MULTICULTURAL DIVERSITY IN THE

WORKPLACE FOR THE TOURISM

PROFESSIONAL

CHAPTER 2

MULTICULTURAL DIVERSITY MODELS AND INFLUENCES

1. Edward Hall and Mildred Hall Model

 Anthropologist Edward Hall and his wife Mildred Hall based on their corporate experience and
various qualitative studies have described the following six dimensions of culture:

• Language of Time- It is further segregated into two parts viz., Monochronic culture or M-
time and Polychronic culture or P-time. The view of M-time culture is that time is as precious as
money, so should not be wasted at all. Therefore, more priority is given to time as compared to
people. People of M-time cultures are quite punctual; may it be a meeting, appointment, or any
social gathering. On the other hand, more importance is given to people or human relationships
than time by Polychronic cultures.

• Language of Space- It is also known by the term proxemics. Generally, the most important
person has the biggest office. But, at the same time, the use of personal space also differs across
cultures.

• Language of Things- This dimension of culture gives emphasis on the possession of material
things by the people of a culture.

Language of Friendship- This dimension describes the approach of the people towards
making friends. That is, whether, the people of a culture make friends easily and also whether
they keep their friendships for long or they are broken easily and frequently. Every
culture normally doesn‘t believe in responding to friendships and relationships with the
same degree of emotional intensity. At times, the privacy of the individual and his/her self-
interest becomes more important than others.

• Language of Agreements- The people of some countries or cultures prefer to have

everything in black and white especially, the agreements in particular. Whereas, some cultures
carries just the opposite approach.

•
 • High-context and Low-context cultures- The communication in case of high context
cultures is implicit and thus, more emphasis is provided on the interpretation of the context
rather than on the words. Most of the things are left unsaid for the receiver to understand on its
own, by interpreting the words according to the context. On the contrary, the communication is
explicit in case of low-context cultures and thus, the main importance is given to the words and
the receiver is supposed to understand the message through the words used in the message
without giving any heed of the context.

2. Florence Kluckhohn and Fred Strodbeck Model

 Kluckhohn and Strodbeck put forward six dimensions of culture based on problems that all societies
face.

• What does a person think about the basic nature and beliefs about the other person?

• What does a person think about his rights and responsibilities towards nature?

• What is the duty of a person towards others?

• What is the key form of activity in a society?

• How is space considered in a business organization?

What is considered more important by the people -past, present or future?

3. Geert Hofstede Model

 It was the first major study in the field of cross-cultural comparative research. The Six well-
known dimensions that Hofstede examined are:

• Power Distance Index [PDI]- This dimension measures the level to which the less powerful
workforce of the organization recognizes that there is an unequal distribution of power. The
primary concern about this is how the society deals with the disparities among people.

• Individualism versus Collectivism (IDV)- Individualism indicates a loosely knit social

network in which people give preference to themselves and their immediate family members. On
the contrary, collectivism implies a tightly knit social framework in which people do believe in
taking care of each other in the group in exchange for loyalty.

•
• Masculinity versus Femininity (MAS)- The values considered in case of masculinity are
achievement, heroism, assertiveness and material reward for success. Whereas, values such as
cooperation, humility, care for the weak etc. are included in the femininity aspect of this
dimension.

• Uncertainty avoidance Index (UAI)- A low score or value on the uncertainty avoidance
index represents that the managers and employees of the organization feel at home with regard
to uncertain situations and therefore are more entrepreneurial, happy to take risks, and not very
much dependent on formal rules and just the opposite in case of high score on the uncertainty
avoidance index.

• Long-term versus Short-term Normative Orientation (LTO)- People with short

term orientation are normative thinkers and they show great respect towards traditional values.
They believe in getting quick results. Whereas, people with a long – term orientation believe that
truth depends toa great extent on situation, context and time. They are quite determined
towards achieving results.

Indulgence versus Restraint (IND)- A society which permits relatively free gratification
of basic and natural human drives related to enjoying life and having fun represents indulgence.
On the contrary, restraint stands for a society that suppresses gratification of needs and
controls it by making strict social norms or standards.

