Culturally diverse teams are a positive step that add to the innovation within an organisation. Sujin Jang writing in the Harvard Business Review last July argues that ‘these cultural teams can also suffer from conflicting norms and differing assumptions; in other words diversity in thought and innovation requires constant freshness, an ever evolving process’. The term used is ‘cultural brokerage’. She argues that if multi-cultural teams capitalize on diversity they can mitigate the pitfalls. Cultural brokerage she argues has two dimensions. These profiles are ‘cultural insiders’ and ‘cultural outsiders’. Cultural insiders have experience of two or more cultural backgrounds within the team. Cultural outsider is a broker with two or more cultures not represented in the team. Cultural insiders used their dual knowledge to integrate information and ideas from those cultures. Cultural outsiders were a neutral third party, that tended to ask questions to other team members and invite them to share relevant cultural knowledge. Cultural brokerage utilizes the effectiveness of positive role models, encouraging a safe environment that allows team members to engage.

We now live in a globally interconnected world where business organisations compete across transnational borders. Society reflects the consumer base which in turn reflects a corporation’s workforce. Cultural diversity has to be recognised, understood and harnessed within organisations in order to build inclusive workplaces. Managing cultural diversity requires further investigation.

A survey was carried out by Mathew Krentz of the Harvard Business Review in February 2019 which posed the question, what diversity and inclusion policies do employees actually want? The survey engaged 16,000 employees from 14 countries. They found that members of the majority groups continue to underestimate the obstacles diverse employees face. Krentz outlines when we start to manage cultural diversity it is imperative that each organisation recognises its unique cultural diversity. The important first step has been achieved through recognition and awareness of the workplace population and its diversity. Krentz highlights three significant points to cultural diversity, firstly ‘Leadership Commitment’, ‘A tailored approach’ and ‘Metrics’. In the main employees want to demonstrate strong personal values, an ability to innovate and possess a positive attitude toward teamwork. Organisational departments can begin to form and manage these traits in a way that is based on a two-way conversation.

Dr Richard T Alpert, president of ‘Diversity Resources’ Massachusetts argues ‘From our increasingly diverse domestic workforce to a globalisation of business, cultural competence is arguably the most effective work performance in the 21st century’. What do we mean by cultural competence? It is the ability to interact effectively with people from different cultures. Alpert sees cultural competency as a form of exposure which in turn perpetuates a confidence in managing cultural diversity within the organisation. He argues that this ability depends on awareness of one’s own world view and knowledge of other cultural practices’. Cultural management requires greater understanding around cultural differences, for example scheduling of working hours may need to be aware of relevant religious events.

Managing cultural diversity has an east-west cultural significance. Research shows in developmental psychology, sociology, and anthropology differences in cognitive processes of people from different cultures. By managing cultural diversity effectively one can bring about internal cohesion that in turn allows a diverse workforce focus on the brief at hand. This can only  add to the external competitive edge of the organisation as a whole.

Article written by Maria Hegarty and Des Hegarty (Equality Strategies, Ireland)