The Workplace Ethnography Importance

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Description and Analysis
Target Employee
Improving Organizational Structure
Conclusion
Works Cited

Introduction

Organizational diversity is one of the prerequisites for the successful functioning of contemporary companies. An effective work environment implies that people with different backgrounds have an opportunity to cooperate and learn from each other. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the ethnography at a prior place of employment of the author and provide insights into the ways company leadership can enhance its work environment.

Description and Analysis

The company has a developed team structure. It is a multinational organization that encourages diverse workers to cooperate on various projects. After one project has been finalized, the teams are reorganized. This way, the leadership ensures that people interact with different colleagues. Importantly, the enterprise forbids any discriminating attempts. The rights of workers are protected on the regulatory level, and they can report to the management when their possibilities are anyhow limited (Hilliard 21). Depending on the project, people can attain different roles. When working on one assignment, they can be a fully functional team member; however, in other projects, they can function as team leaders or do secretarial work.

The diversity of voices is also ensured by the flexible mode of working (Hilliard 23). When collaborating with different people, individuals are pushed to contribute their ideas to the project. Also, speakers at meetings also interchange. As a rule, leaders of teams present the results. However, since leaders always change, everyone has an opportunity to speak.

The company under analysis is a U.S.-based organization, and white Americans are in the position of power. Their authority is manifested in the ways they finalize all the decisions. Depending on the team’s needs, the leaders employ either a democratic style or coaching (Hays-Thomas 155). Employees respond positively to the asserted power (both verbally and physically). The atmosphere is quite friendly, and the managers never resort to coercion to achieve results. However, all the employees comprehend the leaders’ authority, which contributes to productivity.

In regards to the last meeting the author had attended, those who spoke and communicated project results occupied the most space. They utilized different multimedia tools to present the information and control technology, so they moved around the meeting room. During the event, everyone else remained seated while the presenters also controlled the screen using a remote control. Therefore, project leaders took up the most space literally and metaphorically. In terms of stories that people told, they were related to the project.

Women and people of color are represented in the organization well. The teams are culturally diverse, and the majority of workers are women. People of color make approximately 10% of the entire staff. In terms of LGBTQ representatives, it is rather difficult to determine whether there are any of them since people do not exhibit their orientation or preferences. The leadership is white American males.

In terms of the meetings, the different participants worked together effectively. Everyone had an opportunity to share their ideas and evaluations; however, some team members were more active than others were, which could be determined by their cultural peculiarities or personality (Hays-Thomas 155). For instance, the co-workers from China were more silent than Spanish employees were, but it could be a manifestation of their mode of cooperation. On the ideological level, the observed setting does not differ from the author’s expectations since it is quite common that people of different cultures exhibit different values, behavioral patterns, and employ various strategies at their workplace. Moreover, having worked and studied in multinational organizations, the author has received quite rich experience in interacting with different individuals, which correlates with the observation.

Overall, everyone stayed focused on the subject because it was the final meeting regarding the project. The author’s impressions coincide with the ideas discussed in the readings. At their workplace, people tend to exhibit their characteristics, which are supported by their cultural identity and values (Hilliard 27). Therefore, leadership must know how to take benefit of the unique perspectives each employee can present relying on his or her background.

Target Employee

The target employee for the organization is a person capable of being flexible and functioning both as a leader and a team player. The worker should commit himself or herself to the duties while remaining open to alternative opinions (Mor Barak 67). Therefore, culture, gender, or any other background aspect is not important for the company.

The individuals in the group fit well in it because their job-related capabilities were more important than their cultural belonging or sex was (Mor Barak 136). Considering this factor, it can be assumed that the depictions of race and gender were represented adequately in the company. Its policy and the media product did not contain bias but reflected the main value of the enterprise, which was cultural diversity.

Improving Organizational Structure

The three things that can enhance the structure of the company center on diversity management. First, the enterprise should consider compiling an equal employment policy to ensure that it does not limit or discriminate against any employee. Second, the leadership should establish an inclusive culture since, at present, the company does not hire people with disabilities (Hilliard 15). Third, the enterprise should promote sensitivity to language concerns. If individuals have poorer levels of English that their co-workers have, they should not be limited in their opportunities to become team leaders.

Conclusion

Thus, it can be concluded that organizations can benefit greatly from the diverse employees they have. However, management should be knowledgeable of the ways to encourage and stimulate communication between people with different backgrounds and ensure that no signs of discrimination are present. The company under analysis effectively employs diversity management. Employee cooperation is quite intense; however, the organization should continue improving its structure to make it more inclusive.

Works Cited

Hays-Thomas, Rosemary. Managing Workplace Diversity and Inclusion: A Psychological Perspective. Taylor & Francis, 2016.

Hilliard, Jerry. Effective Solutions to Diversity Training. Xlibris Corporation, 2014.

Mor Barak, Michalle E. Managing Diversity: Toward a Globally Inclusive Workplace. 3rd ed., SAGE, 2013.

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