 diversity. Inside this chapter, revisiting diversity. What is diversity? Key terms. Diversity and Air Force priority. Five priorities. Importance of diversity. Leveraging diversity. Managing organizational diversity. Five-part transformation process. Factors that impact transformation. Impact of diversity. Subordinate. Senior NCO. Mission. Master Sergeant Garner is the unit for Sergeant. Recently, a climate assessment was completed and some of the results concerned him. Apparently, certain groups of airmen don't feel like they're given equal opportunities to excel. Comments hint that only a specific group of airmen are mentored and assigned projects that could help make them more promotable, while others seen as not fitting the perceived mold are overlooked. Additionally, another group doesn't feel as if their talents or skills are being utilized appropriately in order to complete the mission. Opportunities to lead aren't openly discussed with everyone. The result that surprised Master Sergeant Garner the most is these groups of airmen don't believe the unit's leadership is really concerned about the issues since their identified year after year. What should Master Sergeant Garner do to address these concerns? Diversity is anything that's different. It goes beyond race and ethnicity to different ways of thinking, doing, and behaving. We should take an approach that enables people to understand and appreciate differences. When they do this, they're able to work with other people on their terms and other people are able to work with them. Enrique Garcia-Behar. Upon completion of this chapter, you should be able to terminal cognitive objective, comprehend diversity concepts and or their impact on subordinate senior NCO and mission effectiveness. Terminal cognitive samples of behavior. One, identify diversity concepts and or their impact on subordinate senior NCO and mission effectiveness. Two, illustrate diversity concepts and or their impact on subordinate senior NCO and mission effectiveness. Three, predict the impact of diversity concepts on subordinate senior NCO and mission effectiveness. Effective objective. Value diversity and its positive impact on subordinate senior NCO and mission effectiveness. Effective samples of behavior. One, enthusiastically dedicate yourself to read and listen to all material about diversity and its impact on subordinate senior NCO and mission effectiveness. Two, voluntarily complete all coursework related to diversity and its impact on subordinate senior NCO and mission effectiveness. Three, openly accept diversity and its positive impact on subordinate senior NCO and mission effectiveness. Four, willingly develop a preference for diversity and its positive impact on subordinate senior NCO and mission effectiveness. Five, strive toward a commitment to apply diversity because of its positive impact on subordinate senior NCO and mission effectiveness. Our diversity is our greatest strength. Take a moment and picture the people you lead and or work with every day. What do you see? You may answer this question with responses that focus on gender, race or some other physical feature. However, these people are more diverse than the physical features you see on the surface. The word diversity doesn't just encompass race, gender and ethnicity. It also represents diversity of thought, ability, background, language, culture and skill. All are individual attributes you need to leverage in order to accomplish the mission as effectively as possible. Until this point in your enlisted professional military education or EPME, the focus of diversity has been on individual and personal differences between individuals. What you learned at previous levels of EPME should serve as an important starting point for this chapter. Here, you'll focus on managing diversity at the organizational level by expanding it to include a wider range of differences that you'll experience as you lead larger groups of people. This chapter begins by revisiting what you've previously learned at other levels of EPME on the topic of diversity. You'll cover the Air Force definition of diversity along with some other key terms. Then you'll learn why diversity is an Air Force priority. Here, you'll cover the five priorities listed in the 2013 United States Air Force Diversity Strategic Roadmap and the importance of diversity. After that, you'll learn how you can leverage diversity to help your people and mission become more effective. Next, you'll jump into managing organizational diversity, where you'll learn about the five part transformation process, a tool to help you identify and address diversity issues, along with factors that can inhibit and support efforts in this process. Finally, you'll end this chapter by covering the impact of diversity on subordinate, senior NCO, and mission effectiveness. Revisiting diversity. American poet Audra Lord said, it is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept and celebrate those differences. Differences are more than what you see. They represent how you and your people think, feel, problem solve and interact with others. These differences include how and where you grew up, your AFSC and even your personality. As a senior enlisted leader in your organization, tapping into the diverse talents of your people should allow you to complete your organization's mission in the most effective and efficient way possible. Before you begin to learn about leading diversity at the organizational level, you should first ensure your diversity foundation is solid. This section can help you do just that by revisiting and expounding upon aspects of diversity you should already be familiar with. Here, you'll cover key terms that highlight the different types of diversity identified in AFPD 36-70 diversity to include a special focus on religious diversity. Then you'll review terms and phrases vital to understanding your role in Air Force diversity efforts. Let's start the section by examining the various types of diversity in order to set the stage for understanding the many similarities and differences of your people. According to a 2012 internal communication assessment group survey, 40% of airmen understood the Air Force's definition of diversity. 61% haven't read or heard the diversity initiative discussed by senior leadership. What is diversity? The Air Force broadly defines diversity as a composite of individual characteristics, experiences and abilities consistent with the core values and the Air Force mission. It includes but isn't limited to personal life experiences, educational background, work background, as well as philosophical and spiritual perspectives. Additionally, it is subdivided into the following categories. Demographic diversity, inherent or socially defined personal characteristics including age, race and ethnicity, religion, gender, socioeconomic status, family status, disability and geographic origin. Cognitive and behavioral diversity. Differences in style of work, thinking, learning and personality. Organizational and structural diversity. Organizational and institutional background characteristics affecting interaction, for example, problem solving, creativity and communication across services, components and occupation and career fields. Global diversity. Intimate knowledge of and experience with foreign languages and cultures, inclusive of both citizen and non-citizen personnel, exchange officers, coalition partners and foreign nationals with whom they interact as part of a globally engaged Air Force. Religious diversity. Although Christianity is the religion most practiced in our nation, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism and other faiths and beliefs make up the diversity of the military. This diversity also includes those that choose not to subscribe to a religious belief. As a result, you and your subordinates must understand and follow our government's policies regarding the free exercise of religion and religious accommodation as outlined in AFI 1-1 Air Force Standards. According to the AFI, every airman is free to practice the religion of their choice or subscribe to no religious belief at all. You should confidently practice your own beliefs while respecting others whose viewpoints differ from your own. Every airman also has the right to individual expressions of sincerely held beliefs to include conscience, moral principles or religious beliefs unless those expressions would have an adverse impact on military readiness, unit cohesion, good order, discipline, health and safety or mission accomplishment. However, exercising your right to practice your religious beliefs does not excuse you from complying with Air Force Directives, Instructions and Lawful Orders. If you or your people experience a conflict between your beliefs and compliance with standards and lawful orders, you can request religious accommodation through your unit commander. While requesting accommodation, you must continue to comply with the standards and or lawful orders causing the conflict unless and until your request is approved. Commanders and supervisors at all levels must fairly consider requests for religious accommodation. If it's necessary to deny free exercise of religion or an accommodation request, the decision must be based on the facts presented, must directly relate to the compelling government interest of military readiness, unit cohesion, good order, discipline, health and safety or mission accomplishment and must be by the least restrictive means necessary to avoid the cited adverse impact. Additionally, as a senior enlisted leader, you must balance constitutional protections for your own free exercise of religion, including your own expression of religious beliefs and the constitutional prohibition against governmental establishment of religion. You must ensure your words and actions can't reasonably be construed to be officially endorsing or disapproving of or extending preferential treatment for any faith belief or absence of belief. To increase your familiarity with religious accommodation guidance, review the following directives and instructions and the additional information contained below. DODI 1300.17 Accommodations of religious practices within the military services, AFI 1-1 Air Force Standards, AFI 36-2706 Equal Opportunity Program, Military and Civilian. Near the bottom of page four, you can scan the QR code to learn more about this category of diversity. It's OK to be atheist. It's OK to be Christian. It's OK to be Jewish. It's OK to be X, Y or Z. It's not OK to shame other people for their beliefs. Anonymous. Key terms. In order to be successful in this chapter, you also need to familiarize yourself with the following key terms associated with diversity leadership. Social sensitivity. In order for diversity to thrive, you and your people should practice social sensitivity. This term describes your ability to be receptive and responsive to the emotions, feelings, personality, temperaments, cultural differences and beliefs of the people around you. The more socially sensitive you are, the better you can understand the people you work with and each person's talents and strengths. Diverse similarity. Proper management of diversity first requires proper perspective. At one time, diversity was considered to be a form of assimilation, where diverse individuals were expected to simply blend into the collective American culture. However, the Air Force has learned this logic is flawed. Diverse similarity is an alternate view of diversity in which people learn to respect the differences between people while highlighting their similarities. For example, diverse similarity is best illustrated in that to some extent all airmen must be the same for the sake of efficiency, good order and discipline in an Air Force organization. However, the proper perspective for managing diversity should be expressed as we are different, but we are the same. For example, expecting airmen to shed their own individuality every time they put their uniform on is an unfair request. Senior enlisted leaders who apply the diversity concept of diverse similarity create an environment of learning between members. This concept fosters respect between individuals differences while highlighting their similarities, fostering an environment where everyone can feel valued within their organization. Transformational leadership, individualized consideration. In the full range leadership chapter, you learned about the four eyes of transformational leadership. Individualized consideration is a leader behavior that focuses on dealing with people as individuals, considering their needs, abilities and aspirations as you work together to further their development. It's imperative to exhibit individually considerate behavior when dealing with the