Cultural Diversity & Inclusion At The Workplace

Diversity is a set of conscious practices that involve understanding and appreciating interdependence of humanity, cultures, and the natural environment; practicing mutual respect for qualities and experiences that are different from our own (Patrick & Kumar, 2012).Diversity is a set of conscious practices that involve understanding and appreciating interdependence of humanity, cultures, and the natural environment; practicing mutual respect for qualities and experiences that are different from our own (Patrick & Kumar, 2012).

A globalizing society has to accommodate and function with diversity, giving birth to diversity management as a corporate leadership tool (Hays- Thomas, 2004), with the following definition: Diversity management are the organizational actions designed to create greater inclusion of employees from various backgrounds into the formal and informal organizational structures through deliberate policies and programs.

Today diversity management is being learnt and applied across -

• Governments that need to manage a diverse immigrant population, while taking advantage of the human capital they bring.
• Companies that hire people from across the world, exploiting the best cost effective talents available.
• Education providers who recruit students from across the world, with the promise of global education and experience.

Malaysia has always been a place of diverse peoples living in harmony, and where large multi-nationals and small enterprises co-exist mutually benefitting one another.

There are many large multi-nationals in Malaysia that hire people from across the world and develop a strong corporate culture that drowns communal culture.

There are also small industries in Malaysia, where the owners bring their own communal culture into the company, that also hire a diverse group of people from within Malaysia and abroad, all of whom also work in harmony.

What is their secret? How do they do it?  A study of these industries shows that many different techniques and methods go into building harmony and inclusivity among a diverse work-force or people.

However, there are also many organizations that struggle to operate smoothly and productively in a diverse employee environment.

• Directors, Managers & Supervisors find it difficult to manage or deal with their people from different cultural backgrounds.
• Faculties find it difficult to teach students from different cultures.
• Policy makers find it difficult to develop inclusive policies that will manage and assimilate a diverse population mass.

This program brings to the delegates to discuss and learn to manage diverse groups of people from across the world. It will further enrich and enlarge the cultural diversity management capabilities. The program offers solutions to strained work environments overcoming diversity constraints.

A globalizing society has to accommodate and function with diversity, giving birth to diversity management as a corporate leadership tool (Hays- Thomas, 2004), with the following definition: Diversity management are the organizational actions designed to create greater inclusion of employees from various backgrounds into the formal and informal organizational structures through deliberate policies and programs.

Today diversity management is being learnt and applied across -

• Governments that need to manage a diverse immigrant population, while taking advantage of the human capital they bring.
• Companies that hire people from across the world, exploiting the best cost effective talents available.
• Education providers who recruit students from across the world, with the promise of global education and experience.

Malaysia has always been a place of diverse peoples living in harmony, and where large multi-nationals and small enterprises co-exist mutually benefitting one another.

There are many large multi-nationals in Malaysia that hire people from across the world and develop a strong corporate culture that drowns communal culture.

There are also small industries in Malaysia, where the owners bring their own communal culture into the company, that also hire a diverse group of people from within Malaysia and abroad, all of whom also work in harmony.

What is their secret? How do they do it?  A study of these industries shows that many different techniques and methods go into building harmony and inclusivity among a diverse work-force or people.

However, there are also many organizations that struggle to operate smoothly and productively in a diverse employee environment.

• Directors, Managers & Supervisors find it difficult to manage or deal with their people from different cultural backgrounds.
• Faculties find it difficult to teach students from different cultures.
• Policy makers find it difficult to develop inclusive policies that will manage and assimilate a diverse population mass.

This program brings to the delegates to discuss and learn to manage diverse groups of people from across the world. It will further enrich and enlarge the cultural diversity management capabilities. The program offers solutions to strained work environments overcoming diversity constraints.

