| Course | LDR-3050 Foundations of Leadership |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 8 |
| Paper type | Module 8 reflection assignment: diversity, inclusion and out-group members |
| Length | About 463 words, 4 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Thomas Edison State University |
| Program | Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for LDR 3050 Module 8
My In-Group Looks Like Me: Inclusion and the Out-Group on the Night Shift
Student Name
Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership, Thomas Edison State University
LDR-3050: Foundations of Leadership
Mentor Name
Month Day, Year
My In-Group Looks Like Me: Inclusion and the Out-Group on the Night Shift
Mapping My Shift
This module asked me to list who I go to first when I need help, whose ideas I ask for and who gets the better assignments. The list was uncomfortable. My go-to people are five English-speaking veterans, all men, who started as selectors when I did. The eight Spanish-speaking selectors rarely appear on it, and the six temporary workers from the staffing agency never do.
How In-Groups and Out-Groups Form
Northouse (2020) explains that out-group members are those who feel they are not part of the group, often because of differences in background, language or status. Leader-member exchange theory, reviewed by Graen and Uhl-Bien (1995), describes how leaders develop different relationships with different followers: high-quality exchanges marked by trust and mutual obligation with some, and more formal, contract-based exchanges with others. I did not decide to exclude anyone. I simply spent time with the people I knew and could talk with most easily.
What It Costs
The out-group on my shift gets the worst aisles more often, hears about schedule changes last and speaks up least at huddles, partly because I run them only in English. Shore et al. (2011) describe inclusion as the experience of belonging while being valued for one's uniqueness; my out-group gets neither. And the shift loses their knowledge. One of the Spanish-speaking selectors, Rosa, has a lower error rate than any of my veterans, but no one has ever asked her how she does it.
Steps Toward Inclusion
Nishii (2013) found that a climate for inclusion, with fair practices, openness to people's differences and a real voice in decisions, cut the conflict that can arise in diverse work groups. I will make four changes. First, every huddle will include a short summary in Spanish, given by a bilingual selector, and I will learn the key safety phrases myself. Second, aisle assignments will rotate on a posted schedule so the worst aisles are shared. Third, I will hold a fifteen-minute one-on-one with every out-group member in the next month, starting with Rosa, and ask her to show the shift her method for checking picks. Fourth, temporary workers will be included in recognition at huddles, by name.
Watching Myself
In-groups form again if I stop paying attention. Each month I will repeat the mapping exercise from the start of this module and see whether the list of people I go to has changed. I will also ask Rosa and one of the temporary workers, privately, whether they feel the changes are real.
Conclusion
My in-group looked like me because that is the easiest group to form. Inclusion takes deliberate effort, and the benefit is not only fairness but a shift that uses everyone's knowledge.
References
Graen, G. B., & Uhl-Bien, M. (1995). Relationship-based approach to leadership: Development of leader-member exchange (LMX) theory of leadership over 25 years. Leadership Quarterly, 6(2), 219-247. https://doi.org/10.1016/1048-9843(95)90036-5
Nishii, L. H. (2013). The benefits of climate for inclusion for gender-diverse groups. Academy of Management Journal, 56(6), 1754-1774. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2009.0823
Northouse, P. G. (2020). Introduction to leadership: Concepts and practice (5th ed.). Sage.
Shore, L. M., Randel, A. E., Chung, B. G., Dean, M. A., Holcombe Ehrhart, K., & Singh, G. (2011). Inclusion and diversity in work groups: A review and model for future research. Journal of Management, 37(4), 1262-1289. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206310385943
What the LDR 3050 Module 8 instructions ask for
The Module 8 reflection asks how in-groups and out-groups form, how they affect followers and how leaders can build inclusion. Expect to examine a group you lead or belong to, identify who is in the out-group and why, and plan steps to include them. Honest mapping of your own behavior is more valuable than a general discussion of diversity. Support the reflection with research on leader-member exchange and on inclusion, and plan specific changes to communication, assignments and recognition that you can check over time. Be careful to describe colleagues respectfully and to protect privacy; the focus is your own behavior as a leader, not the characteristics of others.
How this LDR 3050 Module 8 example is built
The reflection opens with an uncomfortable map of whom the writer relies on. It explains how out-groups form, using leader-member exchange research, and acknowledges that the writer's out-group formed without intent. A section describes the costs to followers and the shift, including a skilled selector whose method no one has asked about. A section uses research on inclusion climate to plan four changes. A short section commits to repeating the mapping exercise, and the conclusion states the lesson. The writer acknowledges that the out-group formed without intent, which keeps the reflection honest and avoids both blame and excuse. Rosa's example gives the reflection a concrete loss to point to, which makes the case for inclusion practical as well as fair.
Where the marks sit in the LDR 3050 Module 8 rubric
Inclusion reflections are judged first on honest self-examination, accurate use of out-group and inclusion concepts, research support and practical steps. Reflections that identify the writer's own in-group and out-group, with specific behaviors, show the self-awareness the module seeks. Recognizing both the fairness and the performance costs of exclusion demonstrates understanding. Plans that change communication, assignments and recognition, with a way to check progress, show readiness to act on what the mapping revealed. Naming the costs to the work as well as to fairness, such as knowledge the team never uses, shows a mature understanding of inclusion. A plan that builds in a check, such as redoing the mapping exercise later, show the writer knows in-groups re-form without attention.
LDR 3050 Module 8 help from the desk
Students lose points by talking about diversity in the abstract instead of looking at their own groups, by treating inclusion as a training event or by assuming good intentions prevent out-groups. Others describe out-group members as a problem to manage. Map your own behavior. Explain how the groups formed. Describe the costs to people and to the work. Plan specific changes and a way to check whether they last. Repeat the mapping exercise after a month to see whether anything has changed. Watch for the easy assumption that out-group members simply prefer to keep to themselves. A free first sample on your own LDR-3050 Module 8 reflection is available on request.
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LDR 3050 Module 8 questions, answered
Where can I find a free LDR 3050 Module 8 sample paper?
Mapping who sits in the supervisor's in-group and out-group, with four steps toward inclusion, is shown above.
What is an out-group?
Followers who feel they are not part of the group, often because of differences in background, language or status.
What is leader-member exchange theory?
A theory that leaders form higher-quality relationships with some followers than others, creating in-groups and out-groups.
What is inclusion?
Feeling that one belongs to the group and is valued for what makes one different.
How can a leader reduce out-groups?
By sharing information and assignments fairly, seeking out-group members' input and recognizing their contributions.