kathman


378  College & Research Libraries July 1998

 

 

 

 

What Difference Does Diversity 
Make in Managing Student 
Employees? 

Jane McGurn Kathman and Michael D. Kathman 

Most campuses in this country have made a commitment to increase 
the diversity of their student population. This presents opportunities and 
challenges for library staff as they supervise a more diverse group of 
student employees. The opportunities include employees who can 
serve as sources of information and who can contribute their per­
spectives about what might make the library more inclusive in the 
types of services it offers. The challenges are that library staff must 
rethink the way they select, train, supervise, and evaluate a more di­
verse work force. This article suggests some of the methods to adapt 
each of these dimensions of management as student employee diver­
sity increases. 

ver the past decade, the 
nation’s campuses have made 
a commitment to increase the 
diversity of their faculty, staff, 

and student populations. Such a commit­
ment is not surprising given the change 
in demographics that has and will con­
tinue to occur. Because libraries often are 
the largest employers of student staff on 
campus, the composition of library stu­
dent employees should be changing 
along with that of the student body. What 
implications does this have for the man­
agement of the student work force? 

First, the definition of diversity must be 
clear. “Cultural diversity, as the expres­
sion is intended to be understood today, 
has a relatively short history. One of the 
most striking characteristics of the dis­
course of diversity is its tendency to evade 

definition. In the past the meanings sig­
nified by ‘cultural diversity’ were cast in 
such terms as affirmative action, minori­
ties, third world, racial identity, ethnic 
studies, and several other phrases.”1 For 
the authors, diversity means any change 
in the dominant culture that has prevailed 
in any particular library. This can include 
changes in employee ethnicity, race, 
sexual orientation, age, abilities/disabili­
ties, and/or religious preference. In ad­
dition, diversity in the workplace encom­
passes both international and domestic 
cultures. 

Working within this diverse landscape 
challenges some of our preexisting 
knowledge, assumptions, and methods of 
doing things. As Darlene M. Ziolkowski 
states, managing diversity is both simple 
and complex: 

Jane McGurn Kathman is Professor of Management at the College of Saint Benedict/St. John’s Univer­
sity; e-mail: jkathman@csbsju.edu. Michael D. Kathman is Director of Libraries and Media at the College 
of Saint Benedict/St. John’s University; e-mail: mkathman@csbsju.edu. 

378 

mailto:mkathman@csbsju.edu
mailto:jkathman@csbsju.edu


What Difference Does Diversity Make 379 

Simple in that adherence to sound 
management principles and respect 
for individuality can serve to re­
solve some issues. Complex in that 
managing a diverse workforce 
means taking into account the fact 
that individuals view things and 
handle things in different ways. 
Complex also in that what is being 
called for in many cases is change 
in management style and change in 
long held attitudes, and change, by 
its very nature, can bring uneasiness 
and tension.2 

R. Roosevelt Thomas Jr. argues that 
managing diversity is not the same as ei­
ther affirmative action or the valuing dif­
ferences approach. Instead, managing 
diversity is a “way of thinking toward the 
objective of creating an environment that 
will enable all employees to reach their 
full potential in pursuit of organizational 
objectives . . . . Consider a jar of red jelly 
beans into which you place yellow and 
green jelly beans. Everyday language la­
bels the yellow and green beans as ‘di­
versity,’ but managing diversity views the 
mixture of yellow, green, and red jelly 
beans to be ‘diversity.’ It recognizes fur­
ther that the beans can differ in ways 
other than color; such as taste, age, 
weight, and time in the jar. Even among 
all red beans there can be substantial di­
versity.”3 

One of the most difficult issues to deal 
with in managing diversity is to answer 
the questions: How much should “they” 
change? How much should I “accept” 
what they do? 

Although there are no definitive an­
swers to these questions, there are pos­
sible hints/guidelines. For example, in­
ternational students come to American in­
stitutions for a variety of reasons. Some 
simply want an American education. Oth­
ers want to be able to understand how 
Americans think and work so that they 
can return home and work with interna­
tional companies. And still others plan to 

emigrate to, or at least work in, this coun­
try for a significant time period. As man­
agers get to know their student employ­
ees, they might begin to learn where each 
individual fits. 

