So far in our Diversity Week we have covered the Definition of diversity and What is Inclusion. Today we turn to heritage and culture to discover how they affects diversity.
Why is heritage and culture important?
We are born within a culture, and during the first stages of life we learn our culture. This process is sometimes referred to as our socialization. It is our heritage. Each society transfers to its members the value system underlying its culture. Children learn how to understand and use signs and symbols whose meanings change arbitrary from one culture to another. Without this process the child would be unable to exist within a given culture.
The structure of a family, which includes things like gender roles, expectations and habits taken upon by the whole can impact not only how you think, but also how you look at another’s culture.
The differences and similarities in our diversity are expressed and exemplified in social practices, attitudes and values, family interactions and expectations, values concerning education, ways of defining and treating health (physical and mental), business and management behaviors and practices, political practices, and interpersonal relations.
As you grow and develop, many factors influence the development of your personal culture, including your exposure to other cultures. Yet, those early family and regional influences are so ingrained that only by being consciously aware of them can you understand cultural differences and overcome barriers you might have in your dealing with people of various cultures.
"Men and women are not only themselves; they are also the region in which they were born, the city apartment or the farm in which they learnt to walk, the games they played as children, the tales they overheard, the food they ate, the schools they attended, the sports they followed, the poets they read and the God they believed in"(W. Somerset Maugham. The Razor's Edge)
Here is what the crowd from the tweet chat #leadfromwithin, moderated by Lolly Daskal @LollyDaskal had to say last week about heritage and culture:
A5: we cannot help but bring our history our culture to work. It shapes and molds us to be who we are. #leadfromwithin
— Lolly Daskal (@LollyDaskal) July 18, 2012
Heritage and culture are at the heart of diversity. #leadfromwithin
— Ryan Setter (@RyanSetter) July 18, 2012
A5: heritage is inextricably tied to our innermost selves.And culture is what we make of our selves. #leadfromwithin
— Brett Gorres (@BrettGorres) July 18, 2012
Heritage and culture bring the community aspect to diversity. #leadfromwithin
— Ryan Setter (@RyanSetter) July 18, 2012
Anyone read Outliers? I can't tweet it right now, but that book says so much about the importance of heritage and culture #leadfromwithin
— Blair Glaser (@BlairGlaser) July 18, 2012
A5. Heritage and culture create the lens through which we see the world. #leadfromwithin
— TerriKlass (@TerriKlass) July 18, 2012
A5: Hertiage & culture they are the special sauce that gives us soul--and makes us interesting. #leadfromwithin
— Jackie Bernardi (@JackieBernardi) July 18, 2012
A5: Heritage & culture shape our expectations. #leadfromwithin
— Greg Richardson (@StrategicMonk) July 18, 2012
Remember. . .
Culture is everything you do in your daily life; what your routine is, how you function in society and what your values are. It can be a myriad of things, from the way you dress and the way you relate to others, to the food you eat. Your heritage and culture are an integral part of your identity. Your language, assumptions, expectations, and behaviors are all colored by your culture.
As a leader, it’s important to be aware, understand, and enjoy your own cultural heritage and that of others. After all, the organizational culture will be affected by your individual culture and that of everyone in the organization.
Join the conversation in the comments below and tell us your thoughts about the importance of heritage and culture in understanding diversity.
Photo by: Ajith