May 2007 Newsletter
It's Cultural Diversity Day on Saturday 19th May so we've jam packed this month’s useful stuff with lots of juicy information on the subject.
Here’s what we’ve got for you - a look at how Diversity training for organisations can help to create positive and inclusive working environments, our really useful toolkit of 15 cultural competencies, you get to meet Bijay Minhas, one of our resident experts on the subject, and we’re offering a 10% discount on any Diversity training booked by the end of June 2007.
Good huh? Here's the breakdown:
Here's one we made earlier..
...how to work effectively across cultural differences.
PME - Cultural Awareness
We recently showed PME how cultural awareness and understanding can enhance their business.
This month our Diversity expert Bijay Minhas visited PME to advise them on working effectively across cultural differences in their diverse customer base.
PME part of construction and services company Carillion, is one of the UK's foremost facilities services companies with over 40 years' experience in the provision of specialist support in the operation, maintenance and repair of building services.
What did we do?
The challenge was to equip staff at all levels in PME with Cultural Awareness training to improve customer care and to reflect the diversity of the communities they serve. The workshop aimed to introduce all staff to the complexities of cross cultural communication and the changing demographic realities for the business.
These workshops will be a catalyst for positive change within the organisation. To date 50% of scheduled staff have taken part and 100% are expected to have completed the workshop by mid May.
We tweaked our Diversity training programme for PME , adding some specific tools and techniques focussed on cultural awareness and how to work effectively across cultural differences. The workshop was focussed on the individuals attending, was interactive and directly involved each individual for maximum personal impact.
How did we do it?
What’s in a name?
First impressions and perceptions.
We kick-started the session by inviting participants to think about their own name and what it means to them, and also to think about “culture” and what that means.
Setting personal intention
As with all our workshops, we invited participants to think about their “intention” and what it is they really want to get out of the time. By encouraging personal engagement we could deliver individual benefit with participants taking responsibility for their learning.
Delivery techniques – What is culture anyway and why does it matter?
The key to creating a progressive working environment is to really understand what culture is, what factors make up culture and how these factors are constantly evolving. The objective of the workshop was to increase participants' understanding and awareness of the impact of cultural differences on today’s society and how, in order to provide excellent services to our customers, it is vital that organisations understand, appreciate and manage the impact of working across these different cultures.
The workshop explored a range of different models around cultural awareness and examined how values and beliefs can help to define culture and how cultural awareness and understanding can support the business.
Delivery techniques – The iceberg – values and beliefs
We looked at the importance of communication and how if we have limited information about others, we are more likely to draw on our own values, beliefs, stereotypes and prejudices. This tendency to assume things about others without accurate information to back it up can lead to stereotyping which in turn can lead to misunderstanding.
Delivery techniques – Our cross cultural knowledge quiz
Our cross cultural knowledge quiz looks at demographics, religion and culture. The quiz is made up of 24 questions covering everything from the % of the UK’s minority population through to how personal space differs from culture to culture. The quiz is an extremely revealing and educational tool highlighting the gaps in our knowledge.
Top Tips - Cultural Competencies
Next we shared our toolkit of cultural competencies. This is our positive checklist designed to support participants in their ongoing dealings with customers and colleagues from different cultural and social backgrounds. Armed with these tips and with a plan to take them forward, participants decided on the actions they were going to take straight away.
Buddies
Finally we encouraged attendees to partner with a “buddy” who they arranged to meet three weeks after the workshop. Setting up this simple support structure with a pre-arranged meeting time to ask questions and swap experiences promotes action and helps to embed the learning.
If you would like to talk to us about diversity training for your teams contact john@you-unltd.co.uk
What am I doing here?
Bijay explains why Diversity is more than just a fancy management term.
Every now and then we thought we’d tell you a little more about some of the team. This month we’ve included an interview with Bijay Minhas our expert on all things diversity related. Below she answers the questions to which we know you’d like the answers.
Bijay has over 20 years experience in the field of diversity and inclusion and is a qualified diversity professional. She has been directly involved in providing a wide range of creative and innovative diversity services to over one hundred organisations including (amongst others) Kent County Council, Essex Police Service, Suffolk Police Service, University of London Royal Holloway, Bromley Social Services and the University of Salford. Read more about Bijay.
Bijay on Diversity :
So what is diversity all about? What does it mean?
Diversity is about the differences and similarities that we bring to the workplace. It is reflected in both the way we manage our staff and conduct business with our customers.
Why should I (as a learning and development manager) be bothered about it?
Diversity is more than a conversation about our differences and how to get along.
