Diversity is not an event, but an ongoing process. It occurs and recurs in our day to day lives. It is the aspect of having a wide variety or range of different things. It, therefore, calls for an individual to have a particular set of skills in handling that which is different from what they are used to in terms of race, sex, ethnicity, age and sexual orientation. The course Personal Action Plan for Diversity Consciousness was crafted to create awareness and diversity understanding while at the same time providing skills for handling and promoting diversity at individual, community and global level. Personally, I have been exposed to different cultures and people, and I have not had success in interacting and associating with diverse people simply because a lot of prejudice and stereotypes surface during the interaction. It is important to note that the world is a cocktail of people with everything different and one ought to know how to handle differently. The value of diversity is placed in personal growth, hence the name of the course Personal Action for Diversity Consciousness. The course entails goals, actions, merits and benefits and skills such as good communication.
Personal Growth
The course was a preferred choice because of the knowledge about diversity that was gained. Before the course, my knowledge of diversity was based on stereotypes and hearsay and revolved around very few topics mainly racism and discrimination. There are communication skills acquired that enable one to interact and associate with people of different backgrounds, sex, origin, culture and ethnicity without portraying any bias or without the influence of misconceptions. Also, I took the course so that I could be able to build constructive relationships with other people regardless of whom they are or where they come from. The course was instrumental in providing the necessary communication and interaction skills to facilitate the building of these relationships which are considered very beneficial.
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Diversity awareness has been defined as one's ability to accept and accommodate the uniqueness and difference of individuals bordering along different ethnicities, ages, cultures, races, gender, and socio-economic status. My diversity awareness has improved, and there are several indicators of this improvement. I have become aware of the many elements that encompass diversity. These elements are socio-economic status, sexual orientation, gender, sex, age, ethnicity among others. Also, with this knowledge I am able to avoid ethnocentrism since I am well aware that all cultures are the same, none is superior to the other hence I treat all people equally. I have learned that diversity is prevalent in all corners of the world, but the country with the highest diversity is the United States. The United States population is the most diverse with people from different countries and cultures.
I have come to the understanding that I can be a better communicator as regards my diversity understanding. By being a better communicator, I should be able to see with other people's eyes so as to get a broader vision as my own may be limited. By incorporating the thoughts of others, I am in a better position to place conclusions and rather avoid biased judgments. My understanding has also grown as I am aware of the impacts of diversity. I am aware of the negative aspects of it and the positive elements too.
My diversity skills have grown to make me better sensitive to elements of other people’s differences which I can well know through better communication skills. I am more observant so as to notice that some people do not share the same values, opinions, and beliefs as I do hence I respect their side on issues. I have also acquired emotional intelligence which guides my thinking and behavior allowing me to adapt and blend in diverse environments and solve problems based using both logic and intuition (Bracket, Rivers & Salovey, 2011)From the course provisions, am empowered to be a diversity-conscious individual. This shall be achieved by learning a new language and searching for avenues via which I can meet and interact with different people. Also, by reading materials on diversity and materials written by a diverse range of authors, I can boost my skills and understanding. I can find good conversation starters in these materials which are tailored for specific diverse groups.
Diversity Benefits
There is value placed on diversity since it is an everyday phenomenon. This value has its benefits. Among these benefits, there is perspective, in the sense that an individual begins to have an enlightened perception of concepts (Duke, 2012). We interact with diversity in all spheres of our lives that is from the workplace to the school environment. At the workplace, valuing diversity can be shown by hiring employees from different backgrounds and different features. The benefit of this shall be the fact that the organization can boost its creativity and invent programs that are well tailored for the target population since the views of the target people have been offered by the sample that works in the organization. If the community members are involved in the organization despite their differences in language and culture, the penetration of the organization and its activities may be easier. There is also the aspect of talent where diversity brings in a wide variety of talent which is beneficial. A diverse environment also facilitates learning which happens when people share experiences, thoughts, and opinions thus enhancing diversity awareness. An organization can use the learned resources to broaden their scope of operation, better customize their services, increase their adaptability and have more effective action. Therefore, I will be able to appreciate the talents of others and possibly emulate some of their abilities so as to improve myself. I will also be more flexible with change as I am aware of the differences existent within the group. I will be able to make informed decisions since I will have a wide number of perspectives to consider.
