Part 2 Cultural Diversity

The role of cultural diversity in a multicultural workplace

Multiculturalism

Multiculturalism brings together a diverse set of cultures and ethnic backgrounds in the work environment. Whether people are from various socio-ethnic backgrounds or different countries, employers should seek a diverse business culture because it offers many advantages. As a business owner, consider how you can incorporate more diversity and multiculturalism into your recruiting efforts and management style.

Encourages Creativity

Different cultures have different ways of approaching problems. When you have a group of diverse cultural backgrounds, everyone is looking at situations through a different lens, a unique perspective. The wealth of viewpoints brings in a wide array of ideas that benefit any team. Encouraging employees to provide input or feedback during meetings empowers them to be part of the process and develops an engaged workforce.

Builds Respect among Employees

People often say things or do things that are disrespectful of others out of old-school beliefs and ignorance. When employers hold diversity training and teach team members about diversity, positive things can result. Role-playing puts workers in one another’s’ shoes to provide perspective. Potluck lunches use the love of food to engage employees in a dialogue about family or cultural history. These small things lead to increased conversations. The resulting communication leads to respect among employees who have a better understanding of appropriate interactions and an appreciation of their co-workers and the viewpoints they bring to the team.

Improves Customer Service

Your customers come from all walks of life regardless of how you target your company’s marketing efforts. Having a multicultural workforce shows a different face to the public. Customers have a chance to speak with someone who knows their native tongue or understands certain customs. Whether it is language or understanding specific holidays, a multicultural workforce engages even a small business in a global marketplace.

Enhances Work Environment

Embracing multicultural concepts at work helps people feel appreciated for who they are and the unique skills they offer. Many of those skills might have nothing to do with cultural background, but the fact that diversity is embraced lets employees know they are valued. Valued employees tend to be happier, and happier employees tend to be more productive. A diverse corporate culture has a direct impact on getting things done well and is a huge advantage for business owners.

As workforce demographics shift and global markets emerge, workplace diversity inches closer to becoming a business necessity instead of a banner that companies wave to show their commitment to embracing differences and change. Employees reap tangible and intangible benefits from workplace benefits, not the least of which include respect from co-workers and business gains.

Mutual Respect

Workplace diversity fosters mutual respect among employees. Whether employees work in groups or teams comprised of co-workers with varied work styles, or colleagues who represent different cultures or generations, a synergistic work environment become the norm. Although an idyllic atmosphere may be difficult to achieve, employees nevertheless recognize the many strengths and talents that diversity brings to the workplace and they gain respect for their colleagues’ performance.

Conflict Resolution

Conflict inevitably occurs in the work environment. However, employees who acknowledge others’ differences often also find similarities, particularly when there are common goals – production and quality. Respect for co-workers either reduces the likelihood of conflict or facilitates an easier road to conflict resolution. The ability to resolve workplace conflict minimizes potential liability for employee complaints that would otherwise escalate to formal matters, such as litigation. Workplace diversity preserves the quality of employees’ relationships with their co-workers and their supervisors.

Business Reputation

Diversity in the workplace is important for employees because it manifests itself in building a great reputation for the company, leading to increased profitability and opportunities for workers. Workplace diversity is important within the organization as well as outside. Business reputations flourish when companies demonstrate their commitment to diversity through aggressive outreach and recruiting efforts. An organization known for its ethics, fair employment practices and appreciation for diverse talent is better able to attract a wider pool of qualified applicants. Other advantages include loyalty from customers who choose to do business only with companies whose business practices are socially responsible.

Job Promotion

The importance of workplace diversity cannot be overstated when it comes to an organization’s ability to reach markets in foreign countries. The appeal of global markets creates two kinds of opportunities for employees: opportunities for promotion and employee development. A global marketplace opens doors for employees with diverse language skills and multicultural understanding to build global profit centers. Employees interested in learning multinational business strategy and who are available for possible expatriate assignments may also find new and challenging career opportunities.

Increased Exposure

A diverse workplace offers more than exposure to employees from different cultures and backgrounds. Employees learn from co-workers whose work styles vary and whose attitudes about work varies from their own. This is particularly true for employees within multigenerational work environments. Traditional-generation workers learn new technology and processes from workers who belong to the tech-savvy millennial generation. Likewise, Generation X employees learn from exposure to the assertive, go-getter work ethic typical of many Baby Boomers.

