5–1 Copyright  2006 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Interpersonal Skills in Organisations Slides by Caroline Juszczak Understanding and Working with Diverse Others “To know one’s self is wisdom, but to know one’s neighbor is genius.” ~ Minna Antrim (Author) Chapter 5

5–2 Copyright  2006 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Interpersonal Skills in Organisations Slides by Caroline Juszczak Chapter Objectives Understand the biases you may have toward others who are different from you. Confront those biases by challenging stereotypes perpetuated by society and the media. Acknowledge others’ biased perceptions toward you. Accept others’ approaches and perspectives when they are completely different from your own. Learn to work effectively with others of different races, genders and ages. Identify opportunities to increase diversity and the benefits it brings to you personally and as a member of an organisation. Help others do the same.

5–3 Copyright  2006 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Interpersonal Skills in Organisations Slides by Caroline Juszczak What is Diversity? Diversity extends to: –Age –Personal and corporate background –Education –Function –Personality Diversity includes: –Lifestyle –Sexual orientation –Geographic origin –Tenure with an organisation –Physical and mental disability –Management or non-management Diversity is the collective mixture of differences and similarities along a given dimension.

5–4 Copyright  2006 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Interpersonal Skills in Organisations Slides by Caroline Juszczak Primary and Secondary Dimensions of Diversity Figure 5.1

5–5 Copyright  2006 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Interpersonal Skills in Organisations Slides by Caroline Juszczak Managing Diversity Access to a changing marketplace Large-scale business transformation Superior customer service Workforce empowerment Total quality Alliances with suppliers and customers Outsourcing partnerships Continuous learning Allows businesses to achieve a number of goals: Managing diversity is a philosophy about how differences among individuals and organisations can be embraced rather than feared; encouraged rather than squelched.

5–6 Copyright  2006 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Interpersonal Skills in Organisations Slides by Caroline Juszczak Managing Diversity (cont) Financial benefits can accrue in companies that embrace diversity. Compelling statistics illustrate the importance of managing diversity. Companies that embrace and adapt to changes in the workforce will be in a better position to compete in the future.

5–7 Copyright  2006 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Interpersonal Skills in Organisations Slides by Caroline Juszczak Barriers to Accepting Diversity Stereotypes Prejudice Ethnocentrism Blaming the victim Discrimination Harassment Sexual harassment Backlash

5–8 Copyright  2006 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Interpersonal Skills in Organisations Slides by Caroline Juszczak How to Gain Awareness Reduce your prejudices and use of stereotypes Minimise miscommunication with diverse others Build relationships with diverse others

5–9 Copyright  2006 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Interpersonal Skills in Organisations Slides by Caroline Juszczak Reducing Your Prejudices Recognise that diversity exists and learn to value and respect fundamental differences. Admit to your own biases and prejudices and commit yourself to reducing them. Examine the stereotypes and actions that reflect your views of others. Dispel myths about diverse others when you are in a group of friends or associates.

5–10 Copyright  2006 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Interpersonal Skills in Organisations Slides by Caroline Juszczak Minimising Miscommunication Educate yourself about differences. Practice effective communication skills. Use words that are inclusive rather than exclusive. Avoid adjectives that spotlight certain groups. Be aware of the connotation of words. Avoid forming an opinion as to the value of another’s communication based on dress, mannerisms, accent or eye contact.

5–11 Copyright  2006 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Interpersonal Skills in Organisations Slides by Caroline Juszczak Building Relationships Seek opportunities to interact with a wide variety of peers and associates. Form positive relationships. Seek feedback from diverse others. Treat diverse others as invited guests by showing interest in them. Encourage your peers to be candid with their personal opinions, feelings and reactions. Build trust by being open and trustworthy. Make goals to work with diverse others to achieve mutual goals.

5–12 Copyright  2006 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Interpersonal Skills in Organisations Slides by Caroline Juszczak Gender Differences It is important to understand gender-based differences to achieve individual and organisational effectiveness. Men and women communicate differently –Women tend to use communication to connect with others. –Men tend to use communication to assert their status and request action. Differences in communication purpose and style can lead to stereotypical beliefs. It is important to recognise that there are strengths in both “female” and “male” styles.

5–13 Copyright  2006 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Interpersonal Skills in Organisations Slides by Caroline Juszczak Cross-Cultural Diversity It can be difficult to perfectly translate meaning from one language to another. Each culture has acceptable social conventions and norms that affect the communication process. Nonverbal signals and gestures can be a source of embarrassment to an uninformed stranger.

5–14 Copyright  2006 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Interpersonal Skills in Organisations Slides by Caroline Juszczak Dimensions of Cross-Cultural Differences Power distance Individualism versus collectivism Uncertainty avoidance Masculinity versus femininity Long-term versus short-term orientation

5–15 Copyright  2006 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Interpersonal Skills in Organisations Slides by Caroline Juszczak Strategies for Addressing Cross-Cultural Issues Live and work outside of your home country Travel extensively outside of your home country Adapt to the customs of the new country Develop friendships with people of different nationalities Learn another language Develop a non-home-country perspective on world events Before travelling, learn about cultural differences and customs For individuals:

5–16 Copyright  2006 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Interpersonal Skills in Organisations Slides by Caroline Juszczak Strategies for Addressing Cross-cultural Issues (cont) Offer language training to your employees. Encourage your employees to accept non-home- country work assignments. Provide before and after transition counselling to employees and their families with non-home-country work assignments. Provide sensitivity training to help employees learn about cross-cultural differences. Examine your employment practices to ensure that your company is not discriminating against anyone. For companies and organisations:

5–17 Copyright  2006 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Interpersonal Skills in Organisations Slides by Caroline Juszczak Affirmative Action and Diversity Many companies hire good people through affirmative action programs, but then fail to provide a diversity-friendly environment. The challenge of managing diversity is to create an environment that enables all employees to reach their full potential in pursuit of organisational goals. Some people view affirmative action as simply fulfilling quotas, which may lead to reverse discrimination and hiring less- qualified applicants. Today the concept of affirmative action is being replaced by managing diversity. “No culture can live it if attempts to be exclusive.” ~ Mahatma Ghandi

5–18 Copyright  2006 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Interpersonal Skills in Organisations Slides by Caroline Juszczak The Imperative for Diversity The global economic paradigm shift. The “new worker” workforce. The diversity of customers, clients and suppliers. The shift to the empowerment model of management. Change factors that make managing diversity imperative:

5–19 Copyright  2006 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Interpersonal Skills in Organisations Slides by Caroline Juszczak Benefits of Organisational Diversity Attracts and retains good people. Facilitates innovation. Increases ability to manage external diversity. Improves customer service by promoting respect and open interactions. Provides greater flexibility and readiness for change.

5–20 Copyright  2006 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Interpersonal Skills in Organisations Slides by Caroline Juszczak Summary We live and work in a diverse world. Diversity is inevitable. How we interact with people who differ from us plays a critical role in our ability to manage ourselves and help others achieve their goals. We need to understand and appreciate our own uniqueness to use as a starting point for building relationships. Seek opportunities to interact with diverse others, and share your insights, feelings and values with them so you can better accept and embrace diversity.