Culture Clash

As many as half of all nations have experienced or are experiencing substantial cultural conflict in the second half of this century notes Scully: "Ethnic tensions, religious conflict, racial friction, and linguistic differences have arisen. They have made nation-building and inter-group cooperation quite difficult. When societies are multicultural the "ethnocentric differences often lead to enmity in many forms...."4 Conflict is real, and this underlying source of tension must be dealt with on a variety of levels within organizations. We see conflict most apparently in the United States workplace in racism, gender gaps, homophobia, and other issues of difference and inequity. It is in this arena where corporations often feel the most pain, and see the greatest costs -- especially in turnover, absenteeism, low morale and productivity, and litigation. Because conflict is often the most visible and immediate concern, we find it difficult to look beyond the struggles and see where cultural differences can provide opportunity, innovation, and problem solving. The Cultural Iceberg: Imminent Danger or Hidden Opportunity? Icebergs can sink ships. The recently popularized movie Titanic paints a graphic image in our minds of the great, "unsinkable" ship. It wasn't a forceful gash that sank the ship, but the ice beneath the water that sheared rivets off the hull, allowing the ship to take on water. A weakened hull led to a fast-sinking ship. It might be said that corporations face similar dangers. The signs are there. The tip of our corporate "iceberg" is globalism, technology, diversity, values, assumptions, different faces and ways of doing things. What lies underneath are hidden challenges of lost talent, inequities, and the unknown. The signals, the warnings, are often not seen or heard until it is too late and the damage is done. Better navigational systems help modern-day ships avoid such tragedies. We can see the tip of the iceberg as a sign of imminent danger, or, we can see within it a wealth of hidden opportunity that just needs to be brought to the surface. Corporations can improve their navigational systems to chart the waters of the increasingly diverse workplace, markets, and world and discover the hidden opportunities through their corporate diversity strategies. Aligning Corporate Culture with a Multicultural World The challenge for corporations is "redefining themselves because they have already been redefined by the economy," says Pamela Palanque-North, president of Palanque Associates. Many U.S. corporations are discovering traditional practices and values inherent in organizational cultures are no longer in-sync with changing realities. Corporations need to create alignment between their corporate culture and a multicultural world. They need to build upon what they do well, and identify the gaps in their systems, policies, procedures, and practices that inhibit the organization's ability to compete effectively. Duran explains, "If we allow ourselves to break away from some (but not necessarily all) of our traditional core values of the organization, we should become more innovative and productive. One of the ways to do so is to create new cultures (and thus value systems)." While corporate culture can be "one of the things that makes an organization successful," says Sharon Parker, president, The Institute for Managing Diversity, "it can also limit success by things that may be culturally bound." For example, cultural boundaries can prevent organizations

from fully tapping their talent by excluding people who are different. Alan Reich, president of the National Organization on Disability remembers a time when corporate culture was such that disabilities were unknown. Today, he says, "There is a whole new phenomenon with 54 million members of the disability world. Companies have realized with little investment there can be a great gain to accommodating individuals with disabilities." We also can look at other groups of people who have traditionally been excluded and recognize the tremendous contributions they are making to business and society. Why Do We Exclude? A Cultural and Historical Context of Corporate Culture: Society makes its "own set of assumptions about how members should act," says Anderson J. Franklin, Ph.D., professor of Psychology at City University New York. He explains, "Cultural values are expressed at a societal level. Organizations and institutions within that system do the same and set up a value system reflecting that society. With a diverse workforce, you find people sharing physical or psychological space where people tend to want each other to assimilate. Value clashes and conflict can come about from individual, institutional, and cultural interpretations of traditional practices." Maria Thacker of International Orientation Resources adds, "Most of the 'appropriate' behaviors that our group tries to drum into us (socialization) are internalized assumptions and values cast as right or wrong." Claire B. Halverson, Ph.D. president of Halverson Associates provides additional insight: "Perceptions of differences are sometimes based on prejudice and not reality. At other times there are real differences due to cultural backgrounds. In these latter cases, there is a problem because the organizational policies, practices, and norms have usually been established and maintained by those in power in the organization. In most organizations in the U.S., EuroAmerican men have had this power. This can have a negative impact. Biases, prejudices, and perceived differences negatively impact those who are not in a position of power in the organization. This usually reflects societal issues of racism, sexism, and cultural ethnocentrism...effectiveness depends on how differences and perceptions of differences are managed." 5 Trevor Wilson, in his book, Diversity at Work also makes us aware of some of the subtle, culturally laden, yet sometimes unintentional forms of discrimination (this does not exclude the facts of intentional discrimination) existing in many of our corporations: Some examples include seniority, entitlement, inflexible systems, the Old Boys' Network and non-bona fide job requirements and corporate culture "fit."6 Mary McRae, associate professor of applied psychology at New York University explains that, "We have to be able to talk about these issues and understand there is individual, institutional, and cultural barriers to people. We need to learn about exclusion in terms of our own cultural environment and look for ways to overcome the barriers."

Canada's multicultural policies allow us the freedom to celebrate our ethnic heritage and practice our beliefs as long as they do not harm others or break Canadian laws. However, there are occasions when cultural clashes among neighbours and colleagues do occur. These kinds of misunderstandings can be very stressful and have an impact on one's mental and physical health. The impact can be greater if it occurs in the workplace where you spend a larger portion of your day. In the early 1990's, I was asked to conduct a Cultural Competency Training session for a local business, and I found that the most common complaints from people were related to rudeness. Employees felt that the supervisors were rude or the supervisors felt that they had been disrespected. Another common complaint from new immigrants, which makes me smile even today, was that people in Canada ask 'how are you, but they do not stop long enough to hear the answer.' In many cultures, when we ask someone how they are, it means that we are interested in their well being. As a new immigrant, I learned quickly that "How are you" is nothing more than a greeting and that we are not expected to tell the greeter our feelings. The expected response is just 'I am fine'. Culture, in the context we are talking about, refers to shared patterns of behaviour, beliefs, customs, traditions, values and symbols. Understanding culture also helps us to understand others' behaviours. Our own culture is passed on to us from our parents, grandparents, caregivers and our community. We learn early in life what behaviour is acceptable or unacceptable. These learned behaviours become a part of who we are. Most of the time we don't think about them; we respond automatically. Each workplace also has its own culture and a newcomer has to learn very quickly how to fit in. A normal workplace conflict that caused me great stress, was my inability to say "NO", respectfully and politely, to a colleague who constantly needed help to finish her projects. I was always taught that when someone asks for help you do your best to help them, especially if they fear losing their job, as my colleague did. But helping her constantly also meant that I was not able to meet my deadlines. In time, I learned that in such situations it is better to say 'I would love to help; let's set a time that works for both of us'. This simple phrase allows you to think about how much time you have to spare and when you will be available. Another expression that works well in many situations to avoid conflict is 'let me think about it and I will get back to you.' This, again, allows me to take time to think, develop a plan and come up with solutions which will work for both of us without offending anyone. Workplace culture is difficult to navigate, but negotiating is often the key to avoiding conflict, and to building relationships. Aruna Papp, MA, ADR, MEd. Counsellor/Therapist in Private Practice As an immigrant Aruna took advantage of all the opportunities Canada offers. She attended ESL classes, earned two Masters Degrees and founded 3 immigrant-helping agencies dealing with domestic violence. Now in private practice, she consults for governmental and non-profit agencies, conducts workshops and is a frequent keynote speaker. www.milycounsellingandmediationservices.ca