•
 4. Fons Trompenaars Model Trompenaars and Hampden

 Turner conducted a survey with employees of various hierarchical levels in 1980‘s and
continued work for several decades. They classified culture along seven dimensions:

• Universalism vs. Particularism- It represents the standards through which relationships

are measured.

• Individualism vs. Collectivism- It measures the extent to which employees see

themselves perform better as a community or as individuals.

• Neutral vs. Emotional- Whether expressing of emotions is acceptable.

• Specific vs. Diffuse- It indicates the degree to which responsibility is specifically assigned or
the same is accepted in a diffused form.

• Achievement vs. Ascription- It represents the extent to which people need to prove
themselves to get status as compared to status being simply offered to them.

• Sequential vs. Synchronous- Whether the people believe in doing things one at a time or
a number of them at a time.

• Inner- directed vs. Outer-directed- It represents the approach of the people whether
they are able to control the environment or they work with it.

5. GLOBE (Global Leader and Organizational Behaviour Effectiveness)

PROJECT

 It was an international project conducted by R.J. House in 1991 with the help of 170 researchers
from 62 countries. It measured nine dimensions of culture which are listed below:

• Performance Orientation- It represents the extent to which the society motivates and
rewards the members of the group in case of improvement in the performance.

• Uncertainty Avoidance- It reflects the degree to which the society, business or group tries
to decrease the uncertainty with regard to future events, by relying on the rules, social norms
etc.
• Humane Orientation- It measures the extent to which the individuals are rewarded by the
society for being generous, fair, caring, selfless and kind to others.

• Institutional Collectivism- It reflects the extent to which the collective division of

resources and collective actions are being rewarded and encouraged by the organizations.

• In-group Collectivism- It represents the extent to which the members express pride, loyalty
in their organizations or families.

• Gender Egalitarianism- It reflects the extent to which the gender inequality is minimized
by the community.

• Future Orientation- It represents the degree to which the employees of the organization
engage themselves in future-oriented behaviours such as delaying indulgence, planning and
investing in the future.

• Power Distance- It indicates the extent to which equal distribution of power is expected by
the members of the society.

• Assertiveness- It represents the extent to which the employees exhibit self-confidence, and
aggressiveness in their relationships with others. Thus, it can be concluded that, no doubt there
are different models as proposed by various anthropologist with regard to dimensions of culture,
but the core thrust of all stresses on the same point i.e. culture is important, rather indispensable
for an organization to understand to work effectively and efficiently.

MULTICULTURAL DIVERSITY IN THE

WORKPLACE FOR THE TOURISM
PROFESSIONAL
CHAPTER 1
OBJECTIVE:
The students will be able to explain the meaning of multicultural diversity, describe managing
cultural diversity, Define culture, explain features of culture, and identify the dimensions of
culture

6. Lesson 1.0
1. Managing Cultural Diversity-An Introduction
Politicians, ecologist, demographers and educators are among the host of people using the
DIVERSITY with increasing frequency. Throughout the history of United States, all these
groups have as a matter of course responded to diversity, although, unfortunately, often in
negative ways. For instance, although people claim to value individuality, our schools have
often been forces for conformity. The purpose of this chapter is to discuss both
social/political diversity and individual/human diversity and make clear what these types of
diversity imply for education and educational policy in the United States today.

In order to do this, it is first necessary to make clear what exactly is meant by diversity- not
only by definition but also by connotation. Then, it will be useful to examine how diversity
has been viewed throughout the history of our nation.

After this we shall be ready to look to some of the people who are using the term today, and
what they mean when they use it, whether in a straightforward or a convoluted sense.
Finally, we can zero in on an appropriate definition and the implications of diversity for
today’s schools.

During this process, we shall examine both social/political diversity and

human/individual diversity, with particular emphasis on how our public schools should
and do respond to the issues that continue to arise as both the population of the United
States and the students in its public schools become increasingly diverse.

DIVERSITY AND CULTURAL PLURALISM

Diversity has been incorporated, in theory, in the principles of cultural pluralism. Gordon (1961)
argued that cultural pluralism was a fact in US society before it became a theory.

As newly arriving immigrants sought out and settled with their own national kind, they
formed national and ethnic colonies. Gordon described natural pluralism as the belief that
there is strength in variety, and that the United States as a whole benefit from the
contributions of different groups of people.

