Jessa Victor Maputol CA21-A1 SocScie213

Cultural diversity and its example

Cultural diversity in the workplace extends beyond national origin and

includes many factors pertaining to employees heredity and experience in areas
such as religion, language, political views and moral codes. For any organization
to perform up to its potential, its important to understand the ways in which
diversity manifests in the work place and how to tap into it rather than stumble
over it.

Cultural diversity (also known as multiculturalism) is a group of diverse

individuals from different cultures or societies. Usually, cultural diversity takes
into account language, religion, race, sexual orientation, gender, age and
ethnicity.

1. Religion

There are world religions, which claim to be universal and applicable to all
and there are local religions that concern themselves only with the local
experience. There is obvious diversity between groups like Christianity, Buddhism,
Hinduism and Islam but also consider that a Christian in the United States has a
vary different experience and engagement then the would in say Egypt or the
Philippines.

2. Language

There are somewhere around 6000 different languages. Some of these

languages do not have concepts for colors like blue. There are things in some
languages that English speakers will likely never even conceive of.

3. Gender

Some systems of gender include up to 5 major categories, such as in some

indigenous groups in North American and have for thousands of years before the
Torah (first five books of the bible) was even written. In Bangladesh, there is a
legally recognized third category of gender called the Hijra.

4. Class/Ethnicity

The experience of a poor American is radically different from a Rich

American. And depending on your ethnicity, your relationship to wealth and
poverty also varies greatly.

5. Family and Marriage

So far as we know, every culture has an incest taboo but how that taboo
manifests greatly across cultures. In some cases it is okay to marry one set of
cousins but not another. In some cases you cannot marry someone who speaks
the same language (linguistic exogamy). Some cultures also practice multi-spousal
marriages such as one man marrying several women (polygyny) or one women
marrying several men (polyandry).

Cultural Diversity Trends and Examples.

C-Transport is an aviation company that manufactures airplanes. The

reason for the company's success has to do with their employees. C-Transport
depends on worker diversity to bring the aircraft to fruition. Diversity consists of
all the different factors that make up an individual, including age, gender, culture,
religion, personality, social status and sexual orientation.

1. The growth of a minority workforce.

Today's workforce is made up of a very diverse population of individuals

from every part of the world, which creates dynamic multiracial and multicultural
organizations. Such diversity brings with it many differences in skills, abilities and
experiences. Because C-Transport values having a very diverse workforce
themselves, they ensured that human resources recruited a minority
representation within the corporation. This created an atmosphere where
different viewpoints and ideas came out of brainstorming sessions and were
welcomed.
2. The second trend is a growth of stereotyping and prejudices.

This can be hard to avoid when so many different cultures come together in
a work environment. For example, many of C-Transport's executives were against
hiring female engineers. Many executives were from the old school and thought
that the female engineers would not be as dependable due to possible maternity
breaks.

3. Another trend companies are embracing is the addition of sensitivity or

diversity training.

This type of training educates all employees about cultural differences so

that they can understand and appreciate each other. The purpose of sensitivity
training is to teach employees how to properly act and communicate in a
corporate environment. Topics covered in a sensitivity training session will include
learning proper etiquette, appropriate terminology, improvement of
communication skills, anti-bullying management styles and how to eliminate
sexual harassment within a company. C-Transport ran a sensitivity training class
for employees who were not accepting of female engineers.

4. The fourth trend is a large increase of females in the workforce.

In fact, over the past few decades, women's participation in the workforce
has grown dramatically to account for almost half of the labor force. It is not a
surprise that many of C-Transport's recent job applicants were female engineers.
C-Transport found that they brought a unique approach to designing aircrafts.

5. Another trend is that corporations became more open to hiring individuals

with disabilities and accepting different abilities.

While still considerably underused, organizations are quickly beginning to

realize that disabled workers are a vital part of the workforce. The advent of new
technologies and accommodations has allowed organizations such as C-Transport
to recruit and utilize disabled workers in their labor force. Likewise, there has
been an increase and appreciation for individuals with unique talents and
abilities. Technology and an appreciation for all types of educational training and
skills allowed C-Transport to tap into a section of workers that other companies
ignored.