How to Manage Cultural Diversity in the Workplace

All people can come together and form a workplace team.

Diversity in the American workplace is a reflection of the diversity in our society. Within the next fifty years, the meaning of the word "minority"--and who is a person from a "minority group"--will be radically different. However, cultural diversity issues go beyond minority status; they speak to accepting and appreciating the differences among all people. Instead of creating a status quo and expecting everyone to fit in, embracing diversity means finding common ground. That way, the individual strengths and weaknesses of everyone can be understood and factored into the building of workplace teams.

Instructions

1. Filter workers in terms of age, race, health status, ethnic background, gender, sexual orientation and religion. Observe the stats on how many are hired versus how many leave from particular categories and look for abnormally high percentages of employees in a given group who are fired or leave voluntarily.

2. Perform exit interviews with members of that group to see if there are any common issues to be addressed. For example, an exodus of Asian-American workers from a creative department could come from job dissatisfaction due to an unspoken bias that all Asians are more technical than artistic and their creative input is undervalued.

3. Assign groups of diverse people to work together on projects, especially projects that span across departments. After the completion of the project, ask each team member to fill out an anonymous evaluation form defining the others' skills and assets, as well as liabilities and weaknesses. Review the forms with an eye to responses based on stereotypes.

4. Watch for patterns in socializing and department staffing that could indicate behaviors based on negative stereotyping.

5. Set up diversity training workshops that touch on the stereotypical beliefs you find manifested through observation, whether based on gender, race, lifestyle or culture or other categories of worker. Dispell stereotypes by creating workplace scenarios that force employees to encounter each other as individuals.

6. Encourage a diverse management staff by looking for latent leadership talent and providing opportunities for it to flourish, such as through leadership of short-term project teams. There may be leadership talent in a minority cultural group whose members do not take the initiative because there is no current example to inspire them or because of assumed rejection.

7. Create mentoring programs that work across cultural lines, based on individual characteristics and skills.

8. Arrange work-related social events that give employees an opportunity to display individual talents or cultural skills. Try a potluck lunch day that features dishes from around the world.

References

• University of California, Berkeley: Guide to Managing Human Resources
• Australian Public Service Commission: Guidelines on Workplace Diversity