1

DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT AND CULTURE DYNAMICS

Diversity Management and Culture Dynamics

Ryan Allex

OGL 350: Diversity and Organizations

Dr. Emily Mertz

January 18, 2022

Prompt 1

Diversity management is defiantly a form of management that I have not had much

training or knowledge before. I come from a very rural part of the United States where

diversity is not a common thing. Everyone goes through life in a similar way. I,

unfortunately, have not had the chance to connect with many different cultures and types of

people. This creates a unique challenge for me in the way I think and perceive the world. I

am grateful for this chance to learn about people and different ways of life.

That being said, there is so much to be learning. I first want to bring up the rent-a-

minority example. (NPR, 2016) Unfortunately, I grew up in an environment where rent-a-

minority would not be a satire. This makes bringing up biases very uncomfortable. “Studies

have found that, almost universally, humans have biases against some groups and biases in

favor of other groups. These biases, even when unacknowledged or unrecognized, have

dramatic impacts on decision-making in every-thing from hiring, to giving additional help

and resources, to disciplinary actions.” (Hayes, T., Oltman, K., Kaylor, L., & Belgudri, A.,

2020) This is something that I was not aware of and you see how this could be challenging in

an organizational context. People do not like to admit that they have bias and want to refuse

that it impacts them, myself included. Because of the tendency of avoiding biases,

accountability is so important. Setting up a way for others to be able to let you know about

ways in which you my be bias.

In stating that, I can recognize that I do not have any sort of accountability when it comes to

managing my own biases. I understand that I will not be able to break down my biases on my

own. I need help in that. Something I will begin to do is ask my fellow managers about their

thoughts one biases and how they think we can be held more accountable to each other. I also did
3
DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT AND CULTURE DYNAMICS

not realize that a more diverse workplace creates a “more committed and satisfied employees

who are more likely to remain in their job and be more productive.” (Mor Burak, M. E., Lizano,

E. L., Kim, A., Duan, L., Rhee, M., Hsiao, H., & Brimhall, K. C., 2016)

This was very surprising to me as I figured it could cause more conflict between others because

of the many different view points. This now makes sense that people are able to express

themselves fully in a more diverse environment. Research also shows that “employees are likely

to exhibit positive traits such as good attendance, organizational citizenship behaviors and good

job performance.” (Chandler, J., 2017) If nothing else can entice someone, this can do it.

Creating a diverse organizational culture seems like it would be very difficult. Everyone is

different. I found it interesting that your personality can influence your commitment to

organizational diversity (Hayes, T., Oltman, K., Kaylor, L., & Belgudri, A., 2020).

With many different types of personalities in an organization, getting people on board seems

that it would be very difficult. One solution to that problem is having frequent diversity training

functions instead of a “one-off” session (Mor Burak, M. E., Lizano, E. L., Kim, A., Duan, L.,

Rhee, M., Hsiao, H., & Brimhall, K. C., 2016). This is something that my company, Starbucks,

implements. Even as a Shift Manager, I get to participate in diversity training.

My pie chart surprised me. I realized a lot of what defined me were a part of my second

dimensions. I found that what most defined me was my education and my work. That part I

knew. I realized that I don’t really think about my primary characteristics very much. This is

eye opening to me because I realize that everyone does not have the same view of themselves

as me. I found that this is important to know because I am able to understand others more

who focus more on the primary characteristics. I can take the same emphasis I put on

secondary characteristics and apply them to someone else’s prospective.

The cultural pre-test was a fun exercise to do. I was completely honest with myself and

did not score high. I ended up getting a fifty. I saw a lot of ones when I calculated the test. To

be honest, I am not very culturally aware at all. I am excited to see what I can learn but at the

moment I am very ignorant when it comes to cultural awareness. I think about my only

strength is that I am willing to learn. I’m excited and ready to learn about new cultures. I just

don’t have that much knowledge yet but I’m looking forward to gaining it.

Prompt 2

Trying to define my family as either individualistic or collectivist was a very difficult

task. I decided to look to Holfsteds Cultural Values Model. Using this model, I was able to more

clearly define my family. After lots of consideration, I finally landed on my family as a

horizontal individualist “culture” within the home. I find that my family is full of individuals that

function separate from the whole. Both of my brothers has moved away to purse their dreams ,

my mother is a very independent business woman, and my father has pursued his career in

engineering. Everyone has their own path and way of life.

We are a high power distance family. Everyone is very successful and very driven. The

status that is achieved in our family is very important. Because my mother has a more important

executive position, she tends to make the decisions around the house and we all follow. It also

shows in the way that fit in. I am a college student working an entry level job. My input is not

taken with the weight of my mothers. We are a very flexible family because we have so much

going on in our individual lives. That creates a very low uncertainty avoidance culture in out

house. It has been engrained in us, ever since we were young, that being flexible and open is

good.
5
DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT AND CULTURE DYNAMICS

While most family’s around me would have very masculine family structures, we have a

very feminine family structure. Gender roles are almost non-existent in our house. Like I said

before, my mother is the breadwinner. That’s being said, all the “motherly duties” are split up

between the two and my dad often takes on a bigger load. My parents have always showed us

that being kind and open is key in life. We would definitely be lumped in with the long-term

time orientation. We are very focused on preparing for the future and making decisions now that

will impact us positively in the future.

Work Cited

Chandler, J. (2017). The Organization and Identity. In Identity at work (pp. 53-72).  

Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.

Hayes, T., Oltman, K., Kaylor, L., & Belgudri, A. (2020). How Leaders Can Become More

Committed to Diversity Management. Consulting Psychology Journal, 72(4), 247–262.

https://doi.org/10.1037/cpb0000171

Mor Burak, M. E., Lizano, E. L., Kim, A., Duan, L., Rhee, M., Hsiao, H., & Brimhall, K. C.

(2016). The Promise of Diversity Management for Climate of Inclusion: A State-of-the-Art

Review and Meta-Analysis. Human Service Organizations: Management, Leadership &

Governance, 40(4), 305-333. doi:10.1080/23303131.2016.1138915

NPR (2016).  'Rent-A-Minority' Promises A Satirical Solution To Diversity Problems.