1. How can the six primary dimensions of diversity contribute to an individual's advantage or disadvantage in the workforce society? Your answer should include an explanation of the individual's age, ethnicity, gender, mental/physical abilities, characteristics, race, and sexual orientation to include how they can affect job performance. The six primary dimensions of diversity include age, ethnicity, gender, mental/physical abilities, race and sexual orientation. Each of these dimensions have the potential to create advantages and disadvantages for individuals in the workplace. Additionally, each of these dimensions can affect job performance. The dimensions affect self-image and individuals are products of these dimensions as each creates individual experiences, values, assumptions and expectation. Age could be a disadvantage when an individual is not the same age of his or her co-workers, and age could be an advantage when co-workers are around the same age. Those of the same age have more in common and are likely to form closer bonds. Age could also affect performance as those of an older age could have restrictions to production or those of a younger age could have less experience and skill in a particular task. Mental and physical abilities are also affect individuals in the work place in the same manner as age. Ethnicity, gender, race and sexual orientation also may be advantageous or disadvantageous. If an individual is a minority based on one of these dimension, there is a likelihood that he or she would be treated differently in the workplace. Being treated different will affect performance.
2. How is culture a learned behavior? Your answer should include how children receive a general culture orientation by the time they are five or six years old. A person’s culture is created by the environment around them. As children, individuals learn culture from their parents. Behavior patterns and perceptions are created in this environment, and these are the same patterns and perceptions that children carry into adulthood. Traditions and beliefs are also taught to children when they are young. These are also typically retained by individuals into adulthood. Sometimes, individuals may choose to follow different patterns or create their own beliefs and traditions, but more often individuals carry forward what they have learned from their parents in early childhood.
3. Stereotypes and suspicion: A call comes in over dispatch that a security guard at a shopping mall in a predominantly white neighborhood has seen four Hispanic males. The security guard reports that they are gang members because they are all wearing matching leather jackets and red ball caps. He reports that they have just opened and closed their car trunk and are now entering the mall. The security guard notifies the merchants, some of who immediately begin closing their stores. You are the officer in the vicinity of the mall who responds to the call just as the juveniles are leaving the mall and are heading toward their car. In the meantime, several merchants continue to be anxious about the gang members leaving their stores closed. What should happen? As the officer dispatched to the mall, I would approach the young men and speak to them. I would ask them what they are up to, where they are going and attempt to ascertain whether any criminal activity has occurred or is about to occur. Depending on this assessment, I would either allow the men to leave or further the investigation and call for back up.
As for the merchants, after ascertaining the situation with the youth, I would enter the mall to discuss the situation with the security guard and involved merchants. I would notify them that I have conducted an inquiry with the young men, If the young men were not suspicious and no criminal activity was afoot, I would notify the merchants that everything is fine and that it would be okay to reopen their businesses. I would also thank the security guard for being aware of his environment.
If the inquiry led to the discovery of any criminal activity, after completing what needed to be done in that situation, I would approach the security guard and mall merchants afterward. Again, I would thank the security guard for doing his job and being aware of his environment. I would then notify the merchants that everything is under control and they are free to reopen their businesses.
Regardless of what I discovered in my investigation with the youth, I would engage in a discussion with the guard and merchants about diversity. I would engage these individuals in a discussion about diversity and stereotypes. I would also suggest that further education may be necessary on their part as society has many different individuals and simply because they appear different in dress or ethnicity does not call for an assumption that criminal activity is afoot.
4. Relations among community groups: You are a police officer in an agency that has been involved in community-oriented policing for several years. You are working in a neighborhood where there has been conflict between Korean Americans and African Americans. You have been summoned to a Korean American store where the Korean clerk has made a citizen's arrest on an African American youth for petty theft. A group of African Americans has gathered to protest the arrest. They are angry, but they are not hostile to you and your backup officer. There are several ways you could approach this multicultural community problem and some of the ways would probably ignite the situation more than necessary. What do you think is the best way to handle the situation (i.e., with tact and sensitivity), given the animosity between the two groups? What should happen?
The first thing that my backup and I would do in this situation would be to handle the shoplifting situation. I would discuss the theft with the store clerk and ascertain whether or not the individual engaged in a crime. If we determine that the individual enaged in a crime, I would call for another cruiser to come and transport the individual to the police station for processing after the arrest.
Depending on the animosity of the crowd outside the store, I may decide to call for backup. However, the backup I would call for will have to coincide with the crowd, If there are a large number of indivdiuals, I would ask for more than one car for backup. If there is only a few individuals outside, one car would only be necessary. The number of cars that respond to backup will have an effect on the response by those outside the shop. If the response is excessive, an impression of over policing would be given and could likely enhance the animosity of the group. However, I need to be sure that there are enough officers on the scene to handle the unpredictable situation.
5. The cartoon: An African American officer complains to his shift supervisor that posted on one of the main bulletin boards in the squad room is a cartoon caricature with his name under it. The picture depicts a black male with a bone drawn through his nose. The caption under the picture thanked the officer for his willingness to "model the new department headgear". This cartoon has been up for at least a day and everyone passes it on his or her way in and out of the main room. Therefore, at least a couple of supervisors have seen this cartoon. What should happen? This is a situation in the workplace that is clearly discriminatory and racist. The matter should be addressed professionally and formally. The supervisor needs to ascertain who was responsible for posting the cartoon. Once this is determined, the individual or individuals responsible should be held accountable. Depending on the department policy and the history of the individual or individuals involved, this may include a reprimand or even a suspension.
If the supervisor is unable to ascertain who posted the cartoon, an in-depth investigation should be conducted until the individual or individuals are identified.
After addressing the individuals involved directly in posting the cartoon, as supervisor, I would call a meeting among the supervisors to determine who seen the cartoon and who refused to respond to the posting as required by policy. Upon discovering who failed to report the incident, I would ensure that these supervisors also are made to face consequences for this failure to notify or take action regarding the issue.
Following the investigation, I would create an education and training program that would be made mandatory for everyone in the department. This program would include diversity and proper behavior that is necessary in the department. I would also ensure that all individuals are aware that the department will not tolerate this sort of behavior.
References
Dimensions of Diversity. 2015. <http://www.ivygroupllc.com/executive-leader/dimensions-of-diversity/>.
