Final Summary Paper

I want to start this paper by saying, “I have never learned so much about diversity.” The

many things that I have become aware of have humbled me. I am embarrassed to have made it

this far in life and have been so naïve. The many facets of diversity have me in awe. I guess I

have always grouped the categories into one big bucket. This class has allowed me to take the

items out of the bucket and sort them into their rightful place.

If not for the guidelines that we need to follow for this paper. I would be all over the

place and not make any sense at all. Before I get to involved, I want to say that I may not cover

all of these topics, but these are the categories that have hit home to me. I am more aware of

ethnicity vs race. I understand the differences that make up a culture. Things like language,

symbols, rituals, norms, beliefs, and values. I could go on and on. These are just a few of the

categories that I never gave much thought to before this class.

Ok, let us get to it. I want to start with what I have learned about before and after the

Cultural Intelligence test. I scored exceptionally low (64) on the pretest. I blame this low score

on being naïve. Now that my blinders are off. I scored a whopping (116). I did not get a perfect

score because there are some areas that I have not had a chance to improve on. Such as the legal

and economic systems of other cultures. I have given myself high scores in most areas of

communication. There are many diverse cultures at my work. I began to practice some things

with other cultures. Now that I am aware that it is important to understand a co-worker’s culture.

I ask very straight forward questions. First, I ask for permission to inquire about their culture.

We talk about language, verbal and body. The silence and the facial expressions mean a whole

lot. I enjoy learning about new ways. It is hard at first to admit that I am different, and my world

is not everyone’s world. I was surprised that I knew more than I thought about the arts and crafts
of other cultures. The main take away from practicing at interacting with other cultures is that I

am more conscious of how to apply cultural knowledge in cross-cultural interactions. I am

learning the rules on what is acceptable with non-verbal behaviors.

I have always felt like I had a veil on when it came to dealing with adversity in the

workplace. I do not like confrontation. I understand that veil to be ignorance. What I call

adversity is simply the misunderstanding of what is true diversity. I read Giraffe and Elephant.

This is what I took away from the article (Roosevelt, 1996, p.6). The three dynamics that they

displayed correlate to these three elements of diversity Management. First is inclusion, which

they demonstrated by trying to widen the doorway. I associate this with affirmative action. In the

workplace management is always trying to correct the imbalances. Second is relationship, which

they show in their genuine like for each other and the desire to be in each other’s company. I

associate this with understanding differences. In the workplace this would be about how people

get along. Third, this one needs a little longer explanation. The two of them want this to be a

good relationship. In their mutual desire to be friends, they recognize and acknowledge that there

is a need to make some adjustments. In the workplace this two-way perspective would be

diversity management.

It might be possible that in the near future I will be a manager. I have been gearing up for

this opportunity for quite some time, years in fact. The knowledge I have acquired from this class

will certainly help propel me into management. My company is in business because they want to

be the best at what they do. They embrace the many diverse cultures of the individuals that work

there. We have a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion training program. It is a program that teaches

employees about the differences that make up diversity. Things like age, nationality, ethnicity,
religious background, skills, and gender. This program has already created a pleasant

environment. It is successful because the company is asking for and welcoming participation.

I used to think that what I did for a living was my identity. That mindset has changed

over the years. When I did the pie chart. I realized that there were unspoken pieces of my identity

that have never been acknowledged. The things I cannot change were a given. I am a male,

native American with no physical disabilities. The thing that surprised me were the things that I

could change about my identity. These were the things like education, work experience, and

income. I was caught off guard because I did not associate these things as my identity.

I hope to bring this newfound knowledge about identity with me to my new leadership

position. My identity will not only be the visual aspects of my being (Race, Gender, Age).

Although, those characteristics will certainly put me into a stereotypical category. I will expose

my full identity in the way I conduct myself. I will not shy away from my belief in God. The car

I drive might give away my income. The one thing I hope to get across about my identity is how

well I lead a diverse team. I want people to see that I am an inclusive leader. This means I am

viewed as recognizing people for their work and support their efforts to grow in the company.

One idea I have about helping Diversity and Inclusion not fail is to inclusify. Inclusifyers are

leaders who make a personal commitment to encourage uniqueness while also promoting

belongingness (Chhaya, 2020). I feel if I create a sense of belonging. The employees will want to

work for the company for as long as they can. Employee’s who have a sense of belonging at their

organization will have an elevated level of intent to stay. This will have an effect on their well-

being, engagement, and overall success in their roles (Hamill, 2019, p. 4-5).
 I would like to finish this paper on a subject that has had an influence on me my whole

life. Until this class, this matter has never been fully realized. It is about white privilege. Deborah

Megivern has captured my attention right from the introduction. She is dealing with the struggle

to acknowledge her own privileges (Megivern, 2005, p. 1). I soon began to understand what has

been nagging at me. It is guilt and shame. I used to be ashamed of being poor but at the same

time enjoyed being looked upon as white. I thought I was alone in this sentiment. Until I read, I

struggled with feeling privileged when I could not get over feeling deprived (Megivern, 2005, p.

1). It is as a heavy load has been lifted. The relief comes in knowing what oppression and

privilege are and how to overcome and live with both.