The Executive Director (ED) of a North Philadelphia non-profit organization has been in place for the last 16 years. Many changes have occurred during this time. For example:  more people come to work expecting to leave right at 5:00 PM;  there are two parents out on paternity leave for 6 months;  there is at least one person working on a hybrid flex schedule;  three employees started a Bible study group that meets over lunch once a month in the break room and some people are offended by this;  more and more clients, community members, and staff are arriving from a variety of nations;  And, let's not forget these other organizational issues: o the bi-weekly and monthly staff are still experiencing occasional friction over scheduling o staff, as well as clients, are responding to the changes in diversity in many ways, not all positively o some people are excited about the expanding diversity in the organization, while others appear apprehensive and seem to feel concerned about the degree of miscommunication o ED sees the importance of enhancing cultural sensitivity and humility of the people in the organization and those accessing services and also feels that together they need to create a more sensitive and respectful environment among the staff as well as the clients. ED presents the idea at the manager meeting to create an anti-racism, diversity, equity and inclusion working group. As staff of the organization, you all have decided to organize the task group with the following three goals in mind:

1. To integrate anti-racism, diversity, equity and inclusion concerns into workplace practices & to provide leadership for changing the work culture. 2. To sustain and support work culture changes that are consistent with evolving business goals. 3. To maximize organizational opportunities for motivating and rewarding employees and managers to think about anti-racism, diversity, equity and inclusion in the work environment.

Reflection prompts: 

1. Identify a minimum of three cultural considerations associated with this case? 

2.  How would you go about developing cultural sensitivity in working with this task group? 

3. Describe how you would address any issues that may arise due to the cultural differences within the group.  

4. What type of leadership is needed to meet the stated goals of this task group? 

5. What leadership skills would be the most useful for this task group's goals?  

6. What are the possible benefits and harm of having a co-leader for the task group? 

7. As the leader, how would you ensure that power is shared in the group? What specifically would you do in terms of activities, norms, etc

 

Answer rating: 100% (QA)

1 Cultural Considerations Diversity The increasing diversity among clients community members and staff may lead to varying perspectives communication styles and cultural norms within the organization ... View the full answer