Diversity and Age

You have just received an e-mail from one of your team members expressing concern about the lack of cultural balance in your team. The team member feels that she has fewer opportunities to train compared to her younger peers and that her ideas are often disregarded by others since they assume that she is not well-informed regarding technology or strategy.

You are initially surprised on reading this e-mail, given that you have a team that seems ethnically diverse. However, the team member is concerned because she is fifty-two years old, while the age of the next oldest person on the team is thirty-nine. When you really look at your team, the average age is thirty-four. Given this information, you note cultural differences based on generational factors that could be pertinent. These should be addressed to help the team work in a more cohesive and productive manner.

Based on the above scenario, using the module readings, the school online library resources, and the Internet, respond to the following:

• Training is one of the ways you can address cultural issues; however, do you think it is necessary in this case?
• What would your diversity training look like? Provide details on the time, format, and topics covered.
• What resources would you use, and what issues would you address (if any) with human resources? Would you take any other actions in addition to training?