diverse nature of your people. How can you effectively lead diversity efforts if you don't know what your people bring to the table and understand what their needs are and how to meet them? Rainbow rule. You should be familiar with the golden rule. Treat others like you want others to treat you or vice versa. In his letter entitled on diversity, Colonel retired Andre H. Sales, co-founder of the United States Army's leading diversity working group and consideration of others program added his own twist on the golden rule with the rainbow rule. Treat others the way they would have you treat them. His motivation for calling it the rainbow rule is based on the fabled story that a rainbow extends from a pot of gold. Thus it's an extension of the golden rule. Mr. Sales also noted how the colors of the rainbow are joined together for a single purpose in the same band of refracted light, but with each color retaining its distinction or difference. This analogy represents the view you should have as a senior NCO concerning your people's differences. We're all different, but have a common purpose. We're all airmen. As a senior enlisted leader you should already be familiar with the terms and phrases you just reviewed. The Air Force needs to capitalize on your people's differences in order to continue to be competitive in today's strategic environment. As a result the Air Force Global Diversity Division, AF slash A1DV, has developed the 2013 United States Air Force Diversity Strategic Roadmap that lists five priorities for members at all levels of leadership to enhance these efforts. Diversity and Air Force Priority Mindy Grossman, former Vice President of Nike and the current CEO of Human Shopping Network said, there's a pure and simple business case for diversity. Companies that are more diverse are more successful. The Air Force has recognized and embraced the operational impact diversity can have on our ability to compete in a global environment. Without the creativity, talents and strengths of a diverse force we risk damage to the innovative culture we've created and sustained. In this section you'll take a look at diversity as an Air Force priority you'll cover the five priorities outlined in the 2013 United States Air Force Diversity Strategic Roadmap. Then you'll learn why diversity is so important to the Air Force. Finally you'll end this section by focusing on diversity as the necessity we need to leverage in order to continue to fly, fight and win. The concept of diversity as an Air Force priority has been addressed at all levels. Let's start the section with a few words by Secretary of the Air Force James. Five priorities. Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James addressed an audience in March 2015 with a challenge centered on diversity in today's Air Force. She stated there's simply no country in the world as widely diverse as the United States. Progress has been made but we the Air Force can do better. Ms. James went on to state how the Air Force needs to attract and retain the most innovative and skillful airmen possible because diversity and inclusion help us become more strategically agile. She then introduced a series of new diversity initiatives aimed to improve Air Force recruitment and retention programs. Ms. James addressed two of the five priorities listed in the 2013 United States Air Force Diversity Strategic Roadmap. Although commanders at all levels have a major role in instituting these priorities every airman from the lowest ranking to the highest is responsible for ensuring the talents and capabilities of each person is recognized, valued and leveraged to accomplish the mission. The five priorities are institutionalized diversity as necessary to mission success. As an institution we should develop structures and strategies to equip leaders with the ability to manage diversity so they can be accountable for, measure the results of, refine the approaches on, and analyze the basis of such data to build and institutionalized a culture of inclusion. Explore. Inclusion represents a culture that connects each airman to the organization. It encourages collaboration, flexibility and fairness. An inclusive culture leverages diversity throughout the organization so that all individuals are able to participate and contribute to their full potential. As a professional airman you can support this priority by communicating the Air Force definition of diversity and its importance to all airmen, maximizing the use of social media to communicate that the Air Force values diversity, inclusion and mutual respect. Our nation derives strength from the diversity of its population and from its commitment to equal opportunity for all. We are at our best when we draw on the talents of all parts of our society and our greatest accomplishments are achieved when diverse perspectives are brought to bear to overcome our greatest challenges. President Barack Obama Executive Order 13583. Attract high quality, talented, diverse individuals to consider service in the United States Air Force in uniform or as civilian employees. To meet the challenges of the 21st century the Air Force has to position itself as an employer of choice in order to attract top talent, competent, qualified and diverse from all constituent and emerging markets. Airmen are essential in creating positive role models in the community and attracting talented individuals with skills consistent with our institutional requirements such as STEM, science, technology, engineering and mathematics, foreign language abilities, cultural and regional knowledge and physical fitness. As a public servant you can support this priority by establishing relationships with key leaders in your communities, school counselors, spiritual leaders, politicians, parents etc. In order to present the option of serving in the Air Force in under recruited geographic areas or in areas where our organization isn't highly visible, for example hometowns. Recruit high quality, talented and diverse individuals to serve with the United States Air Force in uniform or as civilian employees. The Air Force needs to be able to capitalize on high quality diverse talent. Therefore recruiting strategies must allow us to recruit from all markets. As a strategic communicator you can support this priority by participating in outreach events, conferences, professional associations, non-profit groups and other community organizations that are focused on recruiting the best. Volunteer to assist your local recruiters and encourage your airmen to do the same. Talk with others about the multitude of career opportunities available in the Air Force. Develop a high quality, talented and diverse total force, active duty, guard, reserve and civilians. We must create an effective life cycle continuum that focuses on education, training, mentoring and professional development to provide tools for personnel to navigate career progression while nurturing innovation, service and leadership. As a supervisor and mentor you can support this priority by encouraging your people to complete training and take advantage of professional development opportunities that highlight the importance and use of diversity, inclusion and cross-cultural competency concepts. Continue to develop and mentor your people so they can adapt and operate effectively in a diverse global environment. Retain a high quality, talented and diverse total force. To retain the best we must achieve an inclusive environment that provides the total force with the opportunity to realize their full potential and the ability to apply it in their service. As a senior enlisted leader in your organization you can support this priority by recognizing and addressing quality of life issues that could be impacting the retention of your people, military and civilian, identifying and addressing possible barriers that may influence retention among certain groups of people in your unit, for example women, minorities and individuals with disabilities. Ensuring the enlisted leaders in your organization are utilizing all their people appropriately according to their current talents and potential, providing opportunities for growth to all people regardless of rank, position, affiliation, military or civilian or your personal opinion. Explore an inclusive environment is one that promotes mutual respect and trust while promoting the development and mentorship of airmen with different backgrounds and perspectives so they can continue to grow and thrive in the Air Force. Key Talking Points, June 2012 Special Edition. By focusing on these priorities at all levels of leadership the Air Force hopes to capitalize on everyone's differences thereby supporting our core values and tradition of innovation. Senior enlisted leaders that take an active role in supporting the five priorities can help the Air Force accomplish its diversity goals. However, in order to do so you must first understand and be able to communicate to others why diversity is important. Importance of Diversity. In AFPD 36-70 Diversity, the Secretary of the Air Force established policy on diversity that states all personnel are expected to understand the importance of diversity including mutual respect thereby helping promote and strengthen an Air Force culture that values inclusion of all personnel in the total force and views diversity throughout the workforce as a force multiplier in accomplishing the mission of the Air Force. In short, this statement emphasizes two key points. First, we should value the inclusion of everyone. In order to do so you should view individuals as unique entities diverse in a multitude of ways. Therefore diversity should be seen and described as multi-dimensional. Second, diversity throughout the workforce is a force multiplier. In order to meet the ever-changing needs of our mission and environment, leveraging diversity is a military necessity. Diversity is multi-dimensional. According to the United States Air Force key talking points June 2012 special edition on diversity, diversity encompasses the range of knowledge skills and backgrounds needed to prevail in a rapidly changing operational environment. It's much more than demographics. It's multi-dimensional. It includes all of the similarities and differences that together make each of us unique as individuals and as groups of people. Individual differences. When you meet someone for the first time there are differences you notice right away such as gender, age, generally, physical attributes short or tall, blue or brown eyes, racial category, general color of one's skin. Difference between race and ethnicity. Race is generally based on physical characteristics. The United States Census Bureau recognizes seven broad racial categories. White, black or African American, Asian, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, American Indian or Alaska Native, some other race and two or more races. Ethnicity is based on a distinct culture or heritage or ancestry. For example someone might be racially white but ethnically Spanish. Elements of demographic diversity can sometimes be easy to see. However, there are also differences you might not notice right away such as elements of cognitive or behavioral diversity. In this course alone you've learned about some of these unseen differences that focus on how people learn most comfortably. Course introduction slash adult learning styles, problem solve, adoption and innovation theory, behave in response to their environment, personal profile system, disk, lead their people, full-range leadership, make decisions, critical thinking. It takes time to acclimate yourself to these types of differences in your people, observing their actions, decisions and behaviors over time. Henri Taiffel's social identity theory proposes that the groups which people belong to are important sources of pride and self-esteem. They give us a sense of social identity, a sense of belonging. Saul McLeod. In addition to the individual differences mentioned above, certain groups we belong to or associate with also create similarities and differences amongst us. These groups are known as identity groups. Our membership in these groups can be personally selected or selected for us. Sometimes our membership in identity groups are a result of personal choice. Example, the military, religious or spiritual affiliation, political party membership, fraternity and sorority, etc. According to Taiffel's social identity theory, associating with certain groups can provide a source of pride and self-esteem to the individual. Membership in certain groups can also be assigned to us by society. These assignments are sometimes based on the individual differences presented earlier, gender, age, race and ethnicity. However, even though you might not have chosen one of these groups, it's