For the recommended course of action in the activity, I advised to develop organizational policies and provide diversity training to resolve the issue cross-cultural employee group differences in language and communication. Such measures offer a significant opportunity for improving cooperation, efficiency, and social accountability in an educational environment. Acceptance and understanding of diversity can enrich and benefit an organization with new ideas and innovation. However, the remaining obstacles are that not everyone values diversity and prejudices may persist. For some, it may be simply a matter of culture that places an emphasis on individualism or masculinity, while others may demonstrate open bias. Simple policy recognition or even training may have little effect on cultural transformation. This can be solved through diversity management practices often employed in business, such as placing diverse groups in a manner where interaction and cooperation are necessary, allowing individuals to engage in social protocol and discover the insights that others may offer (Dobbin & Kalev, 2016). Through this, individuals may recognize potential similarities and form connections that would eliminate cross-cultural issues.
There are several theories which emphasize this concept. The theory of value in diversity hypothesis argues that properly utilized diversity can economically benefit an organization and improve performance (Hughes, 2016). Meanwhile, Gündemir, Dovidio, Homan, and De Dreu (2016) found that when the official organizational policy was modified towards acknowledging and valuing diversity, perceptions of individuals and groups shifted towards creating an open diversity climate, while leadership recognized the contributions of minority employees. Finally, a study by Dyce and Owusu-Ansah (2016) shows that diversity education (cultural training) serves as a catalyst for increased knowledge of the concept and understanding of cultural. In turn, this leads to critical reflection and application to teaching and learning practices in their philosophy of education.
Attached is an assignment of a lesson plan attempting to teach diversity to students. Many of the similar principles applied in the lesson plan, including strategies to address difficult concepts and bias. I believe these can be implemented into diversity training for adults as well using the principles outlined above. Overall, the usefulness of reflective conversation should be noted, considering it allows to evaluate and discuss potentially difficult topics, using evidence-based methods to develop solutions for the selected issues. Key measures to enhance effectiveness can be collecting evidence in real-life settings and implementing a follow-up process to determine room for improvement.
References
Dobbin, F., & Kalev, A. (2016). Why diversity programs fail.Harvard Business Review. Web.
Dyce, C. M., & Owusu-Ansah, A. (2016). Yes, we are still talking about diversity: Diversity education as a catalyst for transformative, culturally relevant, and reflective preservice teacher practices. Journal of Transformative Education, 14(4), 327-354. Web.
Gündemir, S., Dovidio, J. F., Homan, A. C., & De Dreu, C. K. W. (2016). The impact of organizational diversity policies on minority employees’ leadership self-perceptions and goals. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 24(2), 172-188. Web.
Hughes C. (2016) Diversity intelligence. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.