This paper will provide a summary of what Learning Team A evaluated and discussed during week four. The summary will identify specific topics covered during the week that enhanced the understanding of specific concepts for the team. More specifically, the learning team will identify how its knowledge has increased as a result of the learning activities.
Diversity has become such a crucial subject in today's society. Diversity within the workplace is influenced by several factors such as the size, future, and age. The workforce diversity is comprised of people from a variety of backgrounds with different religious affiliations, sexual orientations, lifestyles, economic classes, and ethnicities. Managing the diverse workforce has become extremely difficult especially considering the smaller labor force America is soon expected to experience. Because of our expectancy in a decreasing labor force, employers are likely to outsource some work to factories (Bateman & Snell, 2011). As a result, there will be a more diverse labor U.S. labor pool, making it critical employers understand who these workers are and are capable of meeting their needs. Workers of the future also need to be accounted for because, until recent years, the labor force catered to the needs to white American-born males. While nearly 80% of workers in the U.S. are white, and over 50% are male, that share is declining (Bateman & Snell, 2011). According to figure 11.2, women now account for nearly 47% of the labor force (Bateman & Snell, 2011). It is critical that the labor force accounts for diversity and accommodates the needs of all workers.
In our discussion this week we had the opportunity to define what a leader and manger are. Not only were we able to distinguish between the two, but determine rather they are the same. We determined that a leader is one who sets a new direction or vision for a group, is flexible, believes in the shared decision-making theory, and seeks input from the group; steers the group in the right direction and keeps the group focused and on course. A manger