Students with disabilities, either physi­
cal or learning, must be accommodated 
legally. The same can be said about 
American students from different cultural 
backgrounds; they cannot and should not 
be discriminated against. Even if it were 
not a legal issue, libraries cannot afford 
to lose the talents these people can bring 
to their work force. 

How much change is needed is dic­
tated in part by law and to a great extent 
by common sense. As managers get to 
know their student employees, they will 
be able to better identify what the stu­
dents’ needs are and how they can adjust 
together for mutual benefit. Because 
many institutions tend to recruit interna­
tional students from particular countries 
and often develop special programs for 
different cultural backgrounds and/or 
special programs for specific disabilities, 
it is possible and important for libraries 
to develop student employment pro­
grams around the needs of an identified 
diversity. 

Students with disabilities, either 
physical or learning, must be 
accommodated legally. 

Members of a diverse student work 
force can be hired for “normal” student 
employee jobs, but minority students also 
may be hired to teach other minority stu­
dents how to use the library. As the library 
recruits a more diverse student body, 
many of these students have not had the 
same training and library access as the 
majority students. Selecting and training 
minority students to assist their peers will 
lighten the training load on the full-time 
staff. Perhaps more important, peer train­
ing has proved to be a very effective way 
to assist students from different back­
grounds. The need for and success of such 



 

  

 

 

380 College & Research Libraries July 1998 

programs has been widely reported in the 
literature.4–6 

Why should supervising a diverse set 
of student employees be any different 
from supervising a homogeneous group 
of students? In her article “Supervising a 
Diverse Staff,” Barbara MacAdam pre­
sents an inventory of issues that members 
of the library staff may encounter, includ­
ing: 

 Differing background, values, and 
experiences may create roadblocks to a 
shared sense of community. 

 Diverse language backgrounds, 
communication styles, and learning 
modes may mean new methods are 
needed for communication, orientation, 
and training. 

 Implicit rules of conduct and be­
havior often taken for granted may not 
be obvious to multicultural students. 

 Conducting performance evalua­
tions and resolving conflict may need 
new models. 

 Some staff members may feel less 
valued than in the past.7 

Following are some suggestions and 
recommendations to assist library staff in 
dealing with these and other issues that 
arise as libraries move to a more diverse 
student work force. 

Selecting and Hiring a Diverse 
Student Staff 
It is the authors’ belief that libraries 
should take a proactive approach and 
actively recruit a student employee group 
that mirrors the composition of the larger 
student body. A good starting point is to 
create a liaison with both the admissions 
office and the student employment office. 
The admissions office can provide the 
background data and a diversity profile 
of incoming and current students. The 
student personnel office needs to know 
of the library’s interest and may assist in 
the recruiting effort. Each campus has 
unique structures in place to deal with 
various members of the diverse student 
population. The library should identify 

any other offices (i.e., minority, interna­
tional, or advising) that may be of assis­
tance in its selection and hiring process. 

When dealing with a more diverse 
applicant pool, a few adjustments may 
need to be made in the selection process, 
beginning with the job description. The 
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 
does not require employers to revise job 
descriptions, but libraries need to clearly 
state the essential functions of any jobs that 
student employees are hired to perform.8 
When describing the requirements of the 
jobs available, any physical requirements 
such as heavy lifting or standing for long 
periods of time should be considered. 
Similarly, for international students, what 
are the English-language skills required 
to perform the job effectively? 

In the selection process, it is important 

Each campus has unique structures 
in place to deal with various 
members of the diverse student 
population. 

to be open to the talents that individuals 
with diverse backgrounds can bring to the 
workplace; both job descriptions and in­
terview questions should focus on only the 
essential requirements of the job. As Jim 
Kennedy and Anna Everest express it: 

As managers, however, when we 
look for a quality such as assert­
iveness in an employee, we really 
need to examine whether this char­
acteristic provides the opportunity to 
accomplish the objectives of the posi­
tion. Perhaps such qualities as persis­
tence or attention to detail can help 
achieve the desired end result. If we can 
avoid a narrow definition of required 
qualities, we can be more inclusive of 
people from other cultures.9 

Interview questions should be de­
signed to elicit information that allows the 
best fit between the library, the student, 
and the job. A student struggling with 



