The document discusses diversity in the American workforce over time and the challenges managers face in leading diverse teams. It notes that the workforce has become more diverse in terms of gender, race, ethnicity, age, experience, nationality, location, and thinking styles. Managing such diverse teams requires understanding how to develop and leverage these differences to improve performance. Challenges include motivating individuals with differing priorities and developing a sense of unity. The document asks readers to consider their own experiences with diversity and how it impacts teams.

1. For the last half-century, the workforce in the United States has
been undergoing tremendous demographic changes. For
example, in 2009 women accounted for almost 48% of American
workforce, compared to 37% in 1970 (Barsh & Yee, 2011).
Additionally, workers under the age of 44, and those most likely
to be in school, college, or professional training, are more
ethnically and racially diverse than ever before (Policy Alert,
2005). This is only diversity of gender, race, and ethnicity;
consider how managers today must also lead increasingly
diverse teams in terms of age, experience, nationality,
geographic location, and even diversity of thinking styles.
Contemporary businesses draw employees from a more diverse
pool of talent than ever before. To be successful, top managers
must understand how to develop and lead diverse teams.
Managing a group composed of individuals with unique
cultures, backgrounds, personalities, and abilities can be a
daunting task. As a manager, it is your responsibility to ensure
that team and group interactions are successful. As you review
the Learning Resources this week to prepare for your
Discussion posting, think about how you define diversity and
diversity affects teams. Pay particular attention to the media
resource, “Will Differences Doom the Team,” which presents
some of the challenges managers face when leading a diverse
team, and consider the key competencies managers must possess
to effectively manage a diverse team. As you prepare for your
post, consider what diversity means for you and how the
diversity you have encountered in your professional experience
have impacted how the team functions.
With these thoughts in mind:
Part 1 (At Least 350 words or more answer questions below)
Post your response that includes the following:
· Explain the types of diversity you have encountered in your
professional experience and the challenges that each type of
diversity posed to a team’s performance. Include in your

2. explanation how a manager can leverage a team’s diversity to
improve its performance.
· Explain the challenges posed by managing, and working
within, a diverse team. In your explanation, include how
managers should motivate individuals within a diverse team
environment who are likely to have differing, and at times,
clashing priorities.
Part 2
Read a selection of your colleagues’ posts.
Respond to two or more of your colleagues’ postings in one or
more of the following ways: (WITH AT LEAST 250 WORDS
FOR EACH COLLEAGUE RESPONSE)
· Expand on your colleague’s post by providing your
experiences and observations, thereby providing additional
context for how diversity can impact team performance.
· Provide additional or alternative insights to a colleague’s post
as to how managers are able to lead teams with diverse
composition.
· Expand on a colleague’s post by discussing he types of
measures that managers can employ to promote diversity and
develop individuals within a diverse work environment.
1st Colleague post to respond to:
According to the
website, https://globaldiversitypractice.com/what-is-diversity-
inclusion/, it states that "diversity is any dimension that can be
used to differentiate groups and people from one another."
There are many types of diversities one can encounter in the
workplace. As an employee, there are three types of diversities
that I have faced in the workplace they would be age, gender,
and spiritual beliefs.
First, when entering the workplace I entered has one of the
youngest members and believe it or not I was surrounded by
persons that were twice my age so this made the
situation diffciult I became very intimidated. These women
already knew that they had more experience than I so it made

3. some of them treat me like I was not eligible for the job. For
example, when I first arrived at the workplace my supervisor
allowed me to have an opportunity to conduct an assembly that
consisted of my entire class and parents were also invited.
There were two teachers that were in the educational system
years before me, that laughed and scorned my practice before
the assembly instead of given me tips. However, they were so
used to the usual format that when my students performed the
final day they blew the minds of the audience. How you may
ask? Well, I was able to introduce new ideas and I was able to
create an entire song for them to perform.
Secondly, another diversity that took place in the workplace
was gender. When we look at gender this simply means an equal
representation of men and women in the workplace. It was noted
by working in the environment with a few male teachers that
they were more respected. The attire became very
obvious because their attire was very casual and on the other
hand the females had to dress more professionally. This made
the female's counterparts disgruntle. They felt unfairly treated.
Thirdly, another diversity that was faced in the workplace is
spiritual beliefs. This is seen when a person is treated
differently according to their religious beliefs. Working in the
business establishment that I worked at the supervisor was of a
different religion, this religion does not celebrate certain
holidays so because of this the supervisor would not let the
workers throw certain events for the students and the teachers
with her being amongst the groups. This made the workers feel
that the school was not unified, there was a lack of togetherness
because the group was not always together., and in any
organization, there should be some form of staff togetherness
where we can all talk and get to know each other.
When looking at all these things a leader can leverage a team's
diversity to improve its performance by being proactive. Be
proactive when seeking out new and diverse opinions. Set a
clear inclusive vision, this includes identifying the
organizational purpose, values, and goals. Also, remember to