still possible to experience a sense of pride and belonging with the members of the group. Take a look at the image of the five airmen in flight suits on page nine. All the individuals in the image made a choice to become members of an identity group called the Air Force. As airmen, they may feel a sense of pride and accomplishment based on their jobs and the responsibility they have to our nation. On the other hand, there are also members of another identity group they didn't select, their female. At one point in our military history, women weren't allowed to serve. Now that has changed so it's possible to feel a sense of pride in being a female airman. Please scan the QR code at the bottom of page nine to learn more about the airmen in the photo and their identity groups. As a senior NCO, you should encourage your people to be active members of their identity groups, as long as the groups aren't destructive or discriminatory in nature, such as racist groups. You may even decide to learn more about your people's identity groups in order to improve your relationship with them. However, sometimes the pride associated with identity groups can cause issues within your organization. According to Typhel's theory, problems can occur when identity groups are viewed with an in-group, us, versus out-group, them, mentality. Sometimes the in-group discriminates against, displays negative behaviors towards, or simply believes their group is superior to the out-group. This mentality can be a result of stereotypes formed by assumptions, perceptions, or experiences. For example, when working on teams, innovators, in group, might believe they're more valuable than adapters, out-group, simply because they propose solutions to problems that are seen as more groundbreaking and new. This belief can be reinforced if you, as the team leader, promote and respond positively only to their types of solutions. Explore. Worldview refers to a mental framework within which individuals and groups interpret the nature of reality, the nature and purpose of human life, and the laws governing human relationships. International Education for Peace Institute. Worldview. Your worldview is shaped by your experiences, culture, family, education, and or beliefs and values. It can have an impact on how you approach life. Whether you realize it or not, how you view the world shapes how you respond to your environment. It can affect how you think and what you decide is normal or not. For example, if you have a worldview that Western culture is the norm when you deploy to a country with an eastern culture, you might view their norms as abnormal or unacceptable. You'll learn more about this in the cross-cultural competence chapter. Another example could be a little closer to home. What if you have a subordinate that grew up in an economically disadvantaged environment where the authority figures were corrupt and the only person he or she could trust was him or herself? This individual's view of the world could be negative, me versus everyone else. It could influence how they view their peers and supervisors. Example, I can't trust them because they don't care about anything other than their own careers. Or how they lead to others. Example, hey, I took care of myself without any hand-holding. You should be able to do the same. If not appropriately addressed, a negative worldview could have a detrimental impact on your organization. Now that you're familiar with the individual differences, group identity and worldview, how are they relevant to you as a senior NCO and member of the profession of arms? The bottom line is everyone isn't like you and you shouldn't expect them to be. Every airman brings to the table a certain uniqueness that should be recognized, not just the differences you can see but the ones you can't see. We are all diverse in many ways. It's your responsibility as a senior NCO to ensure that your people's differences and similarities are celebrated and encouraged. However, you shouldn't let these differences or similarities create in-groups and out-groups or other negative behaviors. Diversity is a concept that should unite your team, not divide them. Once you can identify and appreciate the diverse nature of your people, you'll find that what they offer individually can be leveraged in a way that makes your mission and the Air Force more effective. Diversity is a military necessity. Air Force capabilities and war fighting skills are enhanced by the diversity of its people. At its core, such diversity provide the total force and aggregation of strengths, perspectives, and capabilities that transcends individual contributions. Airmen that work in diverse environments learn to maximize their strengths and combine their abilities and perspectives for the good of the mission. For example, at the Barnes Center for Enlisted Education, total force airmen and civilians from multiple AFSCs and various education levels come together to develop curricula for the Enlisted Force. Each curriculum designer brings experiences from their Air Force career and civilian education to the curriculum design process. They incorporate their experiences into EPME courses to make the material more relatable to the entire Enlisted Force. Imagine what this course would be like if it was only written from the perspective of one person. Failing to take advantage of this diversity can result in less effective idea generation and minimal innovation. Take a look at the following example. Note, the intent of the following example is not to stereotype identity groups. Just because someone was born in a certain decade doesn't mean they will always fit a certain mold. Instead, this example should get you to think about how one facet of diversity, generational differences, could impact innovation and problem solving just like any other individual difference, a theme expounded upon from the self-assessment chapter. Think about the generational differences of your people. They might range from baby boomers, those born around the 1960s, generation X, those born in the 1970s, and generation Y, millennials, those born between the 1980s through the early 2000s. Each group has certain characteristics that shape their communication style, work ethic, leadership style, and comfort with technology. What would be the result of idea generation if you only had baby boomers involved in the process? The suggestions this group adds might be good in that they may be based on solid experience. However, this group's suggestions may be limited technologically due to exposure and rooted in their worldview, cold war mentality about the world. Career is first, everything else is second. If you only had generation Y individuals involved, their suggestions might be technologically innovative, but may lack experience and historical significance. Therefore, just as you learned in the AI theory chapter, you need as many viewpoints represented as possible in order to develop the best solutions. You should leverage, support, and encourage the multidimensional diversity of your people. Failing to do so could put your mission and people at risk. For example, on February 1, 2003, space shuttle Columbia broke up as it returned to Earth, killing seven astronauts on board. An investigation of the accident determined that a large piece of foam fell from the shuttle's external tank and fatally breached the spacecraft wing. According to the report of the Columbia accident investigation board, March 2003, diversity problems were causes that contributed to the accident. They included an organizational culture that squelched descent, a performance culture that stifled differences of opinion, resistance to external criticism and doubt, in position of the party line vision, which led to flawed decision-making, self-deception, introversion, and diminished curiosity, organizational barriers that prevented open, effective communication. As a result, NASA has since implemented one of the strongest diversity management programs in the federal government. Please scan the QR code at the top of page 12 to learn more about the necessity of diversity in the military. Explore. Leveraging diversity is the leading and managing of inclusive work environments to maximize the talents of each person to achieve the vision and mission of the organization. Office of Human Resources at the National Institutes of Health Leveraging Diversity Throughout this chapter, you'll read about the importance of leveraging diversity to lead your people and complete the mission. According to United States Air Force Key Talking Points, June 2012 Special Edition, Diversity, the Air Force is committed to developing and leveraging the strengths, talents, and innovations of a diverse, total force. The Federal Government's Office of Human Resources provides the following examples of actions you can take to leverage diversity in your unit. Treat all individuals with respect, regardless of individual differences. Develop a knowledge and understanding of your people's different cultures and backgrounds. Build collaborative and mutually beneficial working relationships with people, regardless of their individual differences. Modify your behavior, if necessary, based on an understanding of individual differences. Utilize an understanding of individual differences to communicate with, influence, and manage, example, mediation, team building, of your people. Foster an environment where diverse thoughts are encouraged, respected, and integrated, if possible. Help others increase their awareness and acceptance of individual differences. Recruit, develop, and retain a diverse, high-quality workforce. Diversity is like being invited to sit at a table that is already set. Inclusion is being asked to partner with the host and help set up the table. Natalie Holder. Inclusive environments Diversity and inclusion On the surface, these two words might seem like they're the same thing, but there's a difference. Diversity represents the many ways we're different and alike. This term is a holistic snapshot of who you are as an individual and what you bring to the table. Inclusion, on the other hand, is an active term that represents the steps you take to bring together diverse individuals. As a senior NCO, you can recognize and accept that your people are different all day long. However, if you don't do anything with your diverse team, if you're not inviting them to help you set up the table, you may not be meeting the intent of the Air Force's need for diversity. You're probably not cultivating an inclusive environment. Later on in this chapter, you'll learn how you can determine if your organization's environment and culture leverages diversity and if actions are taken to be inclusive. But before you get to that point, there are a few things you should understand about an inclusive environment. AFI 36-7001 Diversity and AFI 36-2618 The Enlisted Force Structure describe an inclusive environment as one that provides individuals with challenging tasks, offers increasing levels of responsibility, broadening your people's span of control, extends consideration for positions, awards, assignments, additional duties, etc., to all qualified candidates, not just the individuals that are associated with your in-group, affords opportunities for everyone to grow and develop as a part of the team, your team. Since responsibility for the work environment falls on your shoulders, you should understand how your and other leader actions, decisions, and behaviors impact it. Let's take a closer look at how you can help or hinder an inclusive environment. Leader actions Do your actions have a positive or negative impact on diversity in your organization? In order to get an idea, answer the following questions adapted from the University of California, San Francisco. When you receive a new subordinate, do you not only explain job responsibilities and expectations clearly, but orient the person to the unit's culture and unwritten rules? Are you comfortable with each person you supervise? Are you able to give negative feedback to someone who is demographically different from you? Do you rigorously examine your unit's existing policies, practices, and procedures to ensure that they do not impact different groups differently? Are you willing to listen to constructive feedback from your people about ways to improve the work environment? Do you implement your people's suggestions and acknowledge their contribution? Do you take immediate action with your people when they behave in ways that show disrespect for others such as inappropriate jokes and offensive terms? Do you ensure that assignments and opportunities for advancement or recognition are accessible to everyone? When you receive a new subordinate, do you not only explain job responsibilities and