CHALLENGES FOR LEADERSHIP IN A MULTICULTURAL, GLOBAL

SOCIETY

Dr. Gary R. Weaver

American University

WHY IS DIVERSITY IMPORTANT?

Changing demographics

Not just in urban areas

“Globalization”

The American CultureToday

• Not a Cultural Cookie Cutter or Melting Pot

• Patchwork Quilt

• Salad Bowl

• Mosaic

Minorities in USA Today12% African American

13% Hispanic

4% Asian and Pacific Islanders

1% American Indian

TO MORE EFFECTIVELY SERVE YOUR CLIENTS

Conveying information

Developing skills

Overcoming barriers caused by differences

Using differences to create synergy

TRAINING DOES IMPROVE

EFFECTIVENESS

Drop-out rates overseas

Decreased culture-shock

Critical incidents

TRAITS THAT CORRELATE WITH FAILURE IN CROSS-

CULTURAL INTERACTIONS

• Low tolerance to ambiguity or high uncertainty avoidance

• Overly task-oriented or high need for individual achievement

• Overly closed-minded and inflexible

What is “Culture?”

• culture - the way of life (values, beliefs and behaviors) of a people passed down from one generation to the next through learning

Generalization vs. Stereotype

• Cultural Generalization– Never applies to everyone

in every situation– Only a first “guess”– Discard it when no longer

accurate or useful

• Cultural Stereotype– Applies to everyone

in every situation – no exceptions

– Retained even when no longer accurate or useful

Culture is like an Iceberg.

6/7th’s of it is UNDER the

water.

BBEHAVIOREHAVIORBBEHAVIOREHAVIOR

BBELIEFSELIEFSBBELIEFSELIEFS

VVALUESALUES AND AND

TTHOUGHTHOUGHT

PPATTERNSATTERNS

VVALUESALUES AND AND

TTHOUGHTHOUGHT

PPATTERNSATTERNS

Erroneous Assumptions• Just get the right “cookbook.”

• By emphasizing differences, you’re just stirring things up.

• As we interact, differences will become LESS important.

• It’s just a matter of communication.

• It’s just a matter of applying basic management principles.

• Conflict is the same in all cultures.

As we interact, differences will become LESS important.

• Leon Festinger

– Theory of Cognitive Dissonance

• Muzafir Sherif

– Development of a “Superordinate Goal”

Nature of Early Immigrants

Religiously Persecuted - Fanatics

Avoided Wars - “Draft Dodgers”

“Criminals”

BASIC BELIEFS

Extreme individualism

Distrust of strong centralized authority

Dominant or Mainstream American Culture

“Middle Class”

Protestant

Psychology of Abundance

CULTURAL CONTINUUMSTo Do To Be

• Earned Status

• Individual Achievement

• Individual Action

• Equality

• Immediate family

• Self Reliance

• Independence

• Individual Competition

• Individualism

• Guilt

• Future

• Class Mobility

• Ascribed Status

• Affiliation

• Stability

• Inequality

• Extended Family

• Reliance on Others

• Interdependence

• Cooperation

• Collectivism

• Shame

• Past or Heritage

• Caste Rigidity

CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATION

What Doesn’t Fit?

Nice weather we’re having!

Sunny, high in the 70s.

Haven’t we met before?

What Doesn’t Fit?• Nice weather we’re having!• Haven’t we met before?• High-Context - Relational - Associative• To Be - Poets

• Sunny, high in the 70s.• Low Context - Abstractive - Analytical• To Do - Memo Writers/Lawyers

Communication Styles

A B

Communication Styles

A B

Communication Styles

A B

Communication Styles

A B

Project Timeline

Stage One0 - 6

Months

Stage Two6 - 12

months

Stage Three12 - 18Months

Stage Four18 - 24months

Project Timeline

Stage One0 - 12

Months

Stage Two12 - 18Months

Stage Three

18 - 22Months

Stage Four

22 -24Months

NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION

We send messages, not meaning

To Do people tend to be verbally-oriented

To Do people trust vision

Cross-Cultural Conflict

QUESTIONS:

How do you know if it’s a conflict?

Is it escalating or de-escalating?

When do you resolve it?

When it is beyond resolution?

How do you resolve the conflict?

Other Resources• Hall, Edward. Beyond Culture.

• Weaver, Gary R., ed. Culture, Communication and Conflict, 2nd edition. Boston, MA:Pearson Publishing, 2000.

• www.interculturalpress.com

• www.imi.american.edu