Workshop V - Diversity in the Workplace

As our world becomes increasingly interconnected, people need to develop greater cultural diversity skills.

What is diversity? In the workplace, that means working with people with varying characteristics such as gender, age, socio-economic background, ethnicity, physical abilities, various levels of education, culture, religion, marital status, employer-employee status, race, etc.

Are you capturing the benefits of your multicultural teams? When two or more people interact, a culture clash may occur. No two people have the same internal and external world views. Therefore, one crosses culture daily. It is this deep, unconscious, unawareness that creates conflicts and misunderstandings. Being aware of potential misunderstandings is the first step of identifying differences that may cause problems.

To offer cross-cultural guidance, the participants must become aware that their behavior is determined by their first culture. Individuals must understand their own culture as a prerequisite of understanding people with different cultural values. Diversity in the Workplace is designed for giving cultural-diversity experiences by guiding the participants' simulations and participatory exercises. Diversity must be managed or it may negatively control the people in the workplace. Awareness of the personal values and the values of others creates an environment of understanding and tolerance - one that values differences, that promotes belonging, that respects others, and one that supports and utilizes each one's potential. Follow that with embracing cultural respect, engendering cooperation and creating shared visions - all will begin to create a "We" environment where everyone can work side by side to everyone's benefit and to the company's as well.

Culturally diverse teams are empowered to be more creative, synergistic and effective in their work for the benefit of the individuals and organization. They learn

how to recognize and respect cultural differences
how to interact effectively as a team with team members from different backgrounds and views, perceptions, behaviors, and beliefs
how to show respect for cultural diversity with proper protocol
how to appreciate and promote the varying dimensions of diversity
how to utilize the benefits of diversity
how to cultivate trust among team members

For information on culture specific information, click on Japan, Korea, Germany, Mexico