What Difference Does Diversity Make 381 

English probably is not best suited for a 
public service area but may be very 
skilled in computer usage or shelving 
books. The only questions appropriate to 
ask are those that relate specifically to 
how the potential student worker will be 
able to perform the duties of the job. Be­
havioral interviewing is an excellent way 
to interview individuals with known dis­
abilities. This technique utilizes interview 
questions based on past behavior as a 
predictor of future behavior. For example: 
“We need to pay great attention to detail 
and accuracy. Tell me how you performed 
a similar task in a past employment situ­
ation.”10 

Sondra Thiederman suggests the fol­
lowing tips for employment applications 
and interviews to assist in assessing the 
culturally different applicant: 

1. Do not prejudge a worker accord­
ing to his or her ethnic background, name, 
or accent. 

2. Do not draw rash conclusions from 
a gentle handshake, direct or indirect eye 
contact, or any other behavior related to 
cultural style. 

3. Conduct the interview in private. 
4. If culturally appropriate, allow 

workers to praise themselves in writing. 
5. Examine physical evidence of past 

accomplishments, supply the applicant 
with a job-related problem to solve, and 
check references rather than insist on the 
worker’s praising him- or herself. 

6. Ask the applicant or employee 
what coworkers would say about his or 
her work. 

7. Ask a series of questions in order 
to learn of past accomplishments. 

8. Ask that the applicant complete the 
application in the office and alone as a 
means of checking English-language 
reading and writing skills. 

9. Assess English-language reading 
skills by including some lengthy instruc­
tions on the employment application. 

10. Assess English-language writing 
skills by asking for a short essay on the 
employment application. 

11. Assess how much the worker 
speaks and understands English by in­
volving him or her in a lengthy conver­
sation.11 

Any student employee supervisor who 
decides to use any of these suggestions 
should make certain that all applicants 
are treated the same during the hiring 
phase. For example, if it is deemed nec­
essary to check English-language ability 
by having the prospective employee fill 
out the application in the office, all appli­
cants must be required to do so. 

Diversity and Orientation 
Orientation is the first opportunity to for­
mally convey the library’s commitment 
to a diverse work force. College gradu­
ates will enter a full-time workplace with 
diversity as the norm; therefore, student 
employee supervisors play an important 
part in students’ preparation for the fu­
ture. Diversity should be presented as a 
valuable and important part of the 
library’s mission, which includes an ac­
cepting and tolerant work environment. 
“This may be the first time in the life of 
the student that this emphasis is pre­
sented, especially as a value and standard 
of work behavior. This includes diversity 
in respect to culture, race, gender and 
physical ability.”12 

Ziolkowski emphasized that the orien­
tation process should include a review of 
institutional human rights policies, many 
of which stem from the law. “Be sure that 
the policies stressing laws and regulations 
guarding the dignity and respect of indi­
vidual personhood are covered (i.e., dis­
crimination, affirmative action, sexual 
harassment policies, protection against a 
hostile work environment, the Americans 
with Disability Act, etc.). International 
students as well as other students from 
diverse cultural backgrounds need a thor­
ough orientation to legal policies and 
practices in these areas in order to func­
tion successfully.”13 Including legal poli­
cies in the orientation is often overlooked. 
This could prevent problems in the future 

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382 College & Research Libraries July 1998 

because in most institutions, the same 
laws and policies for any other employee 
on campus cover student employees. The 
written institutional policies, or reference 
to them, should be included in any stu­
dent employee handbook. 

With a diverse work force, special 
care needs to be taken to present 
expected work behavior and norms. 

With a diverse work force, special care 
needs to be taken to present expected 
work behavior and norms. For many stu­
dents, this is the first employment expe­
rience in a professional setting. Those 
coming from different cultures may have 
quite different expectations about em­
ployee standards and rituals. If student 
supervisors are not clear on “how things 
work,” the result can be poor perfor­
mance and conflict. In light of the many 
unwritten rules of operation within the 
library or its units, it is unfair to assume 
that student employees outside the domi­
nant culture will recognize or understand 
what is important. It may be necessary to 
explain: 

 what a timecard is and what it 
means to the student; 

 the importance of getting to work 
on time; 

 how people dress for work; 
 that questions and suggestions are 

expected and encouraged. 
As Gary Althen states it in “Cultural 

Differences on Campus,” 

American supervisors assume that 
a ‘good’ employee is one who does 
the following things: 
 Arrives at work on time, or, if 
lateness is unavoidable, gives a 
timely notice about the anticipated 
lateness 
 Follows instructions, and asks 
for clarification whenever instruc­
tions are unclear 
 Considers it more important to 

