MGMT 301 Chapter 5, Managing Diversity Discussion

In recent months, we have heard a great deal about America's continuing failures to understand and embrace diversity, but this chapter shows that corporate organizations have worked hard to make progress in this realm, as they have moved from merely "complying with the law in the 1960's" toward recognizing the imperative for "diversity and inclusion for business success" in the 21^st century (Robbins and Coulter, 145).

That certainly does not mean all businesses are doing everything right, by any means, but it does mean that more and more businesses understand that promoting Diversity produces crucial business benefits for their people, for the organization itself and for achieving strategic goals. They also learned that failing to promote diversity can be very costly to organizational performance and their financial bottom line.

The Chapter identified seven distinct types of diversity. Can you recall each of them?

• What are the major trends regarding the changing population of the United States?
• What is the difference between Race and Ethnicity?

The Chapter goes on to explain the challenges in managing diversity and shows how deep rooted peoples feeling can be about those who are not similar to themselves.

• Distinguish between Bias and Prejudice?
• How can Stereotyping lead to Prejudice?

Many of you have worked at part time or full time jobs to help pay for school and may have even completed Diversity Training Programs as a requirement at work.

• Based on any of your work experiences, do you feel your organization is succeeding in fostering diversity? Why or why not?
• Briefly describe a significant experience that helped you better understand the meaning or importance of diversity.

Please feel free to introduce information from outside sources but remember to cite the source. Also, remember to apply course conceptsin your post