Basic behavioural styles, benefits and challenges of cultural diversity  

Cultural diversity

Cultural diversity is the quality of diverse or different cultures, as opposed to monoculture, the global monoculture, or a homogenization of cultures, akin to cultural decay. The phrase cultural diversity can also refer to having different cultures respect each other’s differences. The phrase “cultural diversity” is also sometimes used to mean the variety of human societies or cultures in a specific region, or in the world as a whole. Globalization is often said to have a negative effect on the world’s cultural diversity.

There are many separate societies that emerged around the globe differed markedly from each other, and many of these differences persist to this day. As well as the more obvious cultural differences that exist between people, such as language, dress and traditions, there are also significant variations in the way societies organize themselves, in their shared conception of morality, and in the ways they interact with their environment. Cultural diversity can be seen as analogous to biodiversity

Cultural diversity is difficult to quantify, but a good indication is thought to be a count of the number of languages spoken in a region or in the world as a whole. By this measure we may be going through a period of precipitous decline in the world’s cultural diversity. Research carried out in the 1990s by David Crystal (Honorary Professor of Linguistics at the University of Wales, Bangor) suggested that at that time, on average, one language was falling into disuse every two weeks. He calculated that if that rate of the language death were to continue, then by the year 2100 more than 90% of the languages currently spoken in the world will have gone extinct. 

Overpopulation, immigration and imperialism (of both the militaristic and cultural kind) are reasons that have been suggested to explain any such decline. However, it could also be argued that with the advent of globalism, a decline in cultural diversity is inevitable because information sharing often promotes homogeneity.

Cultural diversity is difficult to quantify, but a good indication is thought to be a count of the number of languages spoken in a region or in the world as a whole. By this measure we may be going through a period of precipitous decline in the world’s cultural diversity. Research carried out in the 1990s by David Crystal (Honorary Professor of Linguistics at the University of Wales, Bangor) suggested that at that time, on average, one language was falling into disuse every two weeks. He calculated that if that rate of the language death were to continue, then by the year 2100 more than 90% of the languages currently spoken in the world will have gone extinct. 

Overpopulation, immigration and imperialism (of both the militaristic and cultural kind) are reasons that have been suggested to explain any such decline. However, it could also be argued that with the advent of globalism, a decline in cultural diversity is inevitable because information sharing often promotes homogeneity.

Required tools for managing cultural diversity in the workplace

What is Diversity in the Workplace?

For an organization looking to cultivate a more diverse and inclusive workplace, it is important to understand what constitutes workplace diversity.

Workplace diversity refers to the variety of differences between individuals in an organization. Diversity not only includes how individuals identify themselves but also how others perceive them. Diversity within a workplace encompasses race, gender, ethnic groups, age, religion, sexual orientation, citizenship status, military service and mental and physical conditions, as well as other distinct differences between people.

There are many benefits to having a diverse workplace. For starters, organizations that commit to recruiting a diverse workforce have a larger pool of applicants to choose from, which can lead to finding more qualified candidates and reducing the time it takes to fill vacant positions. Businesses that do not recruit from diverse talent pools run the risk of missing out on qualified candidates and may have a more difficult time filling key roles, which increases recruitment costs.

According to a survey conducted by Glassdoor, 67 percent of job seekers said a diverse workforce is important when considering job offers and 57 percent of employees think their companies should be more diverse. These numbers are telling. Not only can organizations fill positions with qualified candidates more quickly by recruiting from different talent pools, but a diverse workforce also benefits their employer brand which is crucial when it comes to getting the right talent.

Having a diverse workforce with multi-lingual employees and employees from varying ethnic backgrounds can also be helpful for organizations who want to expand or improve operations in international, national, regional and local markets.

More benefits to having diversity in the workplace:

• Employees from diverse backgrounds imbue organizations with creative new ideas and perspectives informed by their cultural experiences
• A diverse workplace will help organizations better understand target demographics and what moves them
• A diverse workplace can better align an organization’s culture with the demographic make-up of America
• Increased customer satisfaction by improving how employees interact with a diverse clientele and public

How to Manage Diversity in the Workplace

Managing diversity in the workplace presents a set of unique challenges for HR professionals. These challenges can be mitigated if an organization makes a concerted effort to encourage a more heterogeneous environment through promoting a culture of tolerance, open communication and creating conflict management strategies to address issues that may arise.