4. consider the whole person. This simply involves others even if
this is something they may not want to do, everyone should be
able to make their own choices.
There are also many challenges posed by managing and
working within a diverse team the two I will look at are the
differences in communication / respecting and accepting the
differences of others. These two challenges were chosen
because they affect the workplace on a daily base. When we
look at the language English is spoken all around the world but
the increase in a different language is increasing all around the
world. When it is not understood it can become a barrier in the
workplace and it can affect one's partnership with others.
Copdei (2019) notes "Language provides a means for
communication among and between individuals and groups.
Language serves as a vehicle for expressing thoughts and
feelings. And when it comes to diversity, language can be a
bridge for building relationships or a tool for creating and
maintaining divisions across differences. " Also when we look
at accepting the differences of others part of this may stem from
a lack of understanding or respect. Examples of this can include
refusal by an employer or manager to allow an employee to
observe their faith by taking time off for any holidays that may
be related to their faith.
Finally, as a manager, we must keep in mind when our
employees are motivated this will help in the productivity of a
company. One must always paint the bigger picture this simply
means to remind your employees that there is one goal for the
company and always remember to try to achieve this goal
because this helps in showing how vital they are to the
company. Also create a strong environment, where members can
address their concerns but at the end of the day still respect
each other.
References

5. Copdei. (2019, June 10). The Language of Diversity. Retrieved
October 8, 2019, from https://copdei.extension.org/2019/06/the-
language-of-diversity/.
What is Diversity & Inclusion? (2018, December 3). Retrieved
October 8, 2019, from https://globaldiversitypractice.com/what-
is-diversity-inclusion/.
2nd Colleague post to respond to:
Diversity comes in many forms. The few I highlight here are
related to cultural and religious bias.
Working in a Japanese company in NJ, everyone was mindful of
how communication was conducted. It was a formal
environment and communication was handled accordingly. I was
hired to lead a team and create new processes for learning,
training, and engagement. I developed a newsletter in which I
shared information about my team, the latest scientific literature
relative to what the company was developing, and highlights of
what our team did, applying a more casual style of
correspondence. I learned however, that given the culture, there
was high resistance to adopting new ideas, despite what I was
directed at the onset of the hire. Although I received accolades
from the team and others, as the newsletter did serve the
purpose of bringing people together, I was told pointedly by
upper management to stop, and that the company culture was
that even if management said ‘yes’, they meant ‘no’.
My manager could have been more helpful but wasn’t. He
advised me not to continue to create and distribute informative
newsletters. This manager didn’t offer suggestions as to what
concepts could be used in order to highlight the new team. The
company had intensive onboarding training and could have used
this as an opportunity to discuss cultural diversity and show
examples as to how the company preferred to communicate.
This event demotivated me as I found all innovative ideas I
created were quashed.
Another example was when I worked in a company that had a
wide range of employees, both young and old. The

6. overwhelming majority of the company was white. The company
held frequent happy hours which were good to facilitate social
mixing. Young and older employees used this as an opportunity
to meet. There weren’t necessarily conflicts in this environment
during the time I was there, however I did experience religious
bias. Invariably, all food that was brought in for working
meetings or celebrations contained meat (pork), which I did not
eat. As the only Jewish person I was intimidated to call
attention to myself and find out (from whomever ordered food)
how to modify the menu. I did not say anything to my manager,
whom I am sure would have suggested vegetarian options had
he known. Several months later at a holiday event, one very
high company leader made a derogatory remark about my
religion which was shocking. I called him out on it as did
another individual.
“This verbal microinsult sends several negative messages such
as you should avoid being yourself in public, being a spiritual
person in public is inappropriate, and only secular forms of
expression are acceptable in public forums” (Hodge, 2019, p.
11).
Managers could have enhanced the cultural diversity of these
events by having the Happy Hour at different ethnic restaurants.
In this way they would have learned about dietary restrictions
of different people and further learned more about the
individuals in a social environment that would have enhanced
curiosity without making people uncomfortable.
Microagressions are aimed at groups, whether cultural,
religions, biased to women, health, or races Hodge, 2019). This
quote, “not all spiritual microaggressions are cloaked in
ambiguity” (Hodge, 2019, p.7) showed how there was no
ambiguity in this upper managers’ comment, even if the person
who said it promised he, “meant nothing by it”. Nevertheless, I
felt extremely uncomfortable and it tarnished our relationship
thereafter.
Hodge, D.R. (2019): Spiritual microaggressions: Understanding

7. the subtle messages that foster religious discrimination, Journal
of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social Work, DOI:
10.1080/15313204.2018.1555501