Objectives of Cultural Diversity

Increase sense of one's own cultural identity
Heighten awareness of one's own cultural perspectives and the impact of those perspectives on individuals from other groups.
Develop knowledge of and practice in using an effective strategy for interrupting culturally inappropriate/offensive remarks that hinder relationships across cultures.
Set a plan with specific ways to develop and build alliances with people who are culturally different from one's self.

Significant Statistics

Through the 1990's, people of color, women, and immigrants will account for 85% of the net growth of the nation's labor force.
By 2000, women will be 47% of the labor force.
During the 1980's, immigrants accounted for 1/3 of the total U.S. population growth.
35-54 year olds will increase from 38% to 51% from 1985 to 2000.
Over the next 20 years the U.S. population will grow by 42 million. Hispanics will account for 47% of the growth, Blacks 22%, Asians 18%, and Whites 13%.
Persons with physical and mental impairments comprise the single largest "minority" (approximately 45 million individuals).
Miami is 2/3 Hispanic.
San Francisco is 1/3 Asian American.
By the year 2000, English will be the second language in California.

Why Organizations Need to do Cultural Diversity

Work Workforce Demographics The bulk of the entering workforce in the 1990's is and will be people of color, white women, and immigrants. Diversity is here to stay.

Marketing Argument
Changing demographics in the U.S. are creating new customer groups. Opportunities continue to arise for niche marketing to ethnic, social and other groups.

"To succeed internationally, we need to understand the cultures of the world; and we have all the cultures of the world represented right here - a tremendous competitive advantage."

-- Ernest Thompson, Proctor and Gamble

The customer base is increasingly diverse and segmented; companies can no longer market as though every family consisted of a white working male, a white stay-at-home female, and 2.2 children. Buyers are more likely to respond positively if the marketing/sales person is like them.

Competition Argument
In a competitive marketplace it is necessary to keep a competitive edge through innovation and problem solving.

"When you are surrounded by sameness, you get only variations on the same."

-- Kevin Sullivan, VP of Human Resources at Apple Computers

Creativity Argument
Heterogeneity in problem solving groups produces more creative responses in an increasingly competitive global marketplace. Diverse teams are more effective and creative in an increasingly competitive economy.

Lack of innovation and problem solving leads to uncreative responses to the marketplace both domestically and overseas, which results in a decline in market share.

Talent Argument
When a business limits its selection and promotion process to one group, it denies itself the full talents of the entire employment pool.

To get good workers, organizations will have to put aside old definitions of "fit" and employ people of different colors and cultures. Those with the best reputations for managing diversity will win the competition for the best personnel which will become increasingly important as the composition of the labor pool changes.

Cost Argument
As organizations become more diverse, the cost of a poor job in integrating workers will increase. Those who handle this well will have a cost advantage over those who don't.

Lower productivity/poor performance of a large proportion of the workforce is likely to happen when employees may feel alienated because their contributions are not valued and consequently they do not find it an affirming place to work.

Other potential problems include employee absenteeism and turnover, conflict and tensions amongst staff, discrimination complaints, and time lost due to misunderstandings.

Definitions

RACES HAVE DIFFERENT ETHNIC GROUPS, AND DIFFERENT ETHNIC GROUPS HAVE DIFFERENT CULTURES.

RACE: Denotes a system of classifying humans into sub-groups according to biological and physical characteristics such as skin color, facial features, and stature. Three racial types commonly recognized are Caucasian, Negroid, and Mongoloid.

ETHNICITY: That part of our identity derived from membership, usually through birth, in a racial, religious, or national or linguistic group, which share a unique cultural and social heritage from one generation to another.

CULTURE: Refers to the sum total of acquired values, beliefs, practices, laws, customs, traditions, and knowledge reasoned and experienced by a group.

Reference: Joseph Hartog and Elizabeth Hartog, "Cultural Aspects of Health and Illness Behavior in Hospitals." The Western Journal of Medicine. 1983 December, Henderson and Primeaux, Transcultural Healthcare, 1981.
National MultiCultural Institute 3000 Connecticut Ave, NW Suite 438 Washington, DC 20008-2556 Phone: 202/483-0700 Fax: 202/483-5233 E-mail: nmci@nmci.org