Another benefit is performance. Being aware and having an understanding concerning diversity is instrumental in improving an individual’s performance. In interacting with diverse people, one may get different skills and experiences that may enable the individual to improve their performance in particular fields. The people of the Western world value work since it is a source of livelihood. By interacting with the Westerners, one may learn excellent work ethic and give an exemplary performance in their work. I will be able to boost my performance in various fields by interacting with diverse people. I may learn new skills such as proper work ethic and proper dressing among others
Teamwork
Valuing diversity involves the creation of an open, supportive environment. In such environments, differences are taken as uniqueness; they are accepted and channeled towards productivity (Sarkar, 2014). Diversity awareness revolves around embracing the differences in people. If I am enlightened and value diversity, I would always be conscious of the different parties that a group can comprise of and therefore will be logical in my conduct. Good communication skills shall assist in a deeper understanding of my teammates so as to know how to interact with them for the better success of the team (Elfriede, Peter & Karl, 2011).
Diversity Communication
In promoting diversity awareness, communication is important. Organizations need to promote awareness of diversity in a manner that it can be institutionalized in the organization's culture. This can be done by promoting awareness of interaction activities such as team building activities and seminars (Roth & Markova, 2012). When people are aware and embrace their uniqueness, it is easier to model systems that reflect the diversity and avoid discrimination or monopolization by one group.
Knowledge and understanding of diversity show that we in promoting diversity awareness, there needs to be respectful communication. This shall only occur when people are well aware and enlightened on diversity awareness. Working together means making sure we deliver our messages accurately and effectively. It entails making sure not to be misunderstood or misinterpreted. Employee training shall be necessary for promoting diversity awareness (Cheng et al. 2011).
Among the ways I can improve my communication skills so as to help others to work productively with me is by making sure I give accurate and non-ambiguous messages. Ambiguous messages can easily be misunderstood and misinterpreted thereby resulting in conflict. Another way I can boost my communication skills is by looking for feedback. Feedback is important as it helps you look at things from other people's perspectives; it bears corrections and congratulations within it hence good for progress evaluation.
Diversity Goals
In learning about diversity, I was able to set goals depending on the knowledge I had acquired. First, I would like to learn a new language to help enhance my communication skills. Also, I would send myself to new places and grounds to interact with people different from my own to widen my perspective of people and the knowledge I have. This shall be a little out of my comfort zone, but shall be worth it.
Diversity Actions
To achieve the goals set, I will enroll in an online class to learn a new language. These are fairly cheap and easy to access. I will make friends with the native speakers of the language so as to learn its crucial aspects such as intonation and origin of some sayings. Also, I will enroll in an international program at school so as to get to meet different individuals from different nationalities. My school has an exchange program so I shall apply to be selected for the next cohort that can travel to a foreign university. I believe the experience shall help me to be aware of the different cultures, norms and behavioral patterns of diverse individuals.
References
Brackett, M.A., Rivers, S. E. & Salovey, P. (2011). Emotional Intelligence: Implications for Personal, Social, Academic, and Workplace Success. Social and Personality Psychology Compass 5(1), 83-103. Retrieved from: http://ei.yale.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/pub184_Brackett_Rivers_Salovey_2011_Compass-1.pdf
Cheng et al. (2011). Cultural diversity and information and communication impacts on Language Learning. International Education Studies , 4 (2). Retrieved from: http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1066409.pdf
Duke, G. (2012). Top 3 Benefits of Diversity. The Afro News . Retrieved from: http://www.theafronews.com/top-3-benefits-of-diversity/
Elfriede, J., Peter, S. & Karl, Z. (2011). Team Diversity as a Competitive Advantage. Advances in Business-Related Scientific Research Conference . Retrieved from: http://www.res.co.at/downloads/ABSRC2011_Team_Diversity.pdf
Roth, L.M. & Markova, T. (2012). Essentials for Great Teams: Trust, Diversity, Communication… and Joy. Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine . Retrieved from: http://www.jabfm.org/content/25/2/146.full
Sarkar, S. (2014). The Benefits of Cultural Diversity. International Journal of Management and Transformation, 8(1-2), 42.