expectations clearly, but orient the person to the unit's culture and unwritten rules? If you are able to answer yes to the majority of these questions, you're probably on the right track to positively impact diversity. If not, this section is for you. As a senior enlisted leader, you're responsible for the environment in your area of responsibility. You set the example for others to follow. Therefore, one of the first things you should do to build an inclusive environment is perform a thorough assessment of yourself to see if you make consciously or subconsciously promote or encourage divisiveness and favoritism in your work environment as a result of your leadership. You can look to some of the material you've already learned in this course to get an idea of how you could be impacting the environment. Self-awareness In this module, you are introduced to material that should have helped you gain some insight into your approach in dealing with different situations, problem-solving, team-building, et cetera, and your methods of interaction with others. How do your preferences, tendencies, personality, and traits impact your actions, decisions, and behaviors? Consider the following questions. If you are more adaptive, do you tend to bring mission-related problems to those in your organization that are more adaptive? Simply because they think like you do? When building a team, do you look for people that use the conceptual approach and purposefully leave out those that prefer a methodical approach because they may ask too many questions? Do you create a work environment that rewards steadiness, predictability, loyalty, stability, et cetera, and discourages dominance, challenging status quo, taking authority, prefers power and freedom from control, et cetera? Simply because individuals that display steadiness tendencies are easier for you to deal with? Institutional competency, strategic thinking, adaptability. In order to build an inclusive environment, you should analyze your behavior and quickly modify it to deal not only with change but with any biases you may have. You should also be proactive when making changes. Don't wait until you have to handle a diversity issue to take a look at your own behavior. By doing all you can to be as self-aware as possible, you can learn how your behavior and tendencies impact others. Additionally, your understanding of the self-awareness material can assist you with identifying the preferences and traits of your people. This awareness of self and others can help you better relate to your people's differences, allowing you to get to know and hopefully adapt to them, increasing your ability to provide what they need from the environment in order to be successful. Critical thinking. In this chapter, you learned about the universal intellectual standards, reasoning elements, and essential intellectual traits, as well as hindrances in your thinking and the decision analysis process. Are your abilities to think critically and make sound decisions impacted by an us versus them mentality? Consider the following questions. Do you only consider the viewpoints of certain people? For those individuals whose viewpoints you don't consider, is this due to a personal bias you may have against their out-group? Are you more concerned about the interests of certain people because they're a part of your in-group and are easy to relate to? First thing in the morning, do you spend time talking with the airmen that are interested in sports like you and ignore the airmen that aren't? Do you pass judgment on others without getting all the information? Do you only look for information that confirms your opinion or stance, for example? Senior Armando, there was a bombing in your homeland last night. I told you all the people in your country were terrorists. When working on teams, do you criticize the ideas of some people just because they're different from you or don't agree with your stance? Do you exercise fairness when making decisions or do you prioritize the wants of those in your in-group over the musts of those in the out-group? Senior enlisted leaders shouldn't allow their own values and assumptions about others or their associations with certain groups cloud their decision-making ability. Your people expect you to make decisions based on sound evidence. They expect you to be as fair as possible, considering the individual strengths, talents, and needs of everyone, not just those in your in-group. Full-Range Leadership In this chapter, you learned about a range of leadership behaviors you should have in your toolbox. You learned that the behavior you select should be based on your people and the situation. Do you let the pride you have in your in-group impact the leader behaviors you use? When using transactional behaviors, do you tend to award only those special airmen in your in-group even though they've only met minimum standards and overlook the exceptional performance of those in the out-group? Do you feel more comfortable using inspirational motivation with those airmen that you feel appreciated more? Do you use more transactional behaviors with those you aren't comfortable with? Air Force Core Values Service Before Self Respect You're charged to always act knowing that all of your airmen, regardless of their differences, possess fundamental worth as human beings. You must treat them with dignity and respect, understanding that our diversity is a great source of strength. As you learned in full-range leadership, you should use the leader behavior most appropriate for the person and the situation, not based on your personal preferences in group identity. Doing so perpetuates the us versus them mentality, lowers morale, and can result in a toxic environment. There are many chapters in this course you could use to assess yourself and your impact on the work environment. If, as the leader, you're displaying behaviors that favor some and disfavor others, then you aren't creating an inclusive environment. This could have a negative impact on the amount of trust and respect your people have in you. Here are some tips you can use to help you build a positive, inclusive environment. Show respect for others, regardless of the situation, and correct those that display disrespectful behavior. You should be aware of what's going on in your work environment. Any type of behavior that doesn't support the Air Force's commitment to diversity and inclusion should be addressed immediately. Your people need to know that you're tuned in to what's going on. Seeing you address and correct inappropriate behavior should make it easier for your airmen to build and or reinforce the respect expected as members of the profession of arms. Give individuals an opportunity to be part of the team, thus motivating them to employ their talents and contribute to the organization and mission. Air Force core values. Excellence in all we do. Teamwork. Teamwork is an essential element the Air Force needs in order to stay competitive in today's strategic environment. Encourage your airmen to see the benefits of interdependency amongst the team. Challenge them to carry their own weight while motivating their teammates to carry theirs. Do your best to promote a spirit of teamwork in your organization. Encourage your people to network in order to capitalize on the strengths of each member. You can also try to plan activities that include everyone. Talk to your people and find out what activities they like to participate in. At the top of page 16, please scan the QR code to learn more about the importance of capitalizing on your strengths and the strengths of your people. Treat others in an equitable manner at all times. There shouldn't be a difference in how you normally treat all members of your organization on a daily basis. Discipline and rewards should be distributed as fairly as possible barring any extenuating circumstances. Don't just give the high-profile tasks to certain people. Base your decisions on ability and potential, not group identity or personal preference. Publicly acknowledge your people's contributions to the organization's mission. When your airmen perform exceptionally, publicly recognize them, regardless of who they are. The recognition can range from something as simple as public kudos at the next commander's call to something more tangible, like inappropriate metal. These actions can show your airmen that you notice and appreciate their contribution to the mission as much as anyone else. Therefore, Air Force Core Values Integrity First Courage Courage should empower you to take necessary personal or professional risks, make decisions that may be unpopular and admit your mistakes. In order to maintain an inclusive environment, you must have the courage to identify and correct any substandard behavior that negatively impacts your people and mission, regardless of the personal and professional cost to you. Once you've identified any potential issues you may have, don't stop there. Lead by example. Develop a plan to remedy them now before they become serious problems later. If you have to, write certain actions down in order to remember to do them. Hold yourself accountable for your actions and be responsible enough to adjust. Your airmen definitely observe what you do and what you allow to be done in the work environment, both positive and negative. Being aware of your actions can help lay the foundation for an inclusive environment, but you need it to be one where everyone has the opportunity to thrive while accomplishing the mission. In order for this to happen, you must be able to strike the right balance between the needs of your people and the needs of the mission. Striking the right balance. Building respect across an organization is a balancing act that requires your attention and commitment. Striking the right balance is about managing relationships between individuals or between an individual and the organization, especially where the organization reflects the attitude or views of its leadership. To successfully lead diverse organizations, you should first have a clear understanding of your organizational culture. According to James Smith, author of Air Force Culture and Cohesion, Every organization has a culture, a patterned way of thinking about the central tasks of and human relationships within an organization. Culture is to an organization what personality is to an individual. Culture, personality, versus climate, mood. An organization's culture is its system of shared values, beliefs, standards, norms, etc. that dictates expected behavior. It's similar to a person's personality. On the other hand, an organization's climate is based on perceptions and attitudes or feelings about the organization, usually its leadership. Climate is temporary and can change easily, similar to a person's mood. Based on this understanding, you should be able to determine how much individual members of the organization are expected to adapt or assimilate to the culture. If you ask for 100% adaptation or assimilation, you're asking individuals to give up too much of their individuality. However, if you ask for no adaptation, then your organization has no culture of its own and it can fail to meet its mission. Consider the following example. Master Sergeant Ward recently PCS'd to a unit that has a very active social culture. Activities, such as barbecues, sports and games, potluck events, etc., are planned quite frequently and everyone always participates. Senior leadership uses these activities as opportunities to pass on information, almost like a mini commander's call. However, Master Sergeant Ward is task focused and doesn't like to stop working a job until it's done. Therefore, he always finds a way to miss the activities and added bonus since he's an introvert and group activities make him feel uncomfortable. Based on Master Sergeant Ward's personality traits, what do you think would happen if he was expected to adapt 100% to the social culture of his new unit? Master Sergeant Ward might not view the activities in the same way as everyone else. He might start to feel singled out. Others might start to question his loyalty to the unit. Requiring Master Sergeant Ward to assimilate could create an in-group, everyone else, versus out-group, Master Sergeant Ward, mentality, damaging the work environment. On the other hand, if Master Sergeant Ward's supervisor let him miss out on the activities, requiring no adaptation at all, Master Sergeant Ward's personality traits and work ethic could still result in an in-group, versus out-group outcome anyway. It seems like a catch-22 situation if you don't try to find a balance. In order for Master Sergeant Ward's supervisor to strike the right balance, she could practice diverse similarity by trying the following. Get to know him and how he