He further observed “cultural pluralism involves giving and taking and, more importantly, the
sharing of and mutual respect for ideas, customs and values”. In a similar manner Rose observed,
“America can be seen as a mosaic of ethnic groups, a “nation of nations”, each retaining its unique
qualities while contributing to the over-all pattern.

Gone are the days, when the trading activities of a business were restricted to the boundaries of a
country. Now, the things have changed and the people too. With the advent of liberalization,
privatization and globalization, the entire market has opened up with lots of avenues and
opportunities, which has further resulted in increase in competition.

Because of globalization, the interdependence between countries has increased manifold.

To survive in a globally competitive environment organization now require to trade at
international level. But, at the same time, it is worth noting that the organizations need to
map the culture, if they want to get success in their trading at international level. An
organization is not just formed with the four sided walls but, with the people working
therein i.e. the employees and the people dealing with i.e. the customers, suppliers etc.

And, that too with the employees – who are dissimilar not only because of their
different physical appearances but also of their different backgrounds, gender, age,
qualification, taste, preference, experience, origin, caste, religion, designation, caste,
culture etc.

All this is nothing, but what is called as ―diversity. ‘‘In today ‘s era, an organization is
successful only if, it has the stock of diverse workforce to meet the varied demands of their
diverse customers. But, at the same time, one can ‘t ignores the fact that, an organization
i.e. a place where there exists multicultural workforce; chances of misunderstandings, ego-
clashes, prejudice, miscommunication etc. are quite usual. So, the managers of the
organization need to learn the ways, through which these issues can be managed or handled
properly.

Thus, the need of the hour is to train the managers on multicultural perspectives, not
only to effectively interact with the cross-border customers and suppliers, but also with
their own employees. This is because; at last they are the employees who have to serve
the diverse customers.

There is a dire need to know more about workforce diversity, which is deeper than what is
seen at the surface level. This can give managers an understanding as to 2 what can go
wrong in a
 diverse team. The 1990‘s marked the development of a new trend in the form of workforce
diversity mainly because of the liberalization and globalization of markets (Jain and Verma,
1996).

Today ‘s managers to be successful should be well versed with the various cultural beliefs, values,
norms etc. As the awareness of the culture can greatly ease the problem of managing a diverse
workforce in today ‘s organizations, which are now represented by people from different cultures.
This Chapter begins with a brief discussion about the concept of culture and then unfolds about the
features and dimensions of diversity.

This is followed by a brief outline about cultural diversity- its features, importance,
challenges and benefits. Afterwards, concepts of multicultural organization, diversity
management, and cultural diversity management have been explained in detail. And, in the
end, a brief description about IT and Its Companies has also been provided.

II. CULTURE

7. Culture
The word Culture ‘comes from the Latin word “Cultura” which is related to cult or
worship or civilization. In regard to International HRM, culture is acquired knowledge that
people use to interpret experience and generate social behavior.

(Joynt and Warner, 1996) Different authors have different opinions about the term “culture”. Some
of which, are mentioned below:

Coakley (2007), ―Culture consists of the ways of life that people create as they participate in a
group or society. ‘‘
J.W. Salacuse (1998) defines culture, ―as the socially transmitted behaviour patterns, norms,
beliefs and values of a given community.

K. Avruch (1998), ―Culture is a derivative of individual experience, something learned or created by

individuals themselves or passed on to them socially by contemporaries or ancestors.

J. Stephen Carroll and Martin J. Gannon (1997) define culture as, ―a patterned way of thinking,
feeling, and reacting that exists within a particular group, organization, profession, sub-group of a
society, nation, or a group of nations.

Lederach (1995), ―Culture is the shared knowledge and schemes created by a set of people for
perceiving, interpreting, expressing, and responding to the social realities around them. ‘‘

Gudykunst and Kim (1992), ―Culture interprets the world and helps us to know how to behave.

The Dutch Scholar Hofstede (1984) defines culture as, ―The collective programming of the mind
which distinguishes the members of one category of people from another. ‘‘

Kroeber and Kluckhohn (1952), ―Culture consists of patterns, explicit and implicit, of and
for behavior acquired and transmitted by symbols, constituting the distinctive achievements
of human groups, including their embodiment in artifacts; the essential core of the culture
consists of traditional (i.e. historically derived and selected) ideas and especially their
attached values; culture systems may, on the one hand, be considered as products of action,
and on the other, as conditioning elements of further action.