For leadership to effectively manage diversity in the workplace, they need to understand their backgrounds and how their behaviour and beliefs can affect their decision-making within a diverse environment.

Tips for managing diversity in the workplace:

• Prioritize communication:

To manage a diverse workplace, organizations need to ensure that they effectively communicate with employees. Policies, procedures, safety rules and other important information should be designed to overcome language and cultural barriers by translating materials and using pictures and symbols whenever applicable.

• Treat each employee as an individual:

Avoid making assumptions about employees from different backgrounds. Instead, look at each employee as an individual and judge successes and failures on the individual’s merit rather than attributing actions to their background.

• Encourage employees to work in diverse groups:

Diverse work teams let employees get to know and value one another on an individual basis and can help break down preconceived notions and cultural misunderstandings.

• Base standards on objective criteria:

Set one standard of rules for all groups of employees regardless of background. Ensure that all employment actions, including discipline, follow this standardized criteria to make sure each employee is treated the same.

• Be open-minded:

Recognize, and encourage employees to recognize, that one’s own experience, background, and culture are not the only with value to the organization. Look for ways to incorporate a diverse range of perspectives and talents into efforts to achieve organizational goals.

Hiring

To build a diverse workplace, it is crucial to recruit and hire talent from a variety of backgrounds. This requires leadership and others who make hiring decisions to overcome bias in interviewing and assessing talent. If organizations can break through bias and hire the most qualified people, those with the right education, credentials, experience and skill sets, a diverse workplace should be the natural result.

Tips for hiring a diverse workforce:

• Incorporate a diverse interview panel to ensure candidates are chosen solely based on suitability for the position.
• Managers should be trained on what can and cannot be asked in an interview. For example, questions about an applicant’s personal life, such as which church they attend, their romantic life and political beliefs, are off-limits.
• Get creative when recruiting. For example, if an organization would like to hire more women in the engineering department, they could reach out to professional groups that cater to women in engineering and ask to advertise open positions in their newsletter or member communications.

Organizations that embrace diversity also need to ensure that there are policies and practices in place to protect employees’ rights and stay compliant with government regulations.

It is essential for an organization to think about the impact that company policies and practices have on a diverse group of employees. Companies should create a way for employees to give feedback with surveys and suggestion boxes to gain a better understanding of how employees feel about diversity policies. Any feedback received, both positive and negative, is valuable. Companies need to be ready to adapt and change policies that may be interpreted as obstructions or not helpful for employees.

In addition to the written policies, it is also essential to ensure that the non-official “rules” of an organization are thoroughly explained to all employees to communicate company values and culture to all workers effectively.

Documentation of Policies and Procedures

Properly documenting diversity policies is an effective means of communicating an organization’s stances on diversity. Once concrete plans are ready to be implemented, documents that outline each policy should be included in the employee handbook. Diversity policies should be reviewed with every new hire, and when updates to policies are made, they should be shared with current employees as well.

Employee handbooks should cover diversity in the following sections:

• Code of conduct should outline the company’s policy toward diversity
• Non-discrimination policy lets employees know about diversity
• Compensation and benefits policy
• Employment conditions and termination

Zero-Tolerance Policy

Having a diverse workplace means that off-colour jokes about ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or religion need to be met with zero-tolerance enforcement. Slurs, name-calling and bullying employees for any reason has no place in today’s workplace. Policies should be put in place to handle misconduct and communicate to employees that this type of behaviour will not be tolerated.

Organizations will also need to make sure employees feel safe reporting any instances of inappropriate behaviour by co-workers by establishing a formal complaint policy, so employees know how to report misconduct to the proper authority within an organization.

Sensitivity Training 

Employees need to be aware of how to coexist with a diverse range of people, as well as be cognizant of cultural sensitivity, to achieve harmony within a diverse workplace. Sensitivity training can help an organization manage diversity in the workplace by helping employees become more self-aware, which plays a vital role in helping employees understand their own cultural biases and prejudices.