wants to be treated. Explain the unit's social culture, the benefits to teamwork and unit cohesion. Recognize and accept his personality traits, introverted, by only requiring him to attend the activities until the commander has passed on any information. Since he's task-focused, she could leverage that by teaming him up with someone that might need help in that area. Continue to encourage him to get to know more people, starting with his teammates first. You should also exhibit individualized consideration behavior when attempting to strike the right balance between the needs of the people and unit. This should reinforce to your people that their needs do matter and will be considered. Comprehensive airman fitness, social fitness, connectedness and social support. You should encourage your people to engage in healthy social networks that promote overall well-being. Supporting your airman's participation in identity groups helps to reinforce holistic fitness and increase their level of resiliency. It would be easy for Master Sergeant Ward's supervisor to force assimilation or even look the other way and require no adaptation at all. However, by finding a way to strike a balance between Master Sergeant Ward's needs and the unit's needs and culture, she can help Master Sergeant Ward adjust while allowing him to continue to maintain his uniqueness. Making an effort to strike the right balance doesn't mean an individual isn't expected to align with the organizational culture, especially if it's positive and works well. Your people should understand the expected behavior and norms established by the culture and adjust to it. However, as their leader, you shouldn't ask them to sacrifice their individuality or differences while doing so. Common ground is necessary in any organization. In his autobiography, General Colin Powell wrote about the environment at Fort Leavenworth as follows. Nevertheless, we had made it this far up the ladder precisely because we had the ability to shift back into the white-dominated world on Monday morning. Fort Leavenworth represented integration in the best sense of the word. Blacks could hang around with brothers in their free time and no one gave it any more thought than the fact that West pointers, tankers, or engineers went off by themselves. That was exactly the kind of integration we had been fighting for to be permitted our blackness and also to be able to make it in a mostly white world. General Powell describes his Fort Leavenworth environment as a place where diverse similarity was practiced. He maintained his own identity via an identity group while aligning with the organization's culture at the same time. Most of us tend to nurture our differences by sharing experiences with those who have a common background. You should be supportive when your airmen spend time together nurturing their differences as a break from many hours or days of being the same for the sake of the organization. These opportunities to nurture differences often give airmen the strength to do a better job of being the same when the time comes to do so. For example, when a group of Hispanic airmen are speaking Spanish after work, it's not a betrayal of their English-speaking co-workers but rather a welcomed opportunity to nurture their differences as a break after spending the work day speaking a non-native language. The same applies to a group of women who may have lunch or dinner together. It has nothing to do with segregation but everything to do with integration. As a senior NCO, regardless of any differences, you should be able to provide the majority of support your airmen need. On the other hand, a small part of your people's mentorship may be best met via another senior NCO that shares their differences. For example, a portion of a female airman's mentorship needs may only be effectively met by a female senior NCO. The same is true for many differences. Airmen need peer mentorship. An introverted airman can be mentored by a successful introverted senior NCO. However, don't make the false conclusion that just because you're a male senior NCO that you need to find a female senior NCO to fully mentor one of your people. Again, only a small percentage of support should come from someone else. And that's only if the airman requests it or you see a need for it. All senior enlisted leaders can and should seek to satisfy the mentorship needs of their people. Communication In order to leverage diversity, you have to be able to effectively communicate with your people. Mostly, people fail to understand each other because they misunderstand one another. Misunderstandings are a normal part of communication, either because we unintentionally or intentionally use the wrong words, or because we don't understand what is being said to us. To prevent misunderstanding, know who you're talking to, be respectful, and be sure of what you want to say. Understanding others is best achieved through a series of frank, face-to-face discussions and a combination of one-on-one, for example, supervisor and subordinate feedback session, and group settings, example, unit wingman day events. By avoiding misunderstandings and engaging in effective communication, airmen can recognize their similarities and understand and value their differences. Honest and open discussion helps airmen understand how they can align themselves with the organization's culture and how senior enlisted leadership, the organization, can support their differences. Effective leaders that consider and leverage the diverse nature of their people while engaging in planning activities, decision-making, and daily operations should find that their people feel more comfortable combining their individual strengths for the betterment of the organization and mission. In this section, you learned why diversity is an Air Force priority. You started by covering the five priorities listed in the 2013 United States Air Force Diversity Strategic Roadmap. Leaders at all levels are responsible for attracting and retaining the best airmen possible. As a senior enlisted leader, you can support these priorities by accomplishing actions such as speaking with community leaders and reinforcing the importance of diversity with your people. Next, you discovered how important diversity is to our mission and total force culture. In order to capitalize on the strength of diversity, you should view it as multi-dimensional, an amalgamation of all the ways in which we're similar and different. You should also recognize there are differences and similarities that you can see, gender, race, etc., and can't see how we problem-solve, make decisions, etc. Differences and similarities in the groups we identify with that give us a sense of pride and self-esteem, differences and similarities in how we view the world based on our perceptions and experiences. Encourage your people to celebrate these differences and similarities but don't allow them to disrupt your team environment by turning into disruptive us versus them situations. You should also value the importance of diversity as a military necessity, not just something nice to do. Diversity helps make it possible for the Air Force to stay on the cutting edge of innovation and remain a leader in today's global environment. Finally, you covered what the Air Force must do in order to take advantage of the opportunities diversity provides. We must leverage it. As a senior NCO, you should understand the impact you have on the overall environment. Your people observe what you do and say. Therefore, your actions should be in agreement with Air Force diversity policies. Additionally, in order to receive optimum performance from your people, you should be able to strike the right balance between their needs and the organization's needs and culture. Practicing diverse similarity and effective communication can help you do so. At this point, you should agree with Mindy Grossman's opinion of diversity. The more diverse we are, the more successful we can be. Our differences strengthen our force, not weaken it. Without the creativity, talents, and strengths of a diverse force, we risk damage to the innovative culture we've created and sustained. Therefore, it's your responsibility as a senior enlisted leader to recognize your people's differences, seen and unseen, accept that they exist, everyone isn't like you, nor should you expect them to be, and celebrate all the unique skills, perspectives, etc. that your people bring to the table. However, there may be a time when your organization falls short of meeting the Air Force's diversity goals. If this occurs, strong leadership will be needed to identify issues, develop solutions to remedy problems, and ensure the solutions put in place stay in place. Although this might seem like a difficult responsibility, the five-part transformational process can help you get your organization back on track. Managing Organizational Diversity While eating his lunch in the unit break room, Senior Master Sergeant Wolf overheard a group of Airmen talking about some of the problems they've been experiencing. Our unit leadership doesn't care about the opinions of Airmen. It seems like these Senior NCOs are the only people allowed to have an opinion around here. He thought their conversation deserved some attention, but he didn't have the time. The next day, after the unit production meeting, a Master Sergeant stopped him in the hallway and said, Geez, I can't run my section properly because I have to get every decision I make approved by the Chief first. Even though I'm a Senior NCO, I have absolutely no authority. Later that day, Senior Master Sergeant Wolf thought about the Master Sergeant's comments and also reflected on the Airmen's conversation from the previous day. He decided that something needed to be done. It might seem like the issues the people in Senior Master Sergeant Wolf's unit are faced with aren't diversity related. However, they certainly are. Remember, there are five categories of diversity. These issues fall into the organizational and structural diversity category. Have you ever been in this position? You know there are problems in your unit, but you don't know what to do or even if it's your responsibility to fix unit problems. Well, the bottom line is you're expected to take the lead on diversity-related issues regardless of your position or title. According to the Secretary of the Air Force and Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Diversity and Inclusion Memorandum of March 2015, Diversity and Inclusion aren't programs or initiatives. They're national security imperatives and force multipliers. Therefore, Airmen, senior enlisted leaders like you, are expected to act. In this section, you'll learn how to manage diversity in your organization regardless of your official position using the five-part transformation process. This will take you from assessing your environment to ensuring solutions are ingrained in your organization's culture. Additionally, you'll cover a few factors that can inhibit this process and some that can support it. So, let's get started with a brief explanation of this process. Five-part transformation process It's easy enough to imagine your own organization as a perfect model of Air Force diversity. An organization with a history of accomplishment and excellence may find it even harder to acknowledge a lack of diversity as a shortcoming. This is a tremendous leadership challenge that requires a deliberate approach and persistence to correct and maintain. Dr. Janice L. Drakesland, a professor of health policy and administrative management at Penn State Great Valley School of Graduate Professional Studies, developed the five-part transformation process. It helps organizations and their people move from awareness to understanding to action on diversity-related issues. This process doesn't just focus on the problems in the unit. It also requires you to take a look at yourself and other senior enlisted leaders. Remember, a unit's climate or mood can be changed easily and it's usually your people's perceptions about leadership that impact the climate the most. The parts or steps of the process are discovery, determine what unit is currently doing to increase diversity awareness. Assessment Examine current unit's culture and climate from various perspectives. Exploration Identify training and professional development activities that can address diversity issues. Transformation Develop plan to implement activities from exploration step. Revitalization Institutionalize diversity efforts into unit culture and climate. This chapter opened with a scenario about Senior Master Sergeant Wolf and a few diversity-related issues. So, in order to move from awareness to action, he should start with the discovery step. Discovery Discovery marks