Clyde Kluckholn and W.H Kelly (1945) define culture as, ―all the historically created
designs for living, explicit and implicit, rational, irrational, and non-rational, which exist at
any given time as potential guides for the behavior of men.

Edward Tylor (1871) defines culture as, ― that complex whole which includes
knowledge, belief, art, morals,law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits
acquired by man, as a member of society.

Thus, it can be concluded that, Culture is basically a collection of ideas, values, assumptions etc.
which differentiate a person from another; which can be passed from one generation to another;
and thereby help an individual to understand as to how he/she should act in a society.

III. FEATURES OF CULTURE

The salient features of culture are as follows:

Dynamic: Culture is something which undergoes a change; though it may be slow but usually it is
constant.
 Learnt: Culture is not a hereditary phenomenon. Rather, a person needs to learn it by interacting
with one ‘s environment.

Non-uniform: Cultural constituents like rituals, ideas, moral values, beliefs etc., differ
considerably i.e. they are different in different sections of the society. Moreover, they
change with time.

Patterned: Culture is integrated. A change in one part obviously will bring a change in the other.
Social: Culture is an outcome of the society.

Shared: Culture is something which is shared by the members of an organization.

Transferable: Culture is transmitted from one age group to another.

IV. DIMENSIONS OF CULTURE

One need not to give a second thought to say that the culture affects the organization, or
the success or failure of an organization is affected to a greater extent by the cultural
differences of the workforce working in, and the customers/consumers working with.
 V. DIVERSITY

The concept of diversity encompasses acceptance and respect. It means understanding

that each individual is unique, and recognizing our individual differences. These can be
along the dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status,
age, physical abilities, religious beliefs, political beliefs, or other ideologies.
It is the exploration of these differences in a safe, positive, and nurturing environment. It is about
understanding each other and moving beyond simple tolerance to embracing and celebrating the
rich dimensions of diversity contained within each individual.
Diversity is a reality created by individuals and groups from a broad spectrum of
demographic and philosophical differences. It is extremely important to support and protect
diversity because by valuing individuals and groups free from prejudice and by fostering a
climate where equity and mutual respect are intrinsic, we will create a success-oriented,
cooperative, and caring community that draws intellectual strength and produces innovative
solutions from the synergy of its people.

"Diversity" means more than just acknowledging and/or tolerating difference. Diversity is a set of
conscious practices that involve:

• Understanding and appreciating interdependence of humanity, cultures, and the

natural environment.
• Practicing mutual respect for qualities and experiences that are different from our
own.
• Understanding that diversity includes not only ways of being but also ways of
knowing;
• Recognizing that personal, cultural and institutionalized discrimination creates and
sustains privileges for some while creating and sustaining disadvantages for others;
• Building alliances across differences so that we can work together to eradicate all
forms of discrimination.

Diversity includes, therefore, knowing how to relate to those qualities and conditions that are
different from our own and outside the groups to which we belong, yet are present in other
individuals and groups. These include but are not limited to age, ethnicity, class, gender, physical
abilities/qualities, race, sexual orientation, as well as religious status, gender expression, educational
background, geographical location, income, marital status, parental status, and work experiences.
Finally, we acknowledge that categories of difference are not always fixed but also can be
fluid, we respect individual rights to self-identification, and we recognize that no one
culture is intrinsically superior to another.
8. Objective of Committee Members: To make a difference

Diversity - All of our human differences

Diversity Training - Understanding how our differences may effect or influence our relationships
at work (peers, subordinate, boss, and customers - intentionally or unintentionally)
Relationship Between Diversity and an Inclusive Work Place - The intent of looking at
the diversity in your workplace and customer ranks is to create (impact) a more inclusive
work environment for all employees and in the process attract more customers

9. A Diversity Issue Exists when…

An issue (policy or business practice - formal, informal, internal, or external) has a

different impact on a particular group (i.e., impact on men vs. women, black vs.
white, American vs. foreign, urban vs. rural, married vs. single, etc.)
It happens more frequently to a particular group (i.e., different groups may have dramatically
different "numbers" - turnover, terminations, promotions, discipline, few or no role models, etc.)
It is more difficult for one group to overcome (i.e., upward mobility for a particular group within an
organization - "glass ceilings")
A diversity issue exists where the policy or business practice has an impact exclusive of difference
(not inclusive of difference). Is there a trend or pattern (intentional or unintentional)?
Having a diversity issue is not necessarily a bad thing. Doing nothing about it given you have
knowledge of the issue is where organizations go wrong (negligence). Being in denial about
these issues do not make them go away. Ignorance is not bliss inside or outside the
courtroom.

