Understanding Cultural Diversity in Today’s Complex World

1. Understanding Cultural Diversity in Today’s Complex World • Chapter 5 Challenges and Benefits

2. Challenges Challenges include • Gender • Age • Ideology • Nationality • Sexual orientation

3. Challenges • Discrimination is when an action is based on a prejudice against an individual or group because of race, class, gender, age and disabilities etc.

4. Challenges Examples of discrimination and prejudice include: Dominant white against black Dominant males against females Dominant rich against poor Dominant old against young ( and vice versa)

5. Challenges • Many of the challenges presented by cultural diversity stem from ‘isms’ : • Racism • Sexism • Ageism • Ableism • Classism These ‘isms’ can lead to prejudice and biased behaviour.

6. Challenges • Racism occurs when a member or members of a dominant group discriminate against others based on the belief that there are basic differences in people’s behaviour and abilities entirely due to their ‘race’.

7. Challenges • Classism means that different values are placed on people based not on personality but on their social and economic ‘value’.

8. Challenges • Sexism means that men and women are treated according to their gender rather than individual characteristics. This can lead to prejudice and bias against the less dominant group.

9. Ageism • Ageism refers to individuals being discriminated against because of their age rather than their ability.

10. Ableism • Ableism relates to discrimination against people with a disability that has a negative effect on their everyday activities in work or social life.

11. Benefits The most recognised benefits of cultural diversity are : • Creativity • Innovation • Cooperation • Synergy

12. Benefits • Creativity Working and interacting with other cultures can help our creativity by absorbing input resulting from different backgrounds, experiences, and ideas.

13. Benefits • Innovation When people from different cultures work together a collection of ideas and innovations are readily available.

14. Cooperation • Cooperation Once our differences are acknowledged and respected the opportunities for connecting and cooperating become easier. Positive attitudes result in similarities becoming more important than differences.

15. Benefits • Synergy Synergy is the extra energy and effectiveness when people and organisations create a spirit of understanding and openness. This leads to the opportunity to cooperate and combine their efforts.

16. Benefits • These benefits develop when people from different cultural backgrounds work or live together.