Diversity is an issue that affects all organizations, no matter how big or how small. In this post, I want to explore how Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, handled the issue of diversity in his country by looking at Canada as an organization.
Organizational Citizenship Behaviour (or OCB) is defined in the textbook to be “discretionary behaviour that is not part of an employee’s formal job requirements, but that nevertheless promotes the effective functioning of the organization”. In the case of running a country, a citizen’s job requirement would be to abide by the laws of the land and to contribute to society while OCB can be compared to cultural norms in a country. Leaders of countries have the power to affect cultural influence through their actions and the legislation they introduce. In order to have citizens that provide more to their communities, it is important to promote diversity because several studies show that “satisfaction does influence OCB through perceptions of fairness”.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has accepted diversity and has taken action even before becoming Prime Minister of Canada. Through deliberate action, Trudeau has appointed a gender-balanced cabinet. Not only was his cabinet gender-balanced, Trudeau’s closest advisers consisted of visible minorities, a former refugee, and aboriginals. When asked why it was important to him to have a gender-balanced cabinet, he simply replied “It’s 2015”. His statement highlights the importance he places on diversity and providing equal opportunity for all Canadians by appointing “a cabinet that looks like Canada” in our increasingly progressive era.
Trudeau’s diverse cabinet.
The satisfaction and tension between citizens today in countries around the world may be very well due to the actions of their leaders. A healthy and diverse organization is not cultivated simply with goodwill and tolerance, instead it requires intentional action to promote fair representation. It is important to have diversity and strive to provide equal opportunities for all in order to have a harmonious and effective organization.
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References:
Ditchburn, J. (2015, November 06). ‘Because it’s 2015’: Trudeau forms Canada’s 1st gender-balanced cabinet. Retrieved February 05, 2017, from http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-trudeau-liberal-government-cabinet-1.3304590
Puzic, S. (n.d.). Cabinet sworn in; Parliament will resume on Dec. 3. Retrieved February 05, 2017, from http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/cabinet-sworn-in-parliament-will-resume-on-dec-3-1.2641761
Langton, N., Robbins, S. P., & Robbins, S. P. (2007). Organizational behaviour: Concepts, Controversies, Applications (4th ed.). Toronto: Pearson Prentice Hall.