Every Child Matters is a charitable organization that started by a group of grandmothers who wanted to help children who slip through the cracks in social service programs. The board has raised millions of dollars supporting a variety of initiatives, including university scholarships for impoverished children who earn good grades in high school, special mobile clinics that provide free medical and dental checkups, and houses for single parents and children who have been the victims of abuse. After twenty-five years of work, many of the original organizers have left or will soon be leaving the governing board. As current board members and co-chairs of the nominating committee, Betsy and Robby have been asked to review the charitys major donors and recommend replacements. Betsy and Robby are proud of the charity and its achievements, and they enjoy working with a dedicated group of board members. However, the original officers and board members were all white males. Because the children served by the charity are much more divers, Betsy and Robby have been asked to seek greater diversity among potential board members. The co-chairs have been diligent in their research. They have read that diverse groups are often more effective than homogenous groups, but homogenous group members may get along better because they are more comfortable with people who are similar. Most of the Every Child Matters donors are also white, because board members sought donations from friends and people they knew well. After coming up with only a few names in their search for new board members, Betsy and Robby make a list of several non-white people they know. Betsy recommends a Southeast Asian man who works for the agency that provides volunteer healthcare providers for the mobile clinic. Robby knows a Latino woman and an African American man at his law firm who might be willing to join. Betsy strongly recommends nominating more women. Robby counters that they already have a few women on the board and should be looking for members from different racial and ethnic groups, regardless of gender. The co-chairs soon realize that in addition to focusing on diversity, they must consider whether candidates can assume needed roles on the board and whether they have the potential to contribute innovative ideas, valuable insights, and relevant expertise. Equally important, Betsy and Robby need to think about how the long-serving, older white board members will get along with the newcomers. 1. How can group member diversity help or hinder the Every Child Matters organizations ability to achieve its goals? 2. Listen to the podcast provided in your Moodle shell. Compare and contrast ideas presented in the Hidden Brain podcast with the theories presented in your textbook Joining Together. What strategy(ies) would you recommend for this group going forward based on Joining Together and Hidden Brain? 3. Betsy and Robby have predominantly focused on race and ethnicity in looking for new board members. What else do they need to consider? What other attributes are also important and merit consideration? Explain your answer. 4. What strategies should Betsy and Robby use to recruit qualified diverse members to the governing board more effectively? Explain your answer. 5. How do you think the predominantly white male governing board will respond if Betsy and Robby recommend a list of board members with no white males? What do you think could be a source of potential conflict and how could this conflict be managed effectively? Explain your answer.