the beginning of the transformation. Diversity Awareness During this step, you should determine what your unit is doing in terms of diversity awareness now. Look for indications of diversity-related activities or events and evaluate whether or not the events actually foster an inclusive environment or are just box-checkers with no real substance behind them. Diversity activities can range from specific topic briefings at commander's calls to encouragement from senior leadership to participate in base-level events such as Women's History Month or the National Prayer Breakfast. At the end of this step, you should know if diversity is viewed as an asset in your organization. To help focus your efforts, ask yourself questions such as Does unit leadership routinely gather and review information that describes the diversity of its people to include family members? Does unit leadership talk openly about issues of race or gender or other types of individual differences? Does unit leadership acknowledge the need for training and development in order to be more culturally aware? When developing teams for special projects, do team leaders consider multi-dimensional diversity when making selections? When making decisions, does unit leadership leverage the talents and strengths available? Do the supervisors and leaders know their people's talents and strengths? What activities are conducted to support the individual differences of the people in the unit? Note, don't forget that as a senior NCO, you're also a part of your unit's leadership. So when considering these questions and the remaining steps of the process, you should also consider what you're doing or not doing as well. After you have determined what your unit is currently doing and how effective the activities are in creating inclusive environments, you'll move on to the assessment step. Assessment. During this step, you should review your organization's culture and climate from the perspective of the individuals in your organization. You'll also assess all current leadership practices including your own to find out if they contribute to or detract from an inclusive environment and limit opportunity for all individuals. Your goal in this step is to identify any trends or anomalies that suggest a potential problem. If you find any anomalies based on your assessment, you should conduct a barrier analysis to determine their root causes. Air Force Barrier Analysis Working Group. The Air Force Barrier Analysis Working Group or AFBOG analyzes anomalies, identifies their root causes, and if appropriate, devises plans to eliminate them across the Air Force. Barrier Analysis. A barrier analysis is an investigation of anomalies found in workplace policies, procedures and practices that limit or tend to limit employment opportunities for individuals based on any of the characteristics, experiences and abilities found in the definition of Air Force diversity, including members of any race or national origin, either sex or based on an individual's disability status. It helps identify the root causes of those anomalies, and if appropriate, eliminates them. Examples of barriers you might encounter include the following, communication problems, opposition to change, senior leadership wants to keep the status quo, negative attitudes and behaviors, prejudice, stereotyping, discrimination, etc. Unit policies that limit a certain group of individuals' activities, selective mentoring, only those individuals in the in-group. Critical Thinking. Practicing intellectual empathy can help you in the assessment step. As a critical thinker, you should put your personal viewpoints aside in order to step into the shoes of others so you can better understand them. Helping you better recognize differences among their strengths, weaknesses, likes, and dislikes. The need for a barrier analysis can come from many different inputs. Some barriers manifest from direct communication between leaders and the people in their organization. However, something as simple as a work center failing to collaborate to complete mission in a timely manner could be the result of intentional or unintentional diversity barriers holding back individual team members. You can assess your organization's barriers on a daily basis by getting out from behind your desk and interacting with your people face to face. A barrier analysis should not end with unit processes and practices. It's equally important for senior NCOs to examine their leadership practices to identify areas to improve. Here are just a few questions you should ask yourself to identify barriers in your own style of leading people. Do I include or do I exclude individuals knowingly or unknowingly? Do I use or condone collusion in my unit? With whom do I direct my mentoring efforts with all of my people or just a few? Before you move on there's one important factor you should consider when conducting a barrier analysis. Sometimes things seem negative or unfair to certain people because they don't understand why things are the way they are. For example, in the opening scenario the master sergeant complained that the chief doesn't allow him to make his own decisions. Well, senior master sergeant Wolf might talk with the chief and the other master sergeants and find out that the master sergeant continuously makes bad decisions. Therefore the chief has to use a different leadership style with him. The problem doesn't include all master sergeants just this one. Remember senior master sergeant Wolf's situation? In this step he would look at the culture and climate from the perspective of the airmen and the master sergeants. Let's say that during his assessment he identifies an anomaly. The airmen were right. It appears that their opinions aren't being heard which could give them the impression they aren't valued at all. After talking with multiple people he finds the talents and skills of the airmen in the unit aren't being utilized properly. Additionally he discovers that the suggestions the airmen make to improve their jobs don't make it to the unit leadership for evaluation. Apparently the NCOICs get together and screen the suggestions before they forward them to the commander. If the commander likes the suggestion it is then implemented. The person that made the suggestion never receives any feedback. At the end of this step senior master sergeant Wolf has identified an anomaly and its root causes. At the top of page 23 there is a graph that begins with a box labeled anomaly. The airmen don't feel like their opinions or suggestions matter that breaks down into three root causes and they are labeled root cause organizational structure all suggestions are filtered through NCOICs first not all suggestions make it to unit leadership root cause communication the airmen don't receive feedback on their suggestions that are accepted or rejected and root cause recognition accepted suggestions are immediately implemented no credit given to airmen. In order to help you get through this step more effectively you should consider the following questions does your unit communicate the findings of survey results example climate assessment to everyone does unit leadership perform health and wellness inspections across your unit to identify potential diversity barriers is personnel satisfaction routinely evaluated morale checks once you have any idea of what the barrier is you next have to figure out the best way to address it exploration at this point in the process you should consider targeted and ongoing training and professional development to build on the strengths of your people and address the challenges or barriers you identified in the assessment step based on your area of responsibility within the organization you might need higher level leadership buy-in and approval before implementing any possible solutions it would be a good idea to brief your leadership on your assessment findings even if you are only targeting one work center versus the entire organization so your leadership is fully aware of any diversity related problems happening within their organization keep in mind this step shouldn't include box checker training or mandatory fund activities solutions should be well thought out initiatives that will most likely address your organization's diversity barriers examples include developing a unit orientation program that helps newly assigned personnel understand the organization's culture identifying assignments that could help increase your people's chances of promotion mentoring your people to improve their performance and job satisfaction also don't forget that day to day interaction and face-to-face feedback and mentorship are also good tools to use in order to address diversity issues in senior master sergeant wolf's case he identified three root causes of his organization's barrier one organizational structure all suggestions are filtered through the mcyc's first not all suggestions make it to unit leadership two communication the airmen don't receive feedback on their suggestions whether or not they were accepted or rejected and three recognition accepted suggestions are immediately implemented no credit given to airmen that provided the suggestion now he should brainstorm solutions to these three problems during this process he could use critical thinking and decision analysis to develop the most effective solutions here are a few examples of some possible solutions to address the organizational structure problem he could suggest every airmen is trained on the unit's structure when they end process this training could include the process flow that awards EPRs suggestions etc take for approval or disapproval your people should know who gets the opportunity to weigh in on these items he could also recommend that the unit's suggestion process is formalized a bit more including a mandatory requirement to contact the individual that made the suggestion and that a training session for the entire unit is held to ensure everyone knows it to address the communication problem he could conduct mentoring sessions with the NCOICs to stress the importance of communicating and establishing relationships with their airmen he could also enlist the help of another senior NCO the NCO's respect utilizing other strengths to assist with the sessions when selecting this senior NCO senior master sergeant wolf should consider the individuals from inside and outside his unit to address the recognition problem he could include in the formalized suggestion process a way to recognize those whose suggestions were adopted by the unit additionally in the mentoring session he should also reinforce the importance of recognition with the NCOICs and remind them that suggestions adopted by the unit are worthy of recognition in venues such as commander's calls on EPRs and awards packages et cetera recognition is an important part of making people feel like they're valued members of the team failing to do so could create morale problems these are just a few suggestions that could help senior master sergeant wolf address the root causes of the anomaly he identified in the previous step if you thought about it you could probably come up with different ideas either way you should make sure your solutions are well thought out to help you focus your training efforts and make the best selections consider the following questions does your training event include open group discussion and participation should you tap into external military resources to ensure effective training for leaders and individuals for example equal opportunity offices alternate dispute resolution programs and sensitivity training should you take advantage of structured participatory activities to teach and emphasize diversity to all personnel for example Air Force wingman resiliency and stand down days does your training require that all levels of organizational leadership participate in it or at least support it to reinforce the importance of diversity and inclusion the secretary of the air force and the chief of staff of the air force introduced initiatives and programs to ensure the air force builds the most innovative skillful team possible they include identify enlisted airmen for officer training school use of panels in civilian hiring GS 14 GS 15 and equivalent positions increased female officer applicant pool post-pregnancy deployment deferment career path tool or CPT transformation at the top of page 25 please scan the QR code to learn more about these and other initiatives and programs note Air Force diversity and inclusion initiatives complement but remain separate and distinct from Air Force equal opportunity compliance programs and activities transformation at this point you'll focus on implementing the solutions identified in the exploration step you should consider what to do