‘get the job done’ than to develop 
and maintain social relationships 
with coworkers and clients 
 Takes the initiative to do related 
work that clearly needs to be done, 
and to make suggestions that might 
lead to improvement in the operation 
 Treats coworkers and clients re­
spectfully, whatever their social sta­
tus and gender 
 Behaves rather informally, ‘chat­
ting’ in a ‘friendly’ way with col­
leagues, and perhaps (depending 
upon the situation) with clients too 
 Works at least as hard as others 
do.14 

Many cultures do not have the same 
sense of time the American culture has, 
nor do they have the same view of how 
men and women relate or of how the in­
dividual relates to the group. Thus, stu­
dent employee supervisors need to get to 
know and understand the cultures of 
their employees. They need to ask ques­
tions and interact with these individuals. 

Training a Diverse Student Group 
A variety of training aids is necessary 
when the student employee group be­
comes increasingly diverse. Hearing-im­
paired employees or individuals whose 
native language is not English may re­
quire different training approaches. For 
the supervisor, this means that flexibility 
in delivering information on how to do 
the job may be warranted. Supervisors 
need to keep the objectives of the train­
ing in mind and to modify delivery of the 
training to fit the situation. “Over-reliance 
on written manuals or on verbal commu­
nication will handicap some individuals. 
A combination of written documentation, 
one-on-one training, and audio or video 
materials contributes to successful job 
training.”15 

It is important to remember that there 
are differences in learning styles—some 
learn best through an experiential ap­
proach, others through reading and lec­



 

  

What Difference Does Diversity Make 383 

ture. “While it seems clear that there is 
considerable variation among individu­
als concerning preferred learning styles, 
it also seems clear that cultures affect 
people’s preferences for ways of learning. 
In the last two decades or so, many 
American educators and trainers have 
become supporters of ‘experiential learn­
ing’ in which students or trainees take an 
active part in some structured experience, 
which is then discussed (‘processed’) un­
der the trainer’s direction.”16 

However, such training does not nec­
essarily have universal appeal. Yuichi 
Kondo studied Japanese students’ negative 
responses to experiential learning and 
found their assumptions differed from 
those of most Americans. Some of the as­
sumptions the students identified were: 

 Trainees learn concepts and in­
formation through didactic meth­
ods; learning by doing is more ap­
propriate for acquiring manual 
skills. 
 The group, not the individual 
should be the focus of training. 
 Assertive verbalization is not at 
all valued. Training should empha­
size listening, observing, and re­
flecting, not speaking. Expressing a 
view contrary to that of another 
participant is particularly unseemly. 
 The trainer’s role is that of pro­
fessor or expert, not that of the fa­
cilitator. The trainer–trainee rela­
tionship should be formal. 
 Hearing about other partici­
pants’ personal experiences cannot 
be as helpful as hearing from the 
teacher. 
 Workshop participants are not 
all equal. There is a status hierarchy 
within the group, based mainly on 
age, and that fact cannot be over­
looked.17 

Learning-disabled student employees 
may present other challenges that mani­
fest themselves during training. “The 

learning disabled person often shows no 
visible characteristics of the disability; 
casual observers don’t realize that a prob­
lem in processing information causes the 
person to cope differently from others.”18 
Some students will share their learning 
disability with employment supervisors. 
If so, supervisors should question these 
students about what helps them to learn 
and should modify their training plan 
accordingly. Other students will not 
share the information about their learn­
ing disability. Learning-disabled students 
may exhibit one of the following behav­
iors: 

 Has trouble understanding or 
following directions; is easily over­
whelmed by a multiplicity of direc­
tions or over-stimulation; may not 
understand the information the first 
time it is given and may need to 
have it repeated. 
 Confuses similar numbers such 
as 3 and 8, 6 and 9 or transposes 
numbers (14 becomes 41, for ex­
ample); has difficulty copying num­
bers accurately and working with 
numbers in columns. 
 Exhibits severe difficulty in 
sticking to simple schedules; repeat­
edly forgets things, loses posses­
sions, and generally seems ‘person­
ally disorganized.’ 
 Seems disoriented in time—is 
often late to class, unusually early for 
appointments, is unable to finish as­
signments in the standard time pe­
riod or rushes to complete them not 
using all of the time allocated.19 

If such behaviors are exhibited during 
training or at other times in the employ­
ment experience, it is wise to seek help 
from the advising or counseling office. 
Those who have expertise in learning dis­
abilities can help determine the best 
method for the student to learn the job or 
to learn how to cope with things that may 
interfere with good work habits. 