The real question is why do we have this issue and can we take action to correct it or improve the
situation.

10. LESSON 1.1

What is the main goal of multicultural education?

We are living in a small world. At no point in our history, we had such quick access to so
much information. But this also means that ignorance is becoming less and less of a virtue
every day. Our exposure to people from diverse races, ethnicities and cultural
backgrounds, has increased exponentially.

The multicultural education of young children prepares them to respectfully co-exist in

this increasingly diverse environment. It plays a vital role in shaping their understanding
of the different cultures they encounter. It informs their interactions and influences how
they perceive cultural diversity (University of Washington, 2012).
What is the goal of multicultural education?
The first and most obvious goal is to encourage the values of openness and acceptance towards
people belonging to different cultural and ethnic backgrounds (Koppelman, 2011). Multicultural
education focuses on nurturing admiration and appreciation about diverse ethnocultural heritage,
in young minds.

Children are imbibed with greater knowledge and understanding about how to behave in a
more culturally responsible manner. They acquire skills to navigate various cultures. They
learn about societal evils like racism and discrimination, and how to stave off those.

How can multicultural education accomplish these goals?

Multicultural education focuses the most upon the knowledge inequality that currently exists. This
lack of access to education can be attributed to the absence of social justice and equity in our
society. Multicultural education advocates for better opportunities for learning, especially for those
who are marginalized based on the color of their skin, or where they come from.

Multicultural education plays a crucial role in forming a public opinion by leading the debate and
discussion on topics such as- educational, economic and social equity. It can shape public discourse
through advocacy, position papers, policy statements, press releases, and other strategies. It
separates itself from conventional wisdom to look beyond for fresh vein of thoughts and ideas (The
National Association for Multicultural Education, 2020).

Here is a resource for Multicultural Education for schools

Multicultural education is transformative to our society as it fixes the fundamentals. By providing a
multicultural education to our children we can guide them to become better and more
responsible adults tomorrow. Brick-by-brick we can build a more equitable socio-economic world.

What Are Some of the Objectives of Developing a Cultural Diversity Program?

In an increasingly connected world, cultural diversity in the workplace has been a growing
trend in many developed countries. According to the United States Department of Labor,
foreign-born workers “constituted nearly half the net increase in the U.S. labor force
between 1996 and 2000.” Not only is rising cultural diversity in U.S. work environments a
fact, it is also a positive development that can benefit businesses in a variety of ways if
properly embraced.
Build Global Relationships

If the global population was proportionately reduced to 100 people today, only 26 would
be from Europe or the Western hemisphere, and only seven would speak English as their
first language. In diverse regions of the world, people also have different philosophies and
approaches to business.

This heterogeneity noted, businesses competing for manufacturing, supplier, and

consumer contracts abroad benefit from a diverse work force that can raise the
organization's awareness of and sensitivity to different cultures.
Raise Awareness of Marketing Opportunities

A diverse work force can raise an organization's awareness of the concerns, demands and trends within
dissimilar communities at home and abroad, and help identify market opportunities. Perhaps there is a
product or service in high demand among a particular ethnic community that has yet to be provided, or
maybe there is a promising investment opportunity developing overseas that is only getting exposure in
foreign newspapers. If you employ workers from different cultural backgrounds, they can keep an
organization current on these developments.

Avoid Marketing Mistakes

Cultural diversity in the workplace can also help limit marketing mistakes arising from a lack of
awareness of local customs, traditions and business practices. As Dr. Jeffrey Gandz notes, Chevrolet
could have avoided the marketing mistake of launching the "Nova" in Latin
American in the 1960s--"Nova" in Spanish means "doesn't go"--if the company had consulted with
Hispanic managers. Similarly, Gerber's marketing executives might have thought twice about putting
black baby faces on food jar labels distributed in Africa had they known that in Africa the norm is to
put what's inside the jar on the label; the product didn't sell.

