Assignment
Prior to completing this activity, read "Self-Assessment and Dialogue as Tools for Appreciating Diversity" and watching the videos What Your Boss Wants: Business and Understanding our Biases and Assumptions.
Bias communications occur in social platforms daily. Also, businesses and leaders are continuing to frequent social sites more frequently. The following discussion introduces the potential for the biases that may neglect, or promote, the importance for diversity within organizations, as communicated through social platforms that often promote information through the use of increased emotional triggers and dialogue. Explore the internet for information about the users and frequency of use for social platforms prior to completing the discussion to aid in increased awareness of the effects of social networking communications on healthy diversity practices and the potential for bias.
• Explore Twitter. If you are unfamiliar with how to do this, click here.
o You will need to sign up for an account if you do not have one, but you are not required to interact or share personal information.
• Search for a popular leader of an organization
o Examples:
- Rachel Sklar, Founder/CEO at TheLi.st, @rachelsklar)
- Bill Gates, Co-founder of Microsoft, (@BillGates);
- Ozzie Guillén, Manager of the Miami Marlins, (@OzzieGuillen)
- Eric Trump, Executive Vice President of the Trump foundation, (@EricTrump);
- Arianna Huffington, Co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post, (@ariannahuff)
- Pharrell Williams, owner of the non-profit organization called "From One Hand To AnOTHER" (FOHTA), singer, songwriter, producer, (@Pharrell)
- Bill Clinton, Founder of the Clinton Foundation and 42nd President of the United States, (@billclinton);
- Oprah Winfrey, President of Harper Studios, television host, actress, producer, philanthropist and entrepreneur, (@Oprah)
- You can choose one of these or another.
o Choose a recent tweet and read the comments on the thread. (Note that you are not required to have a twitter account to search.) Take a snapshot of the thread to also include in your discussion (smartphone, "screenshot", or "snipping tool" are all options for this function.) (**Does not have to include all the comments in the thread.)
o Analyze and discuss how diversity (e.g. cultural, political, gender, ethnicity, or economic) can be seen by the differing posts presented on the social thread. Include your thoughts about the potential for bias based on the thread you choose.
o Discuss, based on our content this week, how these types of diverse comments could subsequently affect many levels of the organizational process, including marketing/branding, hiring future employees, and training and development. (Consider both the positive and the negative effects.)
o What strategies could you personally apply in social networking sites to prevent self-bias and stereotyping of others, based on a better understanding of diversity in an organization?
The response should include a reference list. Double-space, using Times New Roman 12 pnt font, one-inch margins, and APA style of writing and citations.