Develop a 5-7 page proposal directed to organizational leadership for a diversity intervention to address performance and job satisfaction.

Introduction

An organizational leader who hopes to be successful must understand the motivations of his or her employees. Development of staff requires ongoing employee training. To accomplish this ongoing process includes conducting training needs analyses, identifying competencies, and focusing on organizational learning. It also includes the environmental conditions for motivating workers and leveraging the strengths of diversity. This process serves as a crucial foundation for organizational effectiveness.

How can we understand why people do what they do; what drives them? How might we influence these motives in a manner productive for both the individual and the organization? Consider the importance not only of knowing how to understand human motivation, but of knowing how to utilize what we learn effectively.

Preparation

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, 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 is leadership different in multicultural contexts?
• What do you think companies should do to prepare employees for leadership positions in other countries?
• Are there leadership styles that work best with certain cultures?
• Are there leadership styles that do not work well with certain cultures?
• What leadership styles transcend multiple generations?

I/O experts are often expected to develop proposals for interventions to address workplace needs. For this assessment, develop a proposal to leadership for a diversity intervention to address performance and job satisfaction, based upon the following scenario:

Company G is a large manufacturing company with 5,000 employees, all based in the United States. The company also operates globally and has customers in Europe and Asia. You were hired as the consultant to assist Company G in becoming more culturally sensitive and to leverage the advantages of the diversity with its employees. The demographics of the company include both males and females. Although males outnumber females, females are a growing demographic. The company’s ethnic demographics include U.S.-born Caucasians, African Americans, and Hispanics. There are also a small number of management employees from India and Asia, all who are educated and speak English. The company recently hired about 800 workers who are new immigrants from Serbia. Most of these new workers are in the same area of the organization. The organization has operated for 100 years and has workers of all ages from traditionals (World War 2) and baby boomers to GenX and millennials.

The leaders believe there is a relationship between diversity and organizational effectiveness and are looking for increases in overall performance and job satisfaction as a result of the diversity intervention you design. Since organizations are complex social systems, there are multiple successful paths (equifinality) to an outcome. What the leaders are looking for is a successful path that appeals best to them.

Make sure that the information that you present is organized and professional, and provides appropriate context for the target audience. Your proposal must include:

• The background questions you need to ask leaders for clarification. This is the most critical aspect of creating a proposal. If you do not ask the right questions, you will not get the information to develop an effective intervention. This should be a comprehensive section, with at least one page of probing questions. Be sure to consider:
  • What kind of specific background information would you need to have?
  • What are potential obstacles or existing issues that should be addressed?
• The type of methodology you would use to collect data on the organization (quantitative, qualitative, or mixed.) Explain the rationale for the methodology you would choose and provide two scholarly references.
• The type of intervention you would likely design and the rationale for the design, based upon foundational theories and current practices in the I/O field. Include two references from scholarly literature.
• An explanation of professional standards for ethics and diversity for the intervention and evaluation plan. Include one scholarly reference.
• The expected results from the intervention.
• A plan to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention.

Additional Requirements

• Written communication: Written communication is free of errors that detract from the overall message.
• APA formatting: Resources and citations are formatted according to current APA guidelines for style and formatting.
• References: A minimum of five references.
• Microsoft Word: Double space your text (with no extra spaces).
• Font and size: Times New Roman, 12 points.
• Length of proposal: 5–7 pages.

Competencies Measured

By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:

• Competency 3: Analyze the tenets of ethical standards and diversity in the field of industrial and organizational psychology.
  • Integrate professional standards for ethics and diversity into a proposal for intervention.
  • Integrate professional standards for ethics and diversity into an evaluation plan.
• Competency 4: Apply theory and research to different specialization areas within industrial and organizational psychology.
  • Apply foundational theory and concepts to explain the rationale for methodology.
  • Apply foundational theory and concepts to design an intervention.
  • Apply foundational theory and concepts to design an evaluation plan.
• Competency 5: Apply critical thinking to evaluate current trends and practices in the field of industrial and organizational psychology.
  • Apply critical thinking to develop probing questions.
  • Apply critical thinking to anticipate outcomes of an intervention.
• Competency 6: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with expectations for members of the psychological professions.
  • Write an organized and professional proposal that provides appropriate context for the target audience.
  • Use correct APA format and style.