Chapter 3
Appreciating Diversity

The rich diversity of culture and thought around the world is one of our greatest resources. Global leaders of the future will use differences of ideas, methods, and motivations throughout the workforce and around the globe to build organizational and individual competency. Yet, this great resource is a double-edged sword, as crosscultural exchanges present us with unlimited possibilities for misunderstandings and cultural blunders.

As so many companies grow and expand around the world, the trend toward more diversity in the workplace increases. Successful global companies will identify, recruit, and train a diverse blend of professionals with different backgrounds, cultures, styles, and motivations into positions of increasing power and responsibility.

In the midst of individual contributors with such diverse cultural, religious, sexual, and personal backgrounds, success will call for leaders who are comfortable with diversity tension—the stress and strain that accompanies mixtures of differences and similarities. The task of global leaders is not to minimize this tension but rather to use it as a creative force for change and, of course, to make quality decisions in the midst of identity differences, similarities, and pressures.

Finally, leaders will prepare and empower their associates to understand without judging, to be requirements-driven, and to be comfortable with diversity tension if they wish to be productive and successful. It is not enough for the leaders to possess these capabilities; they must also develop these capabilities throughout the organization.

The Value of Diversity

As people relocate from country to country, region to region, city to city, and as corporations continue to expand across national and international borders, the business arena is becoming a melting pot for people of different cultures, races, ages, and socioeconomic and religious backgrounds. Leaders can no longer presume that they share a similar cultural base or outlook with those with whom they work and do business. Thus, leaders will be required to understand the dynamics of diversity (through historical, political, and economic references) and how it affects the workplace, and to look upon differences in worldviews, life and communication styles, and ethics and etiquette positively.

The leader of the future must be flexible enough to adapt to a diverse workforce. For example, the Italians are [generally] vocal and passionate, while the Japanese tend to be more quiet and subtle, and not [to engage] in public forums. This is not any reflection on a person's capabilities, but more of a cultural orientation.^[1]

Appreciating diversity will mean understanding both the "big things" and the "small things" that help form a unique culture, including leadership and work styles (formal vs. informal); decision-making styles (intuitive vs. analytical); information-sharing methods (written, oral, face-to-face); and motivations (power, achievement, affiliation). The global leader of the future won't need to sit in everyone's chair, but he or she will need to accept and understand that there are many different methods, positions, and styles with which people can accomplish goals and succeed in today's business environment. In other words, the global leader needs to understand where people are coming from, but not go native.^[2]

For example, few Europeans or Americans who work in the Middle East have taken the time to read (much less understand) the Koran, even though it is clear that religion is one of the most important variables that impacts behavior in the region. Smaller issues, such as the meaning of gifts or the importance of timeliness, will also need to be understood crossculturally. Motivational strategies that are effective in one region may actually be offensive in another region. The same public recognition that could be a source of pride to a "prominence"-motivated salesperson from the United States could be a source of embarrassment to an "achievement"-motivated scientist from Japan. Leaders who can effectively understand, appreciate, and motivate colleagues from multiple cultures, eras, generations, regions, and countries will become an increasingly valued resource in the future.

Diversity Training and Development

Strengthening diversity is an ongoing business challenge without easy answers. Yet, when channeled and guided effectively, diversity in the workforce and customer base challenges ideas and helps businesses produce and thrive, leading to measurable and lasting results at all levels of business. For example, 40 of the 50 companies on Fortune magazine's (2002) reported list of 50 diversity leaders are Fortune 500 companies. This list includes the successful company Fannie Mae, which ranks 20th on the Fortune 500, 52nd on the Global 500, and first as Best Company for Minorities.^[3]

However, due to a lack of training and education on generational differences among other issues, leaders in many companies frequently run into conflicts and misunderstandings around core values, especially diversity. This has contributed to discrimination lawsuits, including those against Texaco in 1996 and the current discrimination suit against the USDA.

The discrimination suit against Texaco brought diversity to the limelight of corporate America. After top Texaco executives were caught on tape using racial slurs against African Americans, the company paid $176.1 million to settle the suit. Had cultural diversity training been an integral part of Texaco's leadership development process, it's highly possible that the organization would have avoided the suit altogether. Another more current example of the challenges of diversity is the $20 billion class action lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in which approximately 20,000 Hispanic farmers nationwide claim that the USDA has systematically and discriminatorily denied them loans and failed to investigate complaints as required by law.^[4]

As evidenced by these examples, increasing workplace diversity and the laws protecting individuals require people to have greater workforce sensitivity and to be aware of individuals' perspectives and rights in the countries within which the companies operate. Thus, diversity training and multigenerational leadership development are an integral part of the global leader development process.

For purposes of discussion, "multigenerational leadership" isn't just leading people of different ages. What we mean by multigenerational is leading individuals with different frames of reference or ideological differences. The history, politics, and economic environment in which an individual is raised will strongly impact his or her skills, abilities, and perspectives in all situations. For instance, in the United States, those born in the baby boomer generation grew up with the Vietnam War and Watergate. As a result, there is a lack of trust in government. On the other hand, the generation before them grew up in a time of war heroes and a post-Depression economic environment. These environmental differences will impact generational views of a business.

