SLU Cultural Sensitivity Active Learning Activity

(Shameeka)

Ava is the operations manager of Pacific Pods, a manufacturer and distributor of large containers. Small businesses and individuals use these containers to store items for which they have no room in their workspace or residences. A company that owns these pods typically transports them to a person’s workplace or home, loads the pods, and then charges a storage fee. Customers who rent a pod usually can visit the site of the storage company and have access to their goods. Ava decides that if she displayed even more cultural sensitivity than she does now, employee retention and engagement might be even higher. She then embarks on an initiative to display even more cultural sensitivity.

Solution

The evaluation of appropriateness and effectiveness of Ava’s cultural sensitivity initiatives concludes unethical behaviors. Ava is socially mindful; she implies specific comments and seems overly trying to impress her others. Cultural sensitivity is extraordinary because it allows us to function effectively in other cultures. She allows one to respect and value other cultures. By understanding and knowing about diverse cultures, one can accept the differences and similarities to help build more meaningful relationships. Ava needs to learn more about cultural sensitivity and global leadership. Including training on diversity training, avoiding group characteristics when hiring for person–organization fit, and attaining diversity among organizational leaders.

Advantage

Cultural sensitivity has many benefits such as improving communication among employees of diverse cultures, creating a welcoming and safer environment in the workplace, it increases productivity by helping employee better understand one another, it introduces new perspectives that can lead to creative and innovative ideas, and it reduces misinterpretation and tension due to cultural differences

(DuBrin, 2019).

Diversity in the workplace allows for strengths and weaknesses to be spread out so that their effects are maximized and minimized, respectively. No matter what the requirements of a project might be, there is someone who can step up to lead the team toward a successful result (DuBrin, 2019).

Disadvantage

Ava has an unconscious biased approach to others which leads to unethical behaviors. Her first target the first target of Ava’s enhanced cultural sensitivity is Deon, a middle-aged supervisor who is African American. Toward the end of a conversation about recruiting more production technicians with a better understanding of math, Ava says, “I hope that you and your family have a great Kwanza this year.” Kwanzaa means a secular festival observed by many African Americans from December 26 to January 1st which can be bias /stereotyping statement.

The second person Ava approached to display more cultural sensitivity is Gloria, a parts assembler in her late sixties. Gloria is pleasantly surprised that Ava dropped by her workstation. The two engage in small talk for several minutes, and then Ava says, “Do you and your neighborhood friends play a lot of shuffleboard and bingo? My folks and their friends do.” Shrugging her shoulders, Gloria said, “I don’t care about shuffleboard and bingo; instead, I text back and forth with my four grandchildren.” Most elderly play bingo and shuffleboard which is an unethical statement of bias/stereotyping (DuBrin, 2019).

Ava approached Lindsay, an information technology specialist with many visible tattoos and several body piercings. After chatting about cloud computing for a few moments, Ava said, “Please do not ever think that your tattoos and body piercings will ever hold you back from promotions at Pacific Pods. We are an equal opportunity employer.” With a quizzical look on her face, Lindsay said, “Why is my body even a subject for discussion?” This is when Ava is going to find out that she has crossed the line with cultural sensitivity, and she had offended Lindsay. Acceptable personal appearance and behavior varies across cultures. Grooming, office attire, eating habits, and nonverbal communication may deviate significantly from the U.S. standards. Many workers around the world may perceive American workers as overfriendly, aggressive, or rude (DuBrin, 2019).

Conclusion

Training sessions in diversity cultural in valuing differences focus on the ways in which men and women, or people of different races, reflect different values, attitudes, and cultural backgrounds. A frequently mentioned concern about diversity training is that it reinforces stereotypes about groups. Participants are informed about group differences, such as cultural values, and tactics might be suggested for coping with these differences (DuBrin, 2019).

Respond to this persons discussion . No less than 100 words