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384 College & Research Libraries July 1998 

Thiederman offers the following tips 
for training the immigrant and ethnic 
worker; such suggestions are useful for 
any student employee who does not 
share the background of the dominant 
group, including those with learning dis­
abilities: 

1. Do not try to cover too much 
material at one time. 
2. Organize your thoughts, and 
avoid unnecessary asides. 
3. Allow self-graded quizzes. 
4. Avoid the use of multiple choice 
questions. 
5. Allow questions to be asked 
anonymously and in writing. 
6. Invite informal group leaders to 
participate and ask questions as a 
way of encouraging the others. 
7. Use visual aids. 
8. Use extensive handouts. 
9. Speak slowly and distinctly, but 
do not patronize. 
10. Use simple phrasing and famil­
iar words. 
11. Avoid jargon, slang, and idioms. 
12. Provide a glossary of necessary 
jargon. 
13. Do not talk too much. 
14. Recap and check for understand­
ing frequently. 
15. Do not force debate and compe­
tition.20 

If the students will be working with 
other staff members within the depart­
ment or in other departments, those staff 
members should be included in the train­
ing process. “For staff members who 
worry their cultural, ethnic, or racial back­
ground may not be readily accepted in 
the workplace, the chance to meet and 
develop good work relationships with 
other staff members takes on added im­
portance.”21 

Supervising a Diverse Work Group 
Communication is the key to supervising 
a diverse work group; the supervisor will 

need a variety of formats and often need 
to communicate the same thing both 
orally and in writing. For example, many 
African Americans come from back­
grounds that prefer oral over written 
communication, and many Native Ameri­
cans, out of respect, are taught not to look 
directly into the eyes of those in author­
ity when speaking.22 

On most American campuses, strang­
ers often say hello to those they pass on 
the sidewalk or strike up a conversation 
while waiting to check out a book. In an 
unpublished study of interactions among 
family housing residents at the Univer­
sity of Iowa, it was found that there are 
differing cultural assumptions regarding 
communication. Koreans, Japanese, and 
Chinese generally will not make eye con­
tact with people they do not already 
know; this is usually considered rude. 
People from Moslem cultures might make 
eye contact with strangers of the same sex, 
but not with members of the opposite 
sex.23 

Communication with a diverse set of 
student employees means that the super­
visor must become aware of his or her 
own expectations as a supervisor and the 
cultural values of the students. Supervi­
sors should consider the following:24 

 What happens when they super­
vise someone whose culture values the 
group over the individual? 

 Does a seeming lack of initiative 
mean the student does not care, or is it 
caused by the employee’s perception of 
his or her place within the group? 

 They encourage questions, but 
some cultures value harmony at all costs 
and frown on any kind of questioning of 
authority. 

 How can a manager tell if he or she 
is being understood if employees continu­
ally nod yes but do not carry out the in­
structions? 

 Looking an authority figure in the 
eye is considered highly disrespectful in 
some cultures; do they consider it a sign 
of insecurity? 

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What Difference Does Diversity Make 385 

Individuals from different cultures 
may exhibit different communication 
styles. The emphasis in the communica­
tion concerning the work to be done 
should be on substance and clarity, not 
style. Some of the common communica­
tion differences the supervisor may en­
counter are in the following areas. 

 Nonverbal signs: Nonverbal sig­
nals are not universal. Most Ameri­
cans prefer eye contact to indicate 
understanding, but lack of eye con­
tact is a sign of respect in many cul­
tures. A blank expression is a way 
to hide emotions in the Far East; for 
Americans it is often a sign of not 
understanding. 
 Questions: A lack of questions can 
indicate that the listener is not un­
derstanding enough to formulate a 
question. Questions should be in­
vited in writing; admitting a lack of 
understanding in front of others 
sometimes is difficult. Some stu­
dents need time to prepare ques­
tions; allow for overnight thinking 
and questions daily. 
 What does yes mean?: Does it 
mean yes I heard you, or yes I un­
derstand? In Asia, it is appropriate 
to acknowledge a question with an 
initial yes. 
 Time and spatial orientation: The 
issues of time perspective and spa­
tial orientation stand out as ex­
amples of culturally determined 
behavioral patterns that can cause 
confusing experiences. Many of us 
do not have a relaxed attitude to­
ward time and are very serious 
about deadlines and starting meet­
ings on time. The more relaxed atti­
tude toward time demands is evi­
dent in many cultures and gives rise 
to phrases such as Hawaiian Time 
in Hawaii and Rubber Time in Ma­
laysia. In the Philippines, Stateside 
Time is a request that people be 
prompt.25 The way people orient 

