Module 6: Paper

By: Hadley Schmidt

OGL 350: Diversity and Organizations

Dr. Emily Mertz

 I Diversity Conflict in Organizations
Diversity is not a choice in American life; it’s the only choice. In the modern world more

and more people from different places and different cultures are living and interacting with each

other. One of these places where interactions are happening is in organizations where conflicts

arise between people, groups, and even within ourselves. During my readings, I was able to

understand not only the importance of diversity in organizations, but how to best approach the

cultural conflicts that can arise. The first thing we have to understand about diversity conflict is

how to not approach it. In R. Thomas’ book, “Building a House for Diversity”, it mentions we

might be tempted to “fix” diversity by forcing people to adhere to the status quo.

In reality, we can’t force anyone to change or leave behind who they are fundamentally,

and trying to will inevitably lead to more conflict. Instead of trying to pigeon-hole someone into

something they’re not, we should take a moment to appreciate who they are and see how we can

apply their diversity to the organization. This can start by practicing inclusive leadership. This

means that leaders create an environment where every employee feels comfortable speaking up

and knowing that they will be heard. Having this kind of environment, and a leader who listens,

helps organizations embrace the ideas and input of people no matter their background or culture

(5 Strategies for Creating an Inclusive Workplace, 2020). Another way we can better approach

diversity conflict is to be aware of how different cultures settle conflict.

For example: People from a low-context culture tend to deal with conflict openly and

directly, whereas people from a high-context culture would feel uncomfortable with someone

confronting them directly(Freidrich 2018). But this also doesn’t mean we can assume someone

from a low-context culture prefers to deal with problems openly. For instance, while teaching I

jokingly said we had such a bad class the day before that one of my students heard about it and
didn’t even show up. I was trying to get a laugh, but what I didn’t realize was how

uncomfortable I had made the student by mentioning she hadn’t been to class the day before.

This made them upset enough that the parent contacted me and explained her kids perspective. I

later apoligized to the student. Diversity management in reality starts with the individual

(Woodruff & Thomas, 1999, 12). We all have to do our part in looking past our preconceived

notions and see people for who they are and come to appreciate their differences.

II Diversity Conflict Experience

During a service mission for my church I was roommates with someone born in

Colombia. This is a little embarrassing to admit, but growing up in southern Arizona I had

become familiarized with the Mexican culture and it’s people and felt that I could apply it to

other Hispanic cultures as well. This was an unconscious stereotype in my brain that took months

to overcome. During the first day with my new roommate I mentioned how I wanted him to help

me speak spanish like a native Mexican speaker. He responded by saying he didn’t understand

very much about Mexican culture because he wasn’t from there; after all, he was Colombian, not

Mexican.

As we lived together, conflicts would arise as I misunderstood his culure or tried to apply

someone else’s culture to his. Eventually, I became diversity-mature enough to take

responsibility of understanding individual cultures and stopping myself from stereotyping one

culture for another (Woodruff & Thomas, 1999, 11). As I learned and treated cultures with

respect and understanding, the diversity conflict between me and my roommate stopped and we

were able to become good friends. As I learned more about individual Hispanic countries and

their unique cultures I was able to see and understand those unique cultures for what they were.
 III Giraffe and Elephant “Key Dynamics”
In R. Thomas’ book “Building a house for Diversity” a short parable about an elephant

trying to fit inside a giraffes house is given to help us understand key dynamics of diversity

management. The fist key dynamic is different components of a diversity mixture have different

perspectives. For example, the giraffe only saw what a mess the elephant was making while the

elephant was left wondering why nothing in the house was built for him. Understanding different

perspectives is key in diversity management in order to close misunderstandings and help

different sides of the argument understand the other.

The next key dynamic is many are reluctant to fully embrace genuine diversity. It’s

important to help people understand that the solution to diversity management isn’t getting rid of

the diversity. Another key dynamic is that diversity tension is inevitable. It’s important to

remember in diversity management that not all conflict is negative. And whether it’s negative or

positive conflict, it’s important to know all conflict can have a good outcome if managed

correctly. The last key dynamic is complexity inevitably accompanies diversity. This is

important to remember because diversity conflict and it’s challenges are almost guarenteed in

today’s organizations. But no matter the complexities, it’s important to remember it’s a

worthwhile cause.

IV Personal Application

I think these concepts will help me be more aware of a person’s individual culture and

identity. I believe they will also show me the best approach to interact and communicate with

them. I think some ways I will try and incorporate that awareness is trying to create an

environment where everyone feels free to speak their mind and share their opinion. Another
thing I will try and incorporate is getting to know people on a personal level. This can also mean

openly asking people how they want to be treated in the organization.

V CQ Cultural Intelligence Score

My old CQ cultural intelligence score was 95 and my recent one at the end of this class is

126. I think the main difference I’ve been able to see between my previous and present score is

the amount of confidence I have when approaching this topic. Before this class I wasn’t sure of

the importance of certain cultural interactions or beliefs and wasn’t confident discussing the best

way to approach those types of problems. But now I think I have at least a basic grasp about the

important differences in between cultures and the best way to approach or interact with the

various ones. I hope I’ll be able to better engage with these cultures in the oncoming future.
 References

5 Strategies for Creating an Inclusive Workplace. (2020, January 13). Harvard Business

Review. Retrieved November 22, 2022, from https://hbr.org/2020/01/5-strategies-for-

creating-an-inclusive-workplace

Woodruff, M. I., & Thomas, R. R. (1999). Building a House for Diversity: How a Fable

about a Giraffe & Elephant Offers New Strategies for Today's Workforce. AMACOM.

Friedrich, P. (2018). Cultural differences in conflict resolution. The TESOL Encyclopedia of

English Language Teaching. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.