Dealing with other races, ethnicities, ages, sexes and sexualities can be a minefield if you haven’t thought about. Hofstede studied 165 counties for several criteria. Diversity can be an opportunity or a threat, it makes for better results but can take longer to achieve them. Managing teams without face to face contact, whether virtual or global requires extra attention. In this course you will discover techniques to improve your awareness and overcome challenges in dealing with other cultures and groups.

Contracts are lost by failure to understand culture and inappropriate behaviour in other countries. With the increase in mindfulness, people are much more observant, so knowing about etiquette in host countries and the general international British style is essential.
With increasing globalisation, many organisations face tougher competition; at the same time they are working in a more complex environment, needing to co-ordinate geographically dispersed operations and a cross-cultural workforce.
This leads to diverse teams becoming more common at all levels of the organisation. Diversity can be based on various characteristics such as gender, age, nationality, ethnic and/ or cultural group, or on indicators of cognitive diversity such as international experience, education, industry and work experience that can all lead to different perspectives.
Research shows that diversity results in better performance on complex decisions and problems, just the type of challenges that face global firms. Also, diversity has a bigger impact on organisations with greater managerial discretion such as the high-tech sector, or when undertaking new initiatives.
Diverse teams can also experience their differences as barriers to communication, so that reaching a common understanding or outcome takes more time and effort, and raises the transaction costs of teamwork.

Whatever your organisational, individual, leadership or team needs are, have Smart Coaching & Training be your first call.  Starting with a free strategy session we will discuss your needs and create a proposal to suit you.

Other related topics

Unconscious Bias

The human race is programmed to feel safer with people who are like them and be more wary of people who are or look like they may be different.

To achieve the benefits of diversity, individuals and organisation need to recognise they have unconscious bias in order to overcome this.

People like Us; U and non-U

In the 1950a Nancy Mitford and Lady Astor capitalised on early writings to promote the concept of ‘People Like Us’ . And how, through the British class system you could tell whether people belonged to the upper classes not only by the accent they had but also by the words they used. for example they used Lavatory, Looking Glass, Napkin, Drawing Room instead of Toilet, Mirror, Serviette, Lounge/Sitting Room. of course this is conscious bias particularly used by mothers to check out their children’s potential spouses

Things YOU can do

Things you can do today

Select one action you can commit to today. You’ll be able to add more detail to it afterwards.

• Get familiar with your legal obligations
• Change the language you use
• Challenge yourself to be well-intended, curious, and embrace vulnerability
• Challenge your assumptions and biases
• Have better conversations
• Be a better ally

Legal Obligations

In the UK, the Equality Act 2010 legally protects people from discrimination in the workplace and in wider society. All employers have a legal obligation under the Equality Act 2010. For disabilities the requires employers to make reasonable adjustments to remove or reduce barriers that cause substantial disadvantage to colleagues with disabilities.

According to the business disability forum, 56% of employees with disabilities say there are still disability related barriers in the workplace after adjustments have been made. (Source business disability forum 2023 great British workplace adjustment survey) As a society and organisation it’s important that we champion an inclusive environment so that everyone is set up to thrive It’s also important that we comply with the Equality Act and our obligations regarding disability discrimination.

Change the language you use

When colleagues want to be inclusive fear of saying the wrong thing often stops them from having conversations. The important thing is to embrace opportunities to have these conversations to grow and thrive together. Did you know that three or four people with disabilities experience negative attributes or behaviours?.

Stigma and bias.

Our brains use mental shortcuts to quickly process information. However these shortcuts are often based on assumptions or stereotypes. This leads to stigma and bias; holding unfair beliefs and attitudes about others, leading to prejudice or favouritism. This often happens without realising it. But you can choose to slow down and pay attention. Ignoring stigma and bias stigma and bias can negatively impact our beliefs and behaviours and cause harm to others. They get worse when they are ignored and not spoken about openly.

What are microaggressions

Microaggressions are small, often unintentional, comments or behaviours that are offensive to aspects of someone’s identity. In some cases that can even be well meaning comments or actions they are often based on stigmas bias and assumptions. People with disabilities and neurodivergent conditions may experience many microaggressions in their everyday lives. They are often subtle they can feel confusing frustrating and distressing. this might be your own reality
Microaggressions can take many forms for example telling a person with a neurodivergent condition that “everyone is a bit like that” . suggesting that their experience is insignificant or telling a person with a disability “you don’t look disabled “ . or telling someone with a mental health condition “oh everyone gets anxious “.
It could also present as people not being given certain tasks because a manager wants to protect them and not adds to the colleagues burden. Pitying people with disabilities or neurodivergent conditions or calling them “brave” for simply existing with their condition is a microaggression too.

Challenging others:

If you notice someone acting on bias or displaying microaggressions you can choose to speak up and challenge their behaviour. It doesn’t need to be heated or confrontational. Sometimes simply asking someone why they made a particular comment is enough for them to realise that they shouldn’t have said it.