Upon completion of this program, the participants will be able to:
 

• Learn how the main cultures developed, their uniqueness, and the expectations of its practitioners.
• Understand their personal diversity constraints, its origins and influence.
• Learn, practice, demonstrate and take-away the tools and techniques to discard diversity disablers, and develop diversity enablers.
• Be in a more positive and pro-active position when handling abrasive cultural interactions.
• Be able to better handle and relate with students from diverse cultures.
• Be able to manage conflicts between people of different cultures.

Any professionals who work in a culturally diverse environment. 

DAY 1

MODULE 1: CULTURES & THEIR MANY FACES

• Cultures Identified with Nation, Ethnicity, Belief, Survivalist, Business
• How & Why Diverse Cultures & Prejudices Develop
• Your Stereotypes, Bias & Prejudices – 5W1H Analysis
• Corporate Culture – Its Development & Growing Influence
• The Culture of the International Oil Business
• Identify Samples of Cultural Behaviour in Your Organization – Corporate & Non-Corporate

MODULE 2: SELF ANALYSIS OF CULTURAL DIVERSITY

• Exploring Our Diversity – Global to Communal to Individuals
• Separating Your Communal & Individual Characteristics – Question Based Reflective Analysis – Diversity Checklist
• Mapping the Evolution of Cultures – Facilitated Exercise
• Where are You on the Culture Map? – Radial Chart Facilitated Analysis
• Cultural Integration in a Globalizing World
• Rating Your Cross-Cultural Integration – Matrix Chart Facilitated Analysis
• Mapping Your Journey for the Next 3½ Days

MODULE 3: GLOBALIZATION & THE MEETING OF DIVERSITY

• Video Analysis of Diversity Collision & Collaboration in the Work-Place
• Case Study Analysis of Diversity Collision & Collaboration in the Work-Place
• Pre-Emptive Analysis of Diversity Collision & Collaboration in the Work-Place

MODULE 4: CULTURAL DIVERSITY – CONFLICT OR COOPERATION?

• Cultural Diversity & Conflict – 5W1H Analysis of CD-Disablers
• Cultural Diversity & Collaboration – 5W1H Analysis of CD-Enablers
• The Role of Emotions & Cognition on CD-Enablers & Disablers
• The Purpose of Emotions & its Development
• Practising the Techniques to Manage & Alter Constraining Emotions
• Enhancing the Enablers – Facilitated Self-Coaching
• Converting the Disablers – Facilitated Self-Coaching
• Celebrating Diversity – Altering the Mind-Set

DAY 2

MODULE 5: THE MECHANISM OF DIVERSITY CONFLICT

• The Trigger of Diversity Conflict & How it Grows
• Recognizing the Conflict Trigger
• Case Studies of the Conflict Trigger
• Arresting the Conflict Trigger – Facilitated Self-Coaching

MODULE 6: EMPATHIZING & EMBRACING CULTURAL DIVERSITY

• Why Are We Diverse & How Did Diversity Develop?
• Every Cultural Diversity Characteristic has a Good Reason
• Analysis of Significant Diversity and Why They Developed
• Becoming Respectful of Diversity Characteristics – Facilitated Self-Coaching
• Surviving Cultural Rejection – Facilitated Self-Coaching
• Overcoming Resistance to Diversity; To Acceptance & Integration – Purging Activity
• Embracing Cultural Diversity – Changing the Mind-set – Facilitated Self-Coaching

MODULE 7: MANAGING CULTURAL DIVERSITY

• The Individual – Personal & Interpersonal Levels
• The Group – Intra & Inter Group Levels
• The Organization – Aligning Group & Individual Cultures with Organizational Culture
• Plotting Your Cultural Layers – Changing with Stress & Priorities – Facilitated Self Analysis

MODULE 8: COMMUNICATIONS & INTERACTIONS IN DIVERSITY

• Natural Non-Verbal Communication is Universal
• Comprehensive Review of Natural Body Language – the Best Cross-Cultural Communication Tool
• Communicating Showing Signs & Expressions is Culture-Specific
• Comprehensive Review of Signs & Expression Communication in Different Cultures – the Worst Cross-Cultural Communication Tool
• Verbal / Written Communication is Culture-Specific
• A Review of Terms Misunderstood in Other Cultures
• Using Negotiation Skills for Effective Cross Cultural Communications
• Cross Cultural Persuasion Techniques
• Cultural Differences when Impressing Someone
• Language Patterns in Different Cultures
• Relative Sitting & Standing Positions between Diverse Cultures
• Mitigating During Misunderstanding Across Cultures