Executives must be better rounded culturally. They will have had more eye-opening experiences that have helped them to be more comfortable with people with diverse backgrounds and opinions, and they will have been exposed to diverse environments and have been given the opportunity to see different aspects of business.^[5]

Many companies have incorporated diversity training into their corporate cultures with great results. One such organization is SBC Communications. SBC has established a workforce diversity team that works with human resources and department leaders to ensure that its policies, practices, and processes are inclusive and nondiscriminatory. Currently, the company ranks fourth on Fortune's Best Companies for Minorities, 69th on the Global 500, and 27th on the Fortune 500. It also holds the honors of the National Association for Female Executives' (NAFE) Top Companies for Executive Women and Employer of the Year by the National Business and Disability Council.^[6]

Successful global leaders will take advantage of these programs. They will be curious about the way others view products, service, approach, and process,^[7] and they will actively gather as much information and experience as possible. The global leader's preparation will include formal training and informal coaching in diversity, global leadership development, crosscultural and language instruction, and more intangible skills, such as emotional literacy, that is, the degree to which we can identify, appreciate, and manage our emotions, especially when working with others whose cultures, backgrounds, and viewpoints are quite different from our own.

[Global leaders] must be aware of cultural differences. There are significant differences in culture [beyond] language. For instance, more countries will be using English as a second language. People may understand the words, but they may not understand the [underlying] message. There may be misinterpretation. Example: Many Japanese people can speak and literally understand English. However, when they say yes, it doesn't mean "I agree"; it means "I understand." We need to understand the language and the cultural interpretation. For example, Germans are...precise and highly disciplined, like engineers. However, Italians are more evolutionary and creative, like artists. When dealing with people, it's important to understand what they mean.^[8]

Although organizations have restructured and reorganized, many still find it difficult to prosper in today's global marketplace. Many firms are finding that their conventional structures, traditional corporate cultures, and lack of leveraging diverse talents and perspectives prevents their meeting global market demands. Flexible leaders who are capable of managing diverse groups of people throughout the world are the competitive edge these companies need to succeed.

Embracing Ideas and Perspectives

The G8 Summit brings together the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In addition, the European Union participates and is represented by the president of the European Council and the President of the European Commission. At the G8 Summit in Okinawa (2000), leaders recognized that information technology has created a global, multinational environment in which people must frequently interact and relate crossculturally. Summit leaders endorsed cultural diversity as a source of "social and economic dynamism with the potential to enrich human life in the 21st century."^[9]

To make the most of this potential, effective global leaders will work to create a flexible, general framework within which different ideas and perspectives are embraced and incorporated.^[10] Within this framework there will be diversity tension, or social dynamism. This tension, or dynamism, that results from diversity in the workplace is not synonymous with conflict. In fact, it is quite possible for tension to exist between parties indefinitely without evolving into conflict.

In dealing with diverse situations, whether of race, religion, creed, or diversity of style or thought process, it is important for executives to understand the difference between cooperating and complying with others as opposed to collaborating with others. Teams that collaborate fully understand the difference between a collaborative process, which encourages conflict and harnesses diversity, as opposed to a compliance or cooperative context, which seeks to have people "get along" with others as opposed to working through serious issues. Collaboration, as a process, is the team management embodiment of harnessing creative tension. Collaborative teams do not seek to avoid conflict. (In fact, conflict is an essential part of the creative and decision-making processes.) Instead, collaboration gives people a process by which their differences can be used and made productive, utilized instead of suspected, valued instead of denied. Collaboration is the vehicle whereby conflict, whether generational, national, or stylistic, is used productively to create a positive outcome.

For example, Juan Camargo, human resources coordinator for Venezuela's state-owned oil enterprise, Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), states that HR processes run smoothly because his company's policy on its joint ventures in the United States, Sweden, Germany, and the Caribbean is to respect local policies and practices. He maintains that the biggest challenge of PDVSA's international alliances stems from the cultural tensions and people issues that are the result of working relationships between Latinos, Europeans, and Americans. The friction between PDVSA's workers can be caused by such simple things as time-keeping as well as by more complex issues such as personal values. Rather than enforcing a values-based corporate culture on its worldwide workforce, PDVSA leaders attempt to understand and utilize cultural complexities to their advantage; thus, the company requires leaders who have been exposed to and are open to different cultures, countries, and work styles.^[11]

Regarding diversity tension, the issue for leaders becomes that of maintaining a sufficient comfort level with the tension that will help produce creative solutions and high performance in the workplace. Thus, open-minded leaders who seek and exploit diversity tension by accepting and appreciating many dimensions of thought, style, and cultural difference within the workplace as well as by identifying and utilizing commonalties across multiple generations, regions, and countries around the world will be a key ingredient of organizational success.

Effective executives listen to all points of view. They are curious and intrigued by different perspectives, not threatened by them.^[12]

This open-mindedness is not only beneficial in embracing innovative ideas or new technology, but it is also essential when recruiting, managing, and leading a global multigenerational, multicultural workforce. It is the responsibility of the global leader to be open to all kinds of people and to recognize the opportunities and different perspectives that diversity brings to an organization.

Realizing that success is dependent on teamwork, the global leader of the future will welcome and include all individuals by empowering and trusting people to do their best work; inviting team members to participate in meetings and task forces; and encouraging contributions in the form of opinions, skills, and abilities.

