MOL 627E Course Analysis Summary

MOL 627E Course Analysis Summary

Evelyn Parker
Medaille College

Author Note
This paper was prepared on January 26, 2016 for MOL 627E, taught by Professor Sullivan

MOL 627E Course Analysis

After participating in the Diversity and Multicultural Making class I have learned many
new tools to assist me in my future leadership roles. For me to be truly successful, I must have an
understanding of organizational behavior, culture and diversity, communication, effectiveness
and efficiency, and most importantly making decisions that involve working with a diverse
audience.
Decision making could be defined as the process that involves, recognizing and defining
problems, evaluating the effect of the problem, identifying the causes of the problem, framing the
alternatives, evaluating impact, making the decision, evaluating the decision and measuring
results of the decision.
These theories, many of which are based on history and learned behavior, have widened
my perspective on approaching many different situations. Problem solving in a diverse world
and making decisions are essential tools for managing effective teams, establishing leadership
roles and it helps to understand and predict human behavior in any organization that involves a
diverse crowd. Making purposeful decisions in an organization can be structured accurately, and
having the decisions stick can also affect how an organization will operate.
Making serious efforts to broaden my experiences is another skill that I believe will be
most helpful in making good decisions, because by exposing myself to a variety of different
experiences causes me to look at things from different perspectives as well. Learning to think
through different situations at the same time making strategic decisions, I can learn to work my
way through complex scenarios and this skill is a great tool to have while in a leading position.

MOL 627E Course Analysis

Being a Hispanic and African-American female in a management major. I have always

considered management to be a male-dominated profession (especially white males). I am
therefore concerned about my chances of success in the field and I how I can further my career.
If I was to lead working in management and I needed to improve existing issues and
problems in the workplace about women wanting to advance in their positions, I would first need
to understand that women are not often taken seriously. If women are to earn a great amount of
salary and experience in their careers workplace attitudes and behaviors must change or the
workplace must be protected from different bias.
Another tool that I have gained to make better decisions that involve working with
diverse individuals is to establish basic decision making principles and taking charge of my
decisions, first I would avoid not beating myself up about the decisions that I have made in the
past because the past is the past but the past decisions can help future ones. The best way to be
better in decision making is to examine every decision I have made every day. I have checked
every decision I have made throughout my life and the consequences behind my decisions and
why I made them, I knew what I wanted to achieve in the end.
So in retrospect, the reality is that this society is diverse in many areas and it resembles
more a salad bowl, whereby individuals from different cultural backgrounds should be
encouraged to retain their uniqueness while adding special flavors to enhance the whole bowl.
(Harvard Business Review , 2015)
And what I mean is that there are new forms of diversity that are emerging and changing
everyday such as:

MOL 627E Course Analysis

The growth of minority workforce- Today's workforce is made up of a very

diverse population of individuals from every part of the world, which creates

dynamic multiracial and multicultural organizations

A growth of stereotyping and prejudices- This can be hard to avoid when so many

different cultures come together in a work environment.

Another trend companies are embracing is the addition of sensitivity or diversity
training- This type of training educates all employees about cultural differences so
that they can understand and appreciate each other. The purpose of sensitivity
training is to teach employees how to properly act and communicate in a

corporate environment.
The fourth trend is a large increase of females in the workforce- women's
participation in the workforce has grown dramatically to account for almost half
of the labor force. (Cultural Diversity in the Workplace: Definition, Trends &
Examples, 2015 )

For me personally because I work in Human Resources in the Diversity and Inclusion
department problem solving and decision making are two concepts that are very important to me
because they are key factors in wanting to be successful in any role or position you are in. You
have to know how to solve problems, make wise decisions and communicate well with others
and you also need to be motivated and willing to motivate others in the process from different
backgrounds, races and ethnicities.
What I have learned from the readings and some ways that I can lead in a diverse world is
that I can:

Be aware of the diversity and inclusiveness that may present itself within the organization

MOL 627E Course Analysis

Accept Diversity- People often fail to understand that differences are not something to
fear, but an opportunity to understand; accepting the differences among people comes
from within, not from a law or policy

Encouraging Diversity- To effectively influence others, I must first manage my own

perceptions on diversity. By using a four-step framework called PACT, I can learn and
constructively demonstrate the positive attributes of diversity

P: Practice being polite, respectful and helpful with all people

A: Accept the differences in others without judgments. Accept the similarities, too

C: Collaborate and communicate with all people by being a good listener

T: Treat all people with dignity, empathy, fairness and equal opportunity (Cultural
Diversity in the Workplace: Definition, Trends & Examples, 2015)
In conclusion I will definitely be more aware of my future leadership role(s) in the future

based on the theories that I have learned in the class. All the assessments and other insights from
Diversity in the workplace and decision making will help provide an excellent base for me to
understand that my leadership skills need to implement many factors such as problem solving,
communication, motivation and decision making alongside with collaboration and I must be
adaptable to whatever situation that I am placed in especially when working with diverse
individuals.

MOL 627E Course Analysis

Works Cited
John S.Hammond, R. L. (1998). Smart Choices -A Practical Guide to Making Better Decisions .
Harvard Business School Press.
Essentials, H. B. (2006). Decision Making 5 steps to Better results. Boston: Harvard Business
School Publishing Corporation.
Cultural Diversity in the Workplace: Definition, Trends & Examples. (2015, June 30). Retrieved
from Cultural Diversity in the Workplace: Definition, Trends & Examples:
http://study.com/academy/lesson/cultural-diversity-in-the-workplace-definition-trendsexamples.html
P.Bell, M. (2011). Diversity in Organizations. University of Texas: South Western Cengage
Learning .