Benefits to of sensitivities training:

• Helps employees examine and adjust their perspectives about people from different backgrounds
• Employees can learn to better appreciate the views of others
• Shows employees what actions are offensive and why they are perceived as such
• Teaches employees how to calmly communicate that a co-worker has offended them and how to resolve the conflict properly
• Explains to employees how to apologize to a co-worker if they have indeed offended them unknowingly
• All employees should be included in sensitivity training; adding specific training for managers makes it even more impactful. Some companies also offer sensitivity training online.

Stay Abreast of Diversity Laws  

Managing diversity in the workplace means that businesses need to keep abreast of changing employer-related laws and trends, especially diversity-related changes. Organizations should regularly review internal policies, especially those around harassment and equal opportunity, and make sure they reflect the most current laws and regulations.

If an organization has an international or multi-state presence, it is necessary to track regional changes to laws and regulations as they vary from country to county and state to state.

Diversity law resources:

• Society of Human Resources Management
• Bloomberg BNA (Bureau of National Affairs)

Ways of ensuring that culture does not interfere with the business of an organisation

In a globalized economy, cultural sensitivity is essential. Understanding and knowing about cultural differences is a crucial skill for succeeding in business. Understanding language nuances, etiquette and cultural time management differences can help you navigate many complex interactions. Don’t let a deal fall apart due to cultural misunderstandings: Do some research and be open to new cultural experiences and expectations when doing business across borders.

When doing business with an affiliate from another country, consider the cultural differences that may be presented. This includes basic customs, mannerisms and gestures. For example, if a salesperson approaches a meeting with knowledge of a customer’s cultural background, then his words, body language and actions can all be adapted to better suit those of the customers. This in turn may lead to being better liked by the customer, ultimately increasing the salesperson’s opportunity to close the deal.

Language Barriers

In some countries, like the United States and Germany, it is common for people to speak loudly and be more assertive or aggressive when sharing ideas or giving direction. In countries like Japan, people typically speak softly and are more passive about sharing ideas or making suggestions. When interacting with people from different cultures, speaking in a neutral tone and making a conscious effort to be considerate of others’ input, even if it is given in a manner to which you are not accustomed, can help foster effective business communication.

When launching a marketing campaign or advertising to members of a different culture, always research the target market prior to beginning the campaign. Levels of conservatism, gender views and ideologies can vary greatly between cultures. Presenting a campaign that is not in line with specific cultural norms can insult the target audience and greatly hinder the campaign. Being aware of cultural norms can also help your company narrow down the target audience. For instance, in Japan and Austria, men usually are in control of decision making, but women make the majority of purchasing decisions in Sweden.

Due to globalization, people from various cultures and countries increasing conduct business with each other. Technology enables people to easily connect with people around the world in a moment’s notice, but there are a few rules to remember before doing so.

If making an international phone or video conferencing call, be conscious of the time zone differences and make sure to set a reasonable time for all involved parties to interact. It is important to remember that cultural differences can also affect availability. For instance, just because you schedule a conference call for the middle of the business day does not mean that the time will be favourable for the people you are conducting business with. Many Spanish cultures have longer lunch breaks than Americans are accustomed to, which means there may be a two- to three-hour time period during the day in which the person you would like to meet with is unavailable. Asking for availability prior to making the call is the best way to avoid any confusion. Once you are able to connect, speak clearly and slowly.

Political influences, both past and present, can potentially affect the way a person or company does business. Some cultures have a very strong sense of nationalism and government pride, and therefore, are more comfortable and willing to purchase from companies with some sort of government backing. Conducting business with those of differing cultures can also impact negotiations if there are on-going political disputes between the involved parties’ countries of origin. To avoid conflict, it is best to avoid discussing any political matter that does not directly pertain to the business at hand. This is also true for inter-office interactions.

As your business grows, you may develop a diverse group of employees. While diversity often enriches the workplace, it can bring a host of complications as well. Various cultural differences can interfere with productivity or cause conflict among employees. Stereotypes and ignorance about different traditions and mannerisms can lead to disruptions and the inability of certain workers to work effectively as a team.

Different cultures have varying expectations about personal space and physical contact. Many Europeans and South Americans customarily kiss a business associate on both cheeks in greeting instead of shaking hands. While Americans are most comfortable at arms-length from business associates, other cultures have no problem standing shoulder-to-shoulder with their peers or placing themselves 12 or fewer inches away from the person to whom they are speaking. In Russia, according to the University of California, female colleagues often walk arm in arm, while the same behaviour in other cultures may signify a more personal or sexual relationship.