themselves in space with regard to 
others also is culturally determined 
and practiced. For instance, Latin 
Americans typically keep much less 
distance between themselves dur­
ing a conversation than do Euro­
Americans.26 

When someone does something the 
supervisor considers wrong or does not 
act the way the supervisor expects, the 
supervisor should take advantage of the 
opportunity to discuss the issue. Nine 
times out of ten, the reason for the mis­
take is that the supervisor did not com­
municate what he or she wanted done or 
how. The supervisor probably tried to 
communicate but did not realize that in 
the communication he or she was mak­
ing all types of assumptions of knowl-

Different cultural backgrounds 
influence how people think about 
the role of authority and power in 
formal communication settings. 

edge and understanding that just were 
not there. It is very difficult to fully ap­
preciate how much people learn from 
their cultural heritage and how much 
from direct instruction. The biggest mis­
take supervisors make is to believe that 
every other culture has the same values 
and understandings that they do. When 
other cultures do not, the assumption is 
that they are wrong and we are right. 

Authority and Power 
The role of the supervisor and interaction 
between coworkers may be unclear to 
members of a culturally diverse work 
group. Different cultural backgrounds 
influence how people think about the role 
of authority and power in formal com­
munication settings. Communication re­
lationships within an educational setting 
often involve power differentials between 
teacher and student, student and adviser, 
student employee and supervisor. Ameri­
cans tend to ignore or minimize the in­

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386 College & Research Libraries	 July 1998 

TABLE 1
 
Mainstream America Compared to Other Cultures
 

Mainstream America	 Many Other Cultures 

1.	 A younger person can supervise someone 1. Age is to be respected in authority 
older. relationships. 

2.	 Bosses can work alongside employees. 2. Bosses keep a formal distance. 
3.	 Employees are encouraged to participate 3. The boss who does not make his 

in decision making. or her own decision is weak. 
Source: Sondra Thiederman, Bridging Cultural Barriers for Corporate Success: How to Manage the 
Multicultural Workforce (New York: Lexington Bks., 1991), 107. 

fluence of power differentials on intercul­
tural interactions because of their beliefs 
about equality.27 As Althen points out: 

Americans also have difficulty un­
derstanding—and indeed even per­
ceiving—power differentials among 
members of particular nationality 
groups on their campuses and in 
their communities. The fact that a 
27-year-old Korean student expects 
obedience from a 26-year-old Ko­
rean student, or that a graduate of a 
Chinese ‘key university’ has more 
influence than a graduate of a 
lower-ranking institution, is easily 
lost on most Americans.28 

Thiederman suggests that differing 
attitudes toward authority can affect 
work relationships. Table 1 depicts her 
comparison of mainstream America with 
other cultures. 

Individual versus the Group 
Supervising diverse student employees 
means dealing with different levels and 
types of work experience as well as asso­
ciated work norms. Often individuals are 
unaware of the patterns that guide their 
behavior. Thus, when confronting a situ­
ation different from one’s past experience, 
there is a tendency to respond and inter­
pret it from a familiar perspective. For 
most Americans, identity is determined 
by individual achievement, not by group 
affiliation, which is particularly impor­
tant in Japan and Mexico where family, 

school, and company provide status and 
identity. Middle Eastern, Hispanic, and 
Asian groups are most concerned with 
how mistakes will affect the group, not 
with how they will reflect on the indi­
vidual. Many Americans value competi­
tion within a group because it promotes 
creativity and productivity, whereas other 
cultures believe that competition among 
group members decreases productivity 
and harmony. Such differences can affect 
work behavior and challenge one’s 
method of supervision. Before differences 
create conflict between the supervisor and 
diverse student employees, or between 
them, it is good practice to learn about 
the culture and work norms these stu­
dents have learned previously.29 

Evaluating a Diverse Work Force 
Providing frequent positive reinforce­
ment for desired behavior can be very ef­
fective when it comes to motivating a cul­
turally diverse staff. Praising behaviors 
that match the supervisor’s expectations 
is one way to build a shared set of work 
norms regardless of the diversity compo­
sition of the work group. Depending 
upon the employees’ backgrounds, the 
supervisor may need to be sensitive with 
regard to the appropriate way to give 
praise—whether to praise employees in­
dividually, address comments to the 
group as a whole in meetings, or extend 
praise through personal notes. 

