Part 6. Managing a Diverse Team

 

MGMT 2026: Management and Leadership

Personal Learning Cloud / e-Portfolio

Part 6. Managing a Diverse Team

 

By: Charlie Alix

 

The interview I had decided to do my research comes from a Ted Talk. In this Ted talk, a woman named Lesa Bradshaw gives her perspective on life as a disabled person in the workplace. Lesa is a business entrepreneur who has become well-recognized for her influence in building a disability- confident economy. She works with employers, public and private institutions, and a collaborative network of allies to reposition the value of disability to business.

 

An example of challenges she addresses that people with disabilities in the workplace tend to face is pre-determined judgement based on somebodies’ disability. They tend to judge somebodies’ abilities based on what they see. She says this comes from a lack of understanding of disability. With a lack of understanding, people tend to have a low bar set of expectations and getting credibility for doing regular things. She talks about when she tells people that she is going to a work conference, people will tell her how brave she is, and her thinking to herself” Not really, I am not a fire fighter, I am just going to work”. Or she will hear somebody say “ Wow, you champion”, and she will think “ Not so much, really”

 

The problem with this in the workplace is if they set low bench marks, then they will not see the value that the person brings or can actually add to your organization. With this, organizations can also tend to assign which jobs they feel are suitable for people with a disability.

 

Some strategies people in the workplace can adapt to help people of disabilities are to stop deciding what people with a disability can and can’t do. Focus on the abilities, skills and talents of the individual. Emphasize on what people can do besides on what they cannot. Along with this we can promote Self-determination to empower the individual.

 

Some other strategies organizations can use to help with people of disability are training and awareness programs. Train employees to raise awareness about disabilities and educate them on how to interact respectfully and inclusively with work mates that have a disability. Create a culture of understanding and acceptance. Certain policies and procedures could be put into place that promote inclusion and prohibit discrimination based on disability.

 

Challenge any discriminatory practices. Being aware of any attitudes or discriminatory practices that would potentially limit the opportunity of an individual with a disability.

 

Most importantly, you can lead by example. Demonstrate leadership of respect, empathy and inclusiveness in the workplace. Set expectations for inclusive behavior and hold people accountable for upholding these values.

By adopting these strategies and principles, organizations can create and environment where individuals with disabilities are empowered to reach their full potential, contribute meaningfully to their workplace and thrive in their respected careers.

 

 

Part 5: Organizational Structure Design

Charlie Alix 

 

The organization I have chosen to research is the True North Sports entertainment. They are partly responsible for bringing the Winnipeg jets back to Winnipeg and have partnered with Thompson and Richardson to get it done. I am not a member of the organization, but I am an avid fan of Winnipeg jets hockey. True norths Vision is to establish themselves as an integral asset to the City of Winnipeg and Province of Manitoba, and to be a consistent source of ourselves of pride for our entire community. There Mission is to provide superior patron experience in all of our facilities, developing championship caliber hockey teams, nurturing, and providing opportunities for our colleagues, and collectively making a meaningful and consistent contribution to our community.

 

Some of the organization’s external environmental factors that have had an impact on the company was covid-19. Covid was one of the toughest times the company had to dace for multiple challenges. They state that even though the year had brought unforeseen challenges, it also demonstrated the resilience and the results of what a group who share a common purpose can do. Navigate through covid obstacles, safely resume events, and continue to make a meaningful and consistent contribution to our community. Currently the organization does have some troubles with fans not having spending money as they once had, with the current state of the country’s inflation. A lot of fans stay at home now and watch from there televisions instead of being at the game and spending money on drinks and food for the families. Lower attendance is concerning for the organization, but the owners have publicly stated that Winnipeg does not have to worry about loosing there team again as they state, “ Hockey belongs in Winnipeg.”

 

True North has ten entities under its umbrella including Canada life center, the Winnipeg jets franchise, and the burton cummings theatre. They are backed by one of the richest people in Manitoba ( Dave Thomson). These are all sources of income for the organization. True North also has volunteers to help work games and a valuable Human resources program that offers great benefits to  all of its employees. They offer and help pay for employee programs that lead to better positions in the organization.

I think the ideal structure for True norths organization would be the Functional Structure. With thousands of people employed, it is important that the right people are doing the appropriate job. For example, people with proper accounting degrees would be hired into finance. People who are more entry level positions are able to work the front doors scanning tickets or can work the convivence stands. If someone is training to becoming a police officer, they can do their tenure as a security guard. With so many arrays of jobs available, this kind of organization has a high degree of specialization available.   

 

 

References:

: https://jetsmedia.ca/tnse/

https://www.tnse.com/news/at-true-north-everything-goes-back-to-the-vision-mission-values/

Part 4: Applied Motivation

 

Dogglers is a hockey club that I play/manage for every winter season. Every year our goal is to win the championship. My role is to find a few members usually. We do have a core that plays every year, but some go every year. I must collect the monies from everyone to pay the league. I also must collect the fines we get handed for people getting to rowdy. We  have to manage people’s emotions to. Hockey is a high paced, exerting sport that can bring out the emotions of people, even in beer league.. A lot of the motivating I must do is to actually get the guys who paid monies to play, to come out. As we get older, everyone is getting busier, everyone is also getting more tired. So, it is up to us to constantly get them to the games regularly.

 

We will go with both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation techniques. Using internal sources of motivation such as commodore and getting better at the sport. Also, extrinsic motivation with tangible rewards such as beer and wings, a good workout and winning a championship. I will now go through each motivator and explain why I think they will increase motivation.

 

·         Winning a championship- Using goal setting for the next couple of motivational actions, it is a challenge our team must face but it is achievable. To win the championship! This is our ultimate team goal to keep us motivated throughout the season.

·         Rewards with beer and wings- Along with the goal setting theory mentioned above, we can motivate the fellers with rewards of wings and beers for after the game. For some players there pure motivate to the game is to have some wings and to hang out with the guys.

·         Commodore- Ranking third in Maslow’s Hierarchy, the need to bond with other humans with friendship is an effective way for motivating players to come out. Half of beer league hockey is the commodore with the fellers!

·         Learn to get better- Using the expectancy theory, regularly coming out will result in a favorable outcome of just getting better at the game. It is much more difficult to get better at the game when you only play once out of five games.

·         Good workout- Going along with the expectancy theory, one of the components is Valence. The reward of a solid workout will benefit the player ten folds with the everyday life. The amount of exercise you can get out of a competitive game does make up for the cheeseburger after.  

·         Build up my teammates- Motivating our teammates by giving them positive feedback about good plays they have done or letting them know about the progression they have had through out the year. This will help keep them motivated to continue to come out and play.

 

In conclusion, the overall motivation plan will need a team effort. Some of the strongest motivators I find are achievements, recognition, growth, and advancement. With communication and reinforce support, out team can achieve its goal.