Are you tired of hearing about DEI and DEI training yet? There is so much rhetoric these days around diversity, equity, and inclusion, but do people really know what these terms, especially diversity, mean when they jump on the bandwagon either in favor of or against DEI? Interestingly, when discussing diversity, culture rarely or minimally gets mentioned, yet it plays a big role.
Definition of Culture
In his book, How to Know a Person, David Brooks, the New York Times op-ed columnist, poses this question as the title to Chapter 16: “How Do Your Ancestors Show Up in Your Life?” He’s asking if you understand that the culture(s) of your ancestors are an integral part of who you are.
So, what’s culture? Brooks described it as a shared symbolic landscape that we use to construct our reality.
Culture, the acquired knowledge people use to interpret experiences and generate behavior, is:
- Shared by almost all members of some social group
- Passed from older group members to younger or newer members
- What shapes behavior or structures one’s perception of the world
National Cultural Differences
Fons Trompenaars and Charles Hampden-Turner developed the Seven Dimensions of Culture model that examines national cultural differences after they researched the preferences and values of people in various cultures around the world.
The first five dimensions deal with human relationships.
- Rules-dominated culture (universalism with a focus on tasks, work and information) versus relationships-dominated culture (particularism with an emphasis on building connections and getting along with others).
- The group-dominated culture (communitarianism with an emphasis on shared responsibility, accountability, and accomplishments) versus the individual-dominated culture (individualism with an emphasis on shining the light on a single person’s rewards, credit and accomplishments).
- Neutral-dominated culture (emotionally reserved with a limited showing of feelings and not speaking up) versus affective-dominated culture (passion with a show of emotion, passion and speaking up).
- Specific-dominated culture (low involvement—examining elements separately before looking at the sum of all parts) versus diffuse-dominated culture (high involvement—all elements are related and synthesized into a whole).
- Achievement-dominated culture (egalitarian where status is equal for all) versus ascription-dominated culture (hierarchical where there is respect for authority and the chain of command).
The last two dimensions deal with managing time.
- Past-dominated culture (the future is often seen as a repetition of past experiences); present-dominated culture (day-to-day experiences tend to direct people’s lives); and future dominated cultures (activities are directed toward future prospects).
- Structuring time. Sequentially dominated culture (time is a series of passing events; linear with planning and schedules that are kept) versus synchronically dominated cultures (time is interrelated and several tasks are done at once; fluid with plans and schedules easily changed).
You can read more in their book Riding the Waves of Culture.
Keep in mind that while Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner’s research focused on national culture, most social groups, however, have their own distinct cultures as well.
Moving Forward
The challenge, as Brooks so eloquently states is: how do you see people as part of their group – their social group or culture – while at the same time avoiding placing them in a category and failing to see them as a never-to-be repeated unique individual, bringing their own unique mind and viewpoint?
While it’s a very fine line, Brooks’ explanation illustrates how culture, which is shared by the group, influences and shapes rather than defines each individual member. We all receive certain somethings from our culture, but we are not passive about what we do with those cultural gifts. We all embrace some bits of our culture while rejecting others – for example taking stories from the past and transforming them with our own lives and experiences. We have to see each other as cultural inheritors as well as cultural creators.
Working with diversity and culture is an opportunity to better understand ourselves, dig into the deep sources of our cultural backgrounds, and urge others to do the same. Brooks encourages asking yourself:
- Where’s home?
- How do I embrace or reject my cultures?
- How do I create or contribute to it?
- How do I rebel against it?
- How do I transmit it?
Understanding cultural differences raises awareness and helps us to better understand our colleagues – how they communicate, make decisions and solve problems, and approach work, conflict and change.
As far as getting to know another person, we’ll offer some conversation starters from The Conflict Resolution Phrase Book.
- A big strength comes from learning from people who are different than we are. Let’s learn more about each other.
- I realize our different backgrounds cause us to see things differently. Let’s talk about our different approaches.
- Our strength is the varied ideas we bring from our different backgrounds. Let’s explore those ideas.
- Our differences make us interesting to each other. I’d like to learn more about your background and experiences.
While our differences are fascinating, the more we learn about each other, the more we are likely to realize that we have much more in common than we thought. When we learn to appreciate and honor our diversity, it strengthens our organizations and our country. People will know they are valued and belong. The goal of DEI training and initiatives should be decency, dignity and respect.
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