These executives look at every thing, every person, and every point of view as if it could be a really cool thing. They have an open-mindedness to listen and draw in all types of people and all types of views. They acknowledge the better parts of different perspectives. They have a great appreciation of differences and they have the confidence to listen openly. These leaders follow up on the unconventional and they encourage others to do the same.^[13]

Motivating People

To motivate people in the workplace means to help them deliver their best possible performances, to be more productive, and to feel satisfied with their positions and growth within the organization. As both the workforce and clientele become increasingly diverse with widely differing perspectives, needs, expectations, and contributions, this seemingly simple agenda becomes a far greater challenge for leaders who must adapt to a different way of leading in order to inspire and effectively lead.^[14]

A large part of this adaptation will include the leaders' ability to define individual and team roles and to delegate authority and responsibility. Making the most of the increasingly diverse workforce will require leaders to encourage and guide employees to work in their areas of strength and then to build strong internal teams of diverse individuals with complementary motivations and skills.

For instance, a leader might build a team that includes three people: one who is highly adept at sales, one who fosters a team environment, and one who understands the culture of the country within which the company sells its product. The result of such a combination would be a department that works well together selling the company's product to the targeted country.

These leaders foster the talents of the individual workers. They motivate their employees to do the best jobs and they leverage the diversity.^[15]

The effective leaders of the future will build partnerships with employees to gain an understanding of each person's strengths, needs, and desired career path. By forging such relationships, leaders excite individuals about their jobs and motivate them to remain with the company. These relationships also provide significant knowledge and insight about employees that helps leaders to build working teams of diverse yet complementary employees, thereby strengthening the organization.

For example, regardless of the generation to which he or she belongs, the effective leader must be able to guide multiple generations with widely different needs and motivations. Age gap differences include younger workers who may be less inclined to make sacrifices for their company because they have seen organizations lay off their parents during periods of downsizing and restructuring.

The models of compensation, reward, recognition, and training need to change with the needs and priorities of individuals. It is the leader's job to figure out how to meet their needs, train and develop them, and get the job done. For instance, the younger workforce has seen their parents working 70- to 80-hour weeks only to get laid off when the company downsizes. They see this and ask themselves, "Why be loyal to a company that may lay me off when I turn 50?"^[16]

In the following quote, an "older" executive expresses how he is challenged to understand the logic and knowledge of younger workers:

I grew up without computers, but my kids have grown up with a PC for games. One of them started using the computer at four years of age. Therefore, they are three-dimensional—the Nintendo generation. They use their intellectual capacity in a totally different way than myself. For example, I would read a book and try to make conclusions from what I read. My brain was working in a very hierarchical and logical way to solve problems. But when my kids use the computer to solve problems, they are using a three-dimensional way of thinking.
Therefore, my younger coworkers have a totally different way of thinking than mine. The challenge for me is to understand the difference.
Also, the Internet is changing everything. My kids spend five hours a day on the Internet. The younger people are more prepared to work for global organizations.
The challenge is to understand how these young people think and to give them challenges in their work. We underestimate how smart, international, and global these young workers are. Even English is very natural for them.^[17]

According to human resources expert Beverly Kaye (author of international best-seller on retaining talent, Love 'Em or Lose 'Em: Getting Good People to Stay), every organization, whatever its industry, location, or size, will likely include members of the silent generation (born 1933 to 1945), baby boomers (born 1946 to 1964), generation Xers (born 1965 to 1976), and millenials—or generation Ys—(born 1977 to 1998). Each generation will most likely have a different motivational as well as value set, which the leader will need to recognize. For instance, silent generation individuals are likely to be team oriented, focusing on hard work and paying dues; baby boomers, who are the leaders of industry today, tend to be positive achievers; Xers are independent knowledge workers; and millenials are comparable to the silent generation in that they are team oriented, have been brought up with the computer, and are likely to be technologically savvy.^[18]

The older leaders came from an era when there was a strong set of work ethics and company loyalty. They had traditional values and believed that if they worked hard, everything would work out. The Xers value quality of life as much as they value fast-paced corporate advancement or material goods. They are more fluid as a workforce. They have the confidence to move on if their current company doesn't meet their needs. They are more willing to manage their careers themselves instead of expecting the company to do it. Younger people are less inclined to stay late at the office or work weekends. They want to be able to work at home and have more flexibility. Instead of the "9 to 5 in the office" mentality, they may prefer to do their work elsewhere on a more flexible daily schedule.^[19]

Generational conflict often results from the misunderstanding of the style and motivational differences of each age group. For instance, a traditional CEO, who was very excited about hiring a certain 30-year-old MBA, spent a great amount of time interviewing him and convincing the executive team that he was the right person for the job. However, after the young executive was hired, irreconcilable issues arose. The young executive not only believed that he had free rein to make whatever changes he felt the company needed, but he also believed it was acceptable to use the organization as a stepping stone into the industry. The CEO, who had thought that he was hiring a loyal supporter of the organization and the industry that it served, ended up firing the executive whose professional viewpoints were so different from his own and that of the rest of the executive team.^[20]

Table 3.1. Generational Differences in the Workplace

However, once understood and harnessed, these differences can complement each other for the organization's benefit. Table 3.1 summarizes some of the most critical generational differences.

Across all geographic regions, it will be important for both older and younger generations to understand one another's distinct values and to harness these differences for success. Although generation Xers and millenials have succeeded in casting off the label of slackers, they are now viewed by baby boomers as a workforce of educated, driven self-starters who also exhibit impatient, disloyal, and self-centered behaviors. The difficulty in leading a multigenerational workforce is not purely an older generation misunderstanding a younger one's values. The skills and ideals of the baby boomer generation are not being recognized by younger employees. The challenge for organizations of the future will be to capitalize on the entrepreneurial spirit of its young leaders and the insights of its experienced executives, thus successfully integrating the positive characteristics of each group.