Expand Customer Base

Hiring employees that represent diverse cultures and speak different languages can also help a business
expand its customer base, especially when client service and face to face sales are the foundation of the
business. For example, the Bank of Montreal has been able to expand its Chinese client base in Canada
by hiring hundreds of new Chinese-speaking employees; these employees are able to build a rapport
with Chinese clients whose first language is not English. Over the course of five years Chinese business
at the bank increased 400 percent.

Encourage Creativity and Innovation

A diverse work force can provide dynamic solutions to business challenges. People from different
cultural backgrounds will often see challenges and think of solutions in different ways, and bringing
them together to work toward a common goal can produce creative results. Product design,
manufacturing processes and the development of marketing and sales strategies are three business
processes that can benefit from the contributions of a dynamic team.
 LESSON 1.2 TYPES OF DIVERSITY

What are the types of diversity?

Based on the standard diversity definition, the types of diversity in a social context are
theoretically infinite: they encompass every characteristic that appears with variations
among a group of people (such as hair or eye color). But usually, when it comes to
workplaces, there are seven types of diversity we pay attention to.

Here’s a list of the different types of diversity in the workplace:

• Cultural diversity
• Racial diversity
• Religious diversity
• Age diversity
• Sex / Gender diversity
• Sexual orientation
• Disability

Cultural diversity

This type of diversity is related to each person’s ethnicity and it’s usually the set of norms we get
from the society we were raised in or our family’s values. Having different cultures in the workplace
is more common in multinational companies.

Race diversity

Race has to do with a person’s grouping based on physical traits (despite the dominant
scientific view that race is a social construct and not biologically defined). Examples of races
are Caucasian, African, Latino and Asian.

Religious diversity
This type of diversity refers to the presence of multiple religions and spiritual beliefs (including lack
thereof) in the workplace.

Age diversity

Age diversity means working with people of different ages and, most importantly, generations. For
example, millennials, GenZers and GenXers can coexist in the same workplace.

Sex / Gender / Sexual orientation

Sex and gender can be used in the traditional sense of male and female employees. For example,
you may sometimes hear the term “gender balance” used by companies trying to achieve a 50-50
balance between employees who identify as male and employees who identify as female. But, as
gender is increasingly redefined, the term “gender diversity” may be more appropriate, since there
are multiple variations in gender and sexual orientation.

Disability

There are various types of disabilities or chronic conditions included here, ranging from
mental to physical. Companies often make reasonable accommodations to help people
with disabilities integrate into the workplace, such as installing ramps for wheelchairs or
providing mental health support. Some companies also adjust their hiring process to
make sure it's inclusive

11. LESSON 1.3 IMPORTANT DIMENSIONS OF WORKPLACE DIVERSITY

What Are the Important Dimensions of Workplace Diversity?

1. Age

There’s lots of research on the varying characteristics of different generations: Baby Boomers,
Generation X, Millennials, and so on.

While some of these categories can be over-simplifications, it’s certainly true that people of
different ages tend to think differently and have very different experiences.
My father, for example, was born during World War Two. His views are shaped by growing
up in an age of shortages and rationing, becoming an adult in the turbulent times of the
Sixties, struggling through the economic crises of the Seventies, and so on. That’s very
different from my own experience growing up in the 80s and 90s. And my nephews, who
have never known a world without the internet, smartphones and social media, have yet
another perspective.

As we saw in the last tutorial, a key benefit of diversity is that employees with varying perspectives
are better at things like innovation and decision-making.

Having people of different ages is a great way to achieve that. The younger employees can
keep you up-to-date with the latest technology and see possibilities that people stuck in
20th-century models may not appreciate. And older employees can draw on a much
broader range of experiences, including their memories of all the times that the “next big
thing” has come crashing down.

So it’s worth looking at the balance in your business. Do you have a good mix of ages
among your employees? If not, you could look at changing your hiring practices, perhaps
using more traditional venues like print ads and recruiters if you want more experience,
and newer ones like online forums and social media if you want to find younger people.
Also take an honest assessment of your workplace culture: is it too stuck in the mud to
interest young people, or too juvenile for the older crowd?

