Module 6: Paper

Jeremy Khoo

Arizona State University

OGL 350: Diversity and Organizations

August 9, 2022
 Module 6: Paper

Diversity conflict in organizations is often times unavoidable because “many of these

clashes are a result of differences in cultural patterns, beliefs, and assumptions—and different

ways of addressing and resolving conflict—and not necessarily of a predisposition for

disagreement” (Friedrich, n.d., pg. 1). Understanding this is key, because it shows that

diversity conflict is not about getting rid of differences, because differences based on

background are natural, but instead it is about how to manage diversity and get those

involved to work together and alongside each other. A lot about diversity conflict and

management is practicing and learning understanding, having an open-mind, and working on

emotional intelligence. With this being known, I have come to the understanding that

everyone has their own ways of dealing and approaching situations, but regardless of this, for

the most part, everyone is trying their best to approach situations in a way that they feel will

best help them achieve their personal goals as well as the goals of the organization and are in

no way ill intentioned. Once this concept can be understood and accepted, people will be

much more willing to work with each other and find ways to mutually benefit from the

outcome of any conflict.

I work as a professional soccer player and as a result, I have been accustomed to

dealing and working with players from different cultures and backgrounds. With this

experience, I have numerous experiences of where cultural differences have been brought up,

sometimes leading to minor conflicts, but most of the time, due to the demand of my job to

form close bonds with teammates, the conflicts are usually quickly and effectively resolved.

One clear instance of diversity conflict that I have previously faced was when I worked in

Malaysia. Most people in Malaysia are Muslim and I, on the other hand, do not practice

religion. In Islam, pork is not allowed to be eaten due to pigs being seen as “dirty” animals.

One time I was eating pork and my teammates saw me and that led to some of them calling
me dirty and giving me dirty looks. With this situation, I knew that there was no explanation

or arguing in the world that would change their outlook on this, so from then onwards I

stopped eating pork in front of my Muslim teammates. A big thing about diversity conflict

management, in my opinion, is that “you don’t need to win every point in a negotiation,”

because sometimes winning a small argument may have profound negative consequences on

the overall project as a whole (Audio- 380: How to find confidence in conflict, with Kwame

Christian, 18:36). If I had chose to fight my point and try and get through to my teammates

on how pork is not “dirty” or bad, I might have effectively made it harder for us to connect

and get closer as a team. I also have faced racial discrimination from fans before in Malaysia

for being Chinese, but I just let my play on the field do the talking and eventually once I

proved that I could do my job adequately, fans supported me. I could have easily just gotten

mad at fans and ruined my reputation, but knowing that there were cross cultural differences,

I found “it important to keep my own emotions in check and not get upset and angry when

things don’t work out” the way I want them to (Video- Module 6: A/V Lesson on Ethics and

Negotiation, 19:32) A lot of the diversity conflict I have faced has come down to

misinformation and people being conditioned to believe one way of life, and through

understanding this, it has allowed me to navigate a lot of problems. In most of the

experiences I have had with this, avoidance of confrontation and slowly building rapport with

those around me is what works as the best way to overcome any differences.

I think the dynamics in the Giraffe and Elephant story highlight the three important

ways that people should deal with diversity which are affirmative action, understanding

differences, and diversity management. All three are essential in creating an environment in

which people that are different can effectively work together. First, it is very important that

there is affirmative action because this “focuses on inclusion and calls for special action to

correct imbalances” (The Giraffe and the Elephant, n.d., pg. 6). In other words, to overcome
differences, there needs to be a willingness to act upon issues. Understanding differences is

also crucial because without understanding, it is almost impossible to strengthen relationships

and have people get along. Lastly, diversity management allows for creating “an environment

that accesses the talent of all participants” (The Giraffe and the Elephant, n.d., pg. 6). On top

of this, it is important to understand the key dynamics of diversity in action. Diversity

management requires understanding that people have different perspectives and that not

everyone is fully open to embracing diversity. We see in the story that the giraffe only wants

to modify the elephant instead of looking at his own home and making modifications there.

This is because changing oneself can be very uncomfortable, and so when approaching

diversity management as a leader, a comfortable environment for differences and change

needs to be promoted.

In the Personal Diversity Maturity index activity, I scored a 75 which showed

moderate diversity maturity. This means that I am open to learning about ways to address and

listening to ideas about diversity, but I need better understanding of it so that I have a clearer

plan of how to go about it. This is important because “the idea of just running into action

when you’re not even prepared or equipped is dangerous” (Audio- Creating Transformative

Cultures, 4:12). It is important to note that although I am not fully understanding of diversity,

I have a very open mind and would love opportunities that give myself a chance to learn

more about it. I also found out in this activity that sometimes I need to take a more active

approach to diversity management instead of choosing more passive approaches. Oft times I

try to put most of the work in the hands of those that work under me, but I need to start taking

affirmative decisions that I best believe will help my team and organization. Managing

diversity more actively and effectively can prove very beneficial because “research has

shown that…conflict can improve performance under certain conditions” (Jehn and Greer,

n.d., pg. 181).

 This module taught a lot about diversity conflict management, and the necessary

understandings, tips, and steps required to execute it in the best possible way. Looking back

at past experiences also helped me understand ways I was right in dealing with diversity

conflict in the past and ways that I could have done better. On top of this, the Personal

Diversity Maturity index activity helped me realize the level of diversity maturity I have and

the ways in which I can improve on this. Through better understanding of myself, what I need

to work on, and the different factors to consider in diversity conflict management, I can hope

that this will translate beneficially into any organizations I may be a part of in the future.