For instance, senior executives of the silent and boomer generations who have a vast array of business experience may or may not have experience opening and closing companies; counter this with many generation X executives who may have opened or closed five or six organizations during the dotcom era.

The following are ways that organizations can reduce uncertainty and conflict within the workforce:

Guidelines for Leading a Multigenerational Corporation

• Develop a culture and environment that permits multiple work styles to flourish.
  • Promote the understanding of needs and motivations of all employees.
  • Utilize the unique skill sets of each generation.
  • Display value for experience and creativity.
  • Develop a common set of values based on relationships and history.
  • Provide recognition for accomplishments.
    
    While conflict between the values of the boomer generation and those of the Xers may seem natural, it is the synergy of these two work groups that will provide the most successful leadership in the near future. To develop this synergy, corporations need to develop an understanding and open culture that supports individuality and provides guidance to employees. The resultant strong corporate culture will develop from the bottom up, not from the top down.
• Create a multigenerational leadership team.
  • Provide a voice for all generations in the executive suite.
  • Foster innovation through constructive conflict and dialogue."
  • Mediate philosophical differences between the generations.
  • Facilitate the communication of corporate issues across generations.
  • Develop shared vision through analysis of past experiences and future trends.
  • Remove unnecessary bureaucracy and allow both generations to lead.
    
    The support of a group of diverse people is best achieved by providing them with representation in the decision-making process. A multigenerational leadership team provides a voice for the concerns of both the boomers and Xers, who can then be more effective in developing a vision for the company that is shared by all. By bringing together both boomers and Xers in the leadership roles, companies can expand the competency set of the executive suite. Differing values and experiences can often lead to conflict, of course, but the "constructive abrasion" of the diverse styles also is likely to lead to new forms of value creation.
• Develop a strong team mentoring program between generations.
  • Develop a process of understanding history, politics, economics, and life balance between the generations.
  • Develop trust between boomers and Xers.
  • Transfer knowledge and skills between generations.
  • Provide personal and professional direction.
  • Provide leadership training through observation.
  • Buffer Xers from corporate bureaucracy.
  • Develop emotional maturity in younger executives.
    
    Leaders are recognized at younger ages. While most 20-something professionals have the technical skills and creativity to drive the organization into the future, many do not have the business skills and experience necessary to provide direction and guidance to others. Mentors not only transfer basic business skills and knowledge, but also guide young employees in developing their individual leadership characteristics. For instance, suppose an older person who is just learning to use her company's new software product presents an idea for promoting its sale, but her idea is impatiently discounted by a young leader. A mentor might challenge this young leader to explore team building and diversity in the workplace. Open-mindedness to ideas is not something that can be effectively taught in the classroom; it is best developed through experience, observation, mentoring, and feedback.
    
    It is obvious how mentoring benefits Xers, but boomers also gain from this experience. For instance, younger employees can transfer technical knowledge and act as a sounding board for new ideas. The greatest benefit of interaction between the two groups is the development of crossgenerational relationships built on trust and respect so important to success.
• Foster employee loyalty to smaller communities within the organization.
  • Promote an entrepreneurial spirit at community level.
  • Provide a level of consistency for workers in an era of constant change.
  • Improve retention of younger "knowledge workers."
  • Provide corporate direction while permitting a sense of autonomy.
  • Recognize employees for creativity and experience on a team basis.
  • Companies gain when they develop an environment in which employees feel that their contributions are rewarded and their concerns are noticed. This can be accomplished by promoting the formation of smaller communities within the organization. Communities can be formed around project teams, common interests, and skills.
    
    For instance, although some companies instituted e-commerce teams on an ad hoc basis, IBC was the first to create an "e-commerce organization," which required a new infrastructure, an organizational model, and a budget. Under the direction of the CIO SVP of marketing and the SVP of human resources and strategy, IBC's e-commerce community was created in an effort to drive the strategy of the organization. Groups of individuals from across marketing, provider services, communications, IT, and HR collaborated on the creation of a new organizational and leadership model to implement the e-commerce vision and strategy. This type of community started with the CEO, Fred DiBona, who was able to execute the strategy and successfully implement the infrastructure required to support it with the help of hundreds of IBC professionals under the direction of Yvette Bright. A crossdiscipline and crossgenerational work team was responsible for this widely publicized and successful program in the healthcare industry, the first phase of which was developed and implemented in less than a year.
    
    Smaller groups can provide their members with performance feedback and direction much more accurately than a larger corporation is able to do. The smaller group setting makes it easier for employees to maintain their individuality.
    
    Rewarding communities for their results allows employees' entrepreneurial spirits to thrive. In addition, they will more readily take ownership in a work group in which they can see the results of their actions. A community structure helps employees develop personal pride in their work and loyalty to the organization.
    
    In the late 1990s the executive team of a large Australian financial services firm decided to demutualize the company in nine months. It was crucial that the team of 100 full-time core members and 200 part-time contractors and specialists complete the extensive transformation effort on time and within budget. The executive team set up compensation schemes and performance objectives, as well as rewards for particular programs (or project team tasks), as incentive to implement the tremendous amount of change in a very short period of time. The transformation was completed according to plan, and in an unheard of gesture of recognition, the CEO authorized a reimbursement scheme, cutting a check to every member of the team, including core members as well as contractors.

