Diversity Management – Writing Assignment/Quiz A6

148 Chapters

Case Studies

Case Study One In addition to working full-time, Ligua is a wife and mother as well as a part-time college student. 1 he student population at Ugua’s college is predominantly white. In spite of her desire to be as inconspicuous as possible, Ligua often feels the urge to edu- cate other students and even the teachers in her classes. These difficult dialogues often revolve around issues of social inequality. In her history class, for instance, students were talking about the legal, economic, and political changes in the United States that have opened up all kinds of opportunities for minorities. I.igua interjected, “I hope no one here thinks that by earning a degree, and getting an education, that you’re going to level the playing field.” A heated discussion took place, and the class ended before there was any closure on this subject.

Because of her complexion and Spanish-sounding name, assumptions are made. Even though she was born in El Salvador, Ligua speaks English fluently but finds it dif- ficult to communicate in Spanish. Last semester, in Intermediate Spanish, Ligua’s teacher would make references about her knowledge of the language, assuming that the class was easy for her. In reality, Ligua had to work harder just so she wouldn’t embarrass herself.

Ligua does not know how to handle these difficult dialogues. She doesn’t want to bring attention to herself or alienate the teachers or students, but she feels she must say something.

Questions:

1. What advice might you offer Ligua to help her deal with the difficult dialogues she encounters in her classes?

2. If you were one of Ligua’s classmates in Intermediate Spanish, what would you do, if anything? Why?

Case Study Two Mary, a single, 21-year-old college senior majoring in social work, is currently doing a practicum at a children’s mental hospital. In her role as a social wotker, Mary often speaks to a family several times over the phone prior to meeting with them. With the background information she receives on each case, Mary is aware of the family’s racial background before the family is aware of hers. In one instance, Mary had really con- nected with the mother of one of her patients. She and the patient’s mother, Mrs. K, had talked on the phone several times. Mrs. K made a point of acknowledging Mary’s competence and thanked her for how much help she had been.

When Mrs. K and Mary finally met, Mrs. K had a surprised look on her face. From the sound of Marys voice over the phone and her ability to empathize and under- stand what the family was going through, Mrs. K had assumed that Mary was African- American. She was shocked to see that Mary was White. The meeting was very uncom- fortable. Mary could tell that Mrs. K was hesitant to share information, and the working relationship they had formed seemed to disappear. When Mary came to work rhe next day, there was a message from Mrs. K stating that she wanted to work with a different social worker, someone who was not White. Mary was taken aback and did not know what she

Communicating in a Diverse World 149

should do. All of the social workers at the hospital were White, and she knew something had to be done so that the patient would continue to receive the best care possible.

Questions:

1. If you were Mary, how would you fee! in this situation? Why do you think Mrs.K reacted the way she did to Mary?

2. If you were Mary, what would you do? Specifically, would you call Mrs. K and talk with her, or would you handle it some other way? Explain.

Case Study Three

Michael (African American, divorced father, senior manager at a consulting firm) is constantly reminded that he is exceptional and deserving, unlike so many others. This can be uncomfortable, because the word “others” seems to apply to people who sup- posedly share his racial or cultural background.

A lot of stress in his life comes from his job as a consultant. For instance, there are people who are comfortable talking to him on the phone but are suddenly uncom- fortable when they meet him. They might complain or question his competence by saying, “I don’t feel comfortable working with Michael,” or “I don’t think Michael is the right person for this job.” At times like this, he is left wondering and angry.

Questions:

1. Michael is being confronted with a number of barriers to effective communica- tion. Discuss two of these barriers.

2. What microaggressions does Michael encounter? If you were Michael, how would you respond to these microaggressions?

Communication Symbol Kincsics Culturally specific IntercLiluiral communication Sign language

Linguistic diversity Bilingual Multil ingual Linguicism Electronic communication Material culture

Ethnographer Status Power Microaggressions Dialect

Exercises

Exercise 1: Ethnicriokes —

Imagine that you and other emptoyees~af: Work correspond by e-mail. You have just received the following message on^Ufcomputer:

“Just keeping you informed so that you won’t embarrass yourself. Due to the climate of politicalHpi&tncss now found throughout

Test Virginia, and Kentucky jw, you must use the

you.

America, those of us in Tennessee, will no longer be ‘I 111 1 Pill I

Now, if you don’t mind, I’ve got possums to fry.”

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