As part of your weekly one-to-one meeting with your supervisor at work, you are asked to briefly discuss some of the topics you are learning in your organizational behavior class. This week, you focus on issues related to organizational culture and diversity. This catches your supervisor’s attention because she is the head of a search committee within your organization, tasked with hiring a new vice president for operations. There is a debate among the committee members about whether to focus on recruiting from within the organization or whether to provide opportunities for external candidates to apply for the position.
After listening to your discussion of organizational culture and workplace diversity, your supervisor asks you to share some insights with the committee on the topic that is being debated. She would like you to wear two hats—first, that of an employee describing the organization; second, as a hiring consultant providing a recommendation.
The following questions provide you with a framework to structure your response to the scenario. No doubt, there are many variables that will influence this decision, but your task is to primarily focus on using the cultural context of your organization and the external environment in which it operates to frame a brief response to the two questions as part of your initial response post. Also, make sure to read what is expected in the reply post so that you are aware of how your peers will be using the information you provide to post a response.
Part 1: Your Initial Post (As Employee)
From the point of view of an employee, offer the following response to your supervisor’s request:
• Provide a very brief overview of your organization. To respect your supervisor’s time and maintain her attention, offer a profile that is no more than 100 words. Also, to maintain the confidentiality of your own organization. Please do not provide information that would specifically identify it.
o Consider the following points:
 What does your organization do?
 Approximately how many employees work for your organization?