Diversity Leadership WorkshopDiversity Leadership WorkshopSlidell, LASlidell, LA

Presented by Patricia BrownPresented by Patricia BrownNWS WFO New Orleans/Baton Rouge, LANWS WFO New Orleans/Baton Rouge, LA

April 13, 2010April 13, 2010

Ebracing Diversity in the Workplace

Wanna Hug?What is Diversity?How Does Diversity

Happen in the Workplace?

What about Similarity?You ______ Like Me!TeambuildingNOAA Business Plan for

Diversity and TrendsBenefits of Embrace

What Diversity does NWS have? What Similarity?

Let’s Spell Similarity and Diversity!

Who lives in Smurf Village?

To clasp in the arms; hug

To cherish, loveTo take up especially

readily or gladly <embrace a cause>

To avail oneself of, welcome <embraced the opportunity to study further>

ZANE’ STUFF!!

To take in or include as a part, item, or element of a more inclusive whole <charity embraces all acts that contribute to human welfare>

To be equal to or equivalent <his assets embraced $10>

Let’s “Embrace” (verb)

What is Diversity?Noticeable heterogeneity;

"a diversity of possibilities” The condition or result of

being changeableMany and divergent Different; unlike; dissimilar;

distinct; separateThe "unrelatedness" of a

setThe quality of being diverse

or different; variety

Why is Diversity an Issue?What Happened to the Melting Pot Theory

From 9th Grade Civics?

The Melting Pot never really worked because diversity in America is too broad to assimilate.

Skin color can’t be assimilated.Gender can’t be assimilated.Disabilities can’t be assimilated.Religions can’t always be assimilated.Personalities are influenced by

environment, biology, and training.

EMBRACE THE DIFFERENCES!

What is Diversity? Groups of People – All of Us

In the political arena, the term diversity (or diverse) is used to describe political entities (neighborhoods, cities, nations, student bodies, et cetera).

Cultural diversity is the variety of human societies or cultures in a specific region, or in the world as a whole.

Cultural diversity has the characteristic of being deeply rooted in and reflective of ethnically diverse, inner-city, suburban, or rural populations.

“Multiples” - groups of people with least common factors and greatest common factors. (My Theory)

Workforce 2010 -2020 Demographics

62% of the workforce will be aged 35 or older.Workers who are 40 years of age or older represent 48

percent of the total U.S. workforce now. In 2008, women comprised 46.5 percent of the total U.S.

labor force.Women are projected to account for 47 percent of the

labor force in 2016. 32% of the workforce will be minorities.

African-Americans are the largest racial minority (13%).Hispanics are the largest self-designated minority, regardless

of race (15.4%). “Hispanic” does not include Brazilian Americans.

Workforce 2010 -2020 Demographics

Germanic people are the largest ancestral ethnic group (43%) of whites in the United States, followed by the Irish (30.5%) .

76% of Americans identify themselves as Christians.2.1% of Americans identified themselves as Jewish in 2006.Islam is the fastest growing religion in the United States.

Before 2020, Muslims are expected to be the second largest religious community.

Awareness of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender employees has continued to increase.

1 in 6 United States citizens are covered by Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

The ADA includes mentally disabled employees, as well.

Diversity DimensionsOuter Circle –

Organizational Dimensions

Second Circle – External Dimensions

Inner Circle – Internal Dimensions

Center – Personality of the Worker

What Diversity Does the NWS Have?

Work GroupsEducational TrainingNationalitiesReligionsNWS Regional CultureLanguageFamily StructureAgeGeographic Regional

CultureUnion Affiliation

Job Titles /ClassificationsExpertiseMilitary InfluencesBureau StructurePersonality TypesTime scales for Work and

Products Work Content Management StatusEthnicity and/or RaceGenders and Sexualities

What Are the Levels of Diversity?

Diversity operates at four levels in organizations:Personal

Individual prejudices; stereotypes; filters; behaviorsInterpersonal

Interactions with others; cross-cultural communications; cross-gender communications

Group Teams; cultured groups; inclusion/exclusion; who is

in, who is outOrganization

Systems; policies; culture; values and the impact on individuals and groups

What Filters Come to the Workplace?

People view the world based upon their own:

ValuesBeliefsExperiences PerceptionsJudgmentsPre-judgments or

prejudices.

Based on selective beliefs and perceptions, judgments can result in filters which:

Distort peopleDistort behaviorsDistort eventsBlock ProductivityHinder Progress

We often assume that everyone sees the world the same way we do, and thinks, and acts as we do.

What Happens with Filters in the Workplace?

We lock in and lock out things that are unfamiliar and different based upon our conditioning.

We only see those things that we want to see.

There are nine physical factors that come into play when we meet people. We process the first meeting based

upon:1. Color 4. Appearance 7. Movement

2. Gender 5. Facial Expressions 8. Personal space3. Age 6. Eye Contact 9. Touch

Taken from “The Four Minute Sell” by Dr. Janet Elsea.

Ladder of Inference – Not Influence

The process of “leaping” to conclusions with no intermediate thought process is like rapidly climbing a ladder.

Moving quickly up the ladder of inference creates stereotypes and prejudices and further clouds our filters.

Self-generated beliefs remain untested because we fell that: Our beliefs are the truth. The truth is obvious. Our beliefs are based on real data. The data we selected is real and totally factual.

What are Undiscussables?A significant barrier to organizational

effectiveness , team learning, and team building is the presence of topics that people feel are important, but do not discuss because they think: They may offend someone;There is an unspoken taboo; and/orThey fear reprisals.

In Diversity Management, the goal is to remove barriers to team building, including undiscussables.

