Reference no: EM132831015

Title: Leadership Experience

Chapter - Developing Leadership Diversity.

Overview:
This week's readings equip you to understand and reduce the difficulties faced by minorities in an organization and apply an awareness of the dimensions of diversity and multicultural issues in your everyday life. It will also encourage you to support diversity to meet organizational needs and break down your personal barriers that may stand in the way of becoming an inclusive leader. Finally, it will position you to consider the role of cultural values and attitudes in determining how to deal with employees from different cultures or ethnic backgrounds.

Learning Objective 1: Understand and reduce the difficulties faced by minorities in organizations.

Learning Objective 2: Apply an awareness of the dimensions of diversity and multicultural issues in your everyday life.

Learning Objective 3: Encourage and support diversity to meet organizational needs.

Learning Objective 4: Consider the role of cultural values and attitudes in determining how to deal with employees from different cultures or ethnic backgrounds.

Learning Objective 5: Break down your personal barriers that may stand in the way of becoming an inclusive leader.

Learning Objective 6: Use sponsorship and employee affinity groups to support female and minority participation and advancement.

Discussion Board - 450 words

Reflect on the assigned readings for the week. Respond to the following prompts: "What do I feel are the most important aspects of my learning in the chapters this week?" and "What about this learning was really worthy of my time and understanding?" Then explain how important it is in society or business.

Also, provide a graduate-level response to each of the following questions:

Why is diversity of thought important for today's organizations? Do you think an organization can have diversity of thought if all employees are of the same race and approximately the same age and background?

Do you agree with sociologist William Bielby that people have innate biases and will automatically discriminate if left to their own devices? Discuss.

Why do you think many women opt out from seeking higher levels of corporate leadership? Discuss why you think this either is or is not a trend that might hurt organizations over the next decade.

Leadership Development: Case for Analysis

Synopsis
Ethney Gentry was thrilled to have infiltrated the ultimate good old boy network, landing a job with a mid-size Tulsa-based oil company. Armed with solid credentials and what she considered the strengths of female leadership-listening, collaboration, consensus building, and organization-she looked forward to her first meeting with the company's retiring first female manager, Alexis Bale. Alexis advised that Ethney follow the same path to success that Alexis used-be one of the guys.

Questions:
If you were Ethney, how would you try to conduct yourself at the oil company? Why do you think your approach would be successful?

Do you think male-dominated cultures like this one still exist? Do you think women have to plot a strategy to be accepted? Would you adopt a strategy in which you acted different from your normal personality? Why?

What does it mean to be "True to yourself"? Is being true to yourself more important than achieving personal career success in a male-dominated company? Is it okay to enable the continuation of an "unhealthy" work environment for women? Why?