Teaching the Value of Diversity

Not only will the global leaders of the future have tolerance for other approaches, these leaders will be good teachers who will help others acquire appreciation for those who are different.^[21]

A well-rounded, diverse team will produce valuable brainstorming sessions, imaginative problem solving and decision making, unique perspectives on strategic planning, and inventive product development ideas. Recognizing that discrimination prohibits the expression of ideas, the leader will be a role model for appreciating diversity. He or she will model acceptable behaviors to influence those around him or her as to what is acceptable and what is not. This person will discourage sexist, racist, and ethnic comments, jokes, and slurs that negatively stereotype different groups. In this way, the leader will not only promote a healthy, cooperative, and diversified working environment, but will also help the organization to avoid lawsuits like that filed against Foster Farms Dairy. Foster Farms was sued in March 2002 by six African American men alleging racial discrimination, retaliation, harassment, and failure of the company to prevent discrimination in the workplace. Another instance is the $21 million sexual harassment suit against Daimler-Chrysler. (The company's appeal is still pending over what stands as one of the largest individual verdicts for harassment.)

Future leaders will openly discuss the topic of diversity with their teams, and they will help teach employees how to become more sensitive to differences. They will help people to respect each others' differences,^[22] and they will have the ability to communicate, to resolve conflict, and to negotiate differences between employees.^[23] For instance, the fact-based person may have a natural intolerance for the feeling-based person. Therefore, the effective leaders will be the ones who can get to the core issues despite how different employees' styles are.^[24]

Vitro, a Mexican glass company established in 1900, which became a conglomerate over the years, is returning to its roots as a glass company. However, as opposed to being Mexican-centric, the company is focused on being a global organization. As part of this globalization process, the company is investing in its leaders to educate them about what working globally means and about the diversity they will encounter in the global environment. The proactive company has sent most of its top executives to the one-year Harvard Executive Program, which educates leaders about global business insights, thinking, leadership, and strategies. In addition, when considering partnerships, acquisitions, and mergers with companies in other countries, senior executives participate in a cultural immersion or alignment process, which highlights the differences between doing business in the Mexican culture and doing business in cultures around the world. During this immersion process, leaders learn to better understand different cultures and how to consider their own reactions not only from a business negotiation standpoint but also from both a social and interpersonal standpoint.

With such a diverse workforce, conflicts between individuals with unique perspectives will inevitably arise. Part of the leader's role will be to facilitate debates and to teach the value of conflict as an opportunity to gain knowledge. Rather than viewing these differences in viewpoints as negative, he or she will turn them into opportunities in which individuals can learn about themselves and each other.

Conclusion

As city, state, and country boundaries rapidly dissolve, the need for leaders to appreciate diversity in thought, style, and motivation increases. Leaders have to understand not only the economic and legal differences but also the social and behavioral differences that are part of working in different regions around the world. Developing an understanding of the many cultures that make up individual regions and countries around the world is not just a good business practice—it is a key to being able to compete successfully in the future.

As traditional values and roles are challenged by an increasingly diverse workforce, the effect of conflict is being felt in the organization. To be successful in addressing the concerns and motivations of this workforce, companies must foster an open culture built on personal relationships, small group loyalty, strong mentoring, and diverse leadership teams. This will ultimately lead to a better understanding and appreciation of differences, increased tolerance of ideas, and the broader sharing of knowledge.

Resource Section: Appreciating Diversity

ITEM 6: Embraces the Value of Diversity in People

WHAT TO DO

• Realize that differences in race, culture, and background are advantages, not deficits, for effective teamwork and problem solving.
• Recognize the value of having a diverse workforce by utilizing the full potential of all employees and building on complementary skills, backgrounds, and cultural knowledge.
• Create an inclusive work environment.
• Assess the different learning styles and strengths in people.
• Explore ways to use different styles and talents advantageously.
• Recognize and reward successes that result from valuing diversity.

HOW TO DO IT

• Involve people from a variety of backgrounds in your decision-making and problem-solving processes.
• Make people feel welcomed in your work group.
• Make people feel valued for bringing their opinions and skills to the organization.
• Encourage people to come up with different ideas and perspectives to solve problems and spot opportunities.
• Involve a wide variety of people in your professional and personal life. Take the time to get to know them.
• Confront people who stereotype others or display prejudiced behavior.
• Refuse to accept behaviors that attack the self-respect of others.
• Set clear goals for your organization, and manage performance, not personalities.
• Ask your manager, associates, and employees to give you feedback on how you are doing in this area.
• Encourage your employees and coworkers to be more appreciative of the differences in people.

HOW TO USE THIS SKILL FURTHER

• Learn to appreciate people from diverse backgrounds through travel, books, and films, and by attending local cultural events.
• Participate in diversity training.
• Become friends with individuals whose backgrounds and experiences are different from your own.

RESULTS YOU CAN EXPECT

• Work groups may be more open to ideas from all members.
• Diversity issues may be more openly handled in ongoing team activities.
• Work attitudes and productivity may improve due to the inclusion and full utilization of people's talents.

