¶ … workplaces now and where are they going? Multiculturalism in the workplace article summary

Blanding, M. (2013). How cultural conflict undermines workplace creativity. Forbes. Retrieved from: http://www.forbes.com/sites/hbsworkingknowledge/2013/12/09/how-cultural-conflict-undermines-workplace-creativity/

According to Forbes, it is necessary for workplace teams to be diverse to respond to the needs of a modern global economy. However, managers cannot simply assume that communication will naturally flow freely and easily. If not appropriately managed, diversity can be a roadblock rather than a facilitator of productivity. Conflict in the workplace with cultural roots can also spill over into greater workplace intolerance because people receive a daily message that individuals of diverse backgrounds cannot get along. "Just as a child observing parents not getting along may develop the notion that marriage is very difficult, those seeing conflict around them by involving people of different cultures may develop the idea that ideas from those cultures are incompatible and cannot be easily combined" (Blanding 2013). Negative cultural experiences in the workplace were also strongly associated with a decrease in workplace creativity as well as productivity. (Although positive cultural experiences were not associated with substantially greater creativity).

The answer to this problem is not a less diverse environment but more intensive attempts to orient workers to other cultures in diverse workplaces before conflict...

It cannot be assumed that workers will naturally get along. Rather, they must be made aware of their own cultural biases and assumptions. Furthermore, when a workplace is not running smoothly, managers should consider if cultural friction is the result, rather than purely personal differences.
Trust in the workplace article summary

Russell, N. (2014). Three things never to do if you want employee trust. Psychology Today.

Retrieved from: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/trust-the-new-workplace-currency/201402/three-things-never-do-if-you-want-employee-trust

According to Psychology Today, there is an increasingly wide gap between managers and lower-level employees. One of the sources of this is the perceived entitlement of managers to higher salaries, even when the salaries of ordinary employees are being slashed or workers are being let go. When the company states that its values are to further the welfare of employees and managers do not act commensurate with those values, this creates cynicism and a lack of trust that permeates the entire workplace. Employers often believe that they can use cliches and employees will not notice the discrepancy between actions and words. Barclay's career website proclaims that people are its " most important asset" which raises the issue that "it's hard to believe a company would eliminate 12,000 of its most important assets" (Russell 2014). Focusing solely on short-term profits and treating employees like disposable commodities cause workers…