MULTICULTURAL DIVERSITY

• Culture


  The act of norms, values, beliefs, rites and language that are followed by a group of people
• Culture does not exist in isolation although one can speak of a highly-cultured human being
• Sharing of values and beliefs makes one group distinctive from the other one hence contributes to diversity among communities worldwide
• Cultural manifestations and practices undertaken globally are a form of wealth
• Ethnocentric perspective


  An organization's view that its own culture is superior to others
• Polycentric perspective


  An organization's view that each culture is unique and should be approached differently
• Managers have to deal with people from different cultures as companies start their operations abroad and engage in multinational operations
• Overcoming differences among different people working together will not eliminate cultural gaps and favour good work opportunities
• Sensitivity or diversity training should be an all-inclusive element for a firm's sustainability within its diversity programme
• Cultural differences can cause strife and prejudice in the workplace
• Companies claiming themselves as culturally open are more likely to succeed than others
• Cultural competence


  The ability to interact effectively with people from different cultures
• Cultural competence


  • Awareness of one's own cultural world view
  • Knowledge of other cultural practices and world views
  • Tolerant attitudes towards cultural differences
  • Cross-cultural skills
• Cultural problems can range from miscommunication to actual conflict, all endangering effective worker productivity and performance
• Essential cultural differences at the workplace


  • Communication
  • Team-building
  • Time
• Communication differences


  People from different cultures vary in how they relate to bad news
• Team-building differences


  Some cultures are individualistic while others value cooperation
• Time differences


  Cultures differ in the balance between work and family life, and the workplace mix between work and social behavior
• Different perceptions of time can cause great misunderstanding and mishap in the workplace, especially with scheduling and deadlines
• Cultural diversity


  Appreciating the differences in individuals based on gender, age, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and social status
• Companies have realized the value in acquiring a diverse workforce
• Cultural diversity trends and examples

  • Growth of minority workforce (stereotypes)
  • Growth of stereotyping and prejudices
  • Addition of sensitivity or diversity training
  • Large increase of females in the workforce
  • Corporations are more open to hiring individuals with disabilities and accepting different abilities
  • Increase in the ageing employment pool of workers
• Racial stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination reflect the human tendencies to conceptualize and value certain configurations of phenotypic features differently, and act on these thoughts and feelings in our interactions with members of racial categories
• Sensitivity training teaches employees how to properly act and communicate in a corporate environment
• Women's participation in the workforce has grown dramatically to account for almost half of the labour force
• Flexible time arrangements at work, safe and high quality childcare facilities as well as "teleworking" will support increasing women's labour force participation
• New technologies and accommodations have allowed organizations to recruit and utilize disabled workers in their labour force
• As employers seek to fill new positions or replace existing workers, they will face the boom and bust labour cycle and will need to consider how the age mix of the labour pool has changed
• Older workers are likely reluctant to leave their jobs in part due to financial reasons and in part due to how difficult it is for unemployed worker 35+ to find a new job
• Employers might think about creating more flexible work exit options that allow employees to transition out of the workplace gradually while maintaining some of their benefits and continuing to contribute to the company
• Diversity management


  A process intended to create and maintain a positive work environment where the similarities and differences of individuals are valued, so that all can reach their potential and maximize their contributions to an organization's strategic goals and objectives
• Organizations should design and support organizational culture that maximizes the benefits of diversity, and use that culture to manage various groups of organizational members
• Seven Dimensions of Culture

  A cultural theory model co-created by Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner to help understanding and managing cultural differences
• As the importance of diversity in the organizational context has increased manifold, most organizations would like to reach on diversity – organizational culture linkage, its effect on diversity openness, and between diversity and performance both at individual and organizational levels
• Organizations should design and support organizational culture that maximizes the benefits of diversity, and use that culture to manage various groups of organizational members, project teams, business start-up teams, customer service response teams, and top management
• It would be worthwhile if these strategies were implemented more often in IT organizations to increase workplace diversity
• Seven Dimensions of Culture

  The most recognized cultural theory model co-created by Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner
• Trompenaars' Seven Dimensions of Culture

  • Universalism v/s Particularism
  • Individualism v/s Communitarianism
  • Specific (detail by detail) v/s Diffuse (ano yung route)
  • Neutral (not showy) v/s Emotional (affectionate)
  • Achievement v/s Ascription
  • Sequential time (one day at a time) v/s Synchronous time ( all planned)
  • Internal direction (tadhana) v/s Outer direction (effect of nature)
• Universalism v/s Particularism


  The standards by which relationships are measured. Universalist societies tend to feel that general rules and obligations are the source of moral reference, while particularist societies are those in which particular circumstances are more important than rules
• Individualism v/s Communitarianism


  The conflict between an individual's desire and interests of the group which they belong. Individualistic cultures expect people to make their own decisions and only take care of their own needs, while communitarian societies are firmly integrated into groups which provide help and protection in exchange for a strong sense of loyalty