Running head: DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

Diversity and Inclusion: Role in Business Development

Jeoffery Walton
International College of the Cayman Islands (ICCI)
BE/SO-425: Seminar on Business and Society

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

During the evening of 18 May 2016, I attended another session in the Michigan Room of
the Courtyard Marriot Hotel. The topic for this session was on diversity and its role in business
development, presented by Dr. Edhill Walden. The speaker was proud to identify that she was
born in Barbados, an island similar to the size of the Cayman Islands. Immediately, she made
me feel comfortable in knowing that someone of her stature was willing on imparting her
knowledge to a group of people from a similar culture (Dr. E. Walden, personal communication,
May 18, 2016).
According to Dr. Walden, it is important to have a diverse workforce that welcomes
inclusion for innovation enhancement. After inviting us to explain what we thought was the
difference between diversity and inclusion, she elaborated that both could bring value to an
organization, but it requires inclusion to gain the benefits. Dr. Walden stipulated that persons
from different cultures and belief systems add value to an organizations creativity. However,
there are several challenges within certain societies like the U.S., which happen to discourage the
opportunity to diversify and include persons of different race and/or culture. Many white
Americans feel that they have the right to reap the benefits in the U.S. As a result, minorities are
constantly stereotyped and normally find themselves being disenfranchised. This causes
inequalities among many minorities regardless of their background, culture, education, or beliefs.
She further explained that racism began during the time of slavery in the New World, as it was a
tool used by the Europeans to conquer and divide indigenous groups (Dr. E. Walden, personal
communication, May 18, 2016).
Dr. Walden stressed that such challenges can relate to gender, race, culture and/or beliefs.
According to Dr. Walden, the most common workplace issues in the U.S. spur from gender and
race. For example, she explained that during the recruitment process, employers might justify

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their reason for hiring a person as they term them as good-fit for the job. This, she explained,
normally speaks to you as a person, and becomes an implicit bias that normally leads to
stereotyping. For most businesses to be successful, diversification and inclusion are required. As
such, managers need to consider such inequalities when implementing policies within
organizations, as they could have a negative impact on businesses. Racial remarks should be
discouraged and managers need to be conscious of stereotyping within their organizations. To
manage the issues, businesses must consider who could be negatively impacted when developing
policies. Leaders need to embrace change and develop an inclusive environment (Dr. E. Walden,
personal communication, May 18, 2016).
During the discussion, examples were given of the experiences in the Cayman Islands.
Some students felt that Caymanians are not given equal job opportunities, as the best jobs are
given to foreign nationals, especially the English, Canadians and Americans. Other students,
however, felt that Caymanians believe that they should have the rights to the best jobs. I then
explained that the Cayman Islands are a melting pot of different cultures, as approximately 134
different nationalities of people are living in the islands. Dr. Walden quickly identified that the
issues in the islands were very similar to the U.S. She again stressed that for businesses to
become successful it requires diversity and inclusion (Dr. E. Walden, personal communication,
May 18, 2016).
According to the authors Lawrence, A.T., and Weber, J. (2014), workplace
discrimination and equal job opportunities have always been a problem in the U.S. As a result,
over the years, Congress had to enact various laws to promote equality for employees. The laws
prohibit discrimination relating to race, color, religion, sex, nationality, mental or physical

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disability, or age. This extends from recruitment, promotion, job categories, work assignments,
and compensation etc. (Lawrence, A.T., and Weber, J. 2014).
Following this presentation, I now have a better understanding and appreciation for
diversity and inclusion. As a manager, I can use this learning as a tool to better address the
diverse culture that normally exists within organizations in order to promote diversity an
inclusion.

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5
References

Lawrence, A.T., & Weber, J. (2014). Business and Society: Stakeholders, ethics, public
policy (14th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.