Managing Diversity: A Learning Process

In summary, we know that developing competency to effectively manage diversity is a continuous learning process. It requires self-awareness, knowledge, understanding, and behavior changes that value others for who they are, not what we want them to be. To do this effectively, here are a few ideas to get you started:

Know your own culture (values, beliefs, assumptions):

Image  Reflect on your early life experiences, and those significant emotional events that have shaped your value system and your beliefs and attitudes about those who are different from you. Answer relevant questions such as What formative influences have shaped your points of view? Place of origin? Family structure? Socioeconomic status? Religion? Education?

Image  Keep a journal. Carefully note your reactions to current world events and news reports, and describe and analyze your interactions with others.

Image  Enroll in courses that examine and discuss cultures, values, and beliefs.

Know your own limitations (strengths and weaknesses):

Image  Request—and really listen to—feedback from multiple sources about your strengths and weaknesses. And be sure to get such feedback only from people you are sure will “tell it like it is,” not from those who will merely tell you what you want to hear. In particular, try to get feedback from people who are from a different race or gender.

Image  Seek out those experiences that will enable you to practice your strengths and shore up your weaknesses.

Image  Change whatever you can about yourself, and accept whatever you can’t, or won’t. But above all, be very aware of the consequences, for better or worse, of changing or not changing.

Practice empathy with each other:

Image  Develop friendships and relationships with as many people from as many diverse backgrounds as you can, not only at work but outside of work as well.

Image  Listen closely to the views of those friends and acquaintances and work hard to understand them, especially if these world views differ widely from your own.

Image  Join organizations that expressly seek to advance the interests of different race and gender groups.

Respect other cultures:

Image  Cultivate friendships with people from as many cultures as possible.

Image  Don’t rush to judgment when it comes to areas of cultural difference. Values are not necessarily better or worse than one another, but can simply reflect a cherishing of our differences.

Image  When judging others’ cultural values and norms, refrain from using only your “yardstick.”

Image  Continually ask yourself whether you are making a value judgment about others, rather than recognizing that others might simply have different ways of reaching their goals.

Learn by interacting:

Image  Join associations that deal specifically with the concerns of a particular race or gender.

Image  Pay close attention to the way others react to your behavior.

Image  When uncertain as to just what those reactions of others might mean, simply ask them and fully absorb their responses without second guessing them.

Strive to be nonjudgmental:

Image  Try to understand the hidden dynamics of your interactions with others, rather than merely pretend that frictions don’t exist.

Image  Remember that evolution has programmed our brains to make snap judgments; learn to work with that tendency in order to rise above it.

Image  Remember that your own culture is only one standard when it comes to assessing cultural norms and values.

Image  Acknowledge frankly that whenever we make snap judgments about an event or a person, it invariably does affect our next encounter with them.

Be aware of your stereotypes:

Image  Recognize that while stereotyping is normal, it is dangerous. And understand that while the brain and mind stereotype, we have the opportunity to frankly acknowledge that fact and prevent it from showing up in our behavior.

Image  Develop relationships with people of other racial or ethnic groups, and with people of the opposite gender.

Image  Enter freely and without inhibition into learning situations where stereotypes are openly identified and confronted.

Image  Ask people you trust to gently challenge you if they believe you have used a stereotype in making a judgment.

Learn how to communicate effectively and compassionately:

Image  Practice speaking directly, candidly, and clearly, but also tactfully and compassionately.

Image  Listen actively; paraphrase what the other person has said and then ask him or her whether your paraphrase is an accurate version of what he or she was trying to convey.

Image  Continually check and recheck your perceptions, asking yourself whether your interpretations of behavior and nonverbal signals have been valid.

Listen closely, and observe carefully:

Image  Ask probing questions to help you distinguish between what someone actually has said or done and your own reactions to or judgments about it.

Image  Ask those you trust to gently challenge you on those occasions when you seemed to be listening, but really were not.

Image  Consider talking less and thinking and listening more.

Image  Develop your powers of observation by taking part in workshops where trained facilitators will give you immediate feedback as to your awareness or lack of it.

Image  Enter into a no-holds-barred discussion about work situations with people you trust of both genders and of different racial and ethnic backgrounds.

Strive to relate meaningfully to those you perceive as “different”:

Image  Recognize that the entire organization must continually strive to understand, value, respect, and appreciate differences if the organization is to be more competitive.

Image  Understand that complementary skills and strengths promote a higher level of quality in terms of tasks, products, and relationships.

Be flexible; learn how to adapt:

Image  Spend some time with people from diverse cultures, both at work and outside of work.

Image  Consciously seek out knowledge and experience relating to different cultures and people to expand your own range of options and choices.

Image  Read publications that express viewpoints that differ from your own.

Image  Travel to experience other peoples’ cultures in their surroundings rather than your own.

Adjust yourself according to people’s reactions:

Image  Solicit feedback from as many different sources as possible.

Image  Practice adjusting your behavior in response to that feedback, then request more feedback on your adjustments.

Learn how to live with ambiguity:

Image  Seek out situations, both at work and outside of work, that induce discomfort; then find ways of raising your comfort level.

Image  Solicit guidance as to the appropriate behavior when you find yourself in ambiguous circumstances.

Be as consistent as you can be, without becoming inflexible:

Image  Solicit feedback from a variety of people at work and outside of work who have had a chance to observe you with opportunities to deal with unfamiliar situations (Fernandez, 1999).

This chapter has presented you with some tools and techniques to help you develop competencies for effectively managing diversity. If you and your organization strive to be effective in the global marketplace, it is imperative that you maintain personal and system-wide accountability for your awareness, knowledge, and actions. Your individual success and the organization’s success depend on it!

References

Adler, N. J., & Kiggunder, M. K. (1983). “Awareness at the crossroad: Designing translator-based training programs,” in Handbook of intercultural training, Vol. II. Don Landes and Richard Breslin. New York: Pergamon.

Carnevale, A. P., & Kogod, K. S. (1996). Tools and activities for a diverse work force. New York: McGraw-Hill. Contributing article by Gardenswartz, L. & Rowe, A. (1994). Management development diversity needs analysis: awareness, knowledge, and skills, p. 147. New York: Irwin.

Carnevale, A. P., & Kogod, K. S. (1996). Tools and activities for a diverse work force. New York: McGraw-Hill. Contributing article by Deane, B. Skills for managing diverse people: Making a list, pp. 228–231. Seattle, WA: The GilDeane Group.

Fernandez, J. P. (1999). Race, gender and rhetoric. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Gardenswartz, L., & Rowe, A. (1994). The managing diversity survival guide. Boston: McGraw-Hill.

Hubbard, E. E. (2002). Techniques for managing a diverse workforce. Petaluma, CA: Global Insights Publishing.

Mendez-Russell, A.; Wilderson Jr., F., Ph.D.; & Tolbert, A.S., Ph.D. (1994). Discovering diversity profile. Minneapolis, MN: Carlson Learning Company.

Rasmussen, T. (1996). The ASTD trainer’s sourcebook: Diversity. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Thomas, R. R. (2001). From affirmative action to affirming diversity. Harvard Business Review on Managing Diversity. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, pp. 1–32.

Zemke, R., Raines, C., & Filipczak, B. (2000). Generations at work. New York: AMACOM.

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