Archives for January 2018

 

In this day and age of social media, it is ever so clear, that companies need to be proactive when it comes to protecting the rights of employees. These factors protected by federal, state and local law include race, color, religion, national origin, age, disabilities, genetic information, etc. Companies need to develop programs that make the organization a more diverse and inclusive company. Inclusion is defined as “the process of including the various diverse perspectives and characteristics” of individuals (Penn State University, p. 6).  It would be so easy for a company to be called out on social media for hiring a male employee at a higher salary than the female employee who performs the same job duties.  In order to show that the company is inclusive and diverse, the company would have established sound policies that ensure pay equity between groups (male vs. female). Another example would be if an individual said they were fired because of their age. The damage that these statements can make to a company are substantial and this is before there is any investigation to find out if the allegations are true.

Therefore, companies need to be vigilant in ensuring that policies are established for both surface-level diversity (sex, age, national origin, disability) (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2018) as well as deep-level diversity, (religion, genetic information , etc.) (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2018). An example would be implementing a sexual harassment policy that includes education, acknowledgement, accountability, non-retaliation, and a respectful and confidential way of reporting such cases. All employees from top-down would be educated on the seriousness and consequences of such behavior.

As published on EEOC.gov’s website, “The … major area addressed by witnesses was the increased use of social media as a source of discovery in employment discrimination litigation” (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2014, para. 7). We all see the justified embarrassment and consequences of the #MeToo movement. Companies need to make sure they aren’t the next person hash tagged for being the opposite of “inclusion”, which would be “exclusion or discrimination” (Penn State University, 2018, p. 6). Don’t get hash tagged!

 

 

References

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (2018). Discrimination by type. Retrieved from https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/types/index.cfm

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (2014, Mar 12). Social media is part of today’s workplace but its use may raise employment discrimination concerns. Retrieved from https://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/newsroom/release/3-12-14.cfm

Diversity is something that was always a top priority in human resources.  When individuals are brought together from various backgrounds, it can create an environment where differing perspectives can be explored to help the company stay ahead of the competition.  Diversity is the characteristics or values possessed that made individuals different from others (PSU WC, L.3, p.2).  A big part of human resources is attracting the right people for the right jobs and then assisting them with assimilating in the company’s culture.   One article stated that is was human resource’s responsibility to ensure that the diversity was properly utilized (Noor, Khalid & Rashid, 2014).  This is a task that is easier said than done, but essential in order for the organization to move forward.

A diverse workforce is a melting pot of people from various walks of life that hold differing values.  The necessity of diversity can come in many forms, such as global competition, idea generation, and problem-solving.  In order to be competitive within the global market, the organization needs to be able to offer a product or service that will be desirable to people within the target markets.  It becomes the responsibility of human resources to procure individuals who can best identify with the target groups in order to understand how to best market in the region.  When it comes to new products or services, organizations need to explore all avenues, such as who the target consumer would be and if any cultures may find the product (or marketing tactics) offensive.  When issues arise, it is best to have people from all backgrounds on the team to problem-solve.  One person may have a technical background, while another takes a more common-sense approach.  In all, it’s important for all ideas to be fully explored in order to find the best solution.

During my tenure in human resources, the company began thinking about marketing our capacitors to Middle Eastern countries.  Air conditioning is a huge market in those countries, so leaders saw an opportunity for growth.  We did not have anyone within the company who was familiar with the cultural norms or business practices in any of the countries, so we picked one country and began searching for a potential distributor to form a partnership with.  We found someone to put on the payroll as a sales representative for us within Saudi Arabia.  By finding someone who lived and worked within the country, we were able to gain insight about what our target market found to be desirable, as well as common business practices.  Further, we had an employee with intimate knowledge of cultural norms who could help us develop a marketing strategy that would work within the constraints.  We were able to recruit and properly utilize an employee to expand our global market.

This example is one of many that highlights the importance of having employees from various backgrounds within an organization.  My employer couldn’t have effectively entered into the Saudi Arabian market without having an employee with intimate knowledge of the business environment and cultural norms.  Although this is an extreme example, it serves true for any market.  There are so many different groups, even within the United States, that have their own thoughts about what is and is not acceptable.  It is the organization’s (and human resources’) responsibility to ensure that as many of the groups are represented as possible in order to ensure continued success.

