Cultural diversity and your future: cultural diversity is all around us��at school and in the workplace. Here's how to boost your cultural competence - Special Feature

Nowrin Khanam, 18, had to skip her senior prom last year. The Bangladeshi immigrant, who lives in Queens, New York, wanted to go to fit in with American students. But her mother objected on cultural grounds.

Russian immigrants in Brooklyn took a different view of the American high school tradition. They gave it a unique twist, organizing their own proms--parties at Russian supper clubs.

Teens new to the United States experience a cultural clash between American customs and their ethnic heritage. The need for acceptance often conflicts with the need to respect family values. Sometimes teens find help. For example, the Close Up Program for New Americans sends teens to Washington, D.C., to learn about U.S. politics, history, and community service.

A Foreign Flow

Immigrants in the workforce adopt many American ways. But employers also adapt. They want to stay in step with a culturally diverse population. In the 2000 census, 25 percent of all workers were foreign born. One-third came from Mexico or another Central American country and one-quarter came from Asia.

By 2020, experts predict the ethnic demographics will take anew direction. Over a million immigrants--an increasing number of blacks and Asians and fewer Hispanics--will arrive in the United States each year. They will come from countries in South Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and the Middle East Most immigrants will want employment, according to Frank Sharry, executive director of the National Immigration Forum. "This will help America maintain its cutting edge, economically, politically, and culturally," he says.

Isaura Bernal moved to Chandler, Arizona, from Mexico several years ago. To prepare for employment, she took English classes with Si Se Puede (Yes We Can), a community organization. She also practiced her language skills using materials from the public library. "When I first started work, people complained about my English," says Bernal, the manager of a large food store.

Bernal suggested to her co-workers that they improve their "cultural competence." As a good business practice, employers need to respect employees of a different race, ethnicity, nationality, or religion. Cultural competence includes understanding some of the language that foreign born employees speak. It also means learning about the historical roles, values, and traditions they take pride in.

It doesn't mean, however, that immigrants shouldn't learn the language of the "host" country, says Arifa Javed, an acculturation specialist at the International Institute of Metropolitan Detroit. The goal is to help immigrants "fit into American culture while still retaining their own identity." Unfortunately, she adds, the events of September 11 made Americans less open to newcomers.

20/20 Tunnel Vision

"For many people," says Mark A. Williams, an expert on multiculturalism, "it's hard to rid yourself of prejudices and stereotypes." He says most people interpret the world through 10 different lenses (listed below).

See if you can identify the "prejudice" lens and the "preferred" lens for today's workplace.

1. I think about patriotism. I'm not a hyphenated American (for example, African-American); I'm an American.

2. I see individuals, not races.

3. I'm in favor of black (brown, yellow, etc.) pride.

4. I think people with wealth and status should make the decisions.

5. I think we can all live together.

6. If I work hard, I can get everything I want.

7. Let's preserve our heritage. Let's not mingle with other groups.

8. All races and cultures are connected.

9. I still feel we're treated like second-rate citizens.

10. I enjoy seeing people celebrating their own customs and holidays. Life is more interesting and educational that way.

Lens 7 reflects bias toward other groups. Williams' choice is lens 10, which embraces all cultures. But most people view others through several lenses depending on the situation.

Lu Xiaoxing, 21, an exchange student from Shanghai, China, says students at Beloit College in Wisconsin are open-minded. "But I think many people [off campus] see other cultures with 'colored lenses.'" Although Lu speaks English fluently and has made American friends, there are still cultural differences. Her best friends are Asians. "Students here talk so much about sex and alcohol," she adds. "Back in Shanghai, these are not problems among students."

Accommodation=Productivity

Employers may differ in their approach to cultural diversity, but most have a game plan. For instance, today's accounting clients come from many cultures. Companies hire employees of different cultural backgrounds to serve these clients. Hopefully, these clients recommend other foreign-born people. It's a win-win situation: The businesses increase their profits, and the employees feel the company recognizes their special values and talents.

For instance, an international high-tech firm in Phoenix succeeded in recruiting Ralf Lