Cultural Diversity Case Study

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Cultural Diversity Organizations today have a social and ethical responsibility for managing diversity and ensuring the culture of the company is one that values the employees no matter the background. Workforce diversity consist of similarities and differences among employees in terms of age, cultural background, physical abilities and disabilities, race, religion, sex and sexual orientation. Organizations are focusing on cultural diversity due to globalization (worldwide growth), generational gaps, increased global competition, and due to the increased social and economic fairness and morality. For whatever the reason, organizations who focus on cultural diversity initiatives, are putting themselves in the driver seat for longer-term …show more content…

Leaders must be aware of a person’s cultural differences in order to be effective. Dubrin (2016) stated a cross-cultural leader must be patient, adaptable, flexible, and willing to listen and learn which is known as cultural sensitivity. Great leaders use emotional intelligence when dealing with individuals or groups. Emotional intelligence is the ability to manage your own emotions and the emotions of others. When leaders combine cultural sensitivity with emotional intelligence, you get cultural intelligence. This is the ability for a leader to interpret someone’s unfamiliar gestures in the same way someone from this persons culture would. Reguieg (2014) stated there are four types of cultural intelligence, which include metacognitive, cognitive, motivational, and behavioral. These are all necessary for leader to fully entrench themselves in the culture of another, especially with …show more content…

Cultural sensitivity and cultural intelligence are vital to the success of the leaders as well as the associates of a given organization. Successful organizations have programs that focus on cross-cultural training as well as conflict resolution. Reguieg (2014) also stated that cross-cultural training is the most effective means for increasing the understanding and awareness for individuals who are confronted with cultures outside of their own! Organizations looking to achieve cultural diversity must have the buy-in from the executive level leadership and be willing to hold themselves and others accountable for achieving diversity in the workforce. Recent studies show the organizations are embarking on diversity training for a great number of reasons, but the ability to compete on a global level is the stand out. According to Lockhart (2002), “The ability of organizations to effectively compete in a global economy increasingly depends on their competence in managing their diverse human resources for strategic advantage” (p.1). Diversity and cross-cultural training are necessary initiatives for organizations that want to make a difference on a global scale and back home in diverse

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