Workplace Observation

RUNNING HEAD: WORKPLACE SOCIAL ACTION PLAN

Workplace Social Action Plan

Workplace Social Action Plan

The South Florida University of Phoenix campus has a unique opportunity to leverage an increase in multicultural groups within the area to increase student enrollment and attract diverse talent to the workforce. Preparing an action plan for this influx of diverse cultures provides many benefits to the University while minimizing the unique challenges in understanding the various cultural differences and communicating with students where English is not the first language.

Statistics

According to city-data.com. the population surrounding the University of Phoenix South Florida campus has increased 75% since 1990 (City-data.com, 2007).

The present population contains large percentages of each race, meaning not all are born here (City-data.com, 2007). Many of these prospective students are international and there is a different procedure for enrolling them which discourages many potential students from going to school because of the money they have to spend to take exams and get certain documents to allow them to matriculate. Our campus goals are to open a campus directly in the heart of Miami that will attract students who do not need to travel far and to see if a different procedure can be developed so that the majority of the population can enroll without so much hassle and begin reaching their goals. There are other less expensive schools that do not require this much red tape, but these other schools take longer to complete a degree.

Many of these international students are older in age. A great deal prefer to attend our school and be able to obtain their degree quickly so they can continue with their lives and attain success. There are potential students that want to enroll but due to the issues mentioned above they do not enroll and unless enrollment rules change to make it easier, these potential students will either do without education or find alternatives.

Cultural Norms

"In a diverse, multicultural society, teachers (and citizens in general) do need to be sensitive to and knowledgeable about linguistic and cultural differences, and children need to be protected so that their ethnic or linguistic background isn't used against them." (Kottak & Kozaitis, 2003) This is a concept that should be used even as the children grow to be adults, and carried into their work and social environment. Whether it's a language barrier, or a cultural barrier, diversity is a positive tool that will help every one of us to stretch and build our knowledge. With a growing trend of international students and non us-citizens, the staffs at University of Phoenix need to be aware of the cultural norms and differences that exist within these cultural boundaries.

Some cultural norms that exist amongst many international students are the value of family and religion in their everyday life. While recognition and consideration of cultural similarities are essential, as a member of a society that views independence as achievement, this relationship may be viewed or stereotyped as dependency and to some, even a burden. The need and close relationship to their family and religion can sometimes even interfere with academic goals. At the University of Phoenix, this cultural norm is accommodated by later class hours, less frequent class meetings, and even online study courses.

In a Westernized society, men and women are viewed as equals. Within a diverse population including, Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians, a common view amongst these individuals that the male role is dominant. In an environment such as University of Phoenix, we have men and women who are equally successful in the workforce, including those that provide advice and guidance such as Academic and Financial Advisors. A culture that views women as submissive beings may not be as respectable to this position. This norm/belief and behavior can hinder the company's potential to grow and meet its future goals by restricting the number of students who may enroll due to the repulsive fear that they are abiding to women. Therefore, staff members of University of Phoenix need to have a clear understanding of the different point of views and be able to project their advice in a manner that wouldn't be perceived as overbearing or "in control." Although this cultural norm to those of us in a Westernized society is interpreted as "unfair" this is a behavior that is common and strongly exist with cultures outside of the U.S.

In many cultures, being vocally expressive is viewed as being disrespectful or even as an ignorant, uneducated individual. This timid behavior would be viewed differently in a learning environment, and may be a drawback to the success of the student. This can even restrict students from becoming educated on the programs that University of Phoenix offers because they fear that to ask questions would be a portrayal of ignorance. As a goal to University of Phoenix to continue to expand and to further help accommodate and make the process easier for international students or non U.S.-citizens to enroll, University faculty members should be well prepared for the increase of multi-cultural students.

Education of Staff

In order for the University faculty to be prepared for an increase of multi-cultural students, the University must implement new training programs, offer incentives for staff to expand their cultural education, and evaluate and revise the Code of Ethics policy. Many third party firms offer diversity training by conducting training or providing material for self-instruction. Team D recommends University management participate in two consultant-led workshops and evaluate two self-study courses. This accomplishes two things. First, it gives University management a first hand perspective of the training to know which approach works best within the University. Second, it demonstrates management commitment to the University staff. The team recommends the following 2 groups for vendor provided training: The Diversity Training Group from Herndon, Virginia (DTG, 2004) and Paragon Management Consulting (PMC, 2002) in Glendale, Arizona. Two self instruction programs team D recommends are a product titled, HOW TO DEAL WITH CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN THE WORKPLACE from the Richardson Company (Richardson Company, 2002) and the Instructional package from The ProGroup in Minneapolis, Minnesota (ProGroup, 2007).

To prepare faculty members when English is not the students first language, the University