Different cultures communicate through various levels of context, according to the Tepper School of Business. Businesses that operate with a low-context form of communication spell out the specifics in the message, while those from a high-context communication culture expect and supply more background with their messages.

Western and Eastern cues have substantially different meanings in business. The word “yes,” for example, usually means agreement in Western cultures. In Eastern and high-context cultures however, the word “yes,” more often than not means that the party understands the message, not necessarily that he agrees with it. A handshake in some cultures is as ironclad as an American contract. A period of silence during negotiations with an Eastern business associate may signify displeasure with your proposal. While frank openness may be desirable in Western cultures, Eastern cultures often place more value on saving face and avoiding disrespectful responses.

While Western cultures proclaim to value relationship-based marketing and business practices, in Eastern and high-context cultures, a relationship involves long time family ties or direct referrals from close friends. Judgments made in business often are made based on familial ties, class and status in relationship-oriented cultures, while rule-oriented cultures believe that everyone in business deserves an equal opportunity to make their case. Judgments are made on universal qualities of fairness, honesty and getting the best deal, rather on formal introductions and background checks.

Understanding of global time difference

Time Difference from UTC

The local time within a time zone is defined by its offset (difference) from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), the world’s time standard.

UTC time changes 1 hour forward and backward corresponding to a 1-hour difference in mean solar time for every 15 degrees east or west of the prime meridian (0° longitude) in Greenwich, London, United Kingdom. The offset is expressed as either UTC- or UTC+ and the number of hours and minutes.

Interactive Time Zone Map

More Than 24 Time Zones

If each time zone were 1 hour apart, there would be 24 in the world. However, the actual borders on the time zone map have been drawn to match up with both internal and international borders, and rarely match up exactly with the 15-degree longitudes. Also, the International Date Line (IDL), creates 3 time zones and several time zones are only 30 and 45 minutes apart. This makes the total number of time zones worldwide much higher.

Daylight Saving Time Zones

Regions that use Daylight Saving Time (DST) change the time zone name and time during the DST period. The words “daylight” or “summer” are then usually included in the time zone name. The areas that don’t use DST remain on standard time zone all year.

For example, California uses Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) during the DST period, but Pacific Standard Time (PST) during the rest of the year.

Not the Same as Local Time

The term time zone is often used instead of local time. For instance, during DST, it is common to say “California and Arizona are now in the same time zone.” However, the correct thing to say would be: “California and Arizona now have the same local time.”

The reason is that California’s local time during DST is UTC-7, but the standard time in California is minus one more hour: UTC-8. However, Arizona’s local time is always UTC-7, because there’s no DST in Arizona, and they remain on standard time all year.

Why do we have time zones?

DST worldwide

Local Time Zone Names

Mountain Standard Time or Mountain Daylight Time or just Mountain Time? PunchStock.com

To confuse matters more, each time zone can have different local time zone names, usually linked to the geographical name of the country or region. The time zone names may be completely different, even though the UTC offset is the same.

For instance in Miami, Florida, is 5 hours behind UTC (UTC-5) and the standard time zone is Eastern Standard Time (EST). In Havana, Cuba, the standard time zone is also UTC-5, but it’s called Cuba Standard Time (CST).

Military Time Zones

There are also 25 military time zones which follow the rule of 1 hour per 15 degrees longitude. These are named according to the NATO phonetic alphabet: Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, etc. and are used in aviation, at sea, and in telecommunications.

The reason there are 25 military time zones instead of 24 is that Mike Time Zone (M) and Yankee Time Zone (Y) are the same time, but on either side of the International Date Line. J (Juliet Time Zone) is occasionally used to refer to the observer’s local time.

Identical Abbreviations

Another point that can cause confusion is that some time zone’s names in totally different places have exactly the same abbreviation. For example, India Standard Time (IST) and Israel Standard Time (IST) have the same abbreviation, but completely different UTC offsets of UTC+5:30 and UTC+2:00.

In many parts of the world, especially in countries with only one-time zone, time zone names are not commonly used at all.

Time zone names worldwide

Hot Political Potato

In most countries, the political decision to make adjustments regarding time zones or DST is made for practical reasons, like saving energy, facilitating trade with neighbouring areas, or boost tourism.