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Intercultural CompetenceThought I would share .... the article just touches the surface because the author is reallydescribing cultural protocol realities ... the true learning is raising the cultural competence ofleaders that they have an awareness of the culture that they represent, foster and have abias towards; a recognition of how that culture is different than the one they are in and theirability to adapt and integrate the cultures of others ....15 days ago

The Cobra Was O.K.; The Duck Tongue Not So Much New York TimesCultural delights and minefields characterize business travel for Gary Pomerantz, executivevice president of the international engineering firm WSP Flack & Kurtz.

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Marc Brenman • Kevin, if I understand your correctly, you are making a very good pointthat people need to understand their own culture as well as different ones.

15 days ago

Hamlin Grange • Marc and Kevin...In fact, I would say that the first step in the journeyto becoming more culturally competent is to have a greater understanding of your owncultural world-view.15 days ago

Peter Bye • Thanks for sharing it Kevin. A fascinating article. As you say, it dealsentirely in the visible or objective aspects of culture - foods, interaction protocols,meanings of colors. Perhaps the author explored the deeper subjective and non-visibleaspects of culture that form the basis for the objective aspects he discussed in thearticle - the underlying beliefs and values - although these subjective aspects certainlyare not addressed in the article. As written it seems to focus on a conventional "do /don't" list.

Those deeper aspects are the ones that determine how we see the world and interactwith others. The deeper understanding coming from intercultural expertise is the sourceof creating competitive advantage through diversity and cultural difference.

Hamlin - I share your thought about greater understanding of one's worldview being acritical step. This is one of the truly profound benefits of the Intercultural DevelopmentInventory. It measures a person's or group's worldview or mindset regarding diversityand cultural difference, and provides a basis for further development.15 days ago

Pearl Jones, SPHR • The article is a great illustration of Intent vs Impact. It also makesa serious point in a lighthearted way about the importance of cultural competence foreveryone, but especially for those whose work and travel globally. Taking the time tolearn more about the customs and mores of the people and places to where hetravelled could have prevented some faux pas.15 days ago

Kevin Carter • Marc, Hamlin, Peter and Pearl,

I appreciated your feedback. What struck me was the combination of what we all are

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saying ... while it is important to understand how to behave appropriately in othercultures, intercultural competence is not simply adopting certain protocols, or as Peterstated - a "do / don't list." It is the awareness that each of us, and our correspondingbehavior, represent and create of culture for others that is either accepting or negatingof their culture.

This process not only happens when we travel abroad but also happens right here inthe US when supervisors attempt to coach, correct or improve the performance of theirdirect-reports not realizing that it is the supervisor whose behavior is creating a workclimate, or culture, that is fostering low performance. How many leaders ask themselvesthe question: "what about me (or my behavior) is preventing you from reaching your fullpotential?"11 days ago

Marc Brenman • Thanks, Kevin. I do not entirely agree with this: "it is the supervisorwhose behavior is creating a work climate, or culture, that is fostering low performance."While it is the duty of the supervisor to assign work, make sure that staff have the toolsthey need to do the work, to set expectations, and to evaluate objectively; and theresponsibility of management to ensure a good work culture; my experience is that somestaff are just better at what they do and work harder and more responsibly than others.Staff bear a great deal of responsibility for work culture.11 days ago

Kevin Carter • Hi Marc,

I mostly agree with what you are saying but let me provide an example.

Let's say I am a manager whose strength is "communicating" or "getting to the bottom-line" but I have the habit of over-communicating, or dominantly conversation and gettingto the bottom-line so quickly that I cut off debate, or the introduction of new ideas. I amcreating a work climate for my direct reports that will unconsciously benefit some andunfairly penalize others. I may also be rating some direct reports poorly because they"don't speak up," or "show initiative," even though it is me who is taking initiative out ofthe work culture and discouraging others from speaking up. I believe that everyone islike me - that if they have something to say, they will fight and push to be heard (andthose that don't - are not a good fit).

I would say that that's manager's intercultural competence is low ... they are not awareof the work culture that their behavior is creating. They are not aware of how theirstrengths - in excess - are preventing others from reaching their full potential.11 days ago

Marc Brenman • We've all had to adjust to a supervisor whose style was not the sameas ours. The objective of a workplace is not reaching the full potential of the staff, butgetting the work done well, on time, at a reasonable cost. Some workplaces aren't as"fun" as others. A rating system should be as objective as possible. Feedback should befrequent. A supervisory skill is knowing that some employees do fine work quietly, andsome with more "speaking up." "Speaking up" is sometimes evaluated negatively, forexample, when some minority employees are coded in a discriminatory way as being"uppity." (To bring the conversation back to diversity and inclusion issues.)11 days ago

Kevin Carter • Marc,

I don't necessarily agree with "the objective of a workplace is not reaching the fullpotential of the staff, but getting the work done well, on time, at a reasonable cost." Ibelieve it is both, especially when most companies today are attempting to generatenew products, services and innovations to serve increasingly diverse and global markets.

I also believe our whole conversation has been about diversity, I began with culturaldiversity and transitioned to discussing the diversity of work styles or orientations thatindividuals have and a manager's ability to be adaptive to them (just as a leader wouldwant to be adaptive to cultural differences in another country).

I think you are raising an excellent point regarding why some minority employees wouldnot "speak up." As you suggest, the interculturally competent manager would attempt tocreate a work culture (through their behavior, speech, etc.) that would incorporate thatemployee's ideas, suggestions and recommendations. He would help them reach theirfull potential in the pursuit of business outcomes.11 days ago

Hamlin Grange • Wonderful conversation!

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I truly believe that cultural competence is the "end game"...as it were. Diversity is merely the starting point or floor. I have conducted many sessions with managers and eyes glaze over whenever "culturalcompetence" is mentioned. And I cannot always blame them. I believe it is vital for usas diversity and inclusion professionals to give real-life examples, as each of you hasdone, to illustrate what cultural competence means and the role managers/supervisorsplay in this. It is not just about "those people", it is about "all of us people."11 days ago

Neal Goodman • All of our programs are about cultural competence and the first step isto understand youself, your own culture and cultural assumptions and biases. Only thencan you focus on the "other" culture and its assumptions etc.

Neal10 days ago

Kevin Carter • Thank you, Hamlin and Neal (and everyone) for your thoughts!

Neal, from your work, can you highlight an example where managers who do notunderstand themselves, their culture and their cultural assumptions and biases pre-judge the performance of others? As Hamlin mentioned, manager's "eye glaze overwhenever 'cultural competence' is mentioned."

Also, how do they begin the journey to self-awareness.

Thanks.10 days ago

Marc Brenman • Although I admire and respect Hamlin greatly, it has not been myexperience that managers' eyes glaze over when cultural competence is mentioned. Inregard to "where managers who do not understand themselves, their culture and theircultural assumptions and biases pre-judge the performance of others," the last, culturalassumptions, can shade over into discrimination. And cultural assumptions flow bothways. As a white Jewish male, I ofter encounter professional situations in my business,social justice, in which people belonging to or self-identifying with other groups can'tfigure out what I'm doing in their affairs, as if they had a monopoly on dealing withcertain kinds of equity issues. There are often more commonalities than appear on thesurface. For example, I recently read an article about Israeli and Palestinian high techworkers contracting for work, and finding that they share cultural similarities that makeworking together easy. One example given was the alleged preference of both groups tospeak openly and vociferously about concerns.10 days ago

Neal Goodman • Kevin, People come to our seminars, coaching etc. knowing that they want to develop theirCultural Intelligence so there is no need to make the case for it. An example would bean American Executive who is being assigned to take over as President of a Japanesesubsidiary of his Ameican company. He had to do a very deep dive into what it meansto be an American, and an American leader, before he could be open to an alternativeleadership stlye that made him succesful in Japan. He admited that when he got toJapan everything seemed stupid but he understood that there was a rationale he had tolearn and he did.There are thousands of other examples bot domestic and global.10 days ago

Kevin Carter • Thank you, Neal!

Marc, I tend to experience what Hamlin is describing when I initially speak withmanagers: a) having a self-awareness regarding one's own biases is somehowembedded in simply being a good manager and doesn't need be addressed separately;b) discussing commonalities is more important than discussing differences in gettingwork accomplished or c) it's my job as a manager to set the priorities and parametersfor what work is done and how it is accomplished and my direct reports role to completethose priorities and fit within those parameters.

As you suggest, however, no group or individual has a hold or lock on interculturalcompetence. And individuals should be open to see and experience the commonalitiesthat they have with others. For example, as an African American male, I may have morein common with a majority male than another African American male. It would dependon what has defined my identity and culture. It would also not lessen the possibility,however, that another African American male and I would also uniquely share andidentify with impact of race in the US.

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Really excellent discussion!10 days ago

Melissa Patrick • This is a fascinating conversation. I find it fascinating because therehas been no mention of how power, privilege, and oppression play into interpersonalcommunication across human differences. I define differences as: cultural; racial;gender; class; etc. Managers/supervisors by virtue of their position have a power orauthority that will have an effect on their direct report’s behavior. All over the world, menand women have been socialized in different ways (as is exemplified in the article), andthis creates a communication dynamic involving privilege and power. Finally, if youconsider heterosexism, certainly straight people have the advantage of not having toorchestrate a “coming out” because we have the privilege of belonging to themainstream, dominant social group. My point is that group membership matters. Kevin,you say it so well, that you may relate to other African American men because youbelong to the same racial group and therefore have some shared experiencespertaining to race and racism. You can also relate to men who are not Black becauseyou belong to the same gender group.

Marc, as a White Jewish male, you mention the misperceptions or confusion that otherpeople have of you because of who you are and what you do. I wonder why yourservice as an ally/activist in social justice efforts is misunderstood. I agree with yoursentiment Marc, and I suspect we are not alone, that as humans we have much more incommon than we realize. I also believe that we can not underestimate the influence thatour group experiences have on 1) our life experiences 2) how we interact with othersand nature, and 3) our worldviews, beliefs, and values.

Hamlin and Neal, I also agree that before we can understand others, we need to gain adeeper understanding of our own identity. I have had participants in workshops I delivercome to the realization that absolute behavioral objectivity is not possible, and yet if weare aware of how our own privilege and internalized oppression (social locations)influences our interactions and impacts others, we can do a much better job at beingcompetent communicators across lines of difference. Or as Pearl, pointed out, we will beless likely to commit those faux pas that insult, offend, and shame others.10 days ago

Marc Brenman • Hi Melissa, I was probably not sufficiently clear. It is not my "serviceas an ally/activist in social justice efforts" that is misunderstood (usually). It is sometimesmy physical presence in the business, especially when people are dealing with firstimpressions. For example, the chair of a commission I worked for as executive directorsaid very early in our relationship, "You're just a plain old white guy." (Luckily herpredecessor had hired me!) On the other hand, after the recent passage of the repeal inthe Senate of Don't Ask Don't Tell, a couple of prominent LGBT activists told me theyappreciated my service as an ally. So this argues for reserving judgment and getting toknow the other person. We're all sometimes guilty of mistakes. After many years in thisbusiness, I still make them. And, according to the theories of Unconscious Bias (borneout in hundreds of thousands of tests) we are all guilty of prejudice and stereotyping. Isthis due to socialization? It appears not, from the very wide variety of people from manyplaces who show implicit bias. But we can to some extent control our behaviors as theyhave an effect on other people.10 days ago

Kevin Carter • Hi Melisa, Hi Marc,

Melisa, I am blown-away by your statement "absolute behavioral objectivity is notpossible." That statement nails it! If managers just believed and acted like "absolutebehavioral objectivity is not possible," they would view their behaviors with a skepticismthat would allow room for direct reports to insert what drives and motivates them. Theywould also be open to the possibility that they may unconsciously favor some and notothers. There was so much in your comments that was outstanding ... the phrase"absolute behavioral objectivity is not possible" just snatched me. Thank you!10 days ago

Neal Goodman • Marc, if not socialization then what? We are all a result of oursocialization (our cultural DNA) and our biological DNA. While the biological does havean impact it is through socialization that we learn how and what to judge positively ornegatively and it teaches us about power as well. Even "The Authoritarian Personality"was based on diffrences in socialization.

Kevin and others. There appears to be a wide dicrepency in the meaning of Cultural Competence. Powerexists in all cultures but how it is done differs by culture. Within cultures power is one ofthe most important aspects of Diversity but not the only one. If introduced properly,power can be an important learning tool.

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Kevin Carter • Hi Neal,

My definition of "intercultural competence" is the capability to accurately understand andadapt behavior to cultural difference and commonality. I define culture as the norms andexpected behaviors of a group, or a learned and complex set of instructions on how onerelates to the world.

My experience comes from some travel and work outside of the US and from providingIDI profile reports http://www.idiinventory.com/pdf/idi_sample.pdf. Unlike many of thepeople taking part in this discussion, I have not lived outside the US for an extendedperiod of time so I find the discussion an excellent opportunity to learn and growprofessionally and intellectually.

In terms of Power, are you meaning someone's preference for hierarchy or equity that isdifferent in different cultures? I think Melisa is also referencing that "gender equity" hasa very different meaning in different cultures. Combined together, is it possible that USmajority males expect to be in the power position visa via women or minorities? I amsure it depends on other aspects of a person's personality. What is the learning here forthe management of people within a corporate setting?9 days ago

Neal Goodman • Kevin. There is much complexity here. First, I must admit (as a socialpsychologist) that I find the IDI to not be the best approach to deal with this, though Iunderstand why people see it as a solution. The field of intercultural relations and thefield of diversity are not the same, yet there is much overlap. Many Diversity specialistshave recently "found" cultural competence but they have little grounding in the field ofintercultural relations so they jump to simple solutions. Likewise there are few in theintecultural field who really understand diversity and inclusion and the importance ofpower that this entails. What it means for managers in a corporate setting is that theyneed to build their cultural competence to work effectively with people from othernational cultural backgrounds and they need to develop D&I skills to be able to see anddeal with the hidden biases, power differentials etc. so that their interactions within theworkplace, markets etc. are as inclusive as possible. After 47 years doning this andtraining hundreds of thousands of corporate managers and leaders I am always learningsomething new and surprised by how much there is still to learn. I have several relatedarticles on our website under resources if you are interested. www.global-dynamics.com9 days ago • Reply privately • Flag as inappropriate

Neal Goodman • Kevin and others. Sorry the correct link to the articles ishttp://www.global-dynamics.com/news/gdi-in-the-media I am also sending a link to arecent artice on Global Diversity which is very critical and which few organization areapproching effectively. http://www.global-dynamics.com/news/gdi-in-the-media#diversity_exec Good luck. Neal9 days ago

Marc Brenman • Hi Neal; in regard to your question, "if not socialization then what?" Itake your question to be in the context of implicit or unconscious bias. I'm not a wildenthusiast for this theory, though as the test results accumulate, I'm coming around...Ithink the originators might say that the human mind and consciousness operate at adeep level that goes beyond socialization, which is more on the surface and operatesfor one generation only. Our brains are the result of millions of years of evolution andsurvival. Even under the best of circumstances, neuroplasticity (the ability of the brain to"rewire" itself) works only for one generation. For example, even people raised in homesin which there is tolerance and acceptance for others, including an accepting religiousbelief structure, will still show results of prejudice and discrimination on the implicit biastests. Even African-Americans will show prejudice against other African-Americans. (Iacknowledge that some would say that this is due to imposed societal self-hate.) Somepsychiatrists say that "insight never cured anything other than ignorance." If this is true(if somewhat exaggerated) then intercultural education only reaches the surfacemanifestations.9 days ago

Kevin Carter • Hi Neal,

Thank you. I will visit www.global-dynamics.com (http://www.global-dynamics.com/news/gdi-in-the-media) and read http://www.global-dynamics.com/news/gdi-in-the-media#diversity_exec.

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I am not sure that D&I professionals are jumping to simple solutions as much asattempting to learn models or processes that will assist them to learn, grow and be moreeffective in the intercultural competence and intercultural relations fields. Models orprocesses like IDI, or Cultural Navigator, etc. are probably a jumping off point for furthergrowth for many.

What would you say are the key tenets of intercultural relations that are different thanD&I and visa-versa?

I will review the material on your website, as well, thank you for sharing it.

Kevin9 days ago

Marc Brenman • Thanks, Neal, I always enjoy your articles and insights. I share yourconcern with the IDI and most other test and questionnaire-oriented instruments.Though I thought the example Kevin supplied was interesting. In regard to yourdiscussion of the difference between intercultural relations and diversity, I agree,particularly with this: "they need to develop D&I skills to be able to see and deal with thehidden biases, power differentials etc." As I have tried to point out elsewhere, D+I arebuilt on a foundation of nondiscrimination, equity, civil rights laws, and redress systems.Intercultural relations has no such foundation, legitimately so, because it usually crossesnational borders. As in your own valuable and long background, it is based on socialpsychology and not law. Efforts in international human rights law, especially in Europe,try to overcome this gap. And as shown in Europe, the two are often not a good fit.Merkel disses Turkish-Germans for failing to assimilate, France and Italy cast out Roma,Switzerland bans minarets on mosques, Belgium bans veils, the UK indulges in castediscrimination, etc.9 days ago

Neal Goodman • Marc, Very insightful comments. Europeans typically approach thesissues politically while Americans deal with thes issues legalistically. This is due to ourdifferent histories and what it means to be a citizen.9 days ago

Hamlin Grange • This is indeed a wonderful discussion to ring in the New Year!. Andyes Neal, there appears to be a wide discrepancy in the meaning of culturalcompetence...ranging from the academic (which creates that "glazed" look I sometimessee in the faces of participants in training sessions) to the theoretical (that has notangible meaning for folks on "the shop floor.") Of course being culturally competent is more than just being able to enjoy Jamaican jerkchicken or knowing when to/or not extend your hand for a handshake. A member of our group shared this definition sometime ago: "Cultural competence is theindividual and organizational ability to have and utilize policies, appropriately trained andskilled employees and specialized resources, to systematically anticipate, recognize andrespond to the varying expectations of clients, customers, and co-workers of diversebackgrounds." I like this definition because it encompasses D&I principles as well asissues of Power and Privilege. Unfortunately, separate camps have emerged: Those in the D&I Camp and those in theAnti-Oppression Camp. Those in the later believe that for an anti-oppression, anti-racism approach must be taken in order for progress to be made. Those in the former(where I reside) believe that D&I offers a large enough tent where issues of power andprivilege, racism and oppression can be addressed without excluding others. I havebeen present at a conference where both sides clashed, and it wasn't pretty.

Being a culturally competent individual (organization, etc) requires awareness,knowledge, skills and an open attitude towards difference. It should be the goal alongthe journey we are all on and the one that we accompany our clients. Diversity andInclusion is the floor, Cultural Competence is the ceiling.9 days ago

Neal Goodman • Hamlin, I am on the same page with you. We should be able to bringD&I and Intercultural Competence together. Neal

9 days ago

Kevin Carter • Hamlin,

I like these statements: "D&I offers a large enough tent where issues of power andprivilege, racism and oppression can be addressed without excluding others" and"Diversity and Inclusion is the floor, Cultural Competence is the ceiling." I would be on

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this page as well.

Our challenge is that many managers would not accept the premise or businessramifications of this philosophy. Our gift is to meet them where they are along thisjourney and connect our efforts to business outcomes.9 days ago

Hamlin Grange • Kevin...it is indeed a challenge. However, if there was a frameworkthat encompasses these important concepts (which are really attributes of a productiveorganization or team) then managers and others would be more open. I have beenfortunate to have been able to develop such a framework but it requires creativity and,as my friend Billy Vaughn at DTUI says, a willingness to "lean into discomforts."

Which in a way brings us back to what started this discussion in the first place: the NYTimes article "The Cobra was OK, the Duck Tongue Not So Much" by Gary Pomerantz.

Now he says he makes "a point of reading as much as I can about local culture to gaina better understanding of customs." This is part of leaning into our discomforts becauseit is in the leaning in where the real learning begins. Thanks for starting this conversation Kevin. I learned a few new things.

I wish each and everyone of you the very best of the Season.9 days ago

Kevin Carter • Thanks, Hamlin,

If you feel comfortable, please share (or direct us to a link) and discuss your framework.

Very best of the Season to everyone, as well!9 days ago

Hamlin Grange • The framework is called the Six Cylinders. More info on our website atwww.diversipro.com. In practice, each Cylinder has Key Performance Indicators that must be implemented inorder to activate the cylinders.9 days ago

Peter Bye • I approach this overall topic of intercultural competence (or, as I usuallyrefer to it intercultural expertise) from the perspective of Hammer's InterculturalDevelopment Continuum (IDC). More on IDC:

http://www.mdbgroup.com/intercultural_development.htm

We each are somewhere on IDC and think we are further along. Almost all of us over-estimate our level of intercultural expertise, no matter where we are on the continuum.

IDC is five successive worldviews of how a person tends to experience, think and feelabout, and react to diversity and cultural difference. Briefly, from our website: # Denial. Being comfortable with the familiar. Not anxious to complicate life with “culturaldifferences”. Not noticing much cultural difference around you. Maintaining separationfrom others who are different.

# Polarization: Defense. A strong commitment to one’s own thoughts and feelings aboutculture and cultural difference. Aware of other cultures, but with a relatively incompleteunderstanding of them and probably fairly strong negative feelings or stereotypes aboutsome of them. May lead to some distrust of, and a tendency to be judgmental about,cultural behavior or ideas that differ from one’s own.

Polarization: Reversal is the opposite of Defense. The person feels that some otherculture is better and tends to exhibit distrust of, and be judgmental of, their own culture. # Minimization. Aware that other cultures exist all around you, with some knowledgeabout differences in customs and celebrations. Not putting others down. People fromother cultures are pretty much like you, under the surface. Treating other people as youwant to be treated. A tendency to assume you understand the situation the same as aperson from another culture. Two-thirds of ANY large population will be somewhere inthis stage.

# Acceptance. Aware of your own culture(s). See your own culture as just one of manyways of experiencing the world. Understanding that people from other cultures are ascomplex as yourself. Their ideas, feelings, and behavior may seem unusual, but yourealize that their experience is just as rich as your own. Being curious about othercultures. Seeking opportunities to learn more about them.

# Adaptation. Recognizing the value of having more than one cultural perspective

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available to you. Able to “take the perspective” of another culture to understand orevaluate situations in either your own or another culture. Able to intentionally changeyour culturally based behavior to act in culturally appropriate ways outside your ownculture.

Development must consider one's current place on IDC. E.g. Consider someone atPolarization with a "us and them" judgmental mindset. A person at this stage must firstbecome comfortable that we all have a lot in common before delving into the deepernature and effects of the ways in which we differ. First getting to the ethnocentricGolden Rule is developmental progress. Confronting a person at this stage withdifference, power, privilege, and racism will be counter-productive. This only becomesproductive at Acceptance.

I use the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI), a psychometric instrument thatmeasures where an individual or group is on IDC and where they think they are. Thisenables stage-appropriate individual coaching and/or group development. More on IDI:

http://www.mdbgroup.com/idi_background.htm

Hamlin Grange made the outstanding point that we need to make the learning relevantwith real-world examples. The importance of this cannot be over-stated. I don't eventalk about intercultural competence / expertise at first. It tends to be extremely engagingand effective to let people experience the effect of different mindsets regarding diversityand cultural difference on business / real world situations. Then the eye glaze stops andpeople tend to want to learn more.9 days ago

Kevin Carter • Thanks, Hamlin,

The Six Cylinderss approach (http://www.diversipro.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=77) appears to be an overall framework to conductD&I organizational analysis somewhat like Ed Hubbard's Diversity 9-S audit framework(http://www.hubbardnhubbardinc.com/diversity_9-s_audit.htm). These frameworks are agood place to start in terms of organizational D&I analysis. I couldn't find the piece,however, regarding intercultural competence.

I have used Hubbard's framework, the APQC Measurement Alignment Worksheet(http://www.apqc.org/knowledge-base/download/37279/a%3A1%3A%7Bi%3A1%3Bs%3A1%3A%222%22%3B%7D/inline.pdf?destination=node/37279) and a slightly modified version of Peter Bye's Business-Aligned® diversity and inclusion framework(http://www.mdbgroup.com/business_aligned_diversity_planning.htm).

Thanks, Peter for providing the overview of the IDC I / IDI model.

Marc and Neal, what do you view as the strengths and weaknesses of the IDC / IDIapproach since you have concerns about IDI and most other test and questionnaire-oriented instruments. If a manager is interested in beginning the journey to improve theirlevel of intercultural competence in order to create more productive personal andbusiness relationships, how do they begin?8 days ago

Neal Goodman • Kevin, Great question and discussion. You begin by finding out what the organizational need is. Is it D&I, Cross-CulturalCompetency, OD or other. Some of the instruments mentioned can be helpful once youhave conducted your objective analysis of the situation. Only then can you find theappropriate tools/solutions. Too many have "invested" in processes such as the IDI andsee this as the only tool in their toolkit and then try to convince their clients of itsappropriateness to solve their perceived issue. (I will move your people from point A topoint B, C& D). To a carpenter, all I need is a nail and hammer (no pun intended).Thisis very unfortunate as it limits our thinking and potential solutions. I would also like toadd that conceptually, the IDI is based on the ideas of Milton Bennett who of coursebased it on the theories of others. We need to listen very carefully and inclusively beforesettling on a possible solution. There are no quick fixes. I have seen significant changeand improvements based on self-reported applications of our training/coaching etc. butno two solutions are ever the same. Neal8 days ago

Marc Brenman • I agree with Neal that "You begin by finding out what theorganizational need is." One also looks at the mission of the organization. Not the phonymission statements like hamburger companies saying they're serving the public, but realmission statements like "Sell lots of hamburgers and make lots of money for theshareholders." From a globalized marketing perspective, this kind of real missionstatement can lead to a realization that intercultural learning and knowledge are useful.This is the horizon scan, and looking over the horizon, which is part of strategicplanning. For example, "Well, maybe we can't sell lots of hamburgers in China, but what

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else can we sell that Chinese will buy and eat?" Or "Guess we have to serve wine withthose hamburgers at our stores in France." One can do organizational diagnosis: "Howwell prepared are we to meet and fulfill those global needs?" This I think is where theinstruments can come in-- to evaluate each manager to ascertain whether or not she isable to carry out the task successfully. But we also know that some managers aresimply better at these diverse, intercultural, global tasks than others. Effectiveness isdetermined by results, and if a given manager is producing results, what the heck doesit matter whether she fills out an instrument or not? I can imagine, however, that in asituation where large numbers of less-experienced managers are thrown into the fray inan intensely intercultural situation, such as young US military officers in Afghanistan, itmight be useful to kickstart their learning by evaluating where they are on a scale ofintercultural understanding and ability. Maybe Neal can tell us whether his programshave ever been used by the military. I've approached the problem from the diversity andcounter-insurgency side, with a curriculum for the military; and from the conflictresolution side, with a program for culturally appropriate alternative dispute resolution.Neither uses an IDI-type instrument, but maybe the former should. I'm open to thinkingabout it, and maybe Neal can provide some thoughts on the subject.8 days ago

Kevin Carter • Thanks, Neal and Marc

I would agree with this approach:

Step 1: organization analysis (and there many tools / frameworks out there that cancomplete this process) that arrives at a clarity of the organization's business goals andhow changes in the workforce or work environment could accelerate the attainment ofthese goals

Step 2: identification and introduction of the tool, project, training, education etc. that willfoster these changes, along with confirmation of the success metric (both direct - suchas project completion, education rating, etc and in-direct such as increased sales, newproducts or services, cost savings, etc.)

Step 3: implementation and progress monitoring of intervention

Step 4: close out intervention (or stage of intervention) and report results

Step 5: incorporate intervention within existing processes to foster continuousimprovement

As you suggest, within such a methodology, I would not rule-in, or rule-out IDI, or anyother tool, I would just want to be sure I was utilizing the right tool for the right situationto assist my client achieve their organizational goals.

Other thoughts, anyone?8 days ago

Orietta E. Ramirez • Amazing discussion and lots of food for thought and insightprovided by the members ... so where to begin and how to contribute? I have to say thathaving read everyone's comments, provided by personal as well as professionalexperineces, and not yet having read the article, the phrase "until you have walked amile in my shoes" came to mind.

Post-article reading, I would begin with what I believe is our goal and the theme of thearticle - cultural diversity - which I understand to be defined as a peaceful coexistence ofmultiple cultures or societies in an organization (e.g. workplace or university.) A culturecan be based on ethnicity (Hispanic, Asian, etc.), gender (male, female), age, sexualorientation or religion. Cultural diversity is also referred to as multiculturalism. Two of thekey aspects of cultural diversity are coexistence without conflict and exchange of ideas.

Now to the real world, as the author identified via his colorful yet real-world examples,there are issues that arise when striving for a diverse work culture, such as (butcertainly not limited to) 1) failure to respect others; 2) competition rather than teamwork;and 3) failure to utilize differences.

The benefits of a diverse work culture, when managed properly, creates greaterinnovation, or sharing of ideas, problem solving through different viewpoints, and bettercompany performance through people bringing differences together for the good of thecompany. Customers, clients and investors are drawn to companies that have diversifiedon both primary and secondary levels. A diverse workforce can be a hard working andhighly competitive workforce, one with the potential to reach clients and potentialinvestors in ways that a non-diverse workforce cannot.

Thus, diversity brings to the table, so to speak, creativity, increased adaptability,broadens one's perspective thus allowing for flexibility, varied language skills which canexpand the business market presence which provides cross-cultural understanding, andultmately the respect and ability to work with, rather against, our differences. The authorlearned these lessons, albeit the hard way (lack of proper and prior preparation andresearch about the countries he was now navigating). The fact that not knowing and

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understanding another person's culture could have ultimately cost him the account onlygoes to support, that knowledge is power and taking the time to ask the questions andhave discussions, such as these, will only set the right (personal and business)foundation going forward..8 days ago

Kevin Carter • Oriette,

Welcome to the conversation and thank you for your comments. I agree that culturaldiversity is an exchange of ideas that fosters increased adaptability and flexibility withinan organization. Is it also described by "coexistence without conflict," or the successfulmanagement or leveraging of conflict (inherent when different people come together) forpositive outcomes?4 days ago

Pamela Tudor • I echo all of you who have noted this is an excellent discussion. Itseems that to begin the journey of becoming culturally competent many corporatemanagers start by learning the visible, tangible behaviors of other cultures, such asthose described in the article and by Neal. But then we get to the deeper stuff of cultural competence, i.e. developing anexplorative, open-minded mindset, becoming more aware of one's own cultural biases,and the deeper dive into "what am I contributing to my team's success or failure?"through my cultural behavior and assumptions. How many corporate managers/leadersare willing to take that journey? Is that why the eyes start glazing over, as Hamlinnoted?

My guess is that corporate leaders stretch over the normal bell curve in willingness tolook at their own intercultural competence, and make it a priority for their organizations.The good news is that those who are willing will probably pave the wave for their firm'sgreater success in the marketplace and the workplace.

And what can we do to help stop the eye/mind glazing? The term cultural competenceitself is fairly clunky and academic, but people will get used to it, if we keep usingstories to illustrate what we mean. And keep making the links with good managementbehaviors in the 21st century, where cultural competence is a necessary skill forcompetitive advantage and success. Whenever I go to my local Apple store, I see magnificent cultural competence. Theplace is always buzzing with energy and good vibes. The staff is culturally varied:young, old, black, white, latino, asian, and physically challenged. Everyone is welcomedand the climate is inviting. Steve Jobs, this middle-aged white man figured out how tocreate an enormously successful, multicultural, corporate environment. I speculate thathis un-stereotypical background helped to create his explorative mind-set. But who everknows what is it that creates a willingness to be open?3 days ago

Marc Brenman • Pamela, in regard to "Steve Jobs, this middle-aged white man figuredout how to create an enormously successful, multicultural, corporate environment," JohnWilliam Templeton, who is a member of some of these LinkedIn diversity groups, hasdone studies of minority employment (particularly among African-Americans) in SiliconValley, and found very disappointing results.3 days ago

Peter Bye • Pamela - you touch on an important point for those of us seeking to effectchange in organizations with your point, "How many corporate managers/leaders arewilling to take that journey? Is that why the eyes start glazing over, as Hamlin noted?"

You also mention, "And what can we do to help stop the eye/mind glazing? The termcultural competence itself is fairly clunky and academic..."

My experience is very much aligned with this. CEOs and line managers tend to careabout, worry about, and really get engaged in things that grow their organization. In afor-profit corporation this is sales, market share, brand, operating expenses, growth. Soit is incumbent upon us to speak their language and show how what we espouse directlyhelps them achieve what is important to them. When we start there and work our waytowards intercultural competence or, as I prefer to call it intercultural expertise, it canwork. When we start with intercultural competence, the business relevance is unclear,the eyes glaze over and it does not work. It isn't because the leaders are "bad" in anyway - it is OUR issue for having addressed their needs improperly and ineffectively. It isone manifestation of our own gaps in intercultural expertise - not being able to adapt tothe world as seen by our clients.

A recent experience highlights this. A client urged me to start an executive session withtheir data. An exercise that actually has the participants see the effects of differingmindsets on THEIR business outcomes was deferred until about 2 - 3 hours into theprogram. This addressed one need - for the executives to see their data and inputs -

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but delayed another need - seeing the tangible business value. So they started checkingout. Luckily, they were not 'out the door' by the time they did the exercise. Oneparticipant comment after the exercise was telling - 'this would have been a good icebreaker'.

Marc- your point about Silicon Valley representation is well established, yes. It can beseen in the EEOC EEO-1 data. It is more a computer and technology industry issuethan Silicon Valley specifically. But is also seems an unrelated point to this thread.There does not seem to be a relationship between technology industry diversity and thedegree of intercultural expertise of Steve Jobs as an individual.3 days ago

Marc Brenman • Hi Peter, I disagree with your comment, "an unrelated point to thisthread." But perhaps we just emphasized Pamela's comment differently. I emphasizedthe "corporate environment" part. And Apple is certainly one of the Big Dogs of SiliconValley and the IT industry. I will bet that even though Pamela sees a pretty multi-cultigroup of employees in the Apple stores, the good corporate jobs are almost entirelyAnglo, Asian-American, and South Asian. But let's say as a thought experiment that thatisn't true, that Jobs is a paragon of intercultural competence, diversity, and inclusion onthe corporate level. Do we put all our eggs in the individual enlightenment basket, or dowe seek a corporate culture of these virtues?3 days ago

Pamela Tudor • Peter, I very much like the term intercultural expertise, and how you emphasize that it's not thatthe leaders are "bad". Rather we all need more exposure and education, on both 'sidesof the aisle'.

Marc, I figure we can always learn from the "enlightened" (as you put it) individuals, andsee what is generalizable, rather than only see the down side of what firms/leaders arenot doing. That we all know, only too well.

I used the Apple Store as a story, and don't want to get too hung up on Steve Jobs'exceptional leadership style, other than how it contains something instructive for otherorgs as well. I spoke of the bell curve, and Steve is probably on the far, positive end. He wentthrough a pretty tough personal journey himself, and perhaps that leavened hissensitivity/self awareness. Of course we're not putting all our eggs in one basket, butrather, 1. acknowledging the breakthroughs that are possible, 2. seeing what we canlearn from them and what can be applied elsewhere. I doubt if anyone in this discussiongroup doesn't seek a corp culture of these virtues but it's an educational process, andthat means we often learn and teach from the leaders, not the laggards. That means alot of learning for ourselves as well. We're all in this mix; the more equanimity andacceptance we can actually live, the more we open the door for others, of all stripes. Ifor one have become a big fan of Tara Brach, a buddhist psychologist who wrote"Radical Acceptance". There's always something more to learn, n'est ce pas?3 days ago

Marc Brenman • I don't know that much about Jobs' intercultural expertise, but fromwhat I've read and heard, he's a pretty quirky and unique leader. We should be clearthat success in developing new electronic products that people will buy is not the sameas meeting the goals of intercultural expertise. Though I suppose one could say thatApple's products transcend culture. This does sometimes happen, as for example, in thefact that African-Americans use Twitter more than other demographic groups. As to this,"the more equanimity and acceptance we can actually live, the more we open the doorfor others," I'm not sure at all how it fits in with intercultural progress. If we have a lot ofequanimity and acceptance, the status quo doesn't bother us. On the one end, the UScivil rights leaders had little equanimity (see Martin Luther King's Letter from BirminghamJail, for example), and at the other, Buddhist priests in Japan generally supported theJapanese government's war effort in World War II and before. Today, I would give theDalai Lama as an example of an executive whose equanimity does indeed open thedoor to others.3 days ago

Jean Richardson • As a relatively new Diversity champion working for a UK company Ihave been driving the diversity agenda in my department. Most recently I conducted aseries of focus groups targeting Harassment & Bullying across the organisation by gradeto a senior level. The interesting summary is that each group mentioned the lack ofcultural awareness and misuse of power amongst many other concerns. The 'Managers'were mirrorring the top level management behaviours - and when this was seen asagressive, dominant and without due consideration to anything but deliverables it wasdeemed acceptable behaviour! Thus similar behaviours fillted down through theorganisation.

Misuse of power was not gender specific, more aligned to role/grade/people

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management experience. The view was that Cultural awareness is a term used but notbought into by the leadership team. Although as mentioned previously, everyone thinksabout understanding the culture of a country they visit but not of the people they workwith!

My challenge going forward is to embedd a 'business as usual' consideration fordiversity/cultural awareness or as you put it Kevin 'Intercultural competence'.

Any thoughts on an approach would be gratefully received.2 days ago

Hamlin Grange • Jean, congratulations on your new role. I have experienced a similar scenario in an IT firm where lower-level managers (andeven front line employees) were "modeling" the bad behaviours of senior managers.They simply saw this as being part of the culture of the organization. Not surprising,shortly after I commenced training sessions, a number of harassment complaints werefiled against managers. These were long-simmering complaints - in one case theemployee had put up with it for nearly 10 years - that workers finally felt they couldbring the complaints forward. Of course, this is not uncommon.

I would suggest a good starting point is to give everyone a clear understanding anddefinition of "culture." It is not merely linguistic or ethnicity...there are many "cultures"inside and outside organizations. As you know, culture is really a system of values,beliefs, attitudes, traditions, and standards of behavior that govern the organization ofpeople into social groups and regulate both individual and group behaviour.

Once managers understand that being culturally competent will make their units and/orteams (and they) more productive, then embedding this thinking into business processeswill be much easier.

However, it appears, at least in your situation, a lot of people will have to do a lot ofleaning into their discomforts in order to move forward.2 days ago

Kevin Carter • Hi Jean,

Great comments. Here is a quick guide (others can add their thoughts).

I think the core understanding that a manager should have is:

*. First, the manager should be open to the possibility that unconsciously andconsciously his, or her behavior will create a work climate for (or have an impact on)their direct reports that may be different than their intention (or in alignment with thevalues of the organization)

*. Second, the manager should be open to the possibility that some of their behavior(and judgments) may be part of cultural norms (possibly) based on their lifeexperiences, nation of origin, race, gender, etc. (A manager understanding Hofstede'sfive Cultural Dimensions is a great place to start)

*. Third, to address this possible bias, a manager should be clear about their intentions,say the words: "I intend, I want, to help." "I desire for us to communicate better." "Mygoal is for our team to be more collaborative." It is important that a Manager does notassume a direct report understands a manager's intentions.

*. Fourth, using the examples above, the Manager should ask the direct report: "whatdoes help, better communication and collaboration" mean, look like and feel like to you?By asking these questions, the Manager is learning what behavior (from the directreport's perspective) will align with the Manager's intention (or goal)

*. Fifth, the Manager should be open to adapting their style, or work orientation to exhibitthat behavior. For example, "help" may look like providing resources to one direct report,providing one-on-one guidance to a second direct report and simply asking questions fora third direct reports. This ability is the adaptive/integrative cultural competence, fluencyor expertise that Peter and many others have mentioned during the discussion.

Hope this helps. I have some training that I have done that we can talk through if youlike.

Good fortunes!

