Standard Tour

Posted 12 May, 2009 - 19:25

Overview
This tour provides a basic introduction to three approaches to working more effectively in a culturally diverse organisation. It also identifies potential problems and suggestions for good practice.

Length of route:
1- 1½ hours

Level of difficulty:
Medium

Level of fitness needed:
Basic understanding of the concept of culture and of why people see things differently

if you're not sure about your level of fitness, check out …
activities on the About Culture trip and the Wave

Special Notes
You would also find relevant information in the business sections in public libraries.

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Standard Tour Itinerary

Review some of the reasons for increasing understanding when working in a culturally diverse organisation. [click to Why Consider Culture brochure
One approach to working in culturally diverse organisations is to develop awareness about each of the cultures represented in the organisation. Visit several different cultures
This approach may be satisfactory as long as there is not very much cultural diversity amongst the people involved, but that is increasingly rare in New Zealand today. Make a list of all the cultures represented in your organisation, remembering the variations within cultures.
One way to reduce the number of cultures you would need to learn about is to look at similarities between them. Hofstede [click to go to reference] pioneered this type of research, and there are now many ways of grouping, or clustering, them. Visit some culture clusters
While this may be an improvement on learning about each culture individually, it would still require a great deal of research. A third and very different approach is to adopt cultural safety principles cultural safety activity
If you have not explored some of the Hazards on your travels, do so now
While it’s important to seriously consider the potential problems of responding to cultural diversity in the workplace, don’t let them overwhelm you. There are some simple Guidelines for good practice

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