Ethnocentrism Analysis

Ethnocentrism Analysis Paper
This paper explores ethnocentrism in all its manifestations, including the stages, i.e., denial, defense, and limiting cultural differences. It also highlights the strategies needed to change an individual into a culturally competent person.
Ethnocentrism
Ethnocentrism refers to an individual's tendency to prioritize their race, culture, or ethnic persuasions and use them as their thinking foundations. Northouse ( 2013, pp. 384) contends that everyone harbors some ethnocentrism in one way or another. Dr. Milton Bennet developed the Developmental Model for intercultural Sensitivity. In six stages, the model describes a continuum of attitudes focused on cultural differences. It aims at moving from the ethnocentric point of denial and minimization to acceptance, adaptation, and integration. Bennet describes ethnocentrism as a mindset or attitude that presumes that one's view is superior and often oblivious of other possible and existing views.
On the other hand, ethnorelativism does not judge other people basing on their culture. It considers that other people's views are just as good and valid. Here are the three ethnocentricism stages: The people experiencing denial do not acknowledge cultural differences. The ones experiencing defense will criticize others, while those in minimization will portray the differences as trivial.
Denial
People in denial ignore the existence of cultural differences. They are ethnocentric because they think there is a correct way to live, which is their way, and that the ones behaving differently do not know. Thus, such people will impose their values on others. They believe that their values are right and that others are only confused. They are not scared of differences in culture because they deny their existence in the first place. Most denial culprits embrace such views because of their limited contact with people who are different from them. Therefore they have no reason to convince them to believe that other cultures exist. One major indicator that you are in the denial stage believes that you are better than the local community.
Defense
Those experiencing this stage are no outrightly ignorant of the existence of other cultures. Although they acknowledge the existence of other cultures, they do not buy their validity. They are threatened by the fact that there are other ways of thinking. This threat makes them want to beat other views down to assert the superiority of their own culture. They view cultural differences as challenges that should be overcome. This group clings to the dualistic perspective of 'us' versus 'them.' Whereas other cultures' existence does not threaten people in denial, they dismiss them altogether. They feel threatened by competing values. Those experiencing defenses tend to surround themselves with people of their culture. They avoid the rest.
Minimization
Cultural differences also threaten those in the ethnocentric minimization stage. They attempt to minimize them by convincing themselves that people are generally more alike than they are different. They do not consider people from other cultures as inferior, misguided, or unfortunate. This group has not yet developed self-awareness about culture. They insist on coping with all and sundry. People in the minimization stage do not adjust to changing social and cultural situations because they believe that humans are similar (Bennett, 1993).
People's perceptions of places and cultures can be disturbed by ethnocentrism. The ability of people to perceive others correctly is affected. There is a striking similarity between ethnocentrism and prejudice. Prejudice is based on a lack of information about others or just a bad view of other people's cultures. Prejudice is encouraged by the misconception of an idea or an interaction with a person from another cure whose presentation could have been personal. Still, the judging party ascribes it to a community or group. Like ethnocentrism, prejudice affects everyone, and it must be dealt with to help us operate at our optimal in multicultural settings.
The two hurdles can prevent a leader from optimally harnessing the abundant gifts in a multicultural workforce. If one is a leader but does not know their ethnocentric shortcomings, they will most likely lose out on the rich human capital. Leaning of favorite candidates that one considers in alignments with their ethnocentric considerations leads to failure to tap into cultural diversity (Ashoka, 2013) Todays, leaders must develop a global view of human capital.
Strategies for Transformation
Inclusion is the extent of involvement in the organizational structures by all members of a group. It is insufficient to build a substantial number of people of color in an organization if they are not represented in leadership or if such an organization does not accept their concerns as valid or address their issues. Inclusion is about connection and the workers being blended into cultural intricacies, including the deciding organs of an organization. Those who have had contact with inclusive leaders believe that they are part and parcel of how their organization operates in leadership, decision making, and responsibility. One gain of inclusion is that people feel valued as a whole for individual uniqueness and gifts (Sugiyama, Cavanagh, van Esch, Bilimoria, &Brown, 2016). Inclusion adds dignity, community, and meaning to the workplace (Weisbord, 2012). Inclusive leaders encourage and motivate others because of their considerate standpoints, humility, and respect for what the others have undergone. They encourage productive feedback, too (Schein, 2013). It is challenging to achieve organizational goals if one does not construct blending and connection with their staff (Sugiyama et al. 2016).