to change your organization's people policies procedures overall culture and climate and then develop a written transformation plan this plan should establish a pattern of incremental success for elements of the leadership system so what should your transformation plan include first of all it should include the vital information you acquired in the previous steps of this process including this information can help your senior leadership understand why the training and solutions are necessary also it's important to lay the groundwork for a successful transformation plan by examining areas of both strength and weakness in your organization while developing achievable transformation goals next you should include information that can help you make the training happen in the change management chapter you are introduced to a set of questions to help you make an organizational change happen these questions can also be used to help you develop your plan here's a few of them that could help who do you need to tell this may include informing your unit's leadership about potential pitfalls of not instituting the training who can you get to help you make the changes you should think about organizing a group of people with the skill set you need in order to develop the training in the case of diversity training this might be people in your unit or even outside your unit with experience in dealing with these types of sensitive issues how should you go about making the changes once your group is organized with the right people start brainstorming how you might go about instituting the training you should take into account all the people and processes that will be impacted as well as proposed timelines how will you know if you have effectively implemented the right training you should also include in your plan some form of measurement that will let you know if the training was right for your unit and if it was implemented effectively examples include surveys and focus groups what resources will you need your group should discuss if the training will require additional resources such as money time facilities etc if this is the case you should estimate this cost in your plan in this step you should also consider the actions you need to take in order to create a sense of urgency for the training you don't want people to view it as just another thing to do again you're attempting to change your organization's culture and climate according to Rob Llewellyn author of 20 ways to create a sense of urgency the following list includes actions you can take to help you secure stakeholder and senior leadership input and buy into your plan identify obstacles and remove them fast communicate the importance of a sense of urgency why is your training important clarify the consequences of non-compliance identify causes of complacency and how to eradicate them encourage and offer help don't nag bully or threaten find reasons to celebrate small successes and communicate them publicly agree on deadlines for action and hold people accountable once your plan is set you'll implement your solutions don't forget the tools you learned in the change management chapter to help you lead your people as they change from the status quo to a new state depending on the culture and climate of your organization and the potential impact of your solution you might have to deal with resistance or individuals that don't adopt change as fast as others remember transitioning to new norms can be a fragile process therefore you should be as visible helpful and supportive as possible revitalization in this final step of the process you'll need to consider what policies and or procedures need to change or be developed in order to institutionalize the transformation and lock it into the organization's culture and climate keep in mind that each transformation initiative will have its own set of challenges and accomplishments therefore you should pursue continuous renewal of the organization's commitment to diversity leadership as a distinctive competence and strategic imperative again diversity is a military necessity as a senior leader you can support revitalization by planning periodic opportunities to celebrate your organization's progress to acknowledge its struggles and renew its diversity goals through open communication and continued action in senior master sergeant wolf's case the formalized suggestion program should become a part of the organization's culture this might require constant monitoring for a while to ensure people don't go back to the old way of doing things channeling suggestions through the ncoac's and that the process works if he identifies issues he should promptly fix them so that the process doesn't stall completely as you might have guessed the five part transformation process is similar to a process you learned about earlier in this course Lewin's phases of change as a matter of fact Dr. Dreasklin acknowledged this relationship in her article diversity leadership and organizational transformation performance indicators for health services organizations she noted the following relationship between her process and Lewin's phases and the graphic underneath displays the difference between the two unfreezing the discovery assessment and exploration steps focus on identifying the problem and developing a plan to implement the solution during these steps Dr. Dreasklin states that individuals and groups awaken to the need for fundamental change and the organization as a whole emerges with a fuller understanding of the transformation that is required change during the exploration and transformation steps you identify what training needs to occur develop your plan and implement it this is where you attempt to change your organization's culture and climate to a more inclusive one according to Dr. Dreasklin the organization begins to reflect an ongoing commitment to development via training and begins transformation through instituting changes in standard practices refreezing as you transition from transformation to revitalization you're monitoring the people to ensure they comply with the new processes while evaluating the change to make sure the results are what you intended also you're changing unit policies and procedures to institutionalize the process and make it a part of the unit's new culture and climate at this point the importance of diversity should be standard practice within the organization identifying problems finding solutions and institutionalizing these solutions are important aspects of leveraging diversity it takes strong leaders to create inclusive environments where everyone has an opportunity to thrive the five-part transformation process can help you with these efforts however there are a few factors you should consider as you implement this process factors that can inhibit or support your transformation factors that impact transformation as you have learned change can be threatening for individuals and for organizations as a whole leaders that apply the five steps without also fully understanding and applying change management's principles are likely setting themselves and their organization up for failure to overcome this leaders should understand the factors that both inhibit and support transformation factors that inhibit transformation this list is not a simple checklist of items to avoid but a series of factors that will inherently happen as you work to transform your organization and its people review and use as a guide to identify these factors as they arise in the transformation process so you can address them early and potentially reduce the impact they could have on your diversity initiative organizational culture and inertia an organization with a history of accomplishment and excellence may find it difficult to acknowledge lack of diversity as a shortcoming as a result they may stall any effort that focuses on achieving diversity lack of leadership involvement and support involvement of top leadership is essential for successful diversity efforts without this involvement you could start with a weak foundation and progress might be difficult to achieve if progress is made it will most likely be temporary without leadership's support organizational complexity reaching and involving your people can be difficult for organizations with a large number of people in a variety of different roles and settings difficulty getting people involved heavy workloads and many competing demands on time make it difficult to secure the amount of involvement needed to make the solution work resistance resistance to diversity often arises when individuals feel their power or privilege is threatened it's critical to identify areas of resistance and address the fears and issues from which they arise if not resolved resistance can make it difficult to affect true change within an organization and to institutionalize that change in the policy and practice communication and understanding between individuals can greatly reduce resistance inclusion is also a very effective way to gain support for diversity efforts turnover personnel turnover creates the challenge of familiarizing new people with diversity efforts and securing their commitment this can become even more difficult when senior leadership changes oppression model when diversity training is based solely on identifying and addressing one group's oppression of another the outcome may lead to divisiveness and confusion that could block any progress burnout diversity work requires substantial effort and rewards aren't always immediately obvious without consistent involvement and support of senior leadership the potential for burnout is very high success itself change can be threatening for individuals and for organizations as a whole organizations that participate in the five part transformation process without taking change management principles into account are likely setting themselves up for failure understanding and identifying these inhibiting factors early helps your organization build a transformation plan that overcomes and or avoids these factors this next section provides you the factors that support transformation factors that support transformation commitment by senior leadership direct personal involvement of senior leaders is essential at every phase of diversity work and the ability to articulate why diversity is beneficial to the organization is a litmus test for leadership the commitment of top leaders energizes an organization provides momentum during slow periods and increases the likelihood of lasting change needs assessment and planning an effective plan is the result of a careful assessment of an organization's current manning and policies as they relate to diversity even in the most committed organizations it's important to lay the groundwork for a successful process by examining areas of need and developing a diversity vision that the organization can embrace as an achievable goal assigned personnel continuity and leadership are critical components of successful diversity initiatives a specific individual should fulfill the role of diversity coordinator and oversee all stages of an organization's diversity related activities the coordinator must have the full support of leadership the role of diversity coordinator becomes part of this person's job description and must be considered in concert with the person's other responsibilities and duties diversity committee the most effective diversity committees take a task oriented approach to planning and implementing diversity activities each member of the committee can play a catalytic role by advocating for diversity within his or her individual work environments advising the diversity coordinator and sharing the workload broad involvement the opportunity to become a member of the diversity committee should be offered to everyone within the organization to create a sense of ownership and commitment to the diversity process and its outcome the committee should include a broad cross-section of airmen resources realistic planning should include time for diversity committee meetings organization-wide activities and the diversity coordinator's responsibilities training diversity training should be tailored to address specific needs and issues that are identified through a diversity assessment by exploring differences among individuals successful training can lead to greater understanding of racial ethnic and cultural diversity which in turn can improve interactions among your people and prompt changes in attitudes and behavior changes in policy changes in response to anomalies found in workplace policies procedures and practices that limit or tend to limit employment opportunities for individuals based on any of the characteristics experiences and abilities found in the definition of