2. Race and Ethnicity

OK, let’s be clear: race is a social construct, not a valid scientific category. The current scientific
consensus is that racial differences are very poor proxies for people’s actual genetic diversity.
They’re categories from an older, less advanced time, when we saw that people looked different and
arbitrarily ascribed character traits to skin colours and hair types, often for the purpose of asserting
power over other groups.

But the lack of scientific basis doesn’t mean that we should ignore race as a category. It is an
incredibly powerful social construct, and it affects people’s lives in myriad different ways,
such as:

• life expectancy
• ability to own a home
• access to healthcare
• treatment by the criminal justice system
3. Gender

This is one of the simplest categories. Roughly half of the people in the world are women. If
women don’t make up around half of your workforce, you need to examine why that is and
take action to achieve a better balance.

By the way, if you’re thinking that women make up a smaller percentage of the labour force
due to their role in the family, in many countries that’s simply not the case anymore. In the
U.S., for example, the labour force is 52.7% men and 47.2% women—pretty close to half.

In some countries, of course, things are different. A World Bank report found that women
face job restrictions in 100 of the 173 economies monitored, and there are 18 countries in
which
women can’t get a job without their husband’s permission.

But even in countries in which women’s roles are more restricted, business owners can still make
the choice to employ more women to the extent that the law allows. And in countries where women
are willing and able to join your company, there really is no excuse.

Gender equality is not just about representation either. It’s nothing to boast about if your business
employs a lot of women, but they’re mostly in junior positions or earning less than men. Despite
progress in recent decades, women still earn only 80 cents for every dollar earned by men in the
U.S.—and large gender pay gaps exist in many other countries.

Gender is also about more than just addressing disparities between men and women. An estimated
1.4 million people in the U.S. identify as transgender.

Is your workplace welcoming for transgender people? In your HR policies and your company
communications, do you use inclusive language that avoids making assumptions about
people's identities? Do you truly consider the needs of transgender people and avoid
splitting the world into two categories?

With traditional gender categories having dominated our thinking for so long, you can really
set your business apart by showing more awareness of people who identify with a different
part of the gender spectrum.

4. Sexual Orientation

A person’s sexual orientation refers to:

"an individual's enduring physical, romantic and/ or emotional attraction to members of
the same and/or opposite sex, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, and heterosexual
(straight) orientations" So it’s an inherently personal matter, a matter of how you feel
and whom you are attracted to. What could it possibly have to do with business?

Actually, quite a lot. Check out this Harvard Business Review article detailing some of the research
on the cost of closeted employees—both to the employees themselves and to the companies they
work for. When people feel safe enough to express their sexual orientation, they are more
productive and achieve more in their careers. The strain of keeping secrets, on the other hand, tends
to hamper their progress and make them more likely to leave the company.

So whatever your personal beliefs, it's important for you as an employer to recognize that
you have a responsibility to create a workplace in which everyone feels safe to express their
own identity. If you do, your business will also benefit as a result.

5. Religion

Religious discrimination in the workplace is a real problem. Consider this experiment, in which
researchers sent out 9,600 job applications with résumés that were the same except for one detail:
whether the person’s experience was with a religious or non-religious student group.

The results? Résumés that made no religious reference received 20% more favourable
responses from employers. Those mentioning a Muslim student group fared the worst, and
the other religions came somewhere in the middle.

The problem goes beyond hiring practices. Does your workplace make allowances for religious
observances? Is there a place where people can pray or meditate, and can they take the time away
from work without being penalised? Does your dress code allow people to wear items of clothing
important to their faith? Do you take a strong stand on discrimination and harassment?

With so many world religions, each with their own practices, it can be hard to accommodate
everyone. But if you do, the payoffs can include:

• Employees are less likely to be looking for a new job.

• Employees are more than twice as likely to say that they look forward to coming to
work.
• Overall job satisfaction is higher.
6. Disability

Is your workplace inclusive of people with disabilities? There are a couple of different dimensions to
be aware of here.

