Welcome back.

Now that we've spent some time on the topic of conflict,

looking at how groups can have a good fight.

How we can choose the right words in a conflict and

how we can negotiate with our group members more effectively.

Let's turn our attention to the topics of difference and

diversity for the remaining three videos of Module 3.

Difference and diversity are all about understanding and

appreciating the unique characteristics that each member brings to the group.

But not just in a sort of, let's all get along, Kumbaya sort of approach.

But instead realizing that there are significant advantages to group diversity.

And important demographic changes happening throughout our society that will

impact most group you're involved in.

To begin, we'll explore why difference matters in the first place.

And what diversity matters we should attend to.

Our next video is all about the concept of identity.

And exploring how everyone in a group understands themselves and

each other in relation to everyone else.

And our last video focuses on communication and gender.

One of the key aspects of difference and

diversity that is certain to impact almost every group you're a part of.

So let's talk about difference and

diversity, and why they matter as key dynamics of group communication.

Let's face it, diversity can be challenging.

Many of our group conflicts are rooted in our differences.

So it can be tempting to focus on minimizing or even eliminating these

differences, rather than appreciating them or even benefiting from them.

The reality is most of us feel comfortable being around people who are similar to,

not different from us.

And so we tend to gravitate towards like-minded people,

who also tend to look like us.

And there are a lot of societal barriers and

constraints that often keep people safely apart rather than bringing us together.

So for a number of reasons, diversity isn't always our natural course of action.

Although we may be able to get away with avoiding difference in some areas

of our life, it's rarely the case for group work.

Especially since today's global interconnected

society means we'll be working with many people in both professional and

civic contacts that are different from us.

But difference and diversity are often difficult to talk about.

And even our well-intended attempts to discuss these topics fall flat or

even offend.

Check out this clip from the television show, The Office,

which portrays a disastrous attempt at a diversity activity at work.

>> Here, I want you to take a card.

Put it on your, don't look at the card.

I want you to take the card and I want you to put it on your forehead, and

take a card, take a card, any card.

And I want you to treat other people like the race that is on their forehead, okay?

So everybody has a different race, nobody knows what their race is.

So, I want you to really go for it.

because this is real, this isn't just an exercise, this is real life.

And I have a dream that you will really let the sparks fly, get her done.

There's this great Chris Rock bit

about how streets named after Martin Luther King tend to be more violent.

I'm not going to do it, but it's.

This is a good one.

>> Hi, how are you?

>> Fine, how are you?

>> Great. >> Push it.

[INAUDIBLE] >> I admire your culture's success

in America.

>> Thank you.

>> Go ahead.

[MUSIC]

Come on, Olympics of suffering right here.

Slavery versus the Holocaust, come on.

>> Who am I supposed to be?

>> No, no, no, well, that was inadvertent, we didn't actually plan that.

>> Lots of cultures eat rice, doesn't help me.

Shalom, I'd like to apply for a loan.

>> That's nice, Dwight.

>> Okay, do me, something stereotypical so I can get it really quick.

>> Okay, I like your food.

>> Outback Steakhouse, I'm Australian, mate.

>> Pam.

>> No. >> Pam, come on, I like your food.

No, come on, stir the pot, stir the melting pot, Pam.

Let's do it.

Let's get ugly.

Let's get real.

>> Okay, if I have to do this, based on stereotypes that are totally untrue,

that I do not agree with, you would maybe not be a very good driver.

>> Man, am I a woman?

>> Hey.

>> You want to go to the beach?

>> Sure.

>> You want to get high?

>> No.

>> I think you do, Mon.

>> Stop. >> Okay, all right no, that's good.

You just, you need to push it, you need to go a little bit further.

All right, okay.

Kelly, how are you?

>> I just had the longest meeting.

>> Welcome to my convenience store, would you like some goodie cookie?

I have some very delicious cookie cookie, only 99 cents plus tax.

Try my cookie cookie.

Try my- [SOUND]

All right, all right.

Yes, that was great, she gets it.

Now she knows what it's like to be a minority.

>> Wow, that's awkward.

Thankfully, we don't have to address the topics of difference and

diversity like that.

Instead, there are a lot of great resources to help us navigate this

territory.

One of my favorites is a great book called Difference Matters by Brenda J Allen.

She's a communication professor at the University of Colorado Denver, and

also the Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Inclusion.

We'll glean some insights from her wealth of experience

to enhance our understanding of difference and diversity for group communication.

And we can think about the title of this book, Difference Matters, in two ways.

First, difference matters are the issues or

categories of difference that are significant.

Things like gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality,

physical ability, politics, religion, age, and

social class are all important matters of difference.

That directly impact how we communicate with each other in groups.

Of course, any list is incomplete, but this is certainly a good start.

The words we choose, the way we frame our arguments,

the way we interpret the comments and actions of others.

The way we evaluate ideas and make decisions and

the way we make sense of our group experiences.

All are related to how we identify or not with these categories.

They matter, and we need to pay attention to these differences if we want to have

quality group interactions and successful group experiences.

Second, difference matters because difference is important.

Why? Let me offer three main reasons,

factual, strategic, and moral.

First, difference matters because diversity is a basic demographic

fact of our modern society.

Our workforce and our communities are more diverse than ever before.

The United States is on track to be a minority-majority country

in the new future.

Which means non-whites will outnumber Caucasians for

the first time in our nation's history.

And this is already a reality in states like California, New Mexico,

Texas, and Hawaii.

In our global interconnected society, the professional and civic groups you work in,

will involve more people from more places who are different from you.

And it's not just about race and ethnicity.

There's a growing gender diversity in our workforce.