READINGS

• Bridging Differences: Effective Intergroup Communication. William B. Gudykunst. 1998. Sage: Thousand Oaks, CA, ISBN 0803933304.
• Building a House for Diversity: A Fable About a Giraffe and an Elephant Offers New Strategies for Today's Workforce. Marjorie I. Woodruff & R. Roosevelt Thomas, Jr. 1999. AMACOM: New York, ISBN 814404634.
• Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most. Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, Sheila Heen, & Roger Fisher. 2001. Penguin USA: New York, ISBN 014028852X.
• Geeks and Geezers. Warren G. Bennis & Robert J. Thomas. Harvard Business School Press: Boston. 2002. ISBN 1578515823.
• Redefining Diversity. R. Roosevelt Thomas. 1996. AMACOM: New York, ISBN 814402283.
• Social Inclusion: Possibilities and Tensions. Peter Askonas & Angus Stewart. 2000. Palgrave: Hampshire, England, ISBN 0312231660.
• The Leader of the Future: New Visions, Strategies, and Practices for the Next Era. Frances Hesselbein, Marshall Goldsmith, & Richard Beckhard. 1996. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco, ISBN 0787901806.
• The Web of Inclusion. Sally Helgesen. 1995. Currency/Doubleday: New York, ISBN 0385423640.

ITEM 7: Effectively Motivates People from Different Cultures or Backgrounds

WHAT TO DO

• Acknowledge that cultural and social differences exist.
• Realize that differences in race, culture, and background are advantages, not deficits, for effective teamwork and problem solving.
• Recognize the value of having a diverse workforce by utilizing the full potential of all employees and building on complementary skills, backgrounds, and cultural knowledge.
• Assess the different styles and strengths in people.
• Explore ways to effectively motivate people who have different styles and talents.
• Recognize that traditional American values often conflict with values of other cultures.
• Treat others with respect and dignity.
• Recognize the importance of maintaining fair standards. This means treating people equally regardless of their gender, race, age, or background.
• Help your work group recognize that discrimination can be a barrier to teamwork and can interfere with the achievement of productivity and quality goals.
• Involve diverse groups in solving problems and developing opportunities.
• Recognize and reward successes that result from valuing diversity.

HOW TO DO IT

• Encourage people to come up with different ideas and perspectives to solve problems and spot opportunities.
• Strive to understand what motivates each of your employees through observation and dialogues. Don't make any assumptions.
• Know the key motivators of each employee and use them effectively.
• Refuse to accept behaviors that attack the self-respect of others.
• Set clear goals for your employees, and manage performance, not personalities.
• Equally encourage the development of all employees in your organization by making them aware of development opportunities.
• Follow through, and recognize both individual and team contributions in ways that are sensitive to individual needs.
• Ask your manager, associates, and employees to give you feedback on how you are doing in this area.
• Encourage your employees and coworkers to be more appreciative of the differences in people.

HOW TO USE THIS SKILL FURTHER

• Learn to appreciate people from diverse backgrounds through travel, books, and films, and by attending local cultural events.
• Participate in diversity training.
• Become friends with individuals whose backgrounds and experiences are different from your own.

RESULTS YOU CAN EXPECT

• Your employees may be more satisfied with their work.
• Diversity issues may be more openly handled in ongoing team activities.
• Work attitudes may improve, as may success in achieving performance goals.

READINGS

• Boston to Beijing: Managing in the Global Marketplace. Nancy J. Adler, John Szilagyi, & Rob Bloom. 2001. South-Western: London, ISBN 0324074751.
• Bridging Differences: Effective Intergroup Communication. William B. Gudykunst. 1998. Sage: Thousand Oaks, CA, ISBN 0803933304.
• Geeks and Geezers. Warren G. Bennis & Robert J. Thomas. 2002. Harvard Business School Press: Boston, ISBN 1578515823.
• Communicating with Strangers: An Approach to Intercultural Communication. William B. Gudykunst & Young Yun Kim. 1996. Addison-Wesley: Boston, ISBN 0201113740.
• Global Literacies: Lessons on Business Leadership and National Cultures. Robert H. Rosen, Patricia Digh, Marshall Singer, & Carl Phillips. 2000. Simon & Schuster: London, ISBN 684859025.
• Mentoring and Diversity. Belle Rose Ragins, David Clutterbuck, & Lisa Matthewman. 2001. Butterworth-Heinemann: Woburn, MA, ISBN 750648368.
• Redefining Diversity. R. Roosevelt Thomas. 1996. AMACOM: New York, ISBN 814402283.
• Riding the Waves of Culture: Understanding Diversity in Global Business. Alfons Trompenaars & Charles Hampden-Turner. 1997. McGraw-Hill: New York, ISBN 786311258.
• Workforce 2020: Work and Workers in the 21st Century. Richard Judy & Carol D'Amico. 1997. Hudson Institute: Santa Barbara, CA, ISBN 1558130616.

ITEM 8: Recognizes the Value of Diverse Views and Opinions

WHAT TO DO

• Realize that differences in race, culture, and background are advantages, not deficits, for effective teamwork and problem solving.
• Value your diverse workforce by utilizing the full potential of all employees and building on complementary skills, backgrounds, and cultural knowledge.
• Show interest in gathering and developing new ideas of others.
• Realize that understanding other's thinking may enhance your own ideas and make you appear less stubborn.
• Expect others to have good ideas.
• Express an interest in what is being said.
• Suspend judgment while you concentrate on understanding an idea.
• Check your understanding and let others know you have heard them accurately.
• Establish an objective, consistent way of evaluating nontraditional ideas.
• Let others know they can question and disagree openly.
• Put yourself in the other person's shoes. Look at the situation from the other person's point of view before defending your own.
• Assess the different styles and strengths in people.
• Explore ways to use different styles and talents advantageously.
• Recognize and reward successes that result from valuing diversity.

