University Workshop: Diversity Challenges and Opportunities for MBA502

This assignment presents a detailed design for a professional workshop focused on diversity, challenges, and opportunities. The workshop is structured into two parts, with the first outlining a schedule of interactive activities. These activities include icebreakers to introduce the topic, diversity thumb ball games to explore different forms of diversity, proverb sessions to highlight cultural similarities, Herman grid exercises to understand diverse perspectives, and story-sharing sessions to foster understanding and belonging. The second part of the assignment discusses the expectations and aims of the workshop, emphasizing the importance of understanding diversity in a globalized society. The workshop aims to address preconceived notions, promote inclusivity, and explore the complex aspects of diversity in a non-political and engaging manner. This comprehensive workshop design aims to provide participants with a deeper understanding of diversity, its challenges, and the opportunities it presents, fostering a more inclusive and understanding environment.

Running head: DIVERSITY- CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
DIVERSITY- CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

1DIVERSITY- CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
Workshop for Diversity- Challenges and Opportunities
Part 1:
Planning of the Workshop:
Diversity is a common phenomenon in the present times and the prevalence of diversity
os found in all the spheres and walks of our lives. The following proposed workshop is to
develop a sound understanding of the concept of diversity and the therefor gaining a knowledge
regarding the challenges and the opportunities that are associated with the practices of diversity.
Please find the following table which represents the topics of discussion in today’s workshop.
The work shop will start at 9am, and will continue till 6 in the evening.
Activity Description Purpose
9-10 Icebreaker: Introducing the topic, a
brief idea about diversity, every one
of the attendants are asked, their
names and their place of belonging.
Understanding about the
participants of the workshop and to
provide them with a brief
introduction of the concept and to
provide an idea of the topic that
will be discussed in the workshop.
10- 10.30 Tea break
10.30- 12.30 Diversity Thumb Ball: In this part of
the workshop the attendants will be
told about the different forms of
diversity that are practiced and
The goal or the purpose of this
particular session is to make the
individuals believe in their potential
and at the same time, to make them

2DIVERSITY- CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
acknowledged in the society. There
will be a gaming session where the
attendants would have to answer a
series of questions and through these
questions the different forms of
diversity that are projected in the
society and practiced within the
same will be discussed.
believe in the opportunities that
diversity offers or comes with.
Diversity creates an impetus for the
individuals to grow, by putting
them into difficult and challenging
situations however, at the same
time, the idea of similarities with
their cultural aspects give the
individuals a zeal to battle all these
critical situations.
12.30- 1.30 Proverbs: this is another gaming
session where the participants will
discover how they are similar and
how this can be helpful for them or
can help them to find for
opportunities, being in a place other
than that, from where they belong.
The purpose of this part of the
workshop is to make a supportive
environment and a sense of
belongingness within the room.
Each of the attendants will hold
some difference than the other and
it is very much likely that there will
be examples of diversity within the
room. Therefore, a sense of
unification will be tried to create
within the room.

3DIVERSITY- CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
1.30- 3.00 Lunch
3.00- 4.00 The Herman Grid: In here, the
attendants will be involved in two
activities. First they will be asked
about different cultures or will be
provided with situations with
behavioral diversity, and the like,
and will be asked about their first
impression of all those things.
Secondly, each of the participants
will be given a sheet with the
Herman grid printed on it, and they
will be asked about their first
impression of the grid and also will
be asked whether or not they can see
any grey dots in between the boxes.
The purpose of this session is to
make theme understand about the
challenging situation that are faced
by the people of different culture or
different understanding or different
behavioral aspects. Thus, the
challenges that are faced by the
people due to the factor of diversity
will be discussed in the class.
4.00- 4.30 Tea break
4.30- 6.00 Sharing stories: Here, the
individuals will be asked to share
their story or the experiences they
had gained because of the factors of
diversity.
The purpose of this session is to
know and involve the attendants
into the workshop and on make
them understand about the extent
and the intensity of diversity, and