air force diversity will lead to more diversity within an organization identifying these supporting factors early can help your organization build a targeted transformation plan that has a better chance of succeeding resulting in lasting change in this section you learned how to manage organizational diversity using the five-part transformation process the process started with discovery determining what your organization is already doing to increase awareness in this step you should look for activities with substance not just box checkers the next step in the process was assessment here you'll review your organization's culture and climate as well as current leadership practices in this step don't forget to take a look at yourself to see if your behavior is causing a problem the intent of this step is to find any barriers that might be causing diversity related issues once you've identified any barriers and their root causes you'll move on to the next step exploration at this point you'll identify any potential training or professional development activities that can address the root causes for barriers found in the previous step in the transformation step you'll develop a plan and implement the activities you brainstormed in the exploration step don't forget that for the training to be effective you should work to create a sense of urgency for these changes finally in the revitalization step you'll look at processes and procedures needed to institutionalize diversity into your organizational culture and climate during the process keep in mind the factors that can support your transformational effort such as assigning a diversity coordinator to oversee your organization's diversity initiatives or forming a diversity committee whose members include representatives from all ranks however you should also try to avoid factors that could inhibit your process such as oppression and burnout dealing with diversity issues that impact your organization is your responsibility the secretary of the air force and chief of staff of the air force expect you to treat diversity as a national security imperative and force multiplier therefore these issues can have an impact on your unit's ability to execute its mission if they aren't corrected at the beginning of this section you were introduced to senior master sergeant wolf and a diversity issue impacting his organization it would be easy to brush off the comments of airmen as just complaining or the statements of one master sergeant as just a singular problem but you won't know unless you do your due diligence using the five-part transformation process to find out who knows you could only have to address a small problem or once you conduct research you could have to tackle a larger problem that is rooted in your organization's culture either way you have the tools and skills to get your people and organization back on the right track how you handle these issues can have an impact on your subordinates yourself and your organization's mission impact of diversity motivational speaker and author Steven Covey said strength lies in differences not in similarities at this point you should understand the importance of capitalizing on the unique strengths and talents of your people you've read that doing so is a military necessity and a strategic imperative but what impact does diversity have on factors closest to you your subordinates your own leadership and your mission let's find out subordinate effectiveness have you ever thought about what your people need in order to be successful in your unit if not now is the time to do so as a senior enlisted leader AFI 36-2618 the enlisted force structure states that you must deliberately develop junior enlisted airmen nco's and fellow senior nco's into better followers leaders and supervisors in order to meet this responsibility you should understand what your people bring to the table their personality types their creative and reasoning ability their learning styles and even their life experiences this type of information can help you create more effective individualized development plans additionally it can help you make decisions concerning job assignments and possible special duty recommendations for example would you consider your subordinates personality type when deciding if he or she should take on a certain additional duty hopefully you would but this would also require you to consider the needs of the mission in addition to the needs of the individual striking the right balance between the two could benefit your subordinate while at the same time ensuring the mission continues institutional competency leading people develops and inspires others in order to help your subordinates become more effective you should guide them in establishing their long-term career goals based upon their desires and the needs of the air force of course this will require you to get to know their needs talents and weaknesses so the advice you provide is appropriately tailored to each subordinate you can also have an impact on your subordinates work environment by considering diversity remember it's your responsibility to ensure your environment is an inclusive one where everyone can thrive when diversity obstacles such as in groups versus out groups or negative worldviews are present some of your people might feel less like team members this could have an impact on their morale or even their job performance to address these issues you should reinforce diversity as a military necessity to your people without each other they might not achieve as much as they would by working alone or with people that are exactly like them you should stress the importance of teamwork by pointing out that they each have unique skills where one thing is a weakness for someone this same thing could be a strength for someone else they need each other to be successful therefore you should encourage and support them by helping them build collaborative and mutually beneficial working relationships regardless of their differences additionally you should foster an environment where your subordinates thoughts are encouraged respected and integrated if possible institutional competency embodies airman culture followership to create and sustain an inclusive environment you should evaluate leadership challenges in order to serve as and developing partnering relationships in followers the air force requires the talents of everyone in order to ensure we stay competitive in the global environment senior nco effectiveness on the surface it might seem like the content in this chapter focused on other senior nco's managing diversity for other people however have you considered how diversity can enhance or hinder your effectiveness in the leader actions section you completed a quick questionnaire that gave you an indication of how your actions decisions and behaviors impact diversity in your environment in order to be a diversity leader you must first ensure your views on diversity don't become roadblocks or barriers for others since you're responsible for the environment in your work center you set the example for others to follow if you're engaged in inappropriate behaviors such as establishing or supporting in group versus out group behavior or making decisions based on your own preferences your actions can hinder the effectiveness of your people and mission to avoid these behaviors you should know yourself your preferences tendencies and reasoning ability the more self aware you are the less likely you are to allow your personal preferences to impact your decision making ability as a senior enlisted leader it's also your responsibility to identify barriers and work to eliminate them using tools such as the five part transformation process you can systematically detect problems in your organization's culture and climate determine their root causes and develop training or professional development to address them additionally the process also helps you institutionalize your solutions into the organization's culture and climate locking in changes that results in a maximization of your people's diverse talents institutional competency leading people diversity it's your responsibility as a senior nco to identify and propose ways to eliminate barriers to achieving and sustaining a diverse and inclusive air force ensuring diversity is a priority lets your people know that you value what each person brings to the table this could increase the amount of respect and faith your people have in you as a leader resulting in an increase in your effectiveness mission effectiveness leveraging diversity in your organization improves its ability to accomplish the air force mission our nation and air force can't effectively function without the talents of each individual they allow the air force to achieve its mission and vision while nurturing its innovative culture one of the five priorities in the 2013 united states air force diversity strategic roadmap focuses on institutionalizing diversity as necessary to mission success in a nutshell the air force needs people with different experiences skills and talents to contribute to the air force mission diversity encourages increased creativity innovation and problem-solving potential skills necessary for the air force to compete on a global level a diverse workforce is also a force multiplier remember teams can do much more than individuals working alone by tapping into your people's abilities you can increase the overall effectiveness and efficiency of your mission summary you began this chapter by revisiting what you've already learned in the past about diversity you covered the air force definition of diversity and its subcategories such as cognitive and behavioral diversity and religious diversity then you moved on to learn why diversity is an air force priority you reviewed the five priorities in the 2013 united states air force diversity strategic roadmap and even saw how you can support each of the priorities as a member of the profession of arms and senior and listed leader in your organization after that you covered the importance of diversity it's a military necessity and is multi-dimensional your people are much more than what you see on the surface then you learned how to leverage diversity by creating inclusive environments and taking an internal look at yourself to ensure you're not a barrier to diversity for your people in order to maximize diversity you have the right balance between your people's needs and the air force of course you want to ensure your people's needs are met but sometimes you'll have to be creative in doing so while still meeting the mission needs practicing individualized consideration can help you do that finally you covered how to manage organizational diversity using Dr. Janice Driasclan's five-part transformation process in order to be a diversity leader to be able to determine what your unit is currently doing to increase diversity awareness in the discovery step examine your unit's culture and climate in the assessment step identify potential training opportunities in the exploration step develop a plan and implement your solutions in the transformation step and institutionalize your diversity efforts in the revitalization step in addition you learned that factors such as lack of leadership involvement and support can weaken your diversity initiative while factors such as putting together a diversity committee can increase its chances of success finally you ended this chapter by covering the impact of diversity on subordinate senior NCO and mission effectiveness as you learned diversity isn't just about what you see on the surface gender race etc it also encompasses the essence of who we are as individuals how we think our personalities our backgrounds etc these are all attributes you should be able to leverage in order to complete the Air Force mission as effectively as possible in the middle of the page please scan the QR code to learn more about celebrating Air Force diversity when you get back to your work environment take a look around at your people now what do you see at this point you should now be able to see more than just their skin color or gender you should see the unique talents and strengths they all possess diversity you can leverage to make them and the mission more effective diversity you should celebrate key terms barrier analysis page 21 cognitive and behavioral diversity page 3 demographic diversity page 3 diversity page 5 diversity page 3 5 Air Force priorities page 6 5 part transformation process page 20 global diversity page 3 group identity page 9 inclusion page 6 inclusive environments page 7 leveraging diversity page 12 organizational and structural diversity page 3 rainbow rule page 5 religious diversity page 3 social sensitivity page 4 worldview page 10