Jeffrey Cary Module 5 Paper
Jeffrey Cary
OGL 350
Professor Ellsworth
Module 5 Paper
6/21/2019
Jeffrey Cary Module 5 Paper
Module 5 Paper
Part 1
Learning about diversity conflict in organizations has been a very interesting journey that
has sparked a lot of self-reflection. One impactful thought that was presented is how cultural
differences can effect a team dynamic. If there are group members not understanding of the
different backgrounds of the others there will be tension created that can become detrimental to
the over group success. I think that this is such a crucial piece in working with others in life or in
any professional setting, the tensions of not understanding how people work or the work ethic
they have can be perceived in a negative sense.
I have also taken away a stronger understanding how discrimination can appear in a
professional atmosphere. Learning about all of the ways discrimination shows up will help me be
better prepared to deal with these situations in the future. Understanding how to be better aware
will allow me to protect the individuals working for and with me and ensure I can foster a strong
team where everyone is heard and valued.
Part 2
Over the past two years I have been learning a lot about diversity management due to a
conflict that happened at a Starbucks store in Philadelphia. There was an incident that occurred
where two African American males were wrongfully removed from the store and arrested. The
two gentlemen were just sitting in the café waiting for a business partner when the store manager
of the store had them arrested for trespassing and loitering.
Jeffrey Cary Module 5 Paper
The impressive thing that came from this horrible incident was the way that Starbucks
responded to the conflict both publicly and internally. The CEO of Starbucks, Kevin Johnson
went on national television the days after the incident and did something that was unprecedented
in the business world and that was take responsibility and commit to action. Kevin Johnson and
the senior leaders of Starbucks committed to retraining all employees on unconscious bias and
discrimination. The learning series that they have developed are very complimentary to the
learnings in this class.
Starbucks has brought in world renowned specialists, authors, and scholars who
specialize in cultural, racial, and other discriminations both known and unconscious. One
particular presenter that has made me really stop and think through my leadership style is Brene
Brown who really challenged us to see the actions we take and how they affect others. I am
really grateful that I have had the opportunity to go through all of the learnings even though the
reason they became available where not positive ones.
Completing the online activities in this class including the index activities revealed
results that make me happy as leader. Showing that there is no preference in African American
and white people or age discrimination reiterates how I self-identified myself. These activities
took me back to the Philadelphia incident and first learning series where they introduced
unconscious bias and where I thought I stood.
Part 3
I found the Giraffe and Elephant to be an interesting way to make us think about diversity
from a different aspect. The important message in this that stood out is the importance of the
individual in helping to understand the importance and vital need for it within teams and work
Jeffrey Cary Module 5 Paper
groups. If we all take accountability in ensuring diversity mixture is healthy then we can all
benefit from the differences within the group. “Diversity tension is inevitable. Wherever
different perspectives are found, tension will exist.” (Roosevelt 1996, P7) This is a critical point
that is made in the reading that demonstrates the importance of needing to all do our part and
push to overcome the issues with diversity.
Part 4
The learnings will help me to become a better leader and to help my teams grow to
become better people and employees. I think a lot of times talking about cultural issues is a taboo
subject and one that many people like to stray away from. By enabling conversation where topics
can be discussed in a respectful manner can only help to reduce the amount of cultural issues that
we face. I feel more equipped to handle situations that might arise and to be a mediator in these
conflicts.
The second benefit that I see myself taking away from these learnings is that I have a
better understanding of the benefits of diversity. Creating a team with many backgrounds and
cultural differences can be challenging but can bring a lot to a team or group. From all of the
stories and all of the readings I have come to understand that being open to understanding people
on a deeper level can aid to this mission. Not assuming things can be challenging but coming at
situations with and open mind and asking questions to close gaps is something I am excited to
continue to put into play.
