 3 of TSIS
  • chapter 1 of Rewriting by Joe Harris (PDF on Blackboard)
  • “Understanding key D&I concepts” (PDF on Blackboard)
  • your selected article (that you plan to contribute to the canon)–to write an effective summary, you will need to read this carefully and probably more than once. Be sure to consult the close reading handout and the handout on summary.

Discussion/writing assignments:

  • write a 100-200 word summary of either the Kaplan and Donovan article from this week OR the Austin and Pisano article from last week, and submit this on the blog (categorize as “Discussions/Homework”; tag with “K&D” or “A&P” as appropriate, along with “weekof6/21,” and [your name] (due Weds., 6/23) 
  • respond to 2 of this week’s discussion questions (linked below). Categorize as “Discussions/Homework”; tag with “weekof6/21,” “unit1,” and [your name]. (due Thurs., 6/24):  https://ksoakes.expressions.syr.edu/wrt205summer2021/2021/06/21/discussion-prompts-for-week-of-6-21/
  • respond to at least 2 of your classmates’ discussion posts on the blog (due Sat., 6/26) write a 200 word summary of your selected article. Include a link to or PDF of the article you’re working with, and reference the author and title of the text you are summarizing. Categorize this as “Expanding the Canon”; tag it with “summary,” “weekof6/21,” and [your name]. (due Sun., 6/27)