Increased Diversity, Case Study Example

The diversity issues represented in the case study are related to the organization, equal opportunities, and racial bias. One of the issues the organization faces is that the Board would possibly not support the promotion of Mikayla. First of all; they have already expressed their concerns about her being “too ethnically diverse”, and secondly, they found other excuses for her person; such as being pushy and extrovert. The main question is: would they see these traits as negative if she was a white male? Finally, the extended diversity plan of the company is not supported. This means that the promotion of diversity and equality policies is not even throughout the organization. Ralph’s plan to implement the corporate diversity plan is not widely supported across different departments.

Diversity within an organization is embracing talent from every racial and other minority background in order to improve performance and create a culture that results in better communication with customers. Representation of minorities, and providing them with equal opportunities creates an inclusive environment. It also increases results of discussions, innovation, and general discussions. There are several economic benefits of diversity: targeting a diverse market better, reducing turnover, and product development success.

Ralph should emphasize the value Mikayla. Could provide the organization as a whole in terms of productivity, profitability, and effectiveness. He should share the results of her formal evaluation with the board members. He should speak to the Corporate Leadership Team about their reservations regarding Mikayla’s appointment. He should handle all objections by proving the positive impact of the appointment on corporate culture and the organization’s reputation.

Ralph should be listening to the reasoning of the team members. He should target bias individually. Further, it is recommended that he provides solid data and statistical records that prove that female leaders and those from ethnic minorities can be just as effective leaders as white men. He should take in negative comments in order to start a discussion and turn them into opportunities. It is important that he shares his insight about the future of the organization, common values and goals with members and demonstrates that Mikayla is the most suitable candidate to support the team in the process.

Roosevelt was a leader who focused on long term strategy instead of short term returns. His presence in the leadership team has resulted in increased diversity of the organization, better relationship with the public and patients. While the financial benefits of the program are not clearly measurable in this case, and several executive team members argued that it is “not worth it”, it was partly responsible for the success of the organization.

Ralph wanted to turn problems into opportunities, and thought that Roosevelt had the relevant experience, skills, and practical knowledge to increase diversity, while increasing the organization’s competitive advantages. There was a legal issue within the organization that was related to discrimination of minority patients, and Ralph wanted to ensure that the board does not have to face similar problems again. He wanted to introduced culturally competent care within all departments of Bridgestone Health System.

It is equally important to have high performers within the corporate leadership team and the corporate diversity department. However, as the strategic planning and execution is done by the corporate diversity department, it is crucial that the executives do not only understand the organizational goals, but also are able to work towards a project target, negotiate with the executive team, and prepare analyses of projected development.

Increasing diversity will positively impact team performance, as diverse teams have different views, aspects, ideas, and this supports innovation. Further, diversity in different departments will provide better representation of culturally diverse social groups and patients. Increased diversity will also create culturally relevant work methods, treatment approaches, and increase the reputation of the organization.

Mikayla needs to develop collaboration skills, as well as negotiation capabilities. She needs to create integrity within her own department, as well as the organization itself. She also needs to become open-minded, and learn to listen to others within or outside of her department. Finally. Mikayla will need to become proactive in her management, instead of taking the reactive approach. She needs to reach out to executive board members to discuss potential conflicts of interest, before they would escalate.

The current workforce is somewhat diverse, however, not equally across the whole organization. Minority groups are most represented in the allied health profession, and under-represented among physicians and admin staff. In the executive team, the representation of females is more significant than the representation of minority groups. Being different seems to be still a negative aspect of one’s leadership trait, providing equal opportunities for women is more important than becoming inclusive and open to different cultures.

The composition of the Board of Directors impacts the decision-making approaches of Ralph.

The opinions of Reba Holloway and Dan Fausty are important for Ralph. However, these members of the board have a different view on equal opportunities in the leadership. Indeed. Reb considers gender balance more important than racial balance. Further, he will need to avoid looking “too diverse righteous”. He needs to ensure that executive members are able to work well with the newly appointed CDO.