By Natasha Josefowitz, Ph.D.
LA JOLLA, California — San Diego is becoming a multicultural city more and more. The Asian and Hispanic populations are growing at a faster rate than the white. When I gave the commencement speech at the University of California, San Diego a few years ago, I was impressed with the large percentage of Asian students receiving awards. As the workforce reflects this diversity, it is often difficult for the white, middle-class people—especially those coming here from the Midwest who see themselves as “hot dog, apple pie, and Chevrolet” Americans—to know exactly how to relate to people of very different backgrounds, history, cultures, and norms. It is doubly difficult for managers who need to know and understand what motivates and what rewards the people reporting to them.
Most people have not grown up with very diverse populations, but with people largely like their families and themselves. There is great comfort in being with those who share one’s values, interests, and way of life. Awareness of this is the first and most important step in being able to relate to people very different from oneself. Most of us make sexist and racist remarks, not even aware that they may be offensive. Look at all the ethnic jokes going around. They could be upsetting to that segment of the population that is being denigrated.
This short article cannot give a rundown of the major value systems operating for various groups in work settings. However, I can give a glimpse of the conventional United States cultural value system, which may help in not viewing it as the one and only standard to which all others must adhere. These are the values many of us have grown up with. Objectivity about one’s own value system helps in realizing that alternate systems have validity. Some of these are held as personal values and not official in a workplace setting but permeate it none the less.
Also, it is important to realize that as I write this down, some are in the process of changing.
- We believe in rugged individualism; the individual is the primary unit.
- We believe in the Protestant work ethic: Hard work brings success.
- We are competitive; we strive to be number one. Winning is everything.
- We focus on the future versus the present (becoming versus being). We are supposed to save for a rainy day and value continuous improvement.
- We are action-oriented. We must always “do” something about situations. Our need is to master, control, harness, and exploit both nature and the environment.
- We would rather schedule our lives than be spontaneous.
- We emphasize the scientific method. We want to be objective and rational. We believe in cause and effect.
- We believe in dualism, either/or, the polarities.
- Numbers are meaningful to us; how old we are, how tall, how many children, how much money we earn, how many phones/TVs in our homes.
- We make political decisions by majority rule, but our corporate organizations are based on a hierarchical chain of command.
- We believe in one (Judeo-Christian) God, and that this is superior to other religious systems or even that this is the only valid choice.
- Our goal is to bring other groups up to our “standards.”
- We value direct eye contact.
- We limit physical contact. We shake hands, rather than hug or kiss.
- We control our emotions.
- We each need our own space; we are territorial.
- We adhere to schedules. Time is viewed as a commodity and is considered precious; “time is money.” Hours, minutes, and seconds count.
- We believe in romantic love, marriage, and children. The nuclear family is the primary social unit.
- We assume that the man, most often, is the primary breadwinner, head of the house, and strong. We also assume that the woman has more of the homemaking responsibilities, taking care of the children and elderly parents and nurturing. Our organizations are structured on these sex roles. To wit, no daycare in our places of work, no flexibility for taking care of family matters, because in the workplace, men’s needs and priorities are accommodated, but women’s aren’t. Many men, especially those who are single parents, face the same issues that women traditionally have.
- Women (stereotypically blond and blue-eyed) compete around attractiveness. Men (stereotypically tall, dark, and handsome) compete around athletic prowess, financial success, and leadership.
- Status is achieved by what one owns, money, credentials, titles, positions, roles, and displays of power over others.
Most of these above values are not necessarily shared by other cultures, yet we assume they are and act accordingly.
It is not only the insensitive things we may do, but also the sensitive things we do not do; I wrote the following poem:
Sins of Omission
It is not only what I say
for I am seldom prejudiced
in any obvious way
It is what I don’t say:
the forgetting, the not noticing
the disregarding, the overlooking
it is not only the support not given
it is not knowing when it is needed
I do not sin by commission anymore
I sin by omission
So take a moment and think through what differing value systems may exist that you could examine as possibly also valid.
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Josefowitz is a freelance writer based in San Diego. She may be contacted at natasha.josefowitz@sdjewishworld.com This article also appeared in La Jolla Village News.