DAY 3

MODULE 8: STRATEGIES FOR CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATION

• Characteristics of a Model Cross-Cultural Communicator – Self Check & Gap Analysis
• Managing Your Personality in Communication
• The Effects of Personal & Cultural Values & Attitudes on Communication
• Managing Sensitivities & Conflicts – Developing Emotional Intelligence
• Understanding the Communication Process in Different Cultures
• Preventing or Mitigating Communication Short-Circuits
• Sources of Cross-Cultural Communication Challenges – Facilitated Self-Analysis
• Becoming a Successful Cross-Cultural Communicator – Facilitated Self-Coaching

MODULE 9: SPEAKING & LISTENING

• How Different Cultures Emphasize & Organize Messages for Communication
• Why it is Difficult to Listen Effectively in Cross Cultural Communications
• Active Listening without Pre-Judgment in Cross Cultural Communication
• Video Reviews of Forming Pre-Judgment during Cross-Cultural Verbal Communications
• Case Study Analysis of Sources of Pre-Judgment

MODULE 10: ASSERTIVENESS & AGGRESSION IN CULTURAL DIVERSITY

• The Blurring of Assertiveness & Aggressiveness Between Cultures
• Aligning the Incremental Assertive & Aggressive Rulers across Cultures – One Man’s Assertion is Another Man’s Aggression
• Practising Effective & Safe Cross-Cultural Assertive Techniques

MODULE 11: PHYSICAL INTERACTIONS IN CULTURAL DIVERSITY

• Cultural Norms in Body Distance & Contact across Various Stages of Relationships
• Touching, Clasping Hands & Arms, Embracing across Cultures and Sexes
• Use of Fragrances, Cosmetics, Colours & Their Implications
• How Much to Cover?

DAY 4

MODULE 12: ADAPTING TO THE DIVERSIFYING WORK ENVIRONMENT IN A GLOBALIZING WORLD

• Abandoning the Security of the Comfort Zone – Facilitated Self-Coaching
• Erasing Pre-Conceived Perceptions, Prejudice & Bias – Facilitated Self-Coaching
• Embracing the Changing Diversity – Facilitated Self-Coaching
• Coping with Diversity Changes
• To Avoid or Assimilate
• Opportunities in Diversity Changes
• Evolving to Changing Diversity

MODULE 13: TIME – THE COMMON DENOMINATOR IN CULTURAL DIVERSITY

• Time is Common Across All Cultures and People
• Using Time Management to Integrate Cultural Diversity
• Time as a Multi-Cultural Resource
• The Role of Time in Closing Diversity Gaps
• Respecting the Importance of Time across Multiple Cultures and Organizations
• Tools & Techniques to Manage Time
• Time Wasters – the Common Enemy across Cultures
• Time Management & Productivity
• Managing Competing Demands for Time
• Setting Priorities across Different Cultures
• Managing Time in Changing Diversity

MODULE 14: ADOPTING THE MINDSET OF THE IMPARTIAL CONSULTANT-MEDIATOR

• Brainstorming the Mind-Set of the Impartial Consultant-Mediator
• What is the Mind-Set of the Impartial Consultant-Mediator
• Techniques to Develop the Impartial Mind-Set to Cultural Diversity – Self-Coaching Takeaway
• Projecting a Positive Company & Self Image in Cultural Diversity

CONCLUSION & CLOSE

• Review of Learning & Take-Aways
• Review of Self-Coaching Library
• Commitment Plan & Pledge

PROGRAM STRATEGY

Diversity management has very much to do with discarding its disablers and enabling the embracing emotions and mindset of the global professional, one who can work with, manage and control people from diverse cultures.