Communication problems can lead to 
misunderstanding when reviewing em­
ployee performance. “When individuals 

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What Difference Does Diversity Make 387 

from varied backgrounds come together 
on the job, they can bring new energy 
and creativity. However, differences in 
language, norms, and values can also 
be the source of conflict and misunder­
standing. One area of managerial re­
sponsibility, where the risk of commu­
nication impasse is great, is the perfor­
mance review.”30 

Aware that they are not the majority, 
diverse employees may experience 
fear when being evaluated. 

The review of individual employee per­
formance may be a new practice to cul­
turally diverse employees used to group 
evaluation. In some cultures, the indi­
vidual is not evaluated; seniority and 
family connections count more than per­
formance. If this is the case, time should 
be taken to explain to the employee how 
the system works and why it is impor­
tant. This is why it is important to dis­
cuss the evaluation process in the orien­
tation and in the student employee hand­
book. If, based on past experience, the 
supervisor knows that a student from a 
particular background may have a prob­
lem with the evaluation process, he or she 
should spend time with that student be­
fore doing the evaluation. 

It is rare to find anyone who does not 
approach a performance review without 
some anxiety. “Staff members who are not 
part of the dominant culture of the insti­
tution may have even more apprehen­
sions about the performance evaluation 
process. . . . Think for a moment about 
how you might feel if you were: 

 An older female employee being 
evaluated by your younger, male boss. 

 An employee with a temporary 
work permit awaiting a green card, be­
ing evaluated by your American born 
manager. 

What assumptions would you make? 
What expectations would you have as 
you approached your evaluation ses­
sion?”31 

Explain the Purpose 
Aware that they are not the majority, di­
verse employees may experience fear 
when being evaluated. They may per­
ceive that they have no recourse to any 
judgment or may fear losing their jobs. 
The supervisor needs to be clear about the 
purpose of the evaluation meeting and 
the fact that it is a normal practice in the 
workplace. He or she should explain the 
performance evaluation process at the 
orientation and, as necessary, to individu­
als throughout the year. This should in­
volve explaining the reasons for the 
evaluation, how the student employees 
can benefit, and how they can help. At 
the performance review meeting, the su­
pervisor should discuss what is going 
well and what can be improved, and set 
new learning goals. 

In the more structured setting of an 
individual performance evaluation, the 
employee may be surprised when the task 
is more important than the relationship. 
If evaluation forms with categories and 
boxes are used, the form can appear more 
important than the person. As a way to 
mitigate this, Anita Rowe suggests that 
supervisors attempt to maintain the same 
tone in the evaluation session that they 
use in everyday activities, making sure 
to avoid legalese.32 

The Rewards of Increased Student 
Employee Diversity 
Increased diversity within the library’s 
student employee staff can contribute to 
the university goals related to the recruit­
ment and retention of talented and di­
verse students and staff. Successful em­
ployment experiences on campus may 
well contribute to the retention of a di­
verse student population as it decreases 
the sense of alienation, provides for the 
development of useful skills, and gives 
the student another place in the campus 
community. 

Paying attention to hiring and manag­
ing a diverse group of student employ­
ees can be a positive challenge to old ways 

http:legalese.32


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

388 College & Research Libraries July 1998 

of doing things and give new insights on 
providing service to the whole commu­
nity. Diverse student employees can serve 
as sources of information and contribute 
their perspectives about what might make 
the library more inclusive in the types of 
services offered and how they are offered. 
The presence of diverse student employ­
ees can create a more welcoming atmo­
sphere for other members of the college 
community using the library services. 

Increasing diversity adds another di­
mension to the task of supervision. Li­
brarians who rise to the challenge most 
likely will find increased clarity in their 
dealings with all library staff. By respect­
ing each employee as an individual with 
diverse talents to contribute, the student 
employee supervisor will be headed in 
the direction of ensuring a productive and 
meaningful work experience for everyone 
involved. 