4DIVERSITY- CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
how this can be both helpful and
harmful for an individual as well as
for the society at the same time.
Icebreaker:
In the first session of ice breaking, participants will be told about the topic of the
workshop in a a very brief manner. Hereby, the definition of diversity will be discussed with
them, along with a brief understanding of the importance of the workshop. Further, the
participants will be involved with a gaming situation where they would be given a sheet with a
number of dots and they will be asked to join the dots, making it a full box. This is to make the
attendants understand that each one of us in different than the others, and belonging to the same
community or to the same religious or racial background does not imply that two individuals will
be same. Thus, a brief idea of the diversity concept will be ensued.
Diversity Thumb Ball:
This is a fun training tool kit which is smart and sensitive. It is a stuffed vinyl ball of 6”,
looking like a soccer ball with printed questions. The questions can be on the personal level or
may be on the professional level or just casual. Each of the participants will be involved in the
session. They will have to pass the ball, and whoever question they will receive, they will have to
answer them. The questions can be, ‘who is minority according to you and why?’ or ‘which was
the first time when you were made to feel included in an unknown group?’, and the like. Thus,
through such questions the individuals will be made to understand about the different forms of
diversity that are available.

5DIVERSITY- CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
Proverbs:
In this session there will be proverbs of different communities from where the
participants belong from, will be written. Now the cards will be distributed among everyone, and
each one of them will be asked to read put their cards, and thus the individuals will find out that
for certain people there are similarities in the proverb. Therefore, the individuals will find that
though they belong from different backgrounds, yet there are similarities from the cultural
perspective.
The Herman Grid:
The Herman grid will project the differences in the thinking abilities and in the
perspectives of the individuals. The Herman Grid projects the differences in the thought
processes as they are asked to discuss about their viewpoints of the Grid that they are provided.
Thus, from here the individuals or the participants will gain a perspective of the how the
individuals are different and why they are posed with challenging situations because of
belonging form other cultural or racial backgrounds. It is the differences in understanding and
the perspective of the human beings which help in creating the challenges for the people coming
from different backgrounds.
Sharing Stories:
In the last session, the participants will be participating into a story telling session, where
each of them will be asked their personal experiences, which they have gained or received in
their personal life. This will make the participants believe that all of them have come across
challenging or difficult situations at some points of their lives and at the same time, life also
provides opportunities to each of the individuals, irrespective of their background. The story

6DIVERSITY- CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
telling session is kept in order to make the participants believe in belongingness, as they will
found that some of the stories that they have are overlapping with each other.
Part 2:
Expectations from the Workshop:
The workshop will be held in order to provide a brief idea to the participants about the
concept of diversity and the factors of opportunities and challenges that re associated with
concept. The diversity concept is simple as well as complex, and considering the present
globalized society where the world is on society, understanding about the concept and factors of
diversity is very important. However, since there are a number of preconceive notions among
people about the concept of diversity, and since the belonging from the other culture and being
regarded to be a minority groups in a particular social set up, is regarded to be a social taboo, the
workshop has been planned with utmost care. The workshop will involve a number of making
sessions, so that the idea of diversity can be seeded into the mind of the participants, in both very
consciously and subconsciously. The aim of the workshop is to make the participants and the
individuals understand about the concept of diversity with harming any cultural notion of the
individuals. Also, the concept of diversity is a very sensitive topic, as it is essentially regarded as
a political tool, and a tool to differentiate people from one another. The concept of diversity is
often exploited. Therefore in the workshop, it is been tried to not violate any of the political or
religious ideas. Rather to make the participants understand about the form s and the intensity of
diversity, in a very friendly and playful manner. The complex idea of diversity is been made as
simple as possible, and the participants have been given on what aspects or grounds they are
different from each other and at the same time, how they are similar to each other, even though
belonging from different backgrounds.