Part 6 Managing a Diverse Team

 

MGMT 2026: Management and Leadership

Personal Learning Cloud / e-Portfolio

Part 6. Managing a Diverse Team

Profile of the Interviewee

The person being interviewed in the video I found is named Heather Bear. Heather Bear is the vice chief of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations. She is a residential school survivor. She has a passion for lobbying on behalf of indigenous people and is fighting for an apology and accountability from the churches that had a role in residential schools.

 

Workplace Challenges

Discrimination: Many indigenous people may feel stereotyped in the workplace. They may feel ignored and disrespected by any non-indigenous employees or employers. They might feel the need to want to fit into their workplace and end up not being able to embrace who they truly are.

 

Self-esteem: They may feel like they don’t fit in with others making it more difficult to speak up for themselves. Having low self-esteem in the workplace can affect productivity and making decisions.

 

Cultural Differences: Employers and co-workers might not understand and respect cultural differences in the workplace. This can create a workplace atmosphere of disrespect and distrust. Cultural differences may cause misunderstandings and miscommunication.

 

Strategies

Create a positive work environment: By encouraging diversity in a workplace people may feel more comfortable. Encouraging open communication across all cultural backgrounds can improve the employee's work environment. Being able to be your full self in a workplace will give you a sense of belonging.

 

Communication: Make sure your employees feel comfortable coming to you with any situation. By having a trusting relationship with your manager of co-workers there is a sense of safety in the workplace. Having this type of communication will ensure that workplace problems can be dealt with quickly.

 

Acknowledgment: Creating a workplace where any cultural or religious differences are recognized. Recognizing, respecting, and valuing all the diverse backgrounds of employees can lead to better communication and engagement for everyone in the workplace.

 

Collaboration: Being open to collaboration and changes. If an employee feels comfortable expressing something they believe can be improved or changed, that should always be considered. As an employee, if you believe something can be changed for the better it should be considered as it may make the job easier.

 

Have Empathy: Showing empathy to co-workers and employers. Having empathy builds trust in the workplace. Employees will help you gain trust with employers and co-workers. This can improve communication and relationships in the workplace.

 

Respect: Showing respect to cultural diversity. Wanting to learn more about a person's background can be a sign of respect and listening to what they want to share. This can help in the workplace as they might feel more comfortable actively being themselves.

 

Interview: https://www.pbs.org/video/moment-of-reckoning-1625774553/