Managing Diversity

As stated before, the issue of diversity has definitely become more integral to America’s culture over the past few decades. In recent years, TV and cinema have mirrored this trend and found substantial success in producing entertainment that illustrates relationships between diverse groups of people.  Shows such as The Office, Lost, The Community, Grey’s Anatomy, House, in conjunction with films such as Crash and Gran Torino all have characters with significantly different characteristics and backgrounds.  The extent in which characters either manage or mismanage diversity is more commonly becoming part of on screen interactions.  It is interesting to note that in order for these shows and films to come about, the studios that produce them must have the proper networks and channels in place to accurately incorporate a wide range of viewpoints.  The studios must not only be open to these new diverse platforms but also continually support and develop the wide range of ideas presented.  

The Community 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iE8meUf0qCM

(*click link, embedding is disabled for this video)

The first three minutes of the above clip from series premier of The Community shows the character Jeff’s efforts at managing diversity.  He enters the room to a bickering study group and immediately seeks to change the atmosphere.  He uses shark week, the pencil Steve, and Ben Affleck to create common ideas that all group members can relate to.  As this grabs their attention he then serves as a role model by highlighting the positive attributes of the study group members.  As this illustrates why each member is important to the overall team’s success he ultimately requires that they all forgive each other.  The forgiveness is key because it is what creates the culture of the community.  Forgiveness allows everyone in the group to look past differences in order to empathize and understand.  Ultimately it promotes an inclusive environment that supports communication and satisfying the needs of all members.  By utilizing the diversity best practice methods of common identity, role modeling, and inclusive culture, Jeff has made the members realize the potential of their collaboration.  Although the scene ends comically Jeff’s initial speech briefly illustrates the benefits of properly managing diversity. 

Grey’s Anatomy

In the popular TV show Grey’s Anatomy network ABC made conscious choices regarding diversity in casting and plot. Most specifically, racial diversity is an integral theme in the cast of the medical drama. From Dr. Preston Burke, an African-American male, to Cristina Yang, an Asian-American female, the actors represent a wide array of ethnicities.  In addition to race, Grey’s Anatomy has also portrayed same sex couples and how they are treated among their coworkers. 

Within the walls of Seattle-Grace Hospital, you are able to see how with more interaction with different racial groups, the characters develop a common identity as doctors, as opposed to focusing on race or sexual orientation. They are able to ignore racial and gender lines in order to focus on the medical emergency in front of them. The viewer can observe how the Chief acts as a role model for his employees by treating all of his staff with respect and focusing on evaluation solely based on skill. I believe that the inclusion of these issues in Grey’s stems from the writer, Shonda Rhimes. Ms. Rhimes is one of the few highly successful African-American female show writers in the country. This is one example of how ABC values diversity in their staff and creative team, which translates into what material they portray on their shows.  This has allowed them to be successful among the changing demographic of the country and to address a subject that has become an important part of American culture.

Crash

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MqxTxK0dG8
(*click link, embedding is disabled for this video)

"Rick: [After his car is stolen] Why did these guys have to be black? No matter how we spin this thing, I'm either gonna lose the black vote or I'm gonna lose the law and order vote!
Karen: You know, I think you're worrying too much. You have a lot of support in the black community.
Rick: All right. If we can't duck this thing, we're gonna have to neutralize it. What we need is a picture of me pinning a medal on a black man. The firefighter - the one that saved the camp or something - Northridge... what's his name?
Bruce: He's Iraqi.
Rick: What?
Bruce: He's Iraqi. His name is Saddam.
Rick: Great. I'm going to pin a medal on an Iraqi named Saddam. Give yourself a raise!"

---

Crash portrays a number of catalyst events regarding race difficulties in Los Angeles, one of the most diverse areas of the world. Upon first glance, the different storylines may be difficult to relate back to managing diversity in the workplace, but deeper analysis reveals parallels from which we can draw important connections.

One main character is the current District Attorney for the L.A. area. As an elected officer working for the people, he must effectively manage his public image while appreciating and accommodating many different types of people. On one particular evening, the D.A. and his wife are mugged and forced to surrender their car. Not wanting to lose support from the black community, the D.A. chooses to ‘offset’ negative press by arbitrarily awarding a medal to someone quite random (except for his race). In fact, the person he originally selects is not in fact black, but instead Iraqi. This move has negative implications, separating merit from award and exemplifying a disingenuous and ignorant attitude toward managing diversity in Los Angeles. It further separates and muddles cultural identities and suggests no understanding of the differences between diverse groups of people.

Furthermore, the studio (Lion’s Gate) shows a distinct awareness of diversity struggles (this time specifically in Los Angeles). As alluded to above, these studios have adapted more diverse workforces in conjunction with adaptation to cultural acceptance of diversity in movies. Even the screenwriting process is affected—to create a movie as accurately as possible (like Crash) requires team members of many different races and backgrounds.

On the whole, diversity as portrayed by the media has changed with societal norms, but so too has the dynamic within the production industry. It is now more important than ever for production teams to be diverse and understanding of the progressive material they are creating and facilitating. Now is a crucial time for all to understand more about each other, and one way of starting to do that is through sources like the media industry. That’s why it is so important for these companies to have a diverse workforce and workplace striving toward a goal more common than ever before.