It is a vital business imperative for any company that wants to better understand its marketplace and get the best from its employees. Diversity is about valuing differences and creating inclusive work environments. It is about attracting and retaining the best talent, harnessing the diverse skills and potential of the workforce, to not only be an employer of choice but to better reflect our customers in a changing world.
Isn’t it just a fancy management term?
Not at all, to believe so can be very costly to organisations for many reasons, not all financial. Managing diverse teams is a reality, managing them effectively is a challenge best met by those managers who understand how to communicate effectively with people from a range of backgrounds. Diversity extends beyond just our visible differences so managers need to be able to create work environments in which everyone can be equally valued and enabled to reach their potential.
Is it my job to set the diversity agenda?
That depends on your organisation and the role you have within it. Often the diversity agenda can be set by senior managers. The process of carrying out the agenda and ensuring progress is made can be everyone’s job. Every employee shares some responsibility for ensuring that diversity is a mainstream issue.
Managing diversity is integral to all aspects of business, from hiring and managing staff to understanding your customers, key stake-holders and partners. It can even be about your organisations image in the wider community, many key players in the global market place even ‘brand’ their diversity initiatives to prove just how much they ‘walk the talk’.
Don’t the lawyers just deal with that kind of thing?
Hopefully not, often lawyers can guide an organization on the law and what constitutes good practice but the day to day managing of the diversity agenda is not just a legal matter.
What did you think of Shilpa’s treatment on Celebrity Big Brother?
I feel the whole situation reflected the complexities and dilemmas of managing diversity in society. It is a bit like peeling back the layers of an onion – there are many layers to the situation and I am not sure we saw them all.
I feel Shilpa was thrown into the realms of varying degrees of bullying and racism, all packaged for good entertainment value. It has made for great public debate about many issues not just in the UK but globally. It also demonstrates how not understanding the issues can leave organisations both vulnerable and exposed.
What do I need to know to tick the government boxes to make sure I am compliant?
Ticking boxes is the bare minimum you should be doing. My advice would be to take a broader look at the issues. The costs of ticking boxes alone are often hidden and can mean problems further down the line.
If this is where your organisation is, it is about understanding the law on discrimination, the six main areas covered include race, gender, disability, age, sexual orientation and religion. There are various government initiatives that encourage organisations to work towards equality, fairness and quality assurance like the Equality Standards and Single Assessment Process.
Is that I all I need to do?
Understanding the legislative framework and working to attain good standards of equality and fairness means knowing the law and being proactive. Compliance is about preventing discrimination, being proactive can be about re-addressing past inequalities, managing diversity is about working towards creating inclusion for all.
To be ahead of the game, to gain competitive advantage, to attract the best talent means more than compliance it means reflecting diversity in all you do.
What is great about diversity?
It is about real people and relationships. It is about creating value and respect for our differences whilst recognising similarities. Diversity is great because it is who we are.
Anything that’s not so great about it?
No. I see it as a journey; you need to know where you are going, why you are going there, how you plan to get there. The map is crucial because there can be many paths.
Anything else you’d like to tell us about diversity?
Only that we are all different in some ways and similar in others. Diversity is nothing new, it has always been with us. The challenge is to understand, respect and value it.
An opportunity to book -
Ditched or Diverse? "Diversity - Insight and Impact" (As featured on radio 4's PM programme)
This month we are offering a 10% discount on any Diversity training booked by the end of June 2007.
Our programme Diversity training (as featured on Radio 4’s PM programme) looks at making diversity more than just a fancy management term. It’s focused on how staff and managers can genuinely accept all others regardless of ethnicity and preferences and the great things that can happen when they do.
To book:
Contact: john@you-unltd.co.uk or call him on +44(0)20 3202 0001 by 30th June 2007.
And finally, some useful stuff...
our tool kit of cultural competencies.
Here we regularly reveal some of our top tips for better performance at work.
This month we’ve shared our 15 really useful tips to help you understand the needs and qualities of others.
1. Be non-judgemental / withhold judgement
2. Be flexible
3. Be resourceful
4. De-personalise observations
5. Be aware of your filters
6. Pay attention to thoughts and feelings
7. Listen carefully
8. Observe attentively
9. Assume complexity
10. Tolerate the stress of uncertainty
11. Have patience
12. Manage personal bias and stereotypes
13. Keep a sense of humour
14. Show respect
15. Show empathy
And Finally, don't forget we are offering a 10% discount on any Diversity training booked by the end of June 2007.
To book:
Contact: john@you-unltd.co.uk or call him on +44(0)20 3202 0001 by 30th June 2007.
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