"Salsa Management"
By Carlos Conejo

If your business is growing you are probably discovering that today's work force is a cultural salad bowl. Everyone is in the same bowl, but striving to keep their identity or culture. At the same time, you're probably discovering that the old ways of managing are not working. You may be hearing managers say things like, "I just can't seem to get through." Are you discovering that the ideas your managers discussed at staff meetings and thought were crystal clear are totally misunderstood by the work force? Do tempers seem to flare within different cultural groups at the slightest provocation? Is production suffering due to ineffective communication or lack of communication? Do you suspect that some of the differences are tied to cultural differences, but you don't know what to do?

Solving such issues is not going to be easy. Managing in a multicultural world is a tremendous undertaking! Here are four steps to start you on your way to becoming a truly multicultural company.

Step #1 - Identify the Diversity

This is a lot more difficult than it sounds. Start collecting data about your work force. You will be amazed at the number of identifiable cultural groups. There are at least 25 major cultural groups in today's work environment, and there may be several sub-groups in each of these major groups. I was recently in Toronto, Canada, and discovered that there are over 80 ethnic groups speaking over 100 languages in that city! Finding eight to ten sub-groups in a small company is not unusual! Don't generalize. It's very dangerous to do so, and can be fatal to any company. For example, if you are located in the Southwest, don't assume all of your Latino workers are Mexican. Let's say you have the eight to ten different backgrounds in your company. Understand that each of these cultures gathers and interprets information differently, and that's where your problems begin.

Step #2 - Discover the Norms

Get detailed information on your cultures. There are not too many places to gather this information, but there are some good reference materials at the library or through hiring an ethnoculturalist, diversity or cultural change consultant. Don't overlook your employees. You could sponsor an essay contest during certain cultural festivities and compile these essays in a notebook where everyone can learn about the different cultures. Another way is to just ask. What the favorite or lucky colors in their country are, what superstitions people believe in, what are some family norms and values? Remember you can also learn plenty by practicing MBWA - Management By Walking Around: Look, listen, ask & learn!

Step #3 - Discover The Differences

Different cultures gather and process information differently, in a way that is unique to that culture. Sometimes logic and reason evade other cultures or us. For example there is no guilt in some Eastern cultures. There is no heaven or Hell, but there may be karma. So it's tough for us to understand when we may be coming from a Judeo-Christian point-of-view. This causes both a cooperation and a communications barrier, and it's definitely not a level playing field!

Step #4 - Develop A Plan of Action

Most businesses and even business schools are behind the times when it comes to dealing with cultural issues in the workplace. One business school that seems sensitive to the different cultural issues is UCLA's Andersen Graduate School of Business. Their brochures are target-marketed to different sub-groups, such as Women, Blacks, Asians and Latinos. Very well done! If graduate school is not in the cards for you right now, you may wish to hire management or supervisory staff from the predominant cultural group. (Sometimes, however, this may exacerbate the situation because the other groups may feel slighted.) A better idea may be hiring a consultant, a neutral third party, to assist you with some of these issues.