Notes 

1. Rafaela Castro and Richard Chabran, “Discourse and Discord: Voices from an Academic 
Library,” in Racial and Ethnic Diversity in Academic Libraries: Multicultural Issues, ed. Deborah A. 
Curry, Susan Griswold Blandy, and Lynne M. Martin (Binghamton, N.Y.: Haworth Pr., 1994), 
280. 

2. Darlene M. Ziolkowksi, “Managing a Diverse Workforce,” Journal of Library Administra­
tion 21 (1995): 48. 

3. R. Roosevelt Thomas Jr., “The Concept of Managing Diversity,” Public Manager: The New 
Bureaucrat 25 (winter 1996): 41–43. 

4. E. J. Josey, “The Role of the Academic Library in Serving the Disadvantaged Student,” 
Library Trends 20 (fall 1971): 432–44. 

5. John Mark Tucker, “An Experiment in Bibliographic Instruction at Wabash College,” Col­
lege & Research Libraries 37 (May 1977): 203–9. 

6. Barbara MacAdam and Darlene P. Nichols, “Peer Information Counseling: An Academic 
Library Program for Minority Students,” Journal of Academic Librarianship 15 (Sept. 1989): 204–9. 

7. Barbara MacAdam, “Supervising a Diverse Staff,” in Cultural Diversity in Libraries, ed. 
Donald E. Riggs and Patricia A. Tarin (New York: Neal-Schuman, 1994), 132–33. 

8. Donna Z.Pontau, “Transforming Academic Libraries for Employees and Students with 
Disabilities,” in Diversity and Multiculturalism in Libraries, ed. Katherine Hoover Kill (Green­
wich, Conn.: JAI Pr., 1994), 162. 

9. Jim Kennedy and Anna Everest, “Put Diversity in Context,” Personnel Journal (Sept. 1991): 53. 
10. Ziolkowski, “Managing a Diverse Workforce,” 57. 
11. Sondra Thiederman, Bridging Cultural Barriers for Corporate Success: How to Manage the 

Multicultural Workforce (New York: Lexington Bks., 1991), 217–18. 
12. Ziolkowksi, “Managing a Diverse Workforce,” 55. 
13. Ibid. 
14. Gary Althen, “Cultural Differences on Campus,” in Learning Across Cultures, ed. Gary 

Althen (NAFSA: Association of International Educators. 1994), 65. 
15. MacAdam, “Supervising a Diverse Staff,” 138. 
16. Gary Althen, “Recurring Issues in Intercultural Communications,” in Learning across Cul­

tures, ed. Gary Althen (Washington, D.C.: Association of International Educators. 1994), 189–90. 
17. Ibid. 
18. Mary Lou Santovec, ed. Building Diversity: Recruitment and Retention in the ‘90s, 2nd ed. 

(Madison, Wisc.: Magna Publications, 1992), 95. 
19. Ibid., 96. 
20. Thiederman. Bridging Cultural Barriers for Corporate Success, 223–24. 
21. MacAdam, “Supervising a Diverse Staff,” 139. 
22. Alvin C. Hill Jr. and James Scott, “Ten Strategies for Managers in a Multicultural 

Workforce,” HR Focus 69 (Aug. 1992): 6–7. 
23. Althen, “Cultural Differences on Campus,” 62. 
24. Heather Blenkinsopp, “Communicating across Cultures for Reference Librarians Who 

Supervise,” in Racial and Ethnic Diversity in Academic Libraries: Multicultural Issues, ed. Deborah A. 
Curry, Susan Griswold Blandy, and Lynne M. Martin (Binghamton, N.Y.: Haworth Pr., 1994), 41. 

25. Kenneth Cushner and Richard W. Brislin, Intercultural Interactions: A Practical Guide, 2nd 
ed. (Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications, 1996), 286. 



What Difference Does Diversity Make 389 

26. Ibid., 287. 
27. Althen, “Recurring Issues in Intercultural Communications,” 186. 
28. Ibid., 187. 
29. Thiederman, Bridging Cultural Barriers for Corporate Success, 97–99. 
30. Anita Rowe, “Understanding Diversity Blind Spots in the Performance Review,” CUPA 

Journal (winter 1993): 9. 
31. Ibid., 9–10. 
32. Ibid., 10. 

















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