Racial Identity Theory: Applications to Individual, Group, and Organizational Interventions - Research Paper Example

Word Autobiographical Research Paper To start with, race relations are always imperative and none other than a workplace setting. This is one of the scenarios which I faced some time back when I witnessed racial disparities to come about within my organization where I was completing my six-week internship. I saw that people were being mistreated because they belonged to a different race altogether. The differences stemmed from the fact that there was less empathy for one another and more emphasis on one’s own self. This paper explains how racial relations are dealt with in an organizational setting and how value would be derived from different agendas that the people have had during this scenario. Moving ahead with the discussion at hand, the members of this community, which is essentially an organization, are more or less like me. They are different in the sense that they are from varied backgrounds and hence their understanding and behavioral levels are slightly distinctive. The members of the organization are undertaking the same tasks as I am and hence in a number of ways they are very similar to how I work and how I spend my life. This is an important understanding because my organization has hired individuals who are much like me and who know how to strike big with the changing organizational norms and routines. Furthermore, the leaders within the organization treat distinctive people of the racial differences in varied ways. They do not have any uniformity within their ranks and there is a definitive racial divide that is existent within the workplace settings. I am being treated differently than the ones who are from other sides of the city as this is something that does not go down well with the employees. Nearly every one of these employees has an issue or the other with the way the leaders manifest their point (Hindes, 2009). All of them believe that sanity can prevail if the leaders mend their ways and start doing the right thing at the right time. The role of the leaders under such racial discussions is an important one if they realize the same. If they do not understand the gravity of the situation that has come about within the workplace realms, then it is about time that they should start getting their point across to the concerned individuals. Race is such a critical and sensitive issue that it cannot be taken for granted, and especially by the people who are in significant positions, like the leaders themselves. It would be correct to state here that the other people present within the workplace settings have biased perspectives. This is because they believe it is up to them as to how they shape up racial discussions. It is a fact that they treat people in a number of different ways, all of which are based on their thinking realms. They treated the Blacks as people who are under them, no matter if they senior to them. They treat the Asians shabbily because they are from a third world region. I am also treated differently as I belong to a totally different race and I have felt that under certain occasions and situations, they treat me in a way that is unbecoming of them as well as my own self. I am of the opinion that such stigmas should be done away with because they are not at all in the better interests of the organization from the long term scheme of things. As far as the organizational rules and policies are concerned, there are clear cut instructions as to how racial biasness should be avoided and the manner in which they should be dealt. There is absolute discouragement for racial talks, discussions, slurs and the like, but then again nothing is being promulgated in true letter and spirit within the organization (Carter, 1997). I believe this is because the human resources management department is not playing its due role in a quantifiable manner. If this department knew that such racial problems could arise, proper steps would have been taken to avoid the same. However, this seems to be something which is apparent now than ever before in the history of the organization. New changes to the already laid out rules and policies are indeed significant. The rule book of the organization dictates the exact ways and means through which racial and similar issues need to be tackled and since these problems are on the rise within this organization, it would be in the best interests of both the organization as well as the employees that they follow the already laid out rules and policies. The role of the media within such discussions is something that brings a great amount of meaning for the subject at hand. Race is a sensitive issue but it has been dealt with in a very open manner on the media. Media usually portrays discussions on race and ethnicity in a very negative fashion, and this is one of the most significant reasons why there is a lot of debate about its projection of the different issues which have come to the fore every now and then. Therefore I believe that the local media does not represent people like us as they are aloof of our problems and do not really pay heed to our issues which come up every now and then. The differences and similarities between me and the people who are in leadership positions are varied because I believe they are doing some tasks which are not what I would do while at other times there are similarities in the fact that I have been vocal all along. I believe this is something that goes down in a very bad taste because I am not racial at all in my stance. I am of the view that being a racist would not solve half the problems that exist within the workplace realms. The similarities are only apparent in a way that these leaders are authoritative in their respective stances and get their message across to the relevant audience domains. But this could work against what I have understood the racial debates because I do not buy the dictum which goes with raising hue and cry regarding race and ethnic issues. The ethnic disparities need to be brought under a cover as these are proving destructive for the sake of the organizational settings, and indeed the role of the human resources management department is quintessential here, in entirety. One should believe that the minority groups are not being represented in an able capacity here as their voice is being pressurized beyond proportions. They are not being given a chance to showcase who they are and have been forbidden to let go of their emotions as and when they require so. The minorities are therefore not being given a chance to showcase their true skills and abilities because there is a great amount of negativity existent within the relevant realms. If I had the chance to change a few things, I would amend the manner in which racial discussions are carried out in the organization. This would mean that there would be zero level tolerance for any racial talks and discussions. I would not allow anyone to suggest or state something that has a racial or ethnic debate within it. I would do this because I feel that no one has the right to pinpoint fingers and that too at others’ disposal (Banton, 1996). Race and ethnicity are some of the most personal elements and should be treated with dignity and respect in the long run. I would not mind firing individuals who are doing their best to indulge within the racial debates because these are some of the most heinous ones to exist in the time and age of today. These cannot be tolerated under any scenario and within my workplace limits; there would be serious ramifications for the same in the long run. All said and done, the racial debates within such a workplace setting are not appreciable at all. This is because there has been much written and said about race in the media and on different platforms all over the globe. My workplace has suffered on the same count due to the changing scenarios of the people and I would never appreciate that they become agitated with one another due to racial considerations. I would tie in the people through their work endeavors and professional conducts should be such that it fosters growth and productivity in the long term. References Banton, M., 1996. International Action against Racial Discrimination. Clarendon Press Carter, R. T., 1997. Racial Identity Theory: Applications to Individual, Group, and Organizational Interventions. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Hindes, Y. L., 2009. Cross-racial Supervision: Critical Issues in the Supervisory Relationship. Canadian Journal of Counseling, 43 Read More