Promoting diversity requires some proactive research my managers in order to successfully implement diversity in the workplace. A good example in the video is that if a person practicing Muslim does not look you in the eye in an interview then you should understand that this is a sign of respect and not disrespect. Little things like this are important to watch out for because it could be easy to subconsciously slip and feel as though they are being rude. In one of the examples the company even provides specific training to employees on how to handle diversity and accept differences. A lesbian employee talks about how much of a different it made once she was able to bring her partner to different functions and become part of the team and feel as though it was truly a place where she could be herself. Understanding it is not a social or economic issue alone, that combine this means "more clients, different clients." This helps the business from all angles obviously. The most productive working environment is one that makes people feel comfortable throughout their working time spent at your company. I agree with all of these points and it is a good article to explain why diversity is so important in the workplace!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGyhCC4Dj6U
Alec
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Diversity & Organizational Culture
Why Innovation Thrives at the Mayo Clinic:
This is a great example of an organization that set the standard for creating a culture of diversity and innovation. As this article discusses, Mayo Clinic developed the approach for cross-functional teams that is now implemented by many hospitals and corporations throughout the country. Cross-functional teams have been proven to be incredibly efficient at problem solving and are known to generate a significantly greater amount of innovation. The idea behind cross-functional teams is that you get a diverse set of individuals from all across the organization, representing many different branches and departments, and put them together on one team to work together to come up with creative solutions and new ideas. This illustrates how diversifying the skill set of a taskforce will produce unique results; due to the fact that they are capitalizing on a greater collective ability to approach a situation.
I find this article especially interesting as it combines two topics we have spent a lot of time discussing in class: diversity and organizational culture. Mayo Clinic has a long history of a organizational culture that formed around the central idea of a diverse set of skilled physicians coming together to provide the best medical treatments possible. As a result, Mayo Clinic is the most premiere hospital in the Midwest, and one of the most respected hospitals in the world. This adds further credence to the concept of diversity and specialization being an effective key element to an organizational culture.
Josh Throop
Diversity with Social Networks
Companies are branching out to other countries to find out what is "trending" and what the hot items are flying off the self. Or how companies are recruiting the best employees? How are certain companies like AT&T getting a step ahead of their competitors?
Facebook, Myspace, Linkedin, and Twitter are all social networking sites that are helping companies get ahead of the competition. Websites like Facebook are helping companies like AT&T get ahead of the competition outside of the United States. The idea of a Facebook AT&T page in Spanish was brought up because of recent surveys that were released that claimed that Spanish speaking people were using mobile phones for internet purposes more often than any other ethnicity.
Most importantly companies like AT&T are using websites like Linkedin to find higher end employees. This websites allows you to post your resume and your references and makes everything clean and organized. AT&T uses this website to help find diverse employees that wouldn't have a normal chance of applying for a position. The internet helps these companies create a new culture in the work place. Artifacts which are from Chapter 15 are symbols of culture in the physical and social work environment. These new artifacts in companies like AT&T are helping them think outside of the box and try and put a new spin on some of their ideas to reach out to more customers.
These companies are reaching out to not just the millions of people in the United States but to billions of people around the world. They are using networking sites to find out what are the hot topics in other countries and were to find qualified employees that can take their companies to the next level. These companies like AT&T are trying to create a new organizational culture in the workplace. Organizational culture is defined in Chapter 15 as, refers to a system of shared assumptions, values, and beliefs that show employees what is appropriate and inappropriate behavior. These new ideas of using the company and social networking sites to help spread diversity in the workplace is slowly catching on, not just in the United States but all around the world.
Brian Gabriel
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