The first is physical: Does your workplace have the necessary accommodations for people
with reduced mobility? Do you provide the technology that some disabled people may
need in order to do their jobs, such as telephone headsets or screen readers and other
computer software?

But the second aspect is attitude, and there’s a long way to go there. A survey by the UK charity
Scope found that two-thirds of people feel uncomfortable talking to disabled people, and over a
third of people tend to think of disabled people as not as productive as everyone else.
This has real consequences in the workplace. Research by the Employers Network for
Equality & Inclusion found that:

"Over one in three people show an unconscious bias against those with a disability, higher than
levels of bias on the basis of gender or race."
As with many of the other categories we’ve looked at, education is key. Inform yourself
about the challenges faced by disabled people as well as the contributions they can
make, and get training for your staff to ensure that they don’t repeat the patterns of bias
and incorrect assumptions that prevent so many disabled people from doing the jobs
they are capable of.

7. Personality

Since personality tests like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator first gained popularity in the 1960s,
employers have been obsessively testing candidates and employees—it’s estimated that more than
50 million people have taken Myers-Briggs.

While psychologists may quibble over the validity of the buckets people are put
into, the principle is sound. Personalities are important in business, and getting a
healthy mix is beneficial.

Having a mix of personalities is also a challenge, of course. It can lead to clashes and
conflicts. But sometimes, out of those clashes, new ideas or insights can form. It gets to
the heart of the main argument for diversity in general: Difference can be hard to deal
with, but it tends to lead to better outcomes than uniformity and conformity.
So mix things up a little and enjoy the various contributions that all those different personalities can
bring. It may just make your workplace a more fun and interesting place too!

8. Socioeconomic Status

Pretty much every society has class divisions. They’re more pronounced in some countries than
others, but they exist almost everywhere.

People from different socioeconomic backgrounds tend to have different attitudes and
outlooks on life as well. As with other forms of diversity, that can be both a challenge and a
benefit to your business.

Here’s an example from an article based on the book Hidden Rules of Class at Work:

"Do your employees understand the organization’s unspoken rules about money? Those
from poverty grew up with the notion that money was to be used, spent. Middle class
norms suggest that money is to be budgeted and managed closely. Wealth suggests that
one should conserve and invest money. What’s right? Each is a viable use for money, but
do your employees understand the views of your organization?"
Think about the socioeconomic background of your employees. Do they come from
similar or diverse backgrounds? Will they challenge or reinforce existing beliefs? How can
you reach out to people from different backgrounds in your future hiring?

9. Education Level

This is a tricky one, because qualifications are important for many jobs, and often you need people
who’ve attained a certain education level.

But I’ve also seen plenty of job descriptions where a college degree was included as a requirement,
even though it really wasn’t necessary at all to do the job. For example, a few years ago I used to
work as a freelancer for banks and other large firms, making their PowerPoint presentations look
pretty. The only real requirement for the job was being good at PowerPoint, but many companies
demanded a degree.

By demanding unnecessary qualifications, you are excluding people who may actually be ideal for
the job. You’re also making your workforce more homogeneous and less diverse.
So ask yourself what education level is actually required to do the job. If a qualification is
truly necessary, then of course you can demand it. But if you’re using a college degree or
other educational requirement as a kind of proxy for the skills you believe college graduates
will have, then drop the education requirement and list the skills you need instead.

Removing education requirements doesn’t have to mean dropping your standards. It means
focusing more accurately on what you need, and giving a chance to people who weren’t able
to pursue formal education but who may be the ideal new employees for your company.

10. Life Experience

This is a more general category. I’ve included it because workplace diversity is most
effective when it’s less about the categories and more about the people and the diverse
insights and perspectives that they bring.

The nine dimensions listed above capture the main types of diversity relevant to a business,
but what about employees with life experiences that are radically different from those of
the rest of your staff? They can still bring the benefit of new ideas and challenging the status
quo.

Personally, I know that traveling extensively has taught me many new things about the world and
has made me more valuable as an employee than I was before. But all kinds of experiences could
give someone new insights—including experiences that people might not list on a CV because they
don’t seem relevant or productive.

So when you’re hiring your next employee, don’t necessarily go for the person with the most
relevant qualifications or job experience (although of course those things are important).
Consider the whole person and what they can bring to your organization.