Kevin2 days ago

Peter Bye • To build upon Hamlin's and Kevin's remarks: I would start by addressingtwo key aspects of the situation:

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* Get clear why this is important to the CEO and senior leadership team. What are theirkey business objectives, what changes are needed in the workplace to achieve them,and how if at all does inclusion and intercultural expertise play a role in realizing thosechanges. This is what we call Business-Aligned® D&I planning. See a brief overviewhere:

http://www.mdbgroup.com/business_aligned_diversity_planning.htm

* Measure where the leadership team is in terms of their intercultural expertise. See mycomments above regarding this.

With this you can start designing development that makes clear to managers thebusiness relevance of intercultural expertise and then move into the types ofdevelopment Hamlin and Kevin mention.2 days ago

Kevin Carter • Jean,

Building on Hamlin's comments and my first point above:

Because the Manager is the person in authority, direct report will assume his, or herstyle, behavior, opinion is the norm to be successful within the organization (re-enforcingthat work climate) and the direct report may respond by shielding thoughts, opinions,and work styles that they assume are different (lowering team creativity, innovation andengagement) than the expected norm (or just decide to be less engaged, or leave theorganization).

I believe your example was evidence of this possible occurrence.

Thanks, Peter. I would agree with your comments and recommendation. Getting clearregarding the alignment of intercultural competence to business goals would be evenbefore my first step above.

Kevin2 days ago

Marc Brenman • Kevin's points, and many other points above, are well-taken. Iespecially like Kevin's points about "shielding thoughts, opinions, and work styles thatthey assume are different." Lack of transparency, trust, and fairness often leads tocomplaints of discrimination. Such complaints, whether borne out by investigation, areindicators of problems of perception in the organization. Good organizational cultureaddresses these issues, or at least contains avenues and venues to address them,without repercussions for those who raise the issues. As management and quality guruDeming said, "First, drive out fear."2 days ago

Kevin Carter • Hi Marc,

This statement: "lack of transparency, trust, and fairness often leads to complaints ofdiscrimination" I find to be so true.

In the field of D&I, most organizations fear transparency, particularly as it relates toanalyzing people data. This attitude is not a good foundation to establish a D&I programaligned to business objectives, addressing misalignments in people processes orfostering inclusion.

With "fear" and "lack of transparency," an organization tends to adopt a set of D&I bestpractices that may be inappropriate, or even, detrimental.2 days ago

Orietta E. Ramirez • Marc, you and the other members above, touch on a veryimportant issue/topic that needs a bit more clarity. Whose fear are we driving out, themanagers, the cultural organizational environment, or the individual employee?

From my perspective, we need to understand ourselves first in order to better representand service our firm/clients/business. We must thus begin from a more objective, versussubjective, perception (who we are and where we come from). Therefore, as managersand senior executives, our approach ought to be less defensive, particularly at the initialinteractions with our team, for we may be projecting (knowingly or not) our own (biased)beliefs, experiences and expectations to a process/project. I do not usually begin with, Iam a Hispanic woman (putting labels on ourselves) which can set a less productive andreceptive tone to the project/matter at hand. With that being said, however, the issuesand what lacks in a firm/manager's environment, can, and most often is, a result of alack of cultural knowledge and the unwillingness (call it egocentric) to learn from it. Thisis when we need to step up and raise the subject as diversity representatives, not with

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an "in your face" nor apologetic tone. I prefer applying hypothetical scenarios whichdiffuse the personal aspect and provide a less intrusive yet stimulating tactic ... the"what if you had" or "did you know that in ... they successfully produced/resulted in ...due to the cultural approach/consideration".

In a "true cultural" work environment, the basic needs would be sensitivity and self-consciousness: the understanding of other behaviors and ways of thinking as well as theability to express one’s own point of view in a transparent way with the aim to beunderstood and respected by staying flexible where this is possible, and being clearwhere this is necessary.* It is a balance, situatively adapted, between the following parts: 1. knowledge (about other cultures, people, nations, behaviors…), 2. empathy (understanding feelings and needs of other people), and 3. self-confidence (knowing what I want, my strengths and weaknesses, emotionalstability), mixed in with 4.Cultural identity(knowledge about one’s own culture) *Above section referenced from Wikipedia2 days ago

Marc Brenman • Deming was talking about the fears of the individual employee. Hewas especially concerned with quality control, and the ability of the individual productionworker to bring quality issues to the attention of others.2 days ago

Orietta E. Ramirez • Agreed, Marc. But his mission statement, if I read it correctly was,"to seek to conduct ourselves in a manner consistent with high moral and ethicalstandards, professional and personal integrity, and a commitment to lifelong learning,with the goal to advance commerce, prosperity and peace."2 days ago

Jean Richardson • Thank you all for your comments. The task is huge as this is notmy day job but a passion and 'Job 2' activity, however, have started by establishing anEthnically Diverse Employee Network which has been seen to be successful I wasnominated for and won an award!

I agree with many of your comments, however, feel that the mission statement Oriettareferences fits what I am trying to achieve. "to seek to conduct ourselves in a mannerconsistent with high moral and ethical standards, professional and personal integrity,and a commitment to lifelong learning, with the goal to advance commerce, prosperityand peace."

Engagement in D&I must come from the highest level within an organisation but I havefound from current experience you cannot wait for this to happen. Starting at the workinglevel is just as effective.

Hamlin, Kevin, Marc, thank you for your suggested approaches. I am planning todevelop some educational material to support my quest and will build on yourcomments. You have given me the inspiration to continue my D&I journey.

One last thought. Kevin your comment on "lack of transparency, trust, and fairness oftenleads to complaints of discrimination" I find to be so true. In my experience this is thecase and includes complaints of Harassment & Bullying, however, when considered inthe context of HR Practices e.g. Performance Management complaints can becomeblurred with being 'Managed'. There is a fine line between the two!1 day ago

Orietta E. Ramirez • Congratulations on your amazing goals and achievements, Jean.Continued success to you and all the members whose contributions can only enhanceand engender these important efforts. Best wishes to all in the New Year!1 day ago

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