This program therefore explores and develops the tools that each person will uniquely need to tune themselves to become an internationalist. It has a substantial amount of self-exploration in the context of diversity challenges, with numerous self-coaching tools to apply and take away for continuous improvement and development.

A diligent practitioner of these methods should find the journey to becoming a global professional made easy.

The following tools and techniques will be used:

• Facilitator led Online Training
• Individual and Group work in breakout rooms
• Case studies/ Peer group sharing session
• Videos
• Facilitator’s coaching

BARRAK ADAMS (Dr)
Phd, Author-Trainer-Business & Technical Consultant, Trade Negotiator, Change Agent

Barrak specialises in training leaders world class negotiations around the Globe. He has been actively developing customised trainings and conducted them in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, the UAE, Sudan, Mauritania and Turkmenistan.

Senior Negotiator, Lead trainer, he has a clear and comprehensive understanding of what competencies are to be developed to be a successful negotiation. His abundant knowledge and experience address every situation in our fast pace business world and everyone is guaranteed to take home valuable learnings useful for their next deal.

Barrak comes to you with more than 40 years of enriched, result-oriented experience in many positions among SMEs, government agencies, multinational and businesses. Equipped with solid experience and a wide range of state-of-art resources and latest development, his training programs are geared towards competency development.

With only the minimum amount of necessary theory (he says the participants can read his notes later) his training/ speaking sessions are filled with mindset, behavioural and capability change activities. There is always excitement, A-Hah moments in every session at his programs.

Barrak had worked with the Audio-Visual, Automotive, Printing, Property Development, Construction, Timber and Food industries, in capacities ranging from Group Engineer, Manager, Plant Manager, Senior Negotiator, Project Director and Managing Director.

Being a Management Consultant, Management System Auditor, Trainer and Counselor, he had consulted for an even wider range of industries that includes Medical services, Financial institutions, Petroleum industries, Metal, Plastics, Cellulose and Electronic components manufacturers, and the Civil service around the world.

He graduated in Engineering from the Singapore Polytechnic in 1973 and continued with post graduate and continuing studies in Engineering, Social Science, Rubber and Plastics Technology, Training and Development, Radiation Protection, and Quality Management, with a PhD in Organizational Management from Iowa State (US).

Since 2004, he has since been training and consulting for organizations such as PETRONAS, the National Electricity Board, the National Bank, various government ministries and agencies including Parliament House, and large corporations, further to training in Mauritania, Turkmenistan, Abu Dhabi, Sudan, Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia and Australia.

Currently, he is a senior resource faculty member for iTrainingExpert.com, continuously design and conduct customised trainings and consultancy for multi-national companies around the world.

Author
As an author, he has recently published his second book via Seaburn Publishing, New York, titled ‘Pre-Emptive Thinking – Managing Problems and Threats,’ that identifies why organizations continue to have problems at their middle management and operational levels in spite of all the systems and what has to be done to resolve this. Being the first book on this thinking, its reviewers expect it to have an international impact similar to creative and critical thinking. He is now writing his third book on Insights of International Strategic Negotiation.

To contact Barrak for any speaking, training and consultancy engagements, please contact us at +603 8074 9056 | Mobile +6012 6869  628 | +6018 2735 123 or email: info@iTrainingExpert.com

6% SST is chargeable, excluded in the quoted fee above

Certificate
Upon successful completion of this program, you will receive a Certificate of Achievement.

Payment mode:

1. ONLINE PAYMENT  by Credit card:  You can opt to register and pay online with our latest payment integration system through our website.

2. Telegraphic Transfer- You can also opt to use GIRO or telegraphic transfer of payment via international banks.

Contact us: ITRAININGEXPERT GLOBAL PLT
Tel:+603 8074 9056 | +603 8082 3707
Mobile: +6012 6869 628 | +6018 2175 123
Email: info@itrainingexpert.com
Website: www.iTrainingExpert.com