Are there any undiscussables lurking in your office?

What If You Were Building A Village?

What Would You Need in the Village?

Skilled laborers.Food.Shelter.Law and Order.Plans for development.Individual outlets for expression, i.e.,

Art, Religion, Music .

EMBRACE THE DIFFERENCES!

What About Similarity?Closeness of appearance

to something else. (Philosophy) The relation

of sharing properties. The “relatedness" of a set

1 : The quality or state of being similar : Resemblance

2 : A comparable aspect : correspondence

What If You Were Building A Village?

What Keeps the Village Alive and Functional?

People! It is often similarities between people that build bonds across demographic groups.

Complex EmotionsAspirations and DreamsNeedsInterestsOutlooksViewpoints

To build a team embrace and celebrate the similarities!

Acknowledge Similarities for Team Building

By acknowledging similarities and likenesses, we find a starting point for understanding and appreciating diversity.

The study Human Capital Edge: 21 People Management Practices Your Company Must Implement (or Avoid) to Maximize Shareholder Value by Bruce N. Pfau and Ira T. Kay queried 7,500 workers at all job levels, across diverse industries, with 130 statements about their workplaces.

Diversity patterns were analyzed across demographics including whites versus minorities, men versus women, and people over and under 30 years of age.

Acknowledge Similarities for Team Building

There were more similarities among the workers than differences, especially in the categories that respondents considered most important.

People agreed about what inspires their commitment to a particular employer.

The following factors were most important:They supported their company’s business plan.They had a chance to use their skills on the job.Their reward package was competitive.

Acknowledge Similarities for Team Building

People also agreed upon what organizations need to improve.

The employees wanted to know how their job affected internal and external customers.

The wanted to understand how their job contributed to the accomplishment of company business goals.

The following factors were most important:Safe work environment;Employee input;Promoting the best performers; and Helping the worst performers improve.

What If You Were Building A Village?

What Keeps the Village Alive and Functional?

People! Similarities build bonds across demographic groups.

Skilled laborers – WORKGROUPSFood – REGIONAL CULTUREShelter – LOCATION/ENVIRONMENTLaw and Order – MANAGEMENT Plans for development – MISSION Individual expression – TALENTS AND

EDUCATION

EMBRACE THE SIMILARITIES!

Let’s Flip the Script!!

What Similarities Do We Have?Work GroupsEducational TrainingNationalitiesReligionsNWS Regional CultureLanguageFamily StructureAgeGeographic Regional

CultureUnion Affiliation

Job Titles /ClassificationsExpertiseMilitary InfluencesBureau StructurePersonality TypesTime scales for Work and

Products Work Content Management StatusEthnicity and/or RaceGenders and Sexualities

Groups of People – All of Us

Meteorologists HydrologistsFour years or more of

collegeFederal employeesScientific studiesSome computer skillsWork at varying time of dayWilling to move for job

(per Mobility Statement)Work in southern United

StatesLike to eat

Four years or more of college

Federal employeesScientific studiesSome computer skillsWork at varying time of dayWilling to move for job

(per Mobility Statement)Work in southern United

StatesLike to eat

Groups of People – All of Us

Electronic TechniciansAdministrative

PersonnelMaybe some collegeFederal employeesScientific studiesComputer skillsWork regular work times

except for emergenciesWilling to move for job

(per Mobility Statement)Work in southern United

StatesLike to eat

Maybe some collegeFederal employeesVaried training and studiesSome computer skillsWork regular work times

except for emergenciesWilling to move for job

(per Mobility Statement)Work in southern United

StatesLike to eat

Why Embrace Diversity?NOAA Business Plan for

DiversityWorkplace 2020 and

Megatrends 2000

New Customer BasesNew Workforce MakeupGlobal MarketplaceEmerging TechnologiesVision of Inclusive CultureMove Toward Managing

Diversity to Encourage All Employees to Reach Their Full Potential and to Retain Talent Pool

Mission Attainment

Older EmployeesIncreasingly FemaleNon-White Foreign-bornDisabled and ChallengedGays, Lesbians, Bi-SexualsTransgendersMore Religion - More

Diversity Islam Fastest Growing

Religion in U. S.A.

EmbraceBenefitsAcceptance of differences in

people with respect to age, class, ethnicity, gender, physical and mental ability, race, sexual orientation, and spiritual practice

Search for similarities in folkRight- versus left-brainersExpand markets and partners to

diverse groupsRecruit in non-traditional places,

schools, churches, etc.Minimize cultural biases in

hiring and marketingMinimize class differences

Aids in preventing “isms” based on differences

Builds teamwork/coalitionsProduces a diverse workforce

with a variety of experiences, perspectives, alma maters!

Increases productivity and creativity

Reduces grievances and suitsReach non-traditional customers

with products Employees’ “handicaps” or

preferences are not treated as character flaws.

All talents are utilized.

Spelling Similarity and Diversity

SmokersIMULARITY

DiligentIVERSTY

Give similar facts about you and/or a coworker.

Give personality traits that help build teams.

Who lives in Smurf Village?Name a few Smurfs.How many female

Smurfs were there?Is the village multi-

cultural? Is the kingdom surrounding Smurf Village multi-cultural?

Are the Smurfs diverse?How old is a typical

Smurf?

How young is the youngest Smurf?

Do all Smurfs speak the same language? Same accents?

What’s a Smurfling?Are there any disabled

Smurfs?Are any characters in

the area mentally challenged?

Hire, Train, Mentor, Warn Someone Diverse!!

Patricia Brown JonesWFO New Orleans/Baton Rouge, LA(985) 645-0565 ext. 228Patricia.Brown@noaa.gov