As organizations introduce diversity, the culture of the workplace will change. People make judgments based on what they already know of their own values and beliefs. When the unknown element is interjected, it causes confusion, fear, and chaos. This forces people to question themselves and defend their beliefs. When organizations increase diversity in the work environment, clashes occur amongst different cultures. Diversity brings in different perspectives, different approaches to problem solving, different visions, different languages, and different expectations. “Communications, in face-to-face exchanges as well as through company newsletters and training sessions, should be welcoming and should accentuate the positive effects of employing workers with varying talents and accomplishments” (Developing Diversity Initiatives, 1993).
Organizations change as they become more diverse. Many changes will cause anger, frustration, and confusion. The introduction of cultural diversity, which includes different languages, causes organizations to go through five stages:
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Anger – Workers will resist change and expect others to fit their norms and speak their language.
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Passive Regression – People will become withdrawn. There will be little to no sharing of information, which is very important to be successful.
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Chaos - Groups form and struggle to regain power. This when discrimination accusations begin to surface.
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Reclamation- this where the bridge builders arrive. They bridge the gaps between the groups. Bridge builders can belong to any group, respect other positions, and have pride in their own cultural identities. It is the bridge builders who can act as a link between the groups
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Celebration – This is the celebration of a new diverse culture. It is understood by everyone, that language and cultural diversity benefits everyone. The people are not “uptight” but comfortable and understanding of each other’s culture. This is the longest and most difficult stage for the groups to complete.
There are steps that companies can take to prevent civil unrest within an organization. The following steps can be used to prevent confrontation and assist in creating a positive and productive environment:
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Purpose – Develop a strong sense of purpose for the employees that transcend all differences including language. A common purpose will keep the working together for the common goal. By developing purpose, the organization is relaying the message that all the different groups and cultures are on the same team and are all one company.
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Tell Stories – Stories help connect the groups. Through stories, different groups can relate to each other as people. Stories also give the groups a chance to voice its opinions and concerns.
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Self Awareness – Companies should develop self awareness
- Within the organization commonly, people are afraid of the unknown. By developing self-awareness, the organization forces the groups to face the unknown and to overcome their fears and insecurities.
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Training Programs – Companies should implement training programs to teach the different groups to be culturally aware of one another. The programs should also include language courses to teach communication skills.
“Organizations are adapting a number of approaches to overcome language barriers among employees” (Journal of Business, 2000). English is the universal language of business, and it is only one of several languages spoken in the United States. It is very important for organizations to create an environment where everyone, despite language spoken, is considered equal. Companies are offering training courses and providing translators to make everyone feel comfortable. As the population becomes more diverse and the traditional societies are becomes more mobile, companies are faced with cultural and language issues. It is up to the organization to make sure it is taking all the necessary steps to ensure that groups and cultures effectively work together and is productive.
“Language does more than simply describe reality; it also serves to shape the reality of a culture”(Colorado Business Communication, 1991). Like other forms of language, nonverbal communication is not the same in all cultures. It can take many forms such as facial expressions and visual images to learn nonverbal communication from people who share our same culture. For instance, people with hearing loss communicate using sign language that is another way of communicating. Your signing hand is the hand you write and color with and your other hand is the helping hand. This technique found @ is informative for nonverbal communication. Gesture, body posture, direction of attention, eye contact, level of conversation, and other behaviors are interpreted as signs of inclusion and exclusion.
However, there are many layers of communicating further. Verbal language and body language signifies whether the line of interaction is conveyed and not a form of evasiveness. With the perception that English is the universal language, it is not always perceived by all nations or society as a whole. Those of us who do use English do so in spite of our ambiguity towards it, or perhaps because we can find in that linguistic struggle a reflection of other struggles taking place in the real world, struggle between the cultures within ourselves and the influences at work upon our societies. To conquer English may be to complete the process of making ourselves free. As relations grow in the workplace, the social interaction is not the same. For example, when Spanish-speaking employees interact with English-speaking employees some issues that formulate are: which language to speak or when to use an interpreter. In a social setting it is even harder when greeting and addressing people correctly. Thou not to provide a definitive answer to language as related to pronunciation, it is difficult to understand individuals whom speak English but with an accent. Often, individuals are asked repeatedly what is being said in order to convey what was said. Bahri (Language, 2003) states “ Language as communication and as culture are then products of each other…Language carries culture, and culture carries, particularly through orature and literature, the entire body of values by which we perceive ourselves and our place in the world…Language is thus inseparable from ourselves as community of human beings with a specific form and character, a specific history, a specific relationship to the work.” Language is a critical element of culture. Members of society generally share a common language, which facilitates day-to-day exchanges with others. There are many ways of communicating language in the workforce and, it is not the only way to show a line of interaction to work together but a way of social interaction. The work force is just one avenue to rectify the critical success for today’s employer when diversity by today’s standards is met.
References
Bahira, Depika (2003). Language. Retrieved April 28, 2004 from website:
Colorado Business Magazine, May 1991 v18 pg.37 (3)
Duncan, Robert A. (1993). Developing Diversity Initiatives: Definition and
Process. Retrieved April 28, 2004 from website: .
Journal of Business Communication v33 pg. 48
Management Review, Dec 1998, pg. 42
