Global Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace

Managers working across international borders have an increased need to be culturally fluent. As managers work with multiple cultures and on multinational teams, sometimes for short spurts, they need a keen ability to observe, analyze new experiences and adapt their behavior to respond appropriately.

Whether managers are making etiquette adjustments by changing the distance one stands from their new colleagues and greeting them with a kiss on the cheek; or global managers are negotiating larger systems changes to accommodate their new partners' collective vs. individual world view—multi-national companies around the world are altering the way they do business.

According to a Novations/J.Howard & Associates study in 2004, 2 out of 3 companies had increased their diversity programs due to globalization and 21.5% expected to in the near future. This comes as little surprise since global managers will have limited success if they cannot build the trust and respect of their new international associates. And with the high cost of international assignments, marketing and business development, it is in companies' best interests to provide their global managers with quality tools and training.

Multi-national companies cite a few strategies for successfully building their global diversity and inclusion initiatives:

• Get buy-in from the leaders on international shores—create a “business case” that is customized to the local environment.

• Make inclusion and diversity training a team effort so that the learning can be implemented immediately as people work together across differences.

• Conduct inclusion and diversity training on both sides of the borders. This is especially important when organizations are assigning people across borders and when some of the work being conducted together is occurring in virtual modes.

• Include experts from every culture as initiatives are being designed and training being developed.

• Reinforce training with coaching, mentoring, and accountability

Currently Executive Diversity Services in involved in initiatives in Europe, Latin America, and Asia, as well as across the United States. To know more about global diversity inclusion best practices or to talk with someone about how we can customize our training to help your company tap the talent of its total team, contact our office today: eds@executivediversity.com or 1 (877) 629-2196

back to top »

October 22-26, SIETAR (Society for Intercultural Educators, Trainers and Researchers) congress in Granada, Spain. Expect to immerse yourself in a unique congress experience, vibrant through the variety of cultures, perspectives and professions represented.  Session tracks are tailored to your professional needs as a business leader, human resource manager, academic researcher, professor, teacher, experienced or novice interculturalist, NGO professional or government representative. For more information visit: www.sietarglobal2008.org.

Celebration & Recognition:

• May is Asian & Pacific American month
• June is LGBT Pride month

back to top »

Want your name in print?  Interested in having others know how brilliant your training exercise is?  Here's your chance!  Donna Stringer and Patricia Cassiday, authors of 52 Activities for Exploring Value Differences are preparing another book that will provide educators and trainers some assistance.  This book will include exercises on communication styles.  It will be published by the Intercultural Press and is anticipated for release in early 2009. If you have a communication styles exercise that you do in your training sessions or classroom, please send it to Donna at dstringer@executivediversity.com no later than July 1, 2008.

Submissions need to be in the following format and accompanied by a statement that you own the copyright to the exercise and release us to use it in this book. 

• Title of Exercise:
• Time Required:
• Materials Needed:
• Objectives:
• Process: (step by step description of how you conduct the exercise)
• Debriefing Points:
• Optional ways of conducting the exercise:
• Cautions you would give other trainers, if any:
• Your name as you want it to appear at the bottom of the exercise.
• Your contact information:
• Name
• Business Name, if any
• Physical Address
• Telephone:
• E-mail address

In this year's Summer Institute for Intercultural Communication in Portland, Oregon, Donna Stringer will be teaching several workshops.

• A Sample of SIIC, Donna will be teaching “Training Methods for Exploring Values Differences.”
• Session I, July 9-11, Donna will partner with Andy Reynolds to teach Foundations of Intercultural Communication.
• Session II, July 14-18, Donna teams up with Anita Rowe for Diversity as Culture change: a Strategic Approach.
• Session IIIb, July 21-23, Donna joins Andy Reynolds for Generations at Work.

For more information on these and other classes visit: www.intercultural.org

back to top »

Data Dump (Did You Know?)

Diversity challenges around the world:

According to a study done by the International Labor Organization, the US and Northern Ireland lead in monitoring and attempting to reduce discrimination in the work place on the basis of religion (Time for Equality at Work, 2003).

In a 2004 study in Wales, conducted of 250 workers in both the private and public companies, Ethnic minorities were five times more likely to experience workplace bullying than their white co-workers (Ethnic Workers Bullied More, 2004).

In France reports in the media revealed that women's wages were about a third of their male counterparts in some sectors, prompting the French President Jacques Chirac to pass legislation mandating equal wages (Chirac Pledges Equal Pay for Men and Women, 2005).

What the World Eats -- While by no means comprehensive, here is a fasinating look at what some families around the world are eating in a weeks time. Published in Time Magazine.

back to top »

“…if national cultural differences are perceived to be part of an international or multinational organizational culture and embraced positively, they can in turn create a challenging and stimulating work environment with organizational members developing an organizational culture to accommodate and bridge national cultural differences”

back to top »

New Tools

The Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) is now in its third version, creating a tool that is highly effective in helping individuals and organizations identify their strengths and developmental opportunities for creating an Interculturally sensitive work environment. To learn more about the IDI, contact Dr. Mitch Hammer at mhammer@hammerconsulting.org

GEN Y: what makes them tick? A new, two-part training program about Gen Y from Quality Media Resources. Two 10-minute videos come with great support materials for facilitation, PowerPoint slides and reproducible handouts.

• Part 1 , “A New Generation @ Work”, presents 24 Gen Y employees from a wide range of occupations who share what makes them tick.
• Part 2 , “Engaging Gen Y”, introduces 5 managers who present their views on how to help Millennials succeed. You'll be enlightened, energized and entertained!

A bargain at US $625, the program can also be delivered online using QMR's popular “Streamed Learning” option. This series includes post-test, complete LMS reporting, SCORM compliant version, delivery from QMR's server or the customer's. To order, contact Quality Media Resources at 1-800/800-5129 or e-mail Debra@qmr.com or Robert@qmr.com. Be sure to tell them you heard about this program through the EDS newsletter.

Namesake (2006): Directed by Mira Nair, Namesake is the story of the Ganguli family whose move from Calcutta to New York evokes a lifelong balancing act to meld to a new world without losing their culture and their past. A drama “spanning two generations, two clashing cultures and two very different ways of life that crash into each other only to become lovingly intertwined, The Namesake is ultimately about that imminently reliant question: what does it mean to be an American family?” To read more about this film visit: http://www.foxsearchlight.com/site/thenamesake/

back to top »

The Book Nook

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down (1998): Written by Anne Fadiman, The Spirit moves you is about a Hmong family and a California hospitals cultural clash to provide the best medical care for three month old Lia Lee. “It is Fadiman's signal achievement that she manages to empathize with those on both sides, communicating their intentions with compassion and humanity and carefully weighing the consequences of their actions. Her descriptions of everything from complicated medical procedures and emergency room protocol to Hmong healing ceremonies and refugee camp life in Thailand are sharply focused and compelling; her portraits of Lia's dedicated and stubborn doctors and her loving and stubborn parents are rich and nuanced. Through her telling of the story of a single Hmong child, she communicates the essence of two very different worldviews, and holds out the hope that they might one day be reconciled.” To read more: http://www.spiritcatchesyou.com/

back to top »

Feedback & Referrals
We have designed this newsletter to share information with our friends and colleagues. We would like to hear from you about what you have found useful, in addition to, referrals of anyone you feel might benefit from receiving this newsletter or our services. Please e-mail us with any comments or ideas to eds@executivediversity.com

back to top »