WHAT'S YOUR CULTURAL PARADIGM?


In today’s day and age, diversity and inclusion are a hot topic and gets a lot of focus. A focus which is a must-have, a need to have rather than a good to have.

There are still people/organisations who focus on diversity based on what is visible only – gender, ethnicity, (perhaps) LGBTQ, or disability. Yes, these visible factors would tell you a lot about their predisposition, possibly hint at their culture, etc. But there is a grave danger in relying on those visible factors only as our biases towards certain groups will creep in, and we won’t even know it. When you layer in cultural background, personality types, countries of origin, religion, heritage and upbringing, you start to fully understand a person’s beliefs, values, and way of being. Not to say that there won’t be variation, but you will begin to paint a picture which will have some consistencies.

However, is this realistic? For people whose livelihood is to study cultural differences, who live and breathe diversity and inclusion and in any other field related to the study of human behaviour, yes, it is realistic. So then, what do others do who have regular jobs and learning about the factors I mentioned above are important but not a priority? If you aim to be in a leadership position or are in it already, you cannot afford not to make it a priority. You must make the time, and it should be amongst your top 5 priorities, to understand what DE&I is and how it will impact your leadership and those you aspire to lead. Heck, if you want to be a kind and respectful person, even if you don’t want to lead people, you must study and understand what makes people different and cherish those differences.

If you lead a team which is not only diverse but international as well, one of the easiest ways to understand them is through Hofstede Insights – A cultural advisory that, through research and a combination of data analytics and human behaviour models, provides business solutions.

So to bring an example to life, let’s examine my life based on Hofstede’s country comparisons to get an idea of what could be my mode of being and, therefore, how I will show up in life and at work. I was born and raised in Pakistan and have lived in several countries, with the longest being in Canada, followed by the UK. As you can see from the chart below, all 3 countries are relatively different, although one can argue that Canada and the UK are somewhat similar in some traits. When you look closely at the chart, for someone like me who has been raised in a collective culture, i.e. Pakistan with a score of 14, while spending a large part of my adult life in countries which are dominantly individualistic, perhaps my view of society at large and how I lead my team will be a mix of both. Therefore, if you would only classify me as a Pakistani, you would assume I’m very collective rather than have individualist traits as well.


You can run similar analysis for any country by going here: https://www.hofstede-insights.com/fi/product/compare-countries/

Let’s have a look at masculinity.

Pakistan being right in the centre, you can’t determine whether they prefer one or the other, which I would say is true. My opinion is that while people value the quality of life and caring for others, working hard and being competitive and aiming for success is a survival factor for my people. However, let’s look at Canada with a slight preference for masculinity, meaning they are driven and strive for high standards but value work-life balance and take time out to do things that bring them joy. You see a contrast – and someone like me who had very pleasantly learned that hard work and success don’t have to be a survival factor but rather there can be a balance and harmony: aiming for success and enjoying the journey as well. And then you add the UK to the mix, which is high on masculinity, and now you have to change tactics or adapt (or maybe not!), but it is helpful in understanding how you will be perceived should you value a work-life balance over an imbalance between work and pleasure in life.

Hence, analysing people and their culture is one way to get a deeper understanding of their default way of being, how this shows up in their work, and how you can build deeper relationships based on respect and compassion.

Now put this in the context of your leadership and people management. Wouldn’t it be great to understand people based on these metrics and have further conversations to learn about what inspires them, what will motivate them, and then create a culture which is inclusive and values what people have to offer based on differences which make life interesting and relationships more valuable.

I love hearing back from you. Do share your thoughts and stories, as it really inspires me to read them.

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Categories: DEI, Leadership, Values