 

 

 

References:

Noor, A. N. M., Khalid, S. A. & Rashid, N. R. N. A. (2014). Clarifying the effects of human resource diversity management practices on organizational citizenship behavior: the mediating role of diversity receptiveness. Journal of Arts & Humanities, 3(5), p. 25-38. Retrieved from http://theartsjournal.org/index.php/site/article/view/455/266

Pennsylvania State University World Campus. (n.d.). OLEAD 410: Lesson 3: Diversity. PSU WC.

Several of the parts of this past lesson rang home for me. Though I am arguably the least diverse person in the history of diversity I serve as a senior advisor for my companies regional diversity council.  I believe in it’s importance, not only for the bottom line and competitiveness but for the right thing to do as a human.

With that said, above all the gender diversity component hit home the most. The reason being is that of the two children we have the first is a 3 year old girl. It’s too often that I’ve seen in children and adults, women taking back seat to men as it’s almost a learned behavior in many senses which has been reinforced and reinforced throughout the years. Examples such as “Runs like a girl, throws like a girl, e.t.c. e.t.c.” driven home throughout someone’s entire life. If I take someone at birth, and myself along with society tells them they have the characteristics of a chipmunk for instance. I’m sorry… at some point they will believe it and start scurrying around for acorns. Thus the chipmunk messaging will become their reality.

There was an example of tall children growing up to be more successful in getting leadership roles. as they are looked at as “more mature” for their age, given more responsibility and as a result given the opportunity to fail/succeed e.t.c. more in leadership positions. (Moran e.t. all., 2014)

 

           Buddy is being primed for leadership.

Imagine if anyone with Hazel eyes is expected to run 5 miles every day throughout grade school. Then the same argument could be made that the best track athletes have hazel eyes.

What my house is doing to install the right self worth and value is encouragement from the beginning and thoughtfulness in how words are used. Daughter – “Dad, you cant catch me.” Me – “There is no way I can catch you! You have girl speed!” e.t.c. For the typical yard work, playing with chainsaws e.t.c. I always ask her if she would like to see and learn what I’m doing. The goal is to create a well rounded person, that doesn’t need or feel that they need to rely on someone else. As well we want to shape someone that has the confidence that glass ceilings can be smashed through. (Moran e.t. al P. 156)

In short, it’s a journey but I feel that so much needs to be done from the start if we want to make any real differences. I feel that building little girls to rightfully know they are not inferior to boys starts at a young age and needs to be constantly dripped on. Not only for the girls, but teaching the boys that it is absolutely wrong for them to use certain types of language which subordinates another sex. Correcting little league coaches if they are enforcing negative stereotypes e.t.c. The list of improvements is infinite.

If not… we run the risk of chipmunks.

 

 

Moran, Robert, Abramson, Neil, & Moran, Sarah. (2014). Managing Cultural Differences. Oxford: Routledge.

 

 

 

 

I chose to continue my exploration of the surface-level discrimination discussed from lesson 3 and that believe I’m witnessing today. Doing some additional research on the surface-level diversity example in lesson 3 on height being a surface-level characteristic trait of leadership, and relating it back to myself personally, has caused me some distress. For that reason, after this blog, I’m dropping this subject.

In my earlier write up, I spoke about the example referenced in lesson 3 about the belief that taller people were perceived as more likely to be great leaders than people of smaller stature. This was defined as surface-level discrimination. While I believe the narrative discussed in lesson 3 was more related to adults, I think that perception flows all the way down to adolescence.

To give a little more context on how the subject of surface-level discrimination specifically relates to me, in my earlier write-up I discussed a group of families that we regularly socialize with. I referenced us as young parents placing another parent’s child “in charge” of the rest of the kids simply because he was taller than the rest. Looking back now, I think it’s a clear example of surface-level discrimination. The situation I referenced happened more than five years go. And yet it’s pervasive today. Over the last five years, all the kids have grown considerably. The child I referenced, once more than a foot taller than the other kids, is now about the same height as everyone. Yet when our families all get together, I’m taken back by how he continues to be regularly placed in charge, or responsible, for the rest of the kids.

