Posted: March 11th, 2023

Checkpoint 4: Communicate/ Diversity (Artifacts)

This competency means that students should be able to demonstrate the ability to do the 

following:

1. Demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of different points of view that may 

be determined in part by race, ethnicity, culture, social class, national origin, gender, 

age, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, sexual identity, and mental and/or physical 

ability.

Artifact: {Link to pper or project which demonstrates knowledge of this competency. You 

will upload your pper and link it on the “Artifact” tab for this page.}

1) How does this artifact demonstrate your ability to articulate the value of diversity 

in the workplace? (100-200 words)

{Text here}

2) How does this artifact demonstrate the student’s ability to implement HR or 

leadership strategies so that an organization can effectively address the needs of a 

changing citizenry? (100-200 words)

{Text here}

3) How does this artifact demonstrate you have thoughtfully considered what it 

means to be culturally competent, i.e., able to interact effectively with people from 

different backgrounds and cultures? (100-200 words)

{Text here}

4) Discuss three ways in which your coursework in the MPA program has enhanced 

your ability to lead or supervise in a diverse environment (100-200 words)

{Text here}

You are Brooks. The case ends with the two paragraphs after “What’s Next.” What would you do to salvage the mess you find yourself in?

I will build a strong foundation by instilling trust within Foster Success. One of the most essential aspects of any diversity program is that other leaders at the company trust the diversity executives they hire. Without trust and room for exploration, it’s hard for diverse leaders to apply the practices that they feel are important for change. Comment by John Topinka: I agree with this suggestion.

Valuing diversity and embracing opportunities to compassionately learn about and build working relationships with individuals of various ages, cultures, socioeconomic backgrounds, and abilities would be an essential attribute for employees working at Fostering Success. As the Executive Director of Fostering Success, an organization dedicated to giving children a childhood and a future, I would revisit my set aspirational goal and rededicate my efforts to ensuring that youth graduate from high school at the same rate as their peers, with a plan for their future. Comment by John Topinka: There did seem to be a lack of focus on the core mission among the employees working on this issue.

Fostering Success employs a majority of white females, including white gay women. Foster Success reflected African Americans who make up 30% of the population, and Native Americans, who make up 16%. Data on sexual and gender minorities, which includes the LGBTQ population, was not collected. Equity is undeniably important in a cultural organization. I’m going to form an equity team to endorse HR’s integration of Cultural Competency into our day-to-day work. The youth I represent deserves to be treated equally, with a level playing field, equal opportunities, and equal access to growth and development.

I will put money into a Talent Acquisition team to identify consultants, leaders, and potential executives for Foster Success, so that they could concentrate on long-term human resource planning and selecting qualified applicants for roles that need specific skills. My objective is to create a community dedicated to promoting economic opportunity, amplifying diverse perspectives, and providing leadership, educational, and job opportunities that empower people to achieve our goals. Comment by John Topinka: I doubt they have such a team. Most nonprofits, especially small to midsize organizations, would have to hire some to do this.

President Obama said, “Research has shown that diverse groups are more effective at problem solving than homogeneous groups, and policies that promote diversity and inclusion will enhance our ability to draw from the broadest possible pool of talent, solve our toughest challenges, maximize employee engagement and innovation, and lead by example by setting a high standard for providing access to opportunity to all segments of our society (Obama, 2016).” Comment by John Topinka: Great quote.

I will adopt team allies’ opportunities at Foster Success to promote equitable educational opportunities. Promoting much needed connections via affinity groups that bring together partners on race, religion, and gender is vital to remind us that we’re all humans who want to feel included. Everyone at Foster Success is privileged to teach through group conversation, one-on-one meetings, or holding discussion sessions to talk through important matters related to race. I will ensure gender is integrated with education programs with online courses, enabling staff to practice conducting a focused gender and education analysis incorporating the three principles of equity, safety, and empowerment. Offer webinars on topics such as retention and sustainability and special education. Invest in special education teachers’ professional development training. Seek out a special education management team to assess students to decide what is being done, what is needed, and how best to support teachers working with these challenging students. Comment by John Topinka: Not sure what this means. Comment by John Topinka: Good ideas here.