HOW TO DO IT

• Involve people from a variety of backgrounds in your decision-making and problem-solving processes. Gather associates together for brainstorming sessions.
• Encourage people to come up with different ideas and perspectives to solve problems and spot opportunities.
• Involve a wide variety of people in your professional and personal life. Take the time to get to know them.
• Gather ideas from people who normally don't deal with the problem to gain a new perspective.
• Have more one-on-one meetings to establish rapport and to learn others' viewpoints.
• Put aside any negative feelings about past experiences.
• When you are questioned, respond in a nondefensive manner; this gives people permission to question and creates a more open and honest mode of communication.
• Don't argue about why you are right. Simply state your point of view.
• Ask others for their opinion before you state yours. When stating your opinions, preface your statements with words such as, "In my opinion..." or "I think...."
• Ask questions that require more than a yes or no response.
• Get support from customers, suppliers, peers, and subordinates for nontraditional ways of doing work by discussing ideas with them and getting their input about changes.
• Investigate and practice various techniques, such as brainstorming, for generating ideas.
• Schedule time in staff meetings for sharing innovative solutions, ideas, and perspectives.
• Ask your manager, associates, and employees to give you feedback on how you are doing in this area.
• Encourage your employees and coworkers to be more appreciative of the differences in people.

HOW TO USE THIS SKILL FURTHER

• Form a task force that meets regularly to discuss new ideas, information, and other perspectives that concern the company.
• Learn to appreciate people from diverse backgrounds through travel, books, and films, and by attending local cultural events.
• Assume a facilitator role in group discussions.
• Become friends with individuals whose backgrounds and experiences are different from your own.

RESULTS YOU CAN EXPECT

• You may have better rapport with associates.
• Work groups may be more open to ideas from all members.
• Diversity issues may be more openly handled in ongoing team activities.
• Work attitudes may improve, as will success in achieving performance goals.

READINGS

• 75 Cage-Rattling Questions to Change the Way You Work: Shake-Em-Up Questions to Open Meetings, Ignite Discussion, and Spark Creativity. Dick Whitney & Melissa Giovagnoli. 2000. McGraw-Hill: New York, ISBN 0070700192.
• Collaborative Creativity: Unleashing the Power of Shared Thinking. Jack Ricchiuto. 1996. Oak Hill Press: Winchester, VA, ISBN 1886939128.
• Communicating with Strangers: An Approach to Intercultural Communication. William B. Gudykunst & Young Yun Kim. 1996. Addison-Wesley: Boston, ISBN 0201113740.
• Geeks and Geezers. Warren G. Bennis & Robert J. Thomas. 2002. Harvard Business School Press: Boston, ISBN 1578515823.
• Mastering the Infinite Game: How East Asian Values are Transforming Business Practices. Charles Hampden-Turner & Fons Trompenaars. 2001. Capstone: Mankato, MN, ISBN 1900961083.
• The Differentiated Network: Organizing Multinational Corporations for Value Creation. Nitin Nohria, Sumantra Ghoshal, & Cedric Crocker. 1997. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco, ISBN 787903310.
• Workforce 2020: Work and Workers in the 21st Century. Richard Judy & Carol D'Amico. 1997. Hudson Institute: Santa Barbara, CA, ISBN 1558130616.

ITEM 9: Helps Others Appreciate the Value of Diversity

WHAT TO DO

• Understand your own values.
• Examine and confront your own prejudices.
• Question and challenge your own assumptions before making decisions.
• Recognize that traditional American values often conflict with values of other cultures.
• Treat others with respect and dignity.
• Recognize the importance of maintaining fair standards. This means treating people equally regardless of their gender, race, age, or background.
• Avoid and discourage any tendencies to joke about differences.
• Help your work group recognize that discrimination can be a barrier to teamwork and interfere with the achievement of productivity and quality goals.
• Involve diverse groups in solving problems and developing opportunities.
• Help your group learn to value diversity and manage differences.
• Model inclusive behaviors.
• Recognize and reward successes that result from valuing diversity.

HOW TO DO IT

• Talk with people individually to understand their values to help avoid stereotyping that interferes with sound decision making.
• Involve a wide variety of people in your professional and personal life. Take the time to get to know them.
• Confront people who stereotype others or display prejudiced behavior.
• Refuse to accept behaviors that attack the self-respect of others.
• Set clear goals for your organization, and manage performance, not personalities.
• If someone makes discriminating but subtle comments, ask the person for the evidence or rationale for his or her belief. Then discuss the impact of the comment on other people in the organization.
• If someone makes comments that are an obvious put-down, simply say, "That's not appropriate." Be firm and assertive.
• Follow through and recognize both individual and team contributions in ways that are sensitive to diversities.

HOW TO USE THIS SKILL FURTHER

• Learn to appreciate people from diverse backgrounds through travel, books, and films, and by attending local cultural events.
• Participate in diversity training.
• Become friends with individuals whose backgrounds and experiences are different from your own.

RESULTS YOU CAN EXPECT

• Work groups may be more open to ideas from all members.
• Diversity issues may be more openly handled in ongoing team activities.
• Work attitudes may improve, as will success in achieving performance goals.