Upon further research, I understand that many of our perceptions and decisions we make have been hard-wired into our subconscious (Blaker et al., 2008). Breaking through that unconscious conditioning track takes time and great effort, and in many cases, still exists to this day.

The perception of height being a characteristic of great leaders started back in the 1800’s. During this time a person’s height was perceived as more leader-like (Blaker et al., 2008), because it was believed that tall people were more physically fit and dominant and therefore were thought to possess better leadership qualities. Blaker further suggested that a person’s ability to be an effective leader only relates to height in that taller people are often given more leadership responsibilities at a young age and therefore through these acts develop leadership skills early on in life (Blaker et al., 2008).

Taking their research at face value, the leadership skills of the child I referenced would have allegedly developed more quickly than the other kids over the past five years because he’s been tested in the role of leader more than the other kids. I take exception to this at the adolescent level. While the child I referenced did grow earlier than the rest of the kids that appears to be the only area he excelled in over the other kids. I don’t notice his maturity level any more than the other kids and unfortunately, he struggled academically school. Knowing this, during a recent social outing with the other families, I found myself quietly telling my kids to make up their own minds about the situations they were in while the parents went out for dinner.

As stated in lesson 3, being a great leader requires awareness of the cultural diversity around you. However, diversity defined refers to the ways that people in organizations differ. Either by race, gender, ethnic group, age, personality, cognitive style, tenure, organizational function, and more (Santa Fe College Office of Diversity, 2013). If that’s correct and including the definition of surface-level discrimination, I suppose I’m discriminating against the child I referenced. I can’t help but judge his maturity and academics against his intellect and decision making. Whether at the child level or the adult level, I believe we all make decisions based on all known factors. In this case, I know the referenced child has done poorly in school and therefore, I find myself judging his academic frailties against his potential leadership decision making.

To embrace diversity is to embrace the differences between each of us. Race, color, sex, culture, cognitive style, tenure, etc. All of these characteristics build on the person we are and the behaviors we exhibit. Whether in a leadership position within an organization, or parenting a family, our experiences shape our beliefs and the decisions we make. Leadership, like most things, can be an innate behavioral characteristic. It can also be taught. (Northouse, 2015) Bestowing leadership responsibilities on someone, is analogous to giving power to an individual. Each decision we make either furthers those skills or lessons them. Deciding someone should lead based solely on his or her height, seems foolish.

I believe the smart leader doesn’t simply follow the path previously taken. A smart leader observes his audience and recognizes their differences. It was purposed by Moran, 2014, that the longer a diverse group works together, the more likely any negative traits of the group (surface-level) diminish. Applying this definition to my experience, I would say the surface-level trait of height being a characteristic of leadership, which may have been directly applicable when our kids were young, has diminished over time. Much like the diversity or cultural differences of a group working together, diminishes with that time (Moran, Abrahamson, Moran, 2014).

 

References

Blaker, N. M., Rompa, I., Dessing, I. H., Vriend, A. F., Herschberg, C., Van Vugt, M. (2008) The height   leadership advantage in men and women: Testing evolutionary psychology predictions about the perceptions of tall leaders. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations. Retrieved from http://professormarkvanvugt.com/images/files/heighlteadeshipGPIR.pdf

Murray, G. R., & Schmitz, J. D. (2011). Caveman Politics: Evolutionary Leadership Preferences and Physical Stature. Social Science Quarterly

Northouse, P. G. (2015). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Los Angeles: Sage.

In the world of Social Security, I work with a diverse group of clients often requires me to call our translator line that the organization provides to their employees. My coworkers and I, have often wondered what is the translator actually saying to this claimant? It is very cumbersome to explain the rules to our benefits we offer to a translator, because it often makes the claim last longer due to having to wait for the translator to relay the message back in forth. Often times, I can tell that either the translator or the claimant gets lost as the rules of our benefits are very hard to explain. According to Temple (2002), translators are taught to find different ways to explain things, and “the translator has to ask whether the concept is equivalent or analogous to one that we can frame in another language.” This is why it can be a big problem because you have to wait for the translator to do this and even after that then you still might have to repeat yourself because the claimant still doesn’t understand even after the translator tried their best. We had been told that a translator is only suppose to translate word for word on what you say, but it makes sense at the same time they might try to explain it in their own words. The problem I have with them doing this is, I believe that they will answer the question on how they see fit, probably because they feel bad for the claimant. The reason I feel this is because if you ask a simple yes or no question then it takes almost 15 minutes for them to answer. An analysis done by, Perez-Gonzalez and Susam-Saraeva (2012), “politically engaged audiovisual translation is concerned, non-professional subtitlers have also formed more or less stable networks of individuals who set out to resist global capitalist structures and institutions by intervening in the reception of their cultural products.” That is how these biases harm the conversation that is taking place which leads a misuse of benefits for someone that is not suppose to get those benefits.

Along the way there can be often be errors in communication because of the errors or biases that are being sent from the messenger to the sender. “Interpreters and translators may have difficulty transmitting the logic of key arguments.” (Moran, Abramson, & Moran, p. 75, 2014). This statements shows that because we use this third party source to translate languages that a lot of us employees don’t know then they are not going to be properly trained in our day to day business. I think this is why it is important for organizations when they are hiring then they should try to find bilingual employees.

 

References:

Moran, Robert, Abramson, Neil, & Moran, Sarah. (2014). Managing Cultural Differences. Oxford: Routledge.

Perez-Gonzalez, Luis, Susam-Saraeva, Sebnem. (2012). Non-professionals Translating and Interpreting. The Translator. 18: 149-65

Temple, Boguisa. (2002). Crossed Wires: Interpreters,Translators, and Bilingual Workers in Cross-Language Research. QUALITATIVE HEALTH RESEARCH.

 

While reading through the course material for Leadership in Global Context, I came across some information as it pertained to the glass ceiling.  I feel that I have been somewhat naive to the concept my entire life, probably because I am a man and as events in my employment unfolded, I never considered that I was being treated unfairly because of my sex.

My mother, however, communicated to me different instances in her experiences as a Certified Public Accountant working in a corporate environment.  She worked for a handful of businesses in Little Rock, Arkansas for decades.  I saw her works nights and weekends regularly.  I saw her frustration as she often felt her commitment and sacrifice was underappreciated by her employers.

When I was younger I just thought that she might have been a pain to work around, but now I realize that she probably possessed the skills and talent that in frequent occasions were stronger than her male counterparts, but she was not considered for promotions or respected more merely because she was a woman.

A series of disagreements with one superior and her inability to turn her head to corporate and regulatory guidelines left her unemployed at one point for months.  I am certain that it was a blow to her ego adding insult to injury that was fired because she would not break the rules, choosing her integrity over her employment.

I had only met one other woman like her in Little Rock at that time who had her credentials and ambition.  Occasionally they would meet at my sports games and talk about work.  The two of them spoke to each other with such intensity.  They might as well have been drawing my team’s next set of attack plays in the dirt.

I am glad that things have changed and become more diverse in corporate America, whether by necessity or by force of law. I think diversity in corporate culture has helped me become more conscious of my actions and conduct as more women and ethnicities are now present in the workplace.  A person can no longer and should no longer act with complete disregard for everyone but themselves.

Few people have definitively helped raise my intellectual and moral standards.  I feel that my mother directly and indirectly has been the biggest source of brave inspiration.  I hope that her contribution to change the culture and perception of women in a corporate setting with high profile jobs has impacted generations to come.

As I mentioned in my introduction blog, I am currently working in EMS and transitioning from pursuing a career in the fire service. In my time working in EMS I have worked alongside probably 5 or 6 different fire departments. The fire service is a very male dominant career path, and during my time I have probably only encountered 10 female firefighters… in 3 years, 6 departments, thousands of calls… 10 females, let that sink in. An article published in Work, Employment, & Society titled “Gender and the achievement of skilled status in the workplace: the case of women leaders in the UK Fire and Rescue service” noted that firefighters in the 20th century embodied certain traits of “gender, sexuality and ethnicity, being a white, working-class, masculine man, physically fit and physically oriented…” (Woodfield, 2015.)

The reading from this week listed two types of sexist ideologies: benevolent sexism (the belief that women should be taken care of) and hostile sexism (women are inferior to men). (Moran, Abramson & Moran, 2014). I believe the lack of females in the fire service to be of both ideologies. With the focus on physical fitness and masculinity in the fire service it is easy to see why people would propagate hostile sexism. Firefighting is a physically demanding profession and there are plenty of women AND men who are not physically able to perform the job.

Back to those 10 female firefighters… Each one of them were in some of the best physical shape I’ve ever seen, not just for a woman either. I’ve seen them pull hose, cut holes, and perform other essential firefighting operations right beside their male counterparts with little to no discernable differences. Most large departments in the US today have initiatives and recruitment and procuring more women for their department, for example The Los Angeles Fire Department hosts women’s seminars, training classes, and workouts tailored specifically to women and their future success in the fire service.

As long as more departments such as the LAFD take the initiative to host these events for women, we should see a steady increase of women in the fire service. There are a total of 1,160, 450 firefighters in the US as of 2015 and only 7.3% of them are female. With some work, we can do away with gender stereotyping  and greatly improve the number of women in the fire service. (Haynes & Stein, 2017).

 

References:

Moran, R., Abramson, N. & Moran, S. (2014). Managing Cultural Differences. Oxford: Routledge.

Haynes, H. & Stein G. (2017) NFPA’s “U.S. Fire Department Profile – 2015”

Woodfield, R. (2015). “Gender and the achievement of skilled status in the workplace: the case of women leaders in the UK Fire and Rescue service” Work, Employment & Society Vol 30, Issue 2, pp. 237 – 255. https://doi-org.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/10.1177/0950017015573693

Generational Diversity is all around us and it is a subject that I find rather interesting.  Dominguez (n.d.) shares that for the first time, “four different generations participate in the American labor force today – the Silent Generation, the Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Generation Y. Each of these generations has lived through a common set of social and historic events that have helped shape their unique attitudes, ambitions, and world views.” Understanding how to lead and integrate these generations is crucial to the success of any organization.  Each generation brings a different skill set to the table and each generation has their strengths and weaknesses.

In a recent article in Forbes magazine, Lipman (2017) shares new research information (as cited in Half, 2017) that describes a few of the generational differences such as communication style, adapting to change and of course technical skills.  While baby boomers were perceived as more reserved, generation y (millennials) tend to favor more collaborative and in-person means of interacting.  Millenials also relate better to a coaching style of management than a more traditional top-down authoritative approach.  As for adapting to change, generations x and y are found to view change as a vehicle for new opportunities while millennials are accustomed to change and expects it in the workplace. One final difference the article shares is technical skills.   Of course it should come as no surprise that millennials preferred collaborative and technology-centric vehicles while gen x prefers to learn via traditional instructor-led courses or self-learning tools.

So what are a few tactics on how to effectively manage and integrate across generations?  Lipman (2017) shares a few leadership tips to help leaders bridge generational gaps.  You can mix and match project teams in terms of complementary skills and diverse perspectives to help prompt innovation and problem-solving techniques.  A good way to integrate a team is to invite members from all generations to share their unique areas of expertise. One last thought that Lipman (2017) shares is to go off-site.  Take people away from their daily routines and give them a chance to get to know each other better in a less formal setting.

Moran, Abramson, Moran (2014) tell us that “we know that diversity management is directly linked to team functioning, and can either improve or upset team performance” (p. 175).  In the diverse environment that we live in today, it is obvious that there is no longer a single leadership style that fits the mold.  As a leader, or future leader, of people, you must pull from various types of leadership styles and it is our responsibility to educate ourselves on the differences between each generation to find what works best.  One final thought, fully embrace this generational change as I believe that we have so much to learn from each other.

Resources:

Dominguez, C. (n.d.). Views from the EEOC generational diversity. Retrieved from             http://archive.mcca.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=page.viewpage&pageid=1010.

Lipman, V. (2017). How to manage generational differences in the workplace. Retrieved from:  https://www.forbes.com/sites/victorlipman/2017/01/25/how-to-manage-generational-differences-in-the-workplace/#76a721154cc.

Moran, R. T., Abramson, N. R., & Moran, S. V. (2014). Managing Cultural Differences (Ninth ed.). New York: Routledge.

Robert Half Management Resources. (2017). Retrieved from http://rh-us.mediaroom.com/2017-01-17-How-Do-Generations-Of-Workers-Differ.