Overview
Write an executive report of 4–5 pages that analyzes the role of diversity in an underperforming community program, unit, or department, and outline a plan for providing ongoing training on cultural awareness, inclusion, and sensitivity to current employees.
Be sure you read all of the requirements for this assessment and review the suggested resources to see if they may be useful in completing the assessment.
This assessment provides an opportunity to determine how you can help advance your professional field by developing a strategy for managing diversity that recognizes the synergy achieved by having a diverse and inclusive workforce.
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:
•Competency 1: Explain the concepts, principles, and characteristics of effective health care leadership. ◦Determine the influence of effective leadership on the development of a diverse and culturally competent workforce.
•Competency 3: Analyze standards of professional ethics and the principles of diversity and inclusion as applied by health care leaders in real-world situations. ◦Outline a plan to recruit, hire, and retain a diverse workforce.
◦Outline a plan for providing employee training on cultural awareness and sensitivity.
◦Explain the benefits of a diverse and culturally competent workforce to a health care organization and the community it serves.
•Competency 4: Determine the influence of the practitioner-scholar role on professional practice and leadership development. ◦Explain how the academic and research skills one develops as a practitioner-scholar can be of service in one’s role as a health care leader.
•Competency 5: Communicate effectively with diverse audiences, in an appropriate form and style, consistent with applicable organizational, professional, and scholarly standards. ◦Write coherently to support a central idea, using correct grammar, mechanics, and APA formatting.
Context
The United States continues to reflect the diversity of the world, as the country seeks to maintain its tradition of being a safe haven of freedom and the world’s melting pot. As health care practitioners, leaders, and scholars, it is vital that we embrace, recognize, and celebrate the diversity of our workforces and population.
It is also important for health care organizations to represent the communities that they serve in as many ways as possible. This diversity is represented in gender, race, ethnicity, age, and ability. Wynne (2012) posits that this diversity makes organizations stronger, allows for more productivity, and leads to enhanced job satisfaction. When health care organizations make themselves as diverse and inclusive as possible, they are integrating the community into the organization and the organization into the community, creating a win-win scenario for both. The health care organization is now more in touch with the needs, desires, and fears of the community. At the same time, the community members feel that they have representation in health agencies.
Reference
Wynne, R. (2012). Defining diversity. BizEd, 11(1), 32–34.
Questions to Consider
As you prepare to complete this assessment, you may want to think about other related issues to deepen your understanding or broaden your viewpoint. You are encouraged to consider the questions below and discuss them with a fellow learner, a work associate, an interested friend, a family member, or a member of your professional community. Note that these questions are for your own development and exploration and do not need to be completed or submitted as part of your assessment.
•How well does the workforce within your organization reflect the diversity of the community?
•Are the needs of the community well served by the organization?
•Have you ever observed or experienced situations of prejudice or bias by a coworker? How did you respond to the situation?
Required Resources
The following resources are required to complete the assessment.
•Executive Report Template [DOCX]- DOCUMENT ATTACHED
Suggested Resources
•Downey, S. N., van der Werff, L., Thomas, K. M., & Plaut, V. C. (2015). The role of diversity practices and inclusion in promoting trust and employee engagement. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 45(1), 35–44. doi:10.1111/jasp.12273
•Flores, K., & Combs, G. (2013). Minority representation in healthcare: Increasing the number of professionals through focused recruitment. Hospital Topics, 91(2), 25–36.
•Jackson, C. S., & Gracia, J. N. (2014). Addressing health and health-care disparities: The role of a diverse workforce and the social determinants of health. Public Health Reports, 129(Suppl 2), 57–61.
•Thomas, B. (2014). College of health and health care disparities: The effect of social and environmental factors on individual and population health. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 11(7), 7492–7507.
These resources examine the impact of leadership diversity to improve quality health care delivery.
•Deas, D., Pisano, E. D., Mainous, A. G., Johnson, N. G., Singleton, M. H., Gordon, L., . . . Reves, J. G. (2012). Improving diversity through strategic planning: A 10 year (2002-2012) experience at the Medical University of South Carolina. Academic Medicine, 87(11), 1548–1555. doi: 10.1097/ACM.0b013e31826d63e0.
