Diversity Consciousness Expanding Diversity Consciousness

Diversity can be viewed in many ways and it can be experienced in both outer and inner phenomena. We find that diversity of people is present in our dreams, feelings, states, religions, thoughts, ethnicities, ages, political views, sexual orientations and physical abilities. A life can become more sustainable and richer through these differences. We all know that there is not one kind of vegetable, person or point-of-view. In simple words diversity can be defined as a welcoming attitude and an integration of diverse people and elements. This research paper is based on learning, identifying and evaluating diversity practices in any place. I want to explore how the environment and places help people to create and compare their intended purposes.

Expanding Diversity Consciousness

Introduction

Every state or a country has some ethnic minorities. These minorities are basically the groups that differ in their language, religion or way of living. Similarly in an organization we find some diverse groups and they have a different way of reacting and working as compared to the other people working under the same roof. This research paper is based on the study of diverse consciousness and how we can expand it while working in any organization. To clarify my actual purpose of writing this research paper, I have selected an ethnic minority group and have considered an organization where diverse groups are working together.

Literature Review

We have to develop our diversity consciousness while working towards the wholeness of life. In this way we can live a sustainable life easily. Diversity consciousness can be explained through various everyday problems such as an individual person, whether a man or woman, can experience troubling feelings. These feelings may depart from the person's own identity or image. Angry feelings can trouble a peaceful person similarly a weak or needy feelings can disturb a strong person. But the same feelings can make the respective person get connected to others more easily. These disturbing experiences or feelings can be embraced or avoided and later can be integrated in to the personality. They can be welcomed as gifts and often they are the right solutions to the person's problem.

Collective situations such as communities, organizations or families have evolutionary moments. These can be blocked. This is because every evolution is first perceived as a trouble. Basically the person's mainstream body is troubled.

Every organization should take pride in being liberal and open-minded. It often happens that any woman that was once criticized in the organization later becomes an inspiration for others. This is because once she denied accepting any forceful charges and left the organization. She was the one who took a step against discrimination that happened with her or with her diverse working group. Later being a former client she returns and gets engaged in the services of the organization. She is now inspired for all the important changes that she brought in the organization.

"From a diversity conscious point-of-view, heterogeneity and variety should be respected as natural and complex circumstances. An integral part of this is the recognition of those influences which specific affiliations and proportions of power have on behavior, attitudes, patterns of interpretation and individual positions" (Winkelmann, Scharathow & Eisele, 2008)

"Different bodies of diversity theory address different linkages among the patterns and with the realized Niche." (Bestelmeyer, Miller & Wiens, 2007).There are several theories based on diversity. In order to understand diversity as a whole I selected three research papers. One of them focuses on six dimensions of diversity such as gender, race, sexual orientation, disability, race and national origin. "Humans judge each other on surface-level characteristics..Group membership based on these characteristics implies true similarities or differences between people which.creates the formation of in-group and out-group distinctions.these judgments.result in outcomes that may have negative effects for minority or out-group members" (Shore, Chung-Herrera & Dean, 2009).

There are several theories used for the study of ethnicity as variable of interest. Many of these theories originate from micro-theatrical perspective. These theories explain behavior from a perspective within any work group or from an individual. "The most widely used perspective for explaining the negative outcomes of team diversity is social identity theory, it is predictable that people will exhibit a favorable bias toward others who are viewed as members of their in-group, and they will view themselves as being in conflict with out-group members" (Joshi & Jackson, 2007). When surviving in any organization or a workplace, we consider several factors that make us work and move in...

"Developing mechanistic, material explanations that do not rely on terms like organization, or on the efficacy of unarticulated external factors, and considering regeneration as an integral component of development and of life cycles" (Sunderland, 2008).
Within the literature on diversity and race, there are some theories that focus on possible positive outcomes or positive predictions of ethnicity diversity. The term "value in diversity" argues that for a team outcome the benefit and value is created by diversity. If there will be an increase in ethnic diversity, the respective work group will definitely experience some possible positive outcomes. These positive outcomes include enhanced ability of problem solving, increased information, constructive debate and conflict, higher quality decisions, increased creativity and an increase in understanding of various cultures.

"If organizations want to achieve diversity in the workplace, they really must commit to a workplace diversity strategy. There are plenty of organizations that understand the business value of implementing diversity-management initiatives and having their workforce represent the society in which they live" (Luber, 2010). Yes, it is absolutely true that various organizations exhibit themselves as being very liberal. They bring employees belonging to diverse cultures under one roof. After the formation of in-groups and out-groups, these organizations fail to maintain the awareness of accepting diversity. It creates difficulties for the employees working in that organization.

To promote a clear idea of expanding diversity consciousness, I have chosen a linguistic minority and that are the "Asians." I have selected three field sites and I have considered employees working in an educational institute (university), in a multi-national organization and running restaurant business. I will be focusing more on the multinational organization and this I have chosen as the central field site for my research paper study.

In the past few years I have observed gays either being criticized severely or accepted whole-heartedly. Initially I wanted to focus on rights of gays and that how they are treated in any workplace. Whether they work in an organization or they study in a school, somehow they face criticism from the people in their surroundings. Acceptance of gays has become a serious problem especially in schools. "The growing conflicts are centering on three issues: whether classrooms are an appropriate venue to explore issues of homosexuality, whether schools should lend sanction to extracurricular activities in which gay culture is a focus and whether textbooks that acknowledge homosexual relationships are suitable for younger children" (Janofsky, 2005). I could not find much material on this issue therefore I chose a major issue of diversity that happens with the Asians or even with Hispanic families. Before moving further I would like to mention the major countries that are a part of the Asia continent. These include Afghanistan, China, India, Pakistan, Georgia, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Philippine, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and etc.

Cultural Differences of the Diverse Minority

There are several mentor programs carried out for diverse minorities. As I have selected "Asians" as a diverse group, therefore I would highlight some of their cultural differences. Asia is the biggest continent in the world. It has the richest cultural values as it comprises of 48 countries. Some of the major countries of Asia as written on the previous page have a rich cultural history. From food, dress, religion to the style of business, work and relationships; Asia has numerous values and trends. Therefore Asians, when migrate from their homeland towards the Europe side, face diversity issues especially when it comes to work and making money. They have to blend themselves into a new culture and society. Some of the Western trends are not acceptable by them.

Because of many kinds of cultures that are a part of Asia, clothing becomes an important way of exhibiting that a particular person belongs to which group. More than 1000 languages are spoken in this continent. The Asian cuisine, clothing, habits and family life is entirely different from the ones in West.

Now more particularly I would like to explain the influence of culture in my selected field site and that is working in a multinational organization. A multinational organization brings hundreds of people under one roof; all having diverse culture values. When people belonging to various cultures come under one roof, they exhibit their values in a unique way. Every organization has its own broad outlook that has to be maintained while executing official work. In simple words, culture is what a person thinks about the way of spending his life. The characteristics ways of feeling, behaving and thinking is broadly defined as Culture. These characteristics are shared among identifiable…