diversity competence- managing cultural diversity and diversity management by vanessa günther,...
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Diversity Competence- Managing Cultural Diversity and
Diversity Management
Alina Sachapow Vanessa Günther Sarah Al-samahiji
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Outline
1. Importance of Diversity Management2. Definitions of Diversity and Diversity
Management3. Strategy and Goals of Diversity Management4. Negative Example5. Positive Examples6. Pros and Cons7. Discussion8. Conclusion
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Importance of Diversity Management
• Fast developing business world
• More and more companies operate on a worldwide scale
• Customers getting more individual and satisfaction is hard to achieve
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Definition of Diversity
• Variety, multifariousness, mixture and difference
• Roosevelt Thomas– more than only differences between people – diversity includes differences as well as similarities
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Definition of Diversity
• Milliken and Martins – “Observable or readily detectible attributes” – “less visible or underlying attributes”
• Litvins– six fixed dimensions of difference which are
inherent and not changeable – eight fluid secondary dimensions of difference
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Definition of Diversity Management
• US human rights movements (1960)
– To ensure similar treatment between genders– To faciliate access to work for ethnical minorities
• Voluntary action of a company• Two different incentives– ethical drivers– economic factors
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Diversity Management Goals
• Strategic: – Diversified workforce for different market
challenges– Different knowlegde levels, cultural backgrounds,
age, gender,…• Operational:– Cross-cultural business-relationships – Behave adequately in a foreign business
environment
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Approach to Diversity Management
• Individual structure, culture and goals ->unique diversity management
• top-down activity• communicate the goals and reasons to staff• communication channels:– workshops, trainings, brochures, the company
newspaper or newsletters• Long-term process
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Diversity Management in practice
• Diversity or Culture Audit• gather hard (statistical) and soft data by a survey• Based on the gathered information a Diversity
Management strategy is formed• Recruitment, trainings, promotions, performance
ratings and payment policies
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Diversity Management in practice
• Awareness Rising/ Training • Skill Building – integration programs employees / mentoring programs– Workshops– Heterogeneity in decision making committees
• Controlling and evaluation• Feedback– discussion forums – employee networks
• Incentive system
Diversity as a problem
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Facts
• British manager who is also a geologist.• Working for a French company for 20 years. • Can’t understand the behavior of his
coworkers
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Observations• Inability of coworkers to accept criticism.• Strange looks and frowns when he did not
know the answer to questions. • Annoyed by him when he admitted that he
has to search the answer. • Employees were comfortable to admit they
did not know something and needed to ask.
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Suggested Solutions • Better preparation for the meetings. • Get to know the French working environment.• Specify to his coworkers that he will be able to
give answers in another time.
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Diversity as a benefit
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BASF
• World’s leading chemical company. • Uses diversity as a way to make the company
stronger and more innovative. • Openness in the workplace• employees have the same opportunities,
regardless of their sex, nationality, educational background or cultural heritage.
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"Valuing diversity is not merely recognizing the legitimacy of differences, but relying on these differences for a competitive advantage - developing an environment of cooperation and communication that encourages colleagues to value and express differing ideas and viewpoints. Diversity is not only important, it is necessary to forming the best team." BASF CEO
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Strategy to manage diversity
1. Diversity modules2. Intercultural training3. Employees groups
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Diversity Modules
• Interactive lessons. • Employees participate using the computer. • Help and strategies regarding: conflict
resolution, negotiation and communication.Types: 1. Diversity matters2. Case for diversity
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Intercultural Training
• Aims to strengthen competences and the capacity to work more efficiency across boarders .
• Language consulting and training.
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Employees groups
• Create an atmosphere of belonging. • Employees from same interest and
backgrounds.• Help each other develop personally and
professionally.
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Employee Groups
1. Women and Business issues2. African-American employee group3. Gay-Lesbian-Bisexual -transgender and
friends. 4. Latin American employee group5. Emerging professionals and friends.
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Diversity as a benefit II
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Facts
• A leading global supplier of technology and services in various sectors
• Represented in over 60 countries
• Operating with partners in over 150 countries
• Approximately 283 500 employees
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Strategy
• Focus on the acquisition of diversity competencies
• Achieved through a combination of “on the job learning” and “off the job learning”
• Importance of getting to know yourself in order to know how to deal with the unkown
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On the Job Learning
• Also known as learning from experience–Transfer of workers into foreign
countries into both directions–International rotation programs –Trainee programs with foreign
situations–International projects
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Off the Job Learning
Intercultural Stabilization
International Promotion /
Support Seminars
Preparation Seminars for going abroad
Integration Workshops
Reintegration Workshops
Intercultural Team
Trainings
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Strategy continued
• Goal to offer holistic concepts
• Making use of aquired knowledge
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Cons of Diversity
• Costly• Time consuming• Potential Conflict & Misunderstandings
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Pros of Diversity
• Diverse Opinions (Problems can be addressed from various view points)
• Encouraged creativity (develop other peoples ideas)
• Customer friendliness due to better adapted service offering
• Flexibility• Continous learning from one another
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Discussion
In a meeting you feel very insulted because your business counterpart tells you that your proposal is insane. What is your response?
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1. I will not show that they have hurt/insulted me, because that would be seen as a sign of weakness and would make me more vulnerable in the future.
2. I will not show that I am hurt because that would spoil our relationship. This will allow me later to tell the counterpart how much I was hurt by their comment so they might learn from it. I rather show my emotions when they have more chance to improve our business relationship.
3. I will show clearly that I am insulted so that my counterpart gets the message. I believe clarity of my message will allow me to be able to control even greater emotional upset in the future.
4. I will show clearly that I am insulted so that my counterpart gets the message. If business partners cannot behave themselves properly they have to bear the consequences
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Lets analyze you…. 1= you prefer to be neutral and reject affectivity in
response. 2= you support the neutral point of departure in
order to show emotions more effectively in the future.
3= you take an expressive point of departure in order to stabilize future emotional interactions.
4= you reflect a preference for emotional outburst regardless of their sequences.
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In your opinion, is diversity competence an acquired set of skills? Or is it something that comes naturally? Why?
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Conclusion
• Diversity Management will play important factor in the future
• Companies who do have an adequate program in place are more successful
• Unfortunately still underestimated in many business branches
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Thank you for your attention!
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Sources• Fons Trompenaars and Charles Hampden-Turner, Riding the waves of Culture,
Nicholas Brealey Publishing 1997
• Dominik Sandner , Diversity Management – Vielfalt als Resscource betriebswirtschaftliche Begründungen , VDM Verlag Dr. Müller, 2006
• Jörg Haselier, Mark Thiel, Diversity Management – Unternehmerische Stärke durch
personelle Vielfalt, Bund-Verlag , 2005
• Prof. Dr. Jürgen Rothlauf – Interkulturelles Management, Mit Beispielen aus Vietnam, China, Japan, Russland und den Golfstaaten, R. Oldenbourg Verlag München Wien, 2006
• BASF- Corporation, Diversity URL: http://www2.basf.us/corporate/diversity/index.htmAccessed on 14.05.2011 at 14:28