BEYOND SEX, AGE, AND RACE: EXPLORING THE DEEPER CONTENTS OF DIVERSITY Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, Volume 30, 2003 BEYOND SEX, AGE, AND RACE: EXPLORING THE DEEPER CONTENTS OF DIVERSITY Robert E. Ledman Morehouse College rledman@morehouse.edu ABSTRACT THE EXERCISE Introduction of the Exercise (@5 minutes). This exercise explores the multitude of ways in which we are different and the benefits and challenges those differences can offer to managers. We often think of diversity in terms of sex (gender), race, ethnicity, age, national origin, or ability. However, a broader examination of diversity suggests that we all have characteristics that make us different—thus diverse. The challenge for managers is to capitalize on those differences for the good of the organization and the employees while effectively managing the challenges presented by those differences. This experiential exercise explores diversity as a management challenge that goes beyond gender, race, ethnicity or age differences. The exercise challenges students to examine the multiple contents for the concept of diversity and explore the management implications of that diversity. Additionally, the exercise provides the opportunity for student self-examination. Students are required to see their differences from the perspective of what benefits, and consequences, those differences will present to an employer. Step One (@5 minutes). In the next five minutes students are asked to write down three ways they are different and they can not identify gender, race, age, national origin, ethnicity, disability, or religion. This assignment can challenge students to do some serious self- examination since they have often not given much thought to the often “invisible” differences that exist between people. PEDAGOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS AND OBJECTIVES Diversity in the work place is a topic that appears consistently in management texts. The topic is typically discussed in terms of what might be called “visible” characteristics like race, gender, ethnicity (in some cases) and age and “invisible” characteristics like ethnicity, religion, and perhaps abilities (or disabilities) (Loden and Rosener, 1991; Ledman and Brown, 1993; Judy and D’Amico, 1999). The subject is also typically discussed as something that organizations can benefit from if they embrace the benefits and effectively implement diversity management efforts (Loden and Rosener, 1991; Loveman and Gabarro, 1991). The challenge to professors is to bring life to the challenges and benefits of diversity (Sauser, 1993). Often students, especially undergraduates, have limited experience with diversity in a setting like a work place. I have grappled with this challenge because my students only represent minimal visible diversity among themselves. Therefore, I have been required to explore ways to present the management challenges of diversity by looking beyond the issues of gender, race, ethnicity, and age. This experiential exercise has met my objectives by showing significant benefits in improving students’ understanding of the diversity challenges of management. An additional outcome of this exercise is that students are faced with the need to examine what they bring to potential employers. Step Two (@10 minutes). Students are now asked to write down two ways the differences identified in step one can be beneficial to a potential employer, and be prepared to explain why. They are also asked to write down two challenges those differences might present to organizations or managers, and be prepared to explain why. Step Three – Debriefing (@30-45 minutes). The debriefing begins with listing some of the differences on a blackboard or flip chart. Once the differences are listed students are asked to suggest ways the differences may be beneficial to potential employers and the challenges that may be presented to management. Typically, the student who identified a particular difference as applicable to him or her is asked to offer their suggestions first. This part of the discussion can be done as an entire class or in small groups. The students learn that the multitude of differences presented can all be beneficial to organizations if they effectively focus on the benefits of those differences and successfully manage the challenges presented. To close the discussion, summarize by focusing on the many kinds of differences identified, the many benefits of those differences for organizations and the challenges that managers may have trying to effectively maximize the benefits. It is useful to also point out how the students were able, with some reflection, to discover characteristics about 173 mailto:rledman@morehouse.edu Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, Volume 30, 2003 themselves that can make them valuable assets to organizations. Those characteristics are often not ones the students typically identified when asked in interviews what they could “bring to the table” to benefit a potential employer. REFERENCES Judy, R. W. and D’Amico, Carol (1999). Workforce 2020. (Indianapolis: Hudson Institute). Ledman, Robert and Brown, Darrel (1993). The Americans With Disabilities Act: The Cutting Edge of Managing Diversity. SAM Advanced Management Journal, 58:2, 17-20. Loden, M. and Rosener, J. B. (1991). Workforce America! Managing Employee Diversity as a Vital Resource. (Homewood, IL: Business One Irwin). Loveman, G. W. and Gabarro, J. J. (1991). The Managerial Implications of Changing Workforce Demographics: A Scoping Study. Human Resources Management, Spring: 7-29. Sauser, Jr., William I. (1993). Encouraging Pluralism in Management Education Programs. SAM Advanced Management Journal, 58:2, 6-16. 174 Table of Contents Volume 30, 2003 The Optimal Timing For Introducing Business Simulations Can Handicapped Students Access Your Class Web Site? The Competition Game: Decision Making In A Dynamic Environment Pan-Pacific Enterprises: Strategic Decision Making Simulation Study Of Stochastic Channel Redistribution The Impact Of Business War Games: Quantifying Training Effectiveness Experiential Learning: Introducing Faculty And Staff To A University Leadership Development Program The Feasibility Of The Balanced Scorecard For Business Games A Misuse Of Pims For The Validation Of Marketing Management Simulation Games Incorporating Technology Into The 21st Century Classroom: Are We Facilitating Academic Dishonesty? Improving The Effectiveness Of Peer Evaluations The Use Of A Simulation In An Integrated Mba Curriculum Student Portfolios In Business Education Student Portfolios In Business Education At Ashland University Using SAP ERP Technology To Integrate The Undergraduate Business Curriculum Board Games And Teaching Textile Marketing And Finance Blogging: A New Threat To Student Research? The Way We Talk! Take II Strategic Management: An Evaluation Of The Use Of Three Learning Methods In Hong Kong Adoption Of Discussion-Based Teaching And Assessment In Teaching Strategic Management In Hong Kong The Tobin Q As A Company Performance Indicator Using Representative Nominal Group Technique For Course Review And An Interactive Solicitation Of Ways To Enhance Absel's Image Making Teaching Matter: The Art And Science Of Teaching Business Communication Beyond Sex, Age, And Race: Exploring The Deeper Contents Of Diversity Teaching & Learning The Facilitation Process A Brief On Debriefing: What It Is And What It Isn't Changing Perceptions Of The Importance Of Leadership: The Contribution Of Individual Spirit Harmonics In Leadership Knowledge, Skills And Sustainable Values In Learning Organizations: Some Implications From The Multicultural Virtual Classroom Challenges Of Teaching Undergraduate Organizational Behavior In A Nontraditional Time Format Interactive Online Positioning With The Web-Based Product Positioning Map Graphics Package The Longitudinal Effects Of Entrepreneurship Training On Risk Tolerance: A Look At Similarities And Differences Between Male And Female Undergraduate Students Revisiting Strategy Learning In A Total Enterprise Simulation What Are Simulations For?: Learning Objectives As A Simulation Selection Device Gaming Agency Markets Cooperate For Profits Or Compete For Market? Study Of Oligopolistic Pricing With A Business Game The Design Of A Business Simulation Using A System-Dynamics-Based Approach Modeling The Product Development Function For An Entrepreneurial Firm Simulation Performance And Forecast Accuracy? Is That All? Business Manager Identification Of Competitors In Real World And Simulation Settings Monte Carlo Simulation Analysis On The Costs Reduction Argument Of Interest Rate Swaps Ebiz Game: A Scalable Online Business Simulation Game For Entrepreneurship Training A Model For Online Education Delivery And A Look At Online Delivery Effectiveness Incorporating "Company Reputation" into Total Enterprise Simulations The Genesis And Future Of The Absel "Classicos" Initiative