Newark, New Jersey
Communication
Being prepared to communicate and interact productively and in culturally responsive ways with a diverse and changing workforce and society at large is the final core competency of the MPA program. Examples of this proficiency are provided on this page.
Managing Diversity: Best Practices
This paper offers best-practices for managing the diverse and ever-changing American workforce. Awareness of these practices will allow administrators to communicate and interact productively in this environment while also being culturally responsive to several diverse groups. The first practice should be building a core set of values which define the culture of an organization. These core values should include clear anti-discrimination policies, bias and cultural competency training, and fair appraisal and promotional evaluations. The second practice is assessing how to be responsive to growing cohorts in the workforce including women, people of color, the LGBTQ community, various religions, older workers, and those with disabilities. The objective of any administrator should be building a diverse team where every member feels valued and included. The best-practices provided in this paper are essential for achieving that goal.
Pursuing Diversity: Definition, Importance, and Affirmative Action
For administrators to interact productively and in culturally responsive ways with a diverse workforce, it is important to understand what diversity truly means. This paper examines what diversity is within an organization, why it is important, and how to use Affirmative Action to legally pursue diversity. First, a more thorough definition of diversity is offered which moves beyond mere anthropological differences between people. Afterwards, the benefits of diversity are explored to underscore its importance. These benefits include creating a representative government, or organization, and the concept of superadditivity. Lastly, the practice of Affirmative Action will be examined and how it can be used to pursue diversity. It should be noted that, since the original writing of this paper, Affirmative Action in college admissions has been struck down by the SFFA v. Harvard and SFFA v. UNC rulings. In light of these rulings, fresh perspective has been added to identify how schools can still advance diversity agendas within their student body. Cultivating and communicating effectively with a diverse workforce can be an incredible asset for any organizational leader. Administrators would be wise to keep this practice in mind when managing in the public sphere.