You want to increase your sales and marketing to a diverse clientele. This is a smart move because the world is becoming more diverse as we speak, moment to moment, especially the Western world. Not only are Western countries become more diverse in terms of visible differences among the people in these countries but more often those of us who are in business and top management, are forced by the nature of global markets to deal with diversity - all kinds of people in all kinds of negotiations and trade collaborations therefore there needs to be some core values that organizations need to establish and communicate to their employees in no uncertain terms. Those core values should include but not limited to:
1) Justice - the ability to be just is very important in establishing cross-cultural relationships within the workplace. As human beings we know when someone is being just and unjust, even though we might try to fool ourselves. When we are just staff members accept our decisions without thinking that there is favoritism or racism going on. This lends itself to growth, respect and general good feelings about the workplace.
2) Diversity - this is not just throwing people of different colour in a mish-mash kind of way. This is a value and where the individual an organization hires must believe at her or his core that all people are born equal and there are bright and capable people of every race, ability, religion or creed, that there is not a superior race. We are all one. Some of us have been more fortunate than others in having access to more resources and so might have had a few advantages but that does not mean that everyone within that race has the same advantage. A true understanding and practice of diversity will lessen if not eliminate stereotyping people.
3) Honesty - this is allowing a person to make mistakes and to correct that mistake. When there is honesty people will not try to hide what they have done wrong but will accept it and try to do better next time. Honesty means, if you are not sure that you understand a person from a different cultural background or accent, he or she should be able to say frankly, you know what, I am having a hard time understanding your accent, can we go over that again. It takes time to understand accents and the ways in which we all frame our words etc. These are human frailties and accepting this weakness respectfully does not make the person who express his incomprehension a "racist".
4) Respect- this is the cornerstone of any cross-cultural or diverse workplace. This is one area where unnecessary conflicts can occur. When you are dealing with people of different cultural backgrounds in an environment where the dominant cultural group is at the helm, it is that much more important to ensure that your staff shows the utmost respect to each other and this goes from the person who cleans the office to the CEO. It does not take much to be respectful. One finds that those who tend to be the most disrespectful to others are the ones with the least skill and this may be just a cover for their inadequacies. Having a respectful workplace policy will be helpful. Your work environment should not provide a playground for bullies, racists and bigots.The policy should be placed in an area that is visible and not just one area but in every major part of the company.
5) Friendliness: Encourage a spirit of camaraderie based on respect and appreciation for diversity in all of its manifestations. You can encourage this by having a special day for employees to get together for a game of golf or for a fun activity. A few weeks ago, I met a colleague at a jazz concert and she told me that she was there with her eintire staff. They had spent the entire day visiting galleries and ended up for dinner and music. What a beautiful way to spend the day. For those task-oriented people, this might sound like a waste of time and money but an employer will gain much more that they will lose. When you treat your staff well they perform better and with confidence. They do not want to leave you and if you are faced with hard times they will be there to back you up.
That's all for now.
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