The closing case deals native american diveristy. Students can utilize the book and other sources for more in-depth research to answer the case ending questions. The paper should be 2-3 pages not including the title and reference page. Please post papers before 11:55 pm on the due date.
Please read and answer the questions in APA formatting. Do not write the questions and the provided the response under. Incorporate the questions and answers in the paper. The paper needs to reflect the junior/senior level of the class.
Closing Case:
(Native) American Diversity
Diversity conversations seldom include Native Americans. There is even disagreement over how these individuals should be identified. But whether we use the terms “American Indian” or “Native American,” or refer to their tribal affiliation (Cherokees are the largest, with more than 800,000 members), the prevailing perception is that Native Americans are a relatively homogeneous group. But while different tribes each have their own issues and are actually quite heterogeneous, there are some issues that face all Native Americans.
According to current census data, there are 5.2 million Native Americans living in the United States (including American Indians and Alaska Natives), and this number is projected to grow to 8.6 million by 2050. The largest Native American populations are in Oklahoma and California, but another nine states each have more than 100,000 Native American residents. Furthermore, with a median age of 29 (compared to 37 for the general population), Native Americans will become increasingly important for the workforce.
Since 1871, American Indians have been considered wards of the U.S. government, and, although we are now more sensitive to the history of how the U.S. government treated Native Americans, images of “cowboys and Indians” are still part of society—as reflected in recent debates over using names and images associated with their culture as names, mascots, and logos for sports teams. And while relations between the U.S. government and Native Americans have certainly improved, conflicts are still often solved by actions of the U.S. military or are referred to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, a non-Indian Federal organization.
As a result, diversity initiatives aimed at Native Americans face unique challenges. One grows out of the tension between assimilation and the desire to maintain a strong Native American and tribal identity. This drives discussions over the role of tribal courts and tribal governments relative to issues of child custody, sentencing guidelines, and general policies aimed at “mainstreaming” Native American children. Another challenge stems from the fact that for many Native Americans, there is no clear definition of religion—religious beliefs are part of their way of life and cannot be separated. Consequently, it is not clear what protections are afforded to Native Americans under the First Amendment, or what religious rights they have (although in one case employees at Oglala Lakota College are granted 5 days of leave for their Sun Dance ceremony).
(Native) American Diversity
Kobby Dagan/Shutterstock.com
Native Americans face many of the same challenges confronting other minority groups, including stereotypes, prejudice, and bias, as well as the relative lack of quality education, poverty, early parenthood, and substance abuse. But while all Civil Rights legislation applies to Native Americans (Native Americans were granted citizenship rights in 1924), few cases have been brought on behalf of Native Americans. In fact, it was only in 1997 that the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice first enforced the education statues on behalf of Native Americans by ordering a Utah school district to build a new high school in a remote community populated mostly by Navajo and Paiute tribe members.
Diversity efforts targeted at Native Americans deserve more attention because Native Americans have a great deal to offer modern business. Native Americans are much more likely to be bilingual when compared with the general population—over 70 percent of the Navajo nation is bilingual, for instance. Even though the second language involved is often a tribal language, these statistics suggest that Native Americans have strong language skills. They also appear to have strong entrepreneurial skills: There are now more than 400 tribal gaming casinos, operated across 30 states, generating $15.5 billion dollars in annual revenues. It therefore seems clear that Native Americans represent a growing yet vastly underutilized group of employees who have a strong cultural tradition combined with strong entrepreneurial skills. They clearly deserve more attention as the target of diversity initiatives.Footnote
Case Question
Why do you think Native Americans are so seldom discussed in the context of diversity?
If you were an HR manager, what special strategies might you adopt to recruit more Native Americans to apply for positions in your organization?
8-1
Discuss the nature of diversity, and distinguish among diversity management, equal employment opportunity, and affirmative action.
Diversity exists in a group or organization when its members differ from one another along one or more important dimensions. Diversity is increasing in organizations today due to changing demographics, the desire by organizations to improve their workforces, legal pressures, and increased globalization. Diversity management and equal employment opportunity may appear to be the same, but they are actually quite different. Equal employment opportunity is intended to eliminate discrimination in the workplace; management diversity focuses on recognizing and accommodating differences among people. Affirmative action simply refers to positive steps an organization takes to attract qualified applicants from underrepresented groups. Its ultimate goal is to increase the diversity of the workforce.
Diversity
Equal employment opportunity
Diversity management
8-2
Identify and describe the major dimensions of diversity in organizations.
Diversity involves several key dimensions. Four of the more common are age, gender, ethnicity, and disability. The overall age of the workforce is increasing. More women are also entering the workplace, although a glass ceiling still exists in many settings. In the United States, more Hispanics are entering the workplace as the percentage of whites in the general population gradually declines.
glass ceiling
Ethnicity
8-3
Discuss the primary impact of diversity on organizations.
Diversity affects organizations in many different ways. It also serves as a force for social change. Many organizations are realizing that diversity can be a major force for competitive advantage. Finally, diversity can also be a significant source of conflict. More recent views of this potential trade-off seem to suggest that further increases in diversity might lead to more positive outcomes and fewer problems with conflict.
8-4
Describe individual and organizational strategies and approaches to coping with diversity, and discuss the multicultural organization.
Managing diversity in organizations can be done by both individuals and the organization itself. Individual approaches to dealing with diversity include understanding, empathy, tolerance, and communication. Major organizational approaches are through policies, practices, diversity training, and culture. Few, if any, organizations have become truly multicultural. The key dimensions that characterize organizations as they eventually achieve this state are pluralism, full structural integration, full integration of the informal network, an absence of prejudice and discrimination, no gap in organizational identification based on a cultural identity group, and low levels of intergroup conflict attributable to diversity. Ultimately, the people of any country with a diverse population such as the United States must decide if a model of pluralism will also work on the national level.
Diversity training
multicultural organization
8-5
Discuss the basic issues in managing knowledge workers.
Managers increasingly recognize that they need to address the knowledge function in their organizations in order to be successful. The knowledge function starts with an understanding of both organizational learning and organizational memory. Human resource (HR) managers may play an especially important role in managing knowledge workers.
Organizational learning
Organizational memory
Knowledge workers
8-6
Relate human resource management to social issues.
Human resource management (HRM) is also becoming increasingly linked to social issues. Key examples include prison labor, a living wage, immigration, and social responsibility and social entrepreneurship.
Key Legislation
Key Points for Future Managers
Managing diversity is critical for the company that wants to remain competitive in the new century. Extremely effective diversity management can lead to a strong competitive advantage as a firm becomes more attractive to a broader set of applicants, has easier access to a broader set of markets, and increases creativity within the firm.
Effective diversity management is a full-time job and requires strong and consistent support from top management.
Although managing the knowledge function is an organization-wide imperative, HR managers need to be included in specific issues associated with knowledge workers.