•Dotson, E., & Nuru-Jeter, A. (2012). Setting the stage for a business case for leadership diversity in healthcare: History, research, and leverage. Journal of Healthcare Management, 57(1), 35–44.
•Wesley, Y. (2015). Leadership competencies to reduce health disparities. Nursing Management, 46(2), 51–53.
Bookstore Resources
•Buchbinder, S. B., Shanks, N. H., & Buchbinder, D. (2014). Cases in health care management. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning. ◦This textbook contains some excellent case study scenarios. Interesting questions and useful resources are also included at the end of the each case.
•Green, J. L. (2015). Graduate savvy: Navigating the world of online higher education (3rd ed.). Warrenton, VA: Glocal Press. ◦Chapters 1, 2, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 provide offer useful information to help you succeed as a graduate-level learner in an online environment.
Assessment Instructions
Preparation
Use the following case study as the basis of this assessment.
Imagine you are the manager of a new health care facility satellite office or community outreach center located in a diverse neighborhood. The parent organization opened the facility to address the under-served health care needs of the culturally diverse residents who were not using the services offered at the main facility. The first month of operation saw a very high volume of patients, but since then, the numbers have dropped off drastically. Executive leadership wants to understand why this has happened and what you plan to do about it.
After careful examination of all aspects of the facility, and talking with some of the neighborhood residents, you have determined that the residents do not feel comfortable coming to the facility, because the staff does not represent the diversity of the neighborhood. Staff members were hired for their skill, but their diversity was not considered. Now, you must report to executive leadership what you have learned and how you intend to manage diversity.
Note: Remember, you can submit all, or a portion, of your draft to Smarthinking for feedback, before you submit the final version of your proposal for this assessment. However, be mindful of the turnaround time for receiving feedback, if you plan on using this free service.
Report Requirements
Write an executive report on the need for a diverse, culturally competent staff, including your plans to address that need.
Note: The requirements outlined below correspond to the grading criteria in the Managing Diversity scoring guide. At a minimum, be sure to address each point. In addition, you are encouraged to review the performance level descriptions for each criterion to see how your work will be assessed. You are provided an example report, to illustrate what proficient-level work for this assessment looks like.
Report Format and APA Style
•Use the Executive Report Template, linked in the Resources, to draft your report. You may also organize the content of your report in a format used in your organization. An abstract is not required.
•Your report should be 4–5 double-spaced pages in length, not including the title page and reference page.
•Apply correct APA formatting to all in-text citations and references.
•Use Times New Roman, 12-point font.
Writing
As you begin composing your report, consider the purpose of the report, the appropriate tone and style, and the expectations of the executive leaders who will be reading it.
•Be clear and concise in your reporting.
•Express your main points, arguments, and conclusions coherently.
•Use correct grammar and mechanics.
•Be sure to support your claims and arguments with credible evidence from 3–5 current, scholarly or professional sources.
•Proofread your writing.
Report Content
•Outline a plan to recruit, hire, and retain a more diverse workforce. Note: Your outline should be a high-level overview of a plan, not a detailed plan. Other courses in your program will go into human resource practices and diversity in depth. In drafting your plan, consider the following questions: ◦How does a leader develop a diverse workforce?
◦Where will you look for more diverse employees? Will you post job ads?
◦What will the interviewing and hiring process look like? Who will do the interviewing? Who will make the final decisions?
◦What kind of incentives will you offer diverse employees to retain them? What do you need to know about the culture and values of diverse employees before developing a retention plan?
◦How will you address issues related to diversity that result in conflict?
•Outline a plan for the ongoing training and professional development of existing staff in cultural awareness and sensitivity. Consider how your plan can: ◦Improve communications and interpersonal skills.
◦Help overcome bias and resistance to change.
•Explain the benefits, to both the organization and the community it serves, of having a diverse and culturally competent workforce. ◦Explain the relationship between health care organizations and communities.
◦Explain the role that diversity plays in providing culturally competent care and access for the under-served in a community.
•Determine the influence of effective leadership on the development of a diverse and culturally competent workforce. ◦Explain the importance of cultural competence for leaders in an organization.
•Explain how the academic and research skills you develop as a practitioner-scholar can serve you in your role as an effective health care leader. ◦Explain how those skills might contribute to your credibility and effectiveness as a leader.
◦Explain how those skills might prepare you to lead a diverse workforce.