Under my leadership, Foster Success management team will listen to our team members through annual surveys, which will build an even more productive workplace and strengthen our business. Foster Success will conduct an annual engagement survey that includes open-ended questions. The results of the survey will be collected, and comments will be summarized for executive leaders. This helps to inform changes. Although the survey is voluntary, the opportunity is to express one’s opinion regarding important areas and aspects of the employee’s work and work environment during the past year. The team’s action plans, generated from the survey results and planning meetings, helps to address concerns through positive planning and implementation. Comment by John Topinka: Do you think the religious objections to LBGTQ would have come up in a survey?

The number of workers filing lawsuits claiming discrimination based on religious faith or sexuality is on the rise in the U.S. (SHMA, 2016). My main aim will be to inspire and empower people to agree that everyone has the right to their own moral views and sexual orientation. Learning about them will allow one to be more compassionate and accepting of people who have different views or sexual preferences than others (Reach-Out, 2021). The important thing is to accept that some people place a lot of importance on this aspect of their lives. We should respect their right to believe whatever they want, even if we disagree. Understanding spirituality and gender differences may help to overcome pre-existing assumptions and inherited prejudices (Reach-Out, 2021). Comment by John Topinka: I hope this would work out.

True inclusion requires everyone at Foster Success to take responsibility, not just those in different segments (Ellison-Taylor, 2021). And when everybody participates, everyone succeeds. Consider how much more effective we will be if everyone felt free to express their diverse perspectives, thoughts, and solutions to the issues at hand. Comment by John Topinka: Even if they caused conflict?

It is my responsibility and obligation to discuss the Foster Success Employee Code of Business Conduct and Ethics. Our management and HR teams also have the duty of supporting and maintaining a community that recognizes, values, and demonstrates ethical behavior. Foster Success management and human relations will display the ability to set the proper tone and address suspected violations with care and respect that colleagues will follow and demonstrate. Foster Success condemns and prohibits any act in its work environment that creates the potential for illegal harassment based on gender or other protected characteristics. Suppose one believes to have been subject to harassment by management or colleagues. In that situation, Foster Success encourages one to report immediately to HR. Foster Success will have a standard of business ethics that requires compliance by its employees with all applicable laws, rules, and regulations to perform their duties.

Foster Success’ Vision Statement will be reflected in the workplace as a daily reminder of compliance. “Building a diverse and innovative team dedicated to giving foster children a childhood and a future, while demonstrating a positive effect in the communities where we live and work.” Comment by John Topinka: This is good.

The collection, analysis and use of race and ethnicity data should be an integral part of the continuing improvement efforts, quality assurance, supervision and accountability processes of Foster Success system (Casey, 2016). A systems analysis, or structural equity analysis, helps Foster Success look at problems objectively by considering the context and compounding dynamics, to uncover root causes and possible solutions (Casey, 2014). Comment by John Topinka: Who will do this?

I will continue to thrive to become a devoted and active equal employer, by exploring various measures in the upcoming years to promote and encourage fairness, justice, equity, inclusion, dignity and unity.

I can see you approaching the challenges at Fostering Success with this plan. I am not sure Alice is up to the task. She may need a different approach. Well written. Points = 14.4

References. Good references

Casey, A. (2014). 7 KEY STEPS – NYS Council on Children and Families. Retrieved on April 2, 2021 from https://www.ccf.ny.gov/files/3415/1241/1749/Step4_Root_causes .

Casey, A. (2016). By the Numbers: A Race for Results Case Study – The Annie. Retrieved on April 2, 2021 from https://www.aecf.org/resources/a-race-for-results-case-study-2/.

Ellison-Taylor, K. N. (2021). Moving Beyond Diversity to Foster Inclusion in Finance: The terms “diversity” and “inclusion” are often used synonymously. However, that notion couldn’t be further from the truth. CFO, The Magazine for Senior Financial Executives, 37(1), 22+. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A655348618/AONE? tel_p_memshel&sid=AONE&xid=cb2cdad5.

Presidential Memorandum (2016). Promoting Diversity and Inclusion in the National Security Workforce. President Obama. https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2016/10/05/presidential-memorandum-promoting-diversity-and-inclusion-national

ReachOut.com. (2021). Respecting others spiritualspir | Spirituality Retrieved April 1, 2021 from https://au.reachout.com/articles/respecting-others-spiritual-beliefs.

SHMA. (2016). Be Prepared for Religious, LGBTQ Issues in Workplace. Retrieved on April 1, 2021 from https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/behavioral-ompetencies/global-and-cultural-effectiveness/pages/be-prepared-for-religious,-lgbtq-issues-in-workplace.aspx.