I have found it important to have a set of values and beliefs about the work that espouses an inclusive view. If someone asks me my thoughts on gay marriage, my professional view is that the world is very complicated in regards to diversity and inclusion, yet at the same time diversity has always won. We can see that over the generations more and more people differences have been embraced by the larger American society. At one time Italians were considered a lowly group of people. It seems that we are a society that needs to have a group at the bottom of the barrel that must go through our initiation in order to be accepted by society. We see that today with the slow progress that is being made with accepting gays and lesbians. The same arguments about religious values were made about including women and African Americans as full participants in society, so we have not learned much. But it is clear that gays and lesbians are finally making headway towards full citizenship. Notice that my statements are about what I have learned about how American society has wrestled with diversity instead of which side of a diversity debate I am on.

Good personal work.

The result is as Devine would predict is that she decided that she must be more prejudice than she initially thought. There are those who would leave the job no matter how well it paid and even if there was fear of not getting another quickly enough, but that is not the decision this single mother moving up into middle class chose. Instead, she justified her change in views.

One of the most effective strategies that I have learned is communicating to leadership how diversity goals are in
line with the organizational goals and productively. The leadership needs to see the value in the diversity initiative and how it helps to company overall. If the leadership sees the value in cultural competency creating a more inclusive environment that increases employee morale that helps staff perform better at their job, they are more incline to get behind the diversity plan. It is also essential that clear, measurable goals are set. Once they are on-board, the steps to be successful need to be well thought out and clear. They need to understand how the plan with be supported and what resources that they need to provide. They need to know the various avenues to fulfill the diversity goals.

In order to capitalize on an organization’s strengths is to utilize the individuals in the organization who are in line with the diversity initiatives, preferably the top leaders. Once the leaders are on board, you can begin to assess how ready the organization is to change. When identifying the strengths of the organization, it will help you to set the tone for organizational change. Ask effective questions in groups and on anonymous surveys in order to gather more information to develop a powerful diversity initiative. This will help the diversity professional focus on solving problems.

The organizational inclusion model is important because it helps the diversity professional know what type of data to collect. When the diversity professional develops a strategic plan, they will start to identify key areas that need to be addressed in the organization. That allows them to collect and later analyse the data. They will know how culturally competent the organization is and where they need to grow.

(1) Failure to set specific strategic plan that are in line with the client’s goals. If the strategic plan is not clear, it will be difficult to effectively implement change in the organization.
(2) As in Lesson 5, the management is not on board with the diversity and inclusion goals so there is not lasting change. Change must come from the top down.
(3) Failed to link cultural competency to productivity. The organization needs to see the value in the diversity and inclusion goal and link with overall growth of the organization.