How to have a good conversation

Good conversations, having authentic and open conversations can help everyone feel included and valued. This is especially true for our colleagues with disabilities or neuro divergent conditions who, we’ve seen, are more likely to experience stigma and discrimination. It can also be true of meeting people who are culturally or sexually different or of a different age to you. Connecting with someone through a good conversation can be a really simple way to create a sense of belonging and safety. When we achieve that we will foster an environment where everyone can thrive,
Getting started. If you meet a person who is different from you for the first time, say hello, ask their name and go on from there. It’s really that simple. It might not always feel that simple . You might find you have lots of thoughts about not wanting to offend or upset that person. Notice those thoughts and tried to push them to one side. Concentrate on being yourself and take a genuine interest in the other person as you would with anyone else.

Consider language

If you’re worried about saying the wrong thing. Here are some things to think about

• say someone is “living with” a condition instead of “suffering from it” as the last suggests they’re a victim
• say “disability” instead of using euphemisms such as “differently abled” disability isn’t a negative word
• describe people without a disability as person “without disability” instead of “able bodied or normal”
• describe people in the LGBT+ community in the words which they prefer. And consider the use of pronouns.

Everyone wants to be thought of and spoken to as a person. They don’t want to be defined solely by their disability or neurodivergent condition, or by their race or sexuality . So avoid saying “the blind colleague” or using collective terms like the disabled or the deaf or the blacks or the gays.

Allyship

What is allyship? Allyship means being an active supporter or advocate to people who belong to minorities. Allies play an important role in creating a safe and welcoming environment where everyone feels included and respected. Allies can also champion the many positive contributions that people in minorities bring to the workplace and our society.
What does it look like? You don’t always have to speak up or confront others to show allyship although you can do that too. Simple gestures can signal that you’re a safe space for people in minorities, . For example, listen to their experience and challenges with empathy and respect. Show understanding proactively implement reasonable adjustments, if you’re a line manager, and respect their personal space communication choices and privacy.
What if it’s uncomfortable? Being an ally can be feel uncomfortable at times especially if your challenge is your own biases or challenging inappropriate behaviour. If you make a mistake apologise learn from it and move forward. Moving out of your comfort zone can help you build stronger and more trusting relationships in the long term. By being an ally you can build trust and show that you’re someone your colleagues can talk to.

Other types of Diversity

As stated, there are over 50 types of diversity of which very few are actively promoted. Still, you may get on better with people of the same class, culture, education, but these similarities are another set of reasons why you wont get a diverse team.

Other types of diversity

Class: The UK is famous for its Class systems propagated by the public school system (which is private). It is much more difficult for people educated in state schools to get into the top universities, where those in the state system are probably more intelligent. But it’s not just the intelligence its the social behaviours and accent you need to have to get on with the glitterati.

The upper classes in particular are taught about networking (same school) and nepotism and use it well. The working classes are taught never to rely on networks

Education: As above , in the UK the private schools teach you how to rule , the state schools teach you to do what you are told.

Life Skills: Those who have travelled and know lots of other cultures are likely to get on with those who are the same . If you have only lived in one village and a trip to the nearest town is a big adventure you are less likely to relate to those with more experiences and also are less likely to have the confidence to try, Exemplified by food , the “I know what I like and like what I know ” people are most likely to stick to Starbucks and McDonalds for fear of the unknown. Equally those with no money cannot afford to purchase things they may not like. Open and closed mindsets have significant impact here

Family: Family units are different throughout the word. See the section on ‘Worldview’. Those with large families may never get the skills to take the meet strangers as there are so many siblings and cousins to know other culture

Professional Skills . Those whose work is manual many never learn the skills to get on in the manual world. Equally Professionals may never get the manual skills – but they usually can afford to pay for them

Political Convictions: hose with strong political convictions ma never be able to see things from a different view point and instead see them as a threat or something not to be discussed

Three Colours Worldview

✅It’s estimated that autism affects 168 million people worldwide

Three Colours Worldview

The Three Colours of Worldview can be visualized as three coloured lenses – formed of the basic beliefs and assumptions underlying behaviour and culture. People take in the world and make decisions on how to act through the filter of these lenses. For example, is being seen as honourable more important than being seen as right? Or is maintaining positional power more important than being shamed? To communicate effectively in a cross-cultural situation, you need to know what mix of lenses you have on in the way you see the world, and how to evaluate the lenses of the people with whom you are communicating. When we understand our own self-culture, we can begin to understand what drives others. These are what we look at first when we encounter a new situation, as they influence so many other cultural factors.

1. Innocence/Guilt

In an Innocence/Guilt focused culture, schools focus on deductive reasoning, cause and effect, good questions, and process. Issues are often seen as black and white. Written contracts are paramount. Communication is direct, and can be blunt.

2. Honour/Shame

Societies with a predominantly Honour/Shame worldview teach children to make honourable choices according to the situations they find themselves in. Communication, interpersonal interaction, and business dealings are very relationship-driven, with every interaction having an effect on the honour/shame status of the participants.

3. Power/Fear

Societies with a predominantly Power/Fear worldview raise children to assess where they fit into the pecking order of every situation they are in and behave accordingly. As they grow up, they learn how to align themselves with the right people to gain more power.

ason If you are well, both mentally and physically you will achieve more. Being in the right job in the right place will increase satisfaction. We run coaching, individual on-line training and group workshops in Wellness, to help you gain better understanding of the problem areas you may have in your life and begin to alleviate stress, tension and anxiety so you can live life happier, with more freedom and peace of mind, and achieve your career goals.

Call us on +447788425688 for more details or send us an enquiry