An increasing diversity of people with different physical abilities, as well as

many of the other categories of diversity and difference I mentioned previously.

So regardless of what you think about diversity,

it's simply a demographic reality of our modern society that will have a direct and

unavoidable impact on your group work.

Now second, difference matters because it brings many

strategic advantages to our professional and civic groups.

Recall how much we've talked about the importance of multiple perspectives for

effective group communication, from making good decisions to resolving conflict.

One of the best ways to ensure multiple perspectives

is to have people in your group that come from diverse perspectives.

And I don't just mean basic differences,

that's inevitable in any group because no two people are alike.

I mean people who have very different backgrounds, experiences, and

assumptions about the world.

For example, check out this promotional video from Starbucks.

See how they talk about the value of diversity in the workplace.

>> So I am a first generation American.

My parents were immigrants, they met here.

They were from the Philippines, and growing up, before I started school,

I didn't even speak English.

>> Pretty much everything I've done in my life,

I've found myself as being one of the few individuals of color in any situation.

>> My mother was born in China and I grew up in a very white place,

where I was the only one who looked different.

And I have that experience and I know what that feels like.

And I also know how much I had to offer that sometimes got overlooked.

>> One of the primary reasons that Starbucks has succeeded throughout all

these years is the diversity of people who work for the company.

>> Diversity from a simple is about who we are.

We want to make sure that we have a cross-section of people

that come from different perspectives that work for our organization.

Inclusion for an organization is about what we do.

>> It's a way of thinking, it's a way of encouraging diverse conversations and

thought and thinking.

>> In my view, the way to get the best talent is to get diversity of talent.

People with different experiences, people with different backgrounds, people with

sometimes different values who can bring different perspectives to the work.

Their differences are celebrated because that's what sparks innovation.

>> And how that happens is you're bringing these cross-section of people together.

They're creating innovative products, solutions, and needs.

They're solving the needs that the larger community has.

>> So I think we are better able to reflect the needs and

desires of the customers when we have a more diverse workforce.

>> First thing I try to get leaders to understand is that diversity and

inclusion is not a destination.

It's a journey.

>> I think it's you can be who you are.

I think it's about being open and

trying to understand the differences more than anything.

>> We're a workplace where people can be their full selves,

where they bring their full talents, they're not covering anything.

>> I try modeling in terms of the conversations I have,

the decisions I make.

>> And when we have the ability to understand all of those people who are out

in the world, when we connect with them authentically.

When we sit and talk with them, when we have leaders who understand or

are not afraid of other individuals.

>> We can recognize their differences and celebrate those differences,

not try to change or cover those differences.

>> That's how we create environments where organizations thrive,

not only in the present, but for a long time to come.

>> And that's, that's what l want to do as a leader and

that's what l hope my leaders can do for me.

>> It's critically important to our future and

it's critically important to the culture and values of what Starbucks is about.

>> Chances are your group is working on something that will affect people beyond

your group, like a business venture for a new target market.

Or a neighborhood initiative, seeking broad community impact.

Your group work will be more successful if you have

a better understanding of the people your work will affect.

And that will improve if your group includes people

from different backgrounds with different perspectives.

And this is far from mere charity.

Many jobs today are performed better by people from

so-called different backgrounds.

This recent article from The Atlantic reports that many companies,

like Microsoft and Ernst & Young, are actually recruiting people based on

the competency of autism for certain positions.

Because of the increased attention to error and

detail that autistic people bring to their work.

Other companies have found that blind or deaf people are much

better at certain kinds of work than so-called able bodied-people.

And these is the case for so

many other matters of difference that make up our modern society.

So there are important strategic advantages to be realized through

more diverse groups that include different people.

Finally, difference matters because there is a growing moral imperative to include

others who have been historically marginalized in our society.

As we continue to live up to our creed that all of us are created equal,

there is mounting pressure that advancing difference and

diversity is simply the right thing to do.

Although diversity may be a growing statistical reality, and

though some may have experienced strategic benefits,

the truth is diversity still won't happen without intention and initiative.

Even if some groups experienced demographic increases, current systems and

institutions still prevent many people from fully participating

in our modern society, however unintentionally.

It's not enough just to say, well, I'm not racist or sexist or whatever.

We also have to think about systemic and

institutional barriers that exclude people.

You won't magically end up with more women, or minorities on engineering

project teams, for example, if women and minorities are not represented

in the pipeline of developing talent from which these groups are formed.

Or you won't have more class diversity in your civic groups, if meetings are always

at times and in places that exclude people from certain socioeconomic backgrounds.

So the moral imperative of difference means that diversity is the just and

equitable course of action and something we should pursue intentionally.

Combine these three reasons, demographic realities, strategic advantages,

and moral imperatives make a compelling case that difference matters,

that diversity is critical for successful groups.

This is especially important for our emphasis on group communication because

all the key group dynamics we're covering in this class.

Group development, decision-making, creativity and innovation, conflict

management, negotiation, technology, all involve the specific people in our groups.

How they interact with each other and how their backgrounds, perspectives and

experiences influence those interactions.

The important first steps are to learn which difference matters to attend to,

and to understand why difference matters for group communication.

That's what we've tried to accomplish in this session.

And that will help us enhance our overall group communication.

In our next video, we'll build on these ideas

as we explore the concept of identity and its significance for group work.

All our group interactions are based on how we understand ourselves in relation to

other group members.

Who we think they are, who they think we are, and whether we all see ourselves

together as a collective that is more than the sum of just its parts.

This makes identity a key dynamic of group communication we need to examine

in order to improve our group experiences.

So that's what we'll cover next time.

I'll see you then.

4. Diversity Matters

Teamwork Skills: Communicating Effectively in Groups

Meet the Instructors