Inclusion is about how much all the members of the workforce are engaged in the organizational structures. A culturally competent leader will make all efforts to deal with and resolve conflicts that could arise because of cultural differences. They will seek to know how each person and generation views others. They will coach their staff in how they can achieve partnerships that lead to the highest productivity across generational diversity. Such a culturally competent and inclusive leader seeks to address differences between individuals. Their primary preoccupation is to ensure that cultural diversity is utilized for the individual's success in terms of their effectiveness and efficiency at work and the company's overall performance. They primarily want peace and harmony between employees. They understand that cultural differences can be the stalling elements in their pursuit of organizational objectives. Therefore, they teach harmony, mutual understanding, tolerance, and exploration of people's views to be of a different cultural orientation. Culturally competent leaders embrace new ideas and encourage experimentation with ways. Communication goes hand in hand with building relationships. New technologies inspire the younger generation. The youth believe in technology, almost more than anything else to solve the problems they encounter.
On the other hand, older people are moved more by personal physical interactions. A culturally competent leader seeks to bridge the gap between such groups of employees by enabling each group to taste wither of the approaches but provides an avenue in which the older workers can transition at their own pace. Indeed, communication is closely linked to building relationships (Guérin-Marion, Manion & Parsons, 2018). One way is for leaders to start the top-down messaging through email in a conventional tone. Such messages could start from general issues such as the issues affecting an organization from within and without. Another way is to launch a monthly newsletter that includes both the young and older workers in its production. These approaches might go a long way in bridging the gap between the ages. Another useful strategy for dealing with the differences is arranging for regular meetings, briefs, and team retreats that give room for cross cut communication between leaders and workers, both vertically and horizontally. These arrangements provide a perfect opportunity for staff members to engage in conversations about a wide range of issues, hence fostering greater understanding between them. Dealing with differences between individuals and groups is a core element in resolving ethnocentric tendencies. It pays to attend to everyone's interest at both individual and group levels. The socio-cultural dynamics between the various generations must be taken into account and recognized. Ways of harnessing the talent and input from both the young and older generations offer a culturally competent method inclusive for managing and leading a team of diversely constituted and from across ages.
Conclusion
The leaders in organizations today have to come face to face with multicultural workforces. Therefore, to secure meaningful and sustainable success, they must be aware of organizational culture's critical importance. There is no leader capable of fully absorbing and understanding all one needs to know about the subject of cultural competence, but understanding the driving forces behind multicultural interactions remains critical. Having a basic knowledge of the desired qualities of a leader, universally, is an aspect that will make them holistic. It fosters an understanding of what leadership is all about. Knowing one's prejudices, biases, and ethnocentric tendencies are critical in creating a successful multicultural leader (Mercer, 2015).
References
Ashoka. (2013). Why underprivileged employers need to employ the 'unemployable' – Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/ashoka/2013/08/12/why-underprivileged-employers-need-to-employ-the-unemployable/
Bennett, M. (1993). A Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity." Derived from: Bennett, Milton J. "Towards a Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity" in R. Michael Paige, ed. Education for the Intercultural Experience. Yarmouth, ME: Intercultural Press.
Guérin-Marion, C., Manion, I., & Parsons, H. (2018). Leading an intergenerational workforce: An integrative conceptual framework. International Journal of Public Leadership, 14(1), 48–58
Mercer, J. (2015). Understanding your own ethnocentrism. Retrieved from https://sites.psu.edu/global/2015/01/25/understanding-your-own-ethnocentrism/
Northouse, P. G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and practice. Thousand Oaks: SAGE
Sugiyama, K., Cavanagh, K. V., van Esch, C., Bilimoria, D., & Brown, C. (2016). Inclusive leadership development: Drawing from pedagogies of women's and general leadership development programs. Journal of Management Education,40(3), 253–292
Sugiyama, K., Cavanagh, K. V., van Esch, C., Bilimoria, D., & Brown, C. (2016). Inclusive leadership development: Drawing from pedagogies of women's and general leadership development programs. Journal of Management Education, 40(3), 253–292.