International and Culturally Diverse Aspects of Leadership
It is important to understand the different cultural values within certain groups as it can provide insights into how to effectively work with a diverse set of cultural orientations
There are multiple advantages of cultivating a diverse workforce which can be outlined in six broad sections
Heterogeneity in the work force may offer the company a creativity advantage, as well as improve its problem-solving and decision-making capability. It challenges traditional thinking and norms and helps to develop a foundation of creativity
Diversity and inclusion programs help local economies thereby boosting social responsibility, while simultaneously growing the customer base. Communities of color historically have less wealth and less income so their ability to engage in the market is limited. By increasing the income and wealth of communities of color, a company can increase the number of consumers that can afford their products, broadening their potential sales revenue
Companies with a favorable record in managing diversity are at a distinct advantage in recruiting and retaining talented people which makes sense. If a company only focus on hiring white men, they cut the available talent pool down to less than a third of the population
Increased diversity can provide enhancement of team performance as an array of backgrounds provides array of perspectives which increases problem solving capabilities of the team
Managing diversity well offers a strong market advantage as a diverse set of executives means a cross-sectional understanding of the potential customers
Cultural diversity can make more effective use of human capital as culturally diverse workforce tends to make good use of human capital because a wider range of talent is tapped
A personal example, one of my friends is a Black woman who was an executive at Johnson and Johnson. For years, the marketing team had been trying to develop a viable ad campaign to increase the use of Rogaine by Black women suffering from alopecia with no success. It was not until she was brought onto that team and shared the insight that the product will not do well for Black women because it requires daily hair washing
Future orientation is the extent to which individuals engage in future-oriented behaviors such as delaying gratification, planning, and making investments for the future. Generally, the US culture is much more focused on the now, which is why Americans are comfortable carrying much more debt than almost any other culture
Time orientation is the importance nations and individuals attach to time. This is a function of white supremacy as the expectation of time is set by white culture. When I served on the Durham Environmental Affairs Board, we instituted a minute of silence to reflect on the environmental injustice that is endured by communities of color. That minute always seemed long to me, and really created a space for me to consider the breadth and depth of the problem. This ties back to making time for creativity. We must take the time and hold space to consider the issues from all angles and perspectives, especially when confronting challenging issues of race, identify and the morality of policy and its ramifications.
Assertiveness is the degree to which individuals are assertive, confrontational, aggressive or passive in their relationships with one another. This is important to understand, especially through a gendered lens. Assertive women are often seen as aggressive, while aggressive men tend to be seen as assertive
Humane orientation is the degree to which a society encourages and rewards, and should encourage and reward, individuals for being fair, altruistic, and caring to others
Performance orientation is the degree to which a society encourages and rewards group members for performance improvement and excellence
In-group collectivism is the degree to which individuals express pride, loyalty, and cohesiveness in their organizations and families. This plays out across different countries, but can also be seen intra-country. We see in-grouping within political ideologies, and is particularly strong in rural communities within the US and abroad. Often rural communities in different countries are more likely to be accepted as within the same group than urbanites and is a major source of political tension within the US.
Gender egalitarianism is the degree to which a culture minimizes, and should minimize, gender inequality. This remains an issue across all cultures as only Iceland and New Zealand have been able to come close to achieving gender egalitarianism
Power distance is the degree to which members of a society expect, and should expect, power to be distributed unequally. Individuals who accept power and authority expect the boss to make the major decisions.
Uncertainty avoidance is the extent to which members of a society rely on social norms, rules, and procedures to lessen the unpredictability of future events. The stronger the desire to avoid uncertainty, the more likely people are to seek orderliness, consistency, and laws to cover situations in daily life. Fear is the primary driver of uncertainty avoidance and is fundamental barrier to adoption of new technologies, work flows and ways of thinking. We always must have the fear conversation before we have the fact conversation
Work orientation is the number of hours per week and weeks per year people expect to invest in work versus leisure, or other nonwork activities. Japan and the US tend to have the highest work orientation, although may studies have shown that fewer work hours and increased vacation time increases productivity
In order to develop effective and functional multicultural teams, leaders and managers must understand the importance of cultural sensitivity. This is a politically charged term, but ultimately it is simply understanding how members of a team view the world and their relationships to each other and their superiors
A good leader will understand the challenges of working across cultures and their are five main areas where cultural misunderstandings are most likely to happen
Flexibility in dealing with others. Cultural sensitivity is enhanced by cultural training, and also by simply listening carefully and observing. A key principle is to be flexible when dealing with people from other cultures. Fundamentally cultural sensitivity is enhanced by asking questions with genuine curiosity and a desire to understand the person's point of view
Multicultural workers are usually folks that were raised with exposure to multiple different cultures, however a good leader will seek out and expose themselves to different cultures, increasing their understanding and awareness
Eliciting ideas and giving critical feedback. Two more areas in which cross-cultural communication can break down are in eliciting ideas from subordinates and providing them feedback.
Recognition of nuances in customs. A person with cultural sensitivity will recognize certain nuances in customs that will help build better relationships with work associates from another culture. The key from a leadership prospective is to not associate one cultural view as right or wrong, simply different. When this is done well by a leader then every member of the team feels seen and heard, increasing communication and effectiveness in job performance
Language
Acceptable personal appearance and behaviors
Time/Punctuality
Nationality
Gender
By understanding each of these potential differences across a diverse team, a leader can set appropriate expectations of how the team can work together. Communication is fundamental as each team member needs to feel safe and comfortable coming to the leader and expressing frustrations with other team members. With a solid relationship, and good communication and trust, a leader can relate to the individual who is having the issue, and help them understand why a different team member is acting or approaching a problem in a different way.
How do managers and leaders achieve cultural diversity, equity and inclusion? Leaders, Executives and Leaders must be held accountable
It starts with recruiting. Where are jobs posted? Job boards for HBCUs and professional associations and the Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement are great places to find high quality talent while increasing the diversity of perspectives on the team. Yet too often recruiting teams miss these opportunities
Training the team on diversity, equity and inclusion is hard. Race is not a topic talked about generally, and especially not in white culture. Given that context, it is not surprising that these trainings can be met with distrust, hostility or ambivalence. To mitigate that risk, often times trainers can pander to white or corporate culture, leaving employees of color feeling disempowered, or in the worst case, gas lit, as it gives cover to leaders to continue business as usual
Trust, belonging and having a safe space are all required to maintain a diverse workforce. White, male culture is dominate in most work places in the US so having a safe space and having allies that support women, support people of color, especially when they are not in the room is foundational to create the cultural change necessary to build cultural and gender diversity. Without it, even excellent recruitment will be meaningless as there will be no retention
Promote from within. With a quality recruiting program, trainings that challenge and inform without blame or shame, managers that listen to, and support their team, and advocate for the advancement of their high performers will maintain a strong and diverse set of employees. When diversity is systematic, seen as everyone's responsibility and ubiquitous across the organization then things are going right. It is, however, easier said than done.