briefly explain some history on this topic and where businesses and institutions are going
with it. Then I will begin giving information on the problems and situations of diversity
and describe how we are treating each other and explain how we can improve
productivity. Everything that I explained above will be included during this talk.
I found some key points to help me out with the workshop in the article, Ten
Strategies For Managers In A Multicultural Workforce . First of all, I need to be a
flexible communicator. This goal involves using different channels of communications
to establish maximum understanding of what I am talking about. How I project my
voice, use my body language, and demonstrate my enthusiasm for what I am talking
about can either help promote my topic or do the reverse. I can maximize my efforts
after the workshop by sending memos reminding them politely of the issues, conducting
one-on-one consultations, or holding a group discussion. By doing this, I can increase the
magnitude of the results from the workshop.
Another goal is to express my concerns and confusions. Giving lavish praise to
someone for doing good work or looking directly in the eyes of a person when speaking,
will not be accepted positively by some ethnic groups. I must let the people know in my
workshop that I do not know all of their customs, so I want them to understand that I
don t want to offend anyone. I must assess my audience and know the different identities
involved. I must adjust myself if there are identities that may be offended.
Since I want to incorporate everyone in the workshop to participate, I would
suggest everyone help and create our definition of diversity that our department can use.
The smart organization will integrate differences between people into all its
development programs (Kunkel, 2000, p.4). This way everyone will feel a part of the
process and decision making instead of being told what to do. Our definition can outline
our philosophy, basic guidelines in situations, types of issues, and define what diversity
issues are.
I will also challenge all stereotypes and assumptions about minority groups. I
must learn to distinguish between characteristics based on intuition and
over-generalizations. I must talk to my peers about this and tell them that I cannot
tolerate arbitrary attitudes and stereotypes to linger in the workplace because it will only
generate misunderstandings and declines in productivity. For anyone that is interested in
personal development courses or other workshops, I will make these workshop s dates
and locations known.
Throughout the workshop, I want to set goals and also ask others how they feel
about the workshop. I will also point out that I want to link diversity goals with every
aspect of the department. I shall also confer with my other assistant athletic directors to
explain the purpose of the diversity program from their perspective and express support
to it. I will specify acceptable and unacceptable behaviors. Behaviors that do not act in
the interest of promoting a positive non-discriminative environment are unacceptable. I
will have to make sure that the other directors and I set an example in leading the way in
enacting diversity policies. I will also publicize to the rest of the university and the
community for the department s plan for encouraging diversity. I will reflect on our
efforts on a weekly basis. These efforts that I talk about include trying to tone down and
eliminate stereotypes and also seeing that the department becomes a more positive
environment for everyone.
Change comes slowly, particularly when the changes are affected by the personal
values and views of those in the department. According to Making The Right Training
Move , I can create a more positive environment, by implementing strategies that are
comprehensive, systemic, and long-range. At the same time, short-term goals must be
established. In the short run, creating a diverse reputation for the department is
important and then in the long run, the department would attract quality coaches, staff,
and players.
There are a lot of educational programs for diversity issues. There are many
video tapes, conferences, and also companies that consult on this topic. In athletics,
there are many conferences dealing with single issues such as gender, but I have not
come across any conferences that deal on the whole concept of diversity issues. I have
found through my research that there aren t many articles that deal with diversity issues
in the athletic department. I have found plenty of information for corporate business. Of
course, there is plenty of information on specific issues like race and gender, but none on
diversity issues as a whole. Information for sport managers on this topic is based on what
goes on in the corporate world and related to the athletic world. As this industry
continues to grow, I believe there will be more instances to write about diversity issues in
athletic administration. I feel this way because this industry is growing bigger every year
and affects people at all ages.
I am from Hawaii, a very unique state. Through my experiences in Hawaii, I have
realized that a person s identity is less important than the person s character and abilities.
For example, Hawaii is a melting pot for many ethnic races and because of this, people in
Hawaii are less threatened about other peoples ethnicities. I believe that if I can expose
my staff and coaches to different minorities, they can feel more familiar with these
groups and hopefully, see beyond the differences within us all. With this workshop, I
believe that at least, I can get my staff exposed to differences and develop an awareness
in everybody. Only then in my opinion can we start to see beyond our differences. The
workshop will help in turning the athletic department into a more positive enviornment,
free from diversity issues, and affect the university in a positive way.