READINGS

• Bridging Differences: Effective Intergroup Communication. William B. Gudykunst. 1998. Sage: Thousand Oaks, CA, ISBN 0803933304.
• Communicating with Strangers: An Approach to Intercultural Communication. William B. Gudykunst & Young Yun Kim. 1996. Addison-Wesley: Boston, ISBN 0201113740.
• Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind—Intercultural Cooperation and Its Importance for Survival. Geert H. Hofstede. 1996. McGraw-Hill: New York, ISBN 0070293074.
• Mentoring and Diversity. Belle Rose Ragins, David Clutterbuck, & Lisa Matthewman. 2001. Butterworth-Heinemann: Woburn, MA, ISBN 750648368.
• The Differentiated Network: Organizing Multinational Corporations for Value Creation. Nitin Nohria, Sumantra Ghoshal, & Cedric Crocker. 1997. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco, ISBN 787903310.
• Workforce 2020: Work and Workers in the 21st Century. Richard Judy & Carol D'Amico. 1997. Hudson Institute: Santa Barbara, CA, ISBN 1558130616.

ITEM 10: Actively Expands Her or His Knowledge of Other Cultures

WHAT TO DO

• Realize that the knowledge and understanding of other cultures is critical to conducting successful global business.
• Learn about the cultural norms and customs in other countries in which you want to conduct business.
• Find various ways to obtain the knowledge of other cultures through interactions, language study, travel, and so on.
• Show respect for people from other cultures.
• Show interest in and respect for other cultural practices.
• Learn the related foreign languages and encourage your coworkers to do the same.
• Recognize that both similarities and differences exist between different cultures.

HOW TO DO IT

• Identify people from other cultures in your organization or networks. Ask them for insights about the similarities and differences between your culture and theirs.
• Identify cultural difference that could be problematic in conducting business.
• Participate in crosscultural communication workshops or training to get a deeper understanding of other cultures.
• Learn the language of the country before you conduct business there. Make language proficiency a hiring requirement for particular positions.
• Rotate staff whenever possible so that people get exposed to other cultures.
• Talk with and spend time with people from other cultures.
• Spend time with natives of other countries. Compare different perspectives that result from different backgrounds. Find out the similarities too.
• When you are in another country, record your observations in a journal. Reflect on them by asking yourself, "What surprises me?" and "What is similar?"
• Do not assume that a person of one culture represents the opinions of his or her entire culture.
• Do not become a cultural bully yourself.

HOW TO USE THIS SKILL FURTHER

• Ask for more opportunities to go abroad to work with people from other cultures.
• Build friendships with people from different cultures.

RESULTS YOU CAN EXPECT

• You may become more competent in dealing with intercultural relationships.
• You may gain more opportunities to be promoted.

READINGS

• Culture Clash: Managing in a Multicultural World. H. Ned Seelye & Alan Seelye-James. 1995. NTC Business Books: Lincolnwood, IL, ISBN 0844233048.
• Culture, Ethnicity, and Personal Relationship Processes. Stanley O. Gaines. 1997. Routledge: Philadelphia, ISBN 0415916534.
• The Cultures of Globalization. Fredric Jameson & Masao Miyoshi. 1998. Duke University Press: Durham, NC, ISBN 0822321696.
• The Executive Guide to Asia-Pacific Communications: Doing Business Across the Pacific. Davis James. 1995. Kodansha: New York, ISBN 1568360401,
• Managing Across Cultures: A Learning Framework. Meena S. Wilson, Michael H. Hoppe, & Leonard R. Sayles. 1996. Center for Creative Leadership: Greensboro, NC, ISBN 1882197259.
• Nationalism and Modernism: A Critical Survey of Recent Theories of Nations and Nationalism. Anthony D. Smith. 1998. Routledge: Philadelphia, ISBN 415063418.
• The World in 2020: Power, Culture, and Prosperity. Hamish McRea. 1995. Harvard Business School Press: Boston, ISBN 0256115842.

Endnotes

1. Technology, Japan, 41.

2. Research and development, United States, 46.

3. http://www.fortune.com/indexw.jhtml?co_id=498&channel=list.jhtml&list_frag=survey_results.jhtml&list=28&_DARGS=%2Ffragments%2Ffrg_f500snap_list_company_ranking.jhtml_A&_DAV=list.jhtml

4. http://success.yellowbrix.com/pages/success/Story.nsp?story_id=32481552&ID=success

5. Telecommunications, United States, 37.

6. http://www.sbc.com/corporate_citizenship/diversity_in_action/in_the_workplace/0,5931,61,00.html

7. Pharmaceutical, United States, 41.

8. Products and services, Switzerland, 45.

9. http://www.jmission-eu.be/interest/g8comm.html

10. We will pick up on the use of "constructive conflict" throughout this book. Suffice it to say here that when we create new frameworks, we will likely create some constructive conflict as well.

11. http://www.shrmglobal.org/publications/hrworld/leaders.htm#50

12. Healthcare, United States, 33.

13. Pharmaceutical, United States, 41.

14. Technology, Japan, 41.

15. Technology, United States, 36.

16. Products and services, United States, 36.

17. Technology, Finland, 41.

18. B. Kaye, D. Scheef, & D. Thielfoldt. "Engaging the Generations" in Human Resources in the 21st Century. Eds. M. Effron, R. Gandossy, & M. Goldsmith. John Wiley & Sons: New York. 2003

19. Telecommunications, United States, 34.

20. W.G. Bennis & R. J. Thomas. Geeks and Geezers. Harvard Business School Press. Boston. 2002

21. Technology, United States, 45.

22. Technology, United States, 35.

23. Technology, United States, 36.

24. Technology, United States, 45.