multicultural leadership diversity in the workplace

Being a job coach is an honor, a privilege, and even a necessity in today’s workplace environment. Based on evidence highlighting the effectiveness of coaching, more and more companies are “opting for team coaching as a more effective way to improve team capability and performance, while at the same time saving on costs,” (Stout-Rostron, 2016, p. 238). The friend in question should absolutely insert herself as a coach to help manage and leverage diversity in the organization and promote an organizational climate of inclusivity. In fact, someone with an international background is perfectly poised to guide organizational policy and practice regarding diversity and communication.

Religion can be a central component of individual identity construction and community cohesion. Just as employees have rich social and family lives outside of their place of employment, they also observe religious practices that coincide with their personal beliefs or their cultural background. While religiosity and spirituality usually do not conflict with the workplace environment, holidays are a potential source of conflict. A hegemonic Christian culture has enabled the celebration of some holidays as if they were universal. Failure to formally acknowledge non-Christian holidays sends “a subtle yet powerful ethnocentric message concerning which holidays are worth knowing about, and which ones are not,” (Schlosser & Sedlacek, 2003, p. 31).

Therefore, several conflicts may arise directly from policies that prohibit employees from taking day(s) off on religious holidays. The first conflict that may arise is actually legal. If the organization mandates time off for Christian holidays like Easter and Christmas but disallows Muslims and Jews from taking time off on their holidays, employees could effectively sue for discrimination. Equal opportunity laws protect the rights of workers and prevent discrimination on the grounds of religious difference. Therefore, the coach can work with management to help promote inclusive time off policies that respect the religious holidays of their employees.

Another conflict that may easily arise if employees are not given time off to observe their culture’s religious traditions is with morale. Spiritual and religious observances are integral to achieving the work-life balance that employees need to maintain morale and performance standards (Cash & Gray, 2000). Offering employees time during the day to pray or meditate would also be advisable if asked. Similarly, when there is a religious holiday, employees are likely interested in spending time with their family members—which is critical to their overall sense of wellbeing. To encourage morale and resolve conflicts, it is recommended that employees be given time off to observe religious holidays. Another possibility is to ask that non-Christian employees work on Christian holidays to make up for the time they take off on their religious holidays. This would help maximize productivity and promote a harmonious and inclusive work environment.

Cultural differences permeate almost every area of human behavior and even cognition. There are bound to be culturally specific quirks that differentiate people in the office. Many cultural quirks are likely to be perceived positively and with a sense of humor, but some might cause conflict. It is important to understand what cultural quirks might arise that could restrain the foreign manager from expressing his or her ideas readily. Some of those quirks are likely to be related to gender norms and roles, whereas others are more related to communication style or perception of power hierarchies in an organization.
Notions of public and private space can be linked to culture (Ray, n.d.). In some cultures, touching and standing close are normative, whereas in other cultures, such gestures are taboo. Standing too close to someone could make the other person uncomfortable, creating awkward situations in the workplace. Therefore, the friend is advised to learn about cultural differences regarding personal space and to respect those differences when communicating with staff.

Another cultural quirk that could impact the way a foreign manager communicates with others is power distance. The United States has low power distance norms, meaning that subordinates are not overly deferential and often openly challenge their supervisors. Not all people come from cultural backgrounds with low power distance. If the friend is from a high power distance culture and expects her American subordinates to accept orders without question, she may be surprised or even upset. Likewise, if her superior is from a high power distance culture, she should understand that a deferential attitude that conveys respect will help foster harmony in the workplace.

Gender is a major issue constrained by culture. If the friend is unfamiliar with diverse gender roles and norms, then she needs to prepare herself for the possibility that some of the team members might not have egalitarian gender norms at all. Sensitivity to different gender norms can help eliminate and deconstruct the “all-embracing character of gender discrimination at work,” (Helms, 2017, p. 49). Coaching should focus on building awareness and appreciation for different attitudes held towards women in positions of power.

The three features most closely associated with successful multicultural leadership include “cultural intelligence, global identity and openness to cultural diversity” (Lisak & Erez, 2015, p. 3). Each of these traits can be cultivated systematically, but building these traits will require patience, time, and commitment. Specific actions I can take to prepare myself include reading more about diversity and cultural quirks, taking diversity management courses, and creating a collaborative workplace environment. Reading more about diversity and cultural quirks requires only my own commitment, and that of my friend, to our own personal and professional development. As we encounter new research on the importance of diversity management in our workplace, we can apply principles to practice. Self-awareness is one of the keys to leadership success, particularly when it comes to acknowledging our own biases (Stout-Rostron, 2016, p. 238). Diversity is also more than just ethnic or religious diversity, but also diversity of personality and worldview. As we become more aware of the multiple types of diversity and how to leverage diversity to create a more cohesive and productive team, we will reap the benefits of our work.

Second, diversity management training is critical for leadership success. Without the framework of formal training, we might not have an effective roadmap to guide our policies and programs. Our behaviors should be modified by evidence showing which communications styles work, which do not, and also how to inspire the members of the team to participate in co-creating a supportive and productive work environment. The third action I can take would therefore be the construction of a collaborative work environment. While not all cultures will support teamwork and would prefer a hierarchical or authoritarian style, a collaborative model will entail the empowerment of each person to express their concerns and offer feedback that will strengthen the team.

Nonverbal communication can be even more important than verbal communication. For this reason, the friend should study different nonverbal communication cues and recognize that gestures like nods or hand gestures might be perceived differently by different people (Ray, n.d.). Given that it is impossible to learn every nonverbal gesture of every culture, it is also advised that the friend coach her team on being aware that their gestures might be misunderstood and to be willing to share this information with
their colleagues.

Two major conflicts that might arise out of nonverbal communication misunderstandings include the ambiguous smile, and the use of eye contact. Smiling is universal, but its use is not the same in every society. Americans smile a lot—more than in some cultures. In some cultures, smiling at inappropriate times might convey weakness on the part of a leader, or insincerity. Therefore, it is important to learn how one’s facial expressions are being interpreted or misinterpreted by other people. Just because an employee does not smile does not mean something is wrong, and it is also important to remember that, too. The same is true for laughter.

Eye contact is a significant part of nonverbal communication. In cultures with high power distance, eye contact might not be considered appropriate to give to a supervisor. Eye contact can be considered a display of power. On the other hand, eye contact could be considered polite, a sign that the other person is attentive and listening. Americans might consider avoiding eye contact rude or evasive. The different uses of eye contact are often rooted in culture, and should not be taken personally. Two actions that can be taken include advising my friend to explain her nonverbal communication style directly, preferably making a joke out of it. Humor helps deflect and minimize tension. Another action that can be taken is to solicit information from the employees about their own nonverbal communications and receive clarity about what their gestures mean from their point of view.