Chapter 6 Diversity
Objectives Multicultural Teams. Potential Issues in Diverse Work Teams. Guidelines for a Constructive Diversity Climate.
Multicultural Teams Heterogeneous culture: culture in which people from many different nations and backgrounds have come together. Culture: a set of consistent beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors within a group. Homogeneous culture: a culture in which most of the population is made up of people from the same ethnic group. e.g. Japan. Ethnocentricity: the belief that one’s own culture is the “correct” culture. More globally competitive ideas come from culturally diverse teams. Attribution: the projecting of assumptions about people’s needs and/or behaviors based on generalizations or conclusions drawn about them.
The Danger of Assumptions Communication problems: If there is a conflict or communications breakdown among employees of different culture groups, do not automatically assume it is a cultural issue. Country of origin: Do not automatically attribute characteristics or ethnic labels to someone who looks different from you. Language: You cannot assume that an employee has heard and comprehends all you have said, even if he seems to speak English fluently. Attitudes towards Americans: Be careful not to jump to conclusions when the new employee from another country does not seem to be interested in socializing. Cultural differences may make socializing awkward or may seem inappropriate for the new employee.
Potential Issues in Diverse Work Teams Respect: eye contact or lack thereof has different meanings for different cultures. In some cultures, direct eye contact is considered a challenge to authority and is always avoided with managers and those one respects. Harmonizing: the idea of encouraging the group to get along and pull together and subjugating individual goals to those of the group. Personal space: Americans like 3 feet of space to feel comfortable in a conversation. Work ethic: In some countries the workday is sunup to sundown. In others a 2 hour lunch is expected. Brainstorming: problem solving and idea generating technique in which group members spontaneously contribute ideas.
Guidelines for Constructing a Diversity Climate Hiring and employee retention: know how to attract, hire, and retain talented people. Needs and goals: learn how to treat employees in a way that is consistent with their needs and values. Racial and sexual harassment: educate all your employees about the issues of racial and sexual harassment. Need assessment: it will tell you what is working in your group and what needs to be addressed. Awareness training: We can learn tolerance, acceptance, and finally trust if we have information. Advantages of alternate views: Heterogeneous groups in general generate more new ideas and reach higher quality solutions than a homogenous group.
Summary Culture: a set of consistent beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors within a group. More globally competitive ideas come from culturally diverse teams. Be careful not to jump to conclusions when the new employee from another country does not seem to be interested in socializing. Cultural differences may make socializing awkward or may seem inappropriate for the new employee. Eye contact or lack thereof has different meanings for different cultures. In some cultures, direct eye contact is considered a challenge to authority and is always avoided with managers and those one respects. Advantages of alternate views: Heterogeneous groups in general generate more new ideas and reach higher quality solutions than a homogenous group.
Home Work 1. What is culture? 2. What is brainstorming? 3. What are the advantages of alternate views?