Week 3 Assignment: Creating Inclusive Cultures

Prior to beginning work on this assignment, read Chapter 9 in Jacobs and Crockett (2021) and Chapter 3 in El Emary, Brzozowska, & Bubel (2021), the LinkedIn report about global talent trends, and the article by Egitim (2022).

LaDonna Evans recently assumed leadership of Evans Engineering. Evans Engineering focuses on traffic and transportation engineering in a large metropolitan area. The firm employs over 50 engineers.

Evans’ father (Charles) was the CEO of the organization prior to his retirement. LaDonna Evans previously served as the Vice President of Contracts and Negotiations.

Under Charles’ leadership, Evans Engineering sponsored a Science Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) program in cooperation with a local agency aimed at enticing women into STEM careers. The agency, in cooperation with Evans Engineering, offers scholarships, work-study opportunities, and internships to female university students who choose to enter the engineering field. Evans Engineering has successfully recruited 11 female engineers over the past eight years because of their participating in this program. However, only one of the newly recruited female engineers remained with the organization for more than a year, many leaving within the first six months of their employment. Crista, the one female engineer who has remained in the organization, has been employed for five years.

Since assuming leadership, LaDonna Evans questioned why this turnover among female engineers is happening. She asked you, the new Human Resources Director, to investigate the situation.

You interviewed the female engineer, Crista, who remained in the organization, and some chief engineers. You also reviewed personnel records and exit interview data and found that Crista indicated being underpaid compared to the other engineers at Evans Engineering. Serving in the same position since her hire, she was passed over for promotion twice. Less experienced male engineers were promoted to these positions.

In interviews with chief engineers, you heard comments that they are “uncomfortable” working with the female engineers and they do not understand why Charles Evans got involved with the STEM program to begin with.

Comments in exit interviews conducted with departing female engineers included:

• “I was asked to get coffee during the meetings.”
• “I was not invited to important planning meetings.”‘
• “When I walked into the break room, no one would talk to me.”
• “I was relegated to doing paperwork rather than working in the field.”
• “When I did attend a meeting, everyone would speak over me.”
• “My opinions did not seem to matter.”

The HR staff believes female engineers have no chance in the organization. They reported seeing some of the issues reported in exit interviews.

In a paper of at least 1,000 words (not including title, abstract and reference pages) and citing at least two scholarly sources in addition to required readings,

• SummarizeLinks to an external site. the issues you found.
• Analyze the culture of the organization as it relates to diversity, equity, and inclusion, based on the evidence you collected.
• Suggest a course of action to address the issues.
• Prepare a plan, with at least three goals, to create a more inclusive culture in the organization.
• Support your plan by comparing components of it with successful inclusion programs in other organizations. (Hint: Find these programs by searching the Internet for DEI or inclusion practices in engineering firms.)

The Creating Inclusive Cultures paper,

• Must be at least 1,000 words in length (not including title and references page) and formatted according to APA StyleLinks to an external site. as outlined in the Writing Center’s APA Formatting for Microsoft WordLinks to an external site. resource.
• Must include a separate title page with the following in title case:
  • Title of paper in bold font
    • Space should appear between the title and the rest of the information on the title page.
  • Student’s name
  • Name of institution (The University of Arizona Global Campus)
  • Course name and number
  • Instructor’s name
  • Due date
• Must utilize academic voice.
  • See the Academic VoiceLinks to an external site. resource for additional guidance.
• Must include an introduction and conclusion paragraph.
  • Your introduction paragraph needs to end with a clear thesis statement that indicates the purpose of your paper.
  • For assistance on writing Introductions & ConclusionsLinks to an external site. and Writing a Thesis StatementLinks to an external site., refer to the Writing Center resources.
• Must use at least two scholarly sources in addition to the course text.
  • The Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed, and Other Credible SourcesLinks to an external site. table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source.
  • To assist you in completing the research required for this assignment, view Quick and Easy Library ResearchLinks to an external site. tutorial, which introduces the University of Arizona Global Campus Library and the research process, and provides some library search tips.
• Must document any information used from sources in APA Style as outlined in the Writing Center’s APA: Citing Within Your PaperLinks to an external site. guide.
• Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA Style as outlined in the Writing Center.
  • See the APA: Formatting Your References ListLinks to an external site. resource in the Writing Center for specifications.

Carefully review the Grading RubricLinks to an external site. for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.

Tutorial for Creating Inclusive Cultures