Universitys, as of late, have been working tirelessly to encourage diversity in every discipline because universities acknowledge that diversity is crucial to their strength (Hartog, Haddock-Millar, Rigby, & Wilson. (2015). That is to say that universities encourage diversity of the student body which positively affects those students when they move on to the working world. Not only is diversity good for exposure but it is also beneficial for character and critical thinking skills.
When students are introduced to different cultures, ethnicities and mindsets they draw benefits from this experience. One such benefit is respect. A respectful mindset is noted by Hartog et. al (2015) as an ingredient for harmonious groups. Respect is at the heart of a culture and thus misunderstandings can sow discord within a diverse group (Mmbali, & Madhuwanthi, 2015). In order to avoid this conflict in groups caused by diversity, it is crucial that as students progress through their education that they be exposed to thoughts, cultures, and individuals different from theirs. “…Those from the same culture to share a common set of views and to appraise and interpret situations in similar ways…” (Hartog et. al, 2015, p.36). Therefore, it is necessary for students destined to be in the working world to be taught the importance of a respectful mind because they will be able to better interact with dissimilar ways of thinking and communicating. In addition to gaining respect for diversity, students with a curriculum in diversity also gain critical thinking skills. This is negotiated through group interactions. Let’s say, for example, that a group member speaks English as their second language. A respectful group member will avoid jargon and large, complex words in order to better include and reduce friction due to this language barrier. Someone who does not yet possess a respectful mind and critical thinking ability in this situation may talk normally then have to reiterate their thoughts multiple times to clarify what they meant. This would cause friction within the group, be frustrating to both parties, and cause for inefficient results.
This example also allows us to examine character. If this scenario were to occur in a work setting, co-workers may draw the conclusion that the first person is considerate and easy to work with while the second person would have a short temper, be difficult to work with, and be inconsiderate. Northouse (2016) mentions that prejudice occurs when there are fixed attitudes, beliefs or emotions held by an individual or group of individuals. If individuals are exposed to many different students at a university they would be less likely to be prejudiced in the case of diversity. Prejudice has a major characteristic of inflexibility (Northouse, 2016). As such, in order to remove this inflexibility, teachers have made concerted efforts to expose students to a diverse group of students. This strengthens each individual student and thus strengthens the student body as a whole eventually leading to a diverse, healthy university. Hartog et. al (2015) calls this method strengthening the whole by the sum of its parts. Essentially, what Hartog et. al are saying is that when each student experiences the benefits of diversity the university becomes strong and is able to further support and seek to advance a diverse campus.
Diversity in the workplace has its benefits and drawbacks as mentioned before. Though conflict and friction are considered negative, the positive outcome of additional creativity, knowledge, understanding, and respect gained through diversity far outweigh the negatives. This is supported by universities when educational curricula teach diversity. Curriculums “…support the goal of increased employ-ability for a diverse set of undergraduate student mentees who aspire to a career in the public sector”(p. 36). Overall, diversity taught in universities increases the functionality and hire-ability of students in the work world. This is shown in Northouse’s application on page 451 where diversity and cultural training in work environments can benefit organizations (2016). Research on the effects of diversity in the workplace as well as in educational backgrounds continues to be an essential use of resources (Northouse, 2016). Simply put, diversity is increasingly prevalent in universities as well as the workforce thus educators are doing their part in producing graduates that are better acclimated for diverse workplaces by teaching diversity and encouraging environments that have frequent interactions between a diverse group of students.
References:
Hartog, M., Haddock-Millar, J., Rigby, C., & Wilson, D. (2015). Developing diversity skills with university students. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/docview/2093304149?OpenUrlRefId=info:xri/sid:summon&accountid=13158
Mmbali, O., & Madhuwanthi , P. (2015). Cultural Diversity and Classroom Experience: A Phenomenological Case of Graduate Students’ Response to New Classroom Experience. Retrieved from https://doaj.org/article/c5240fd4a13742039418aeeaa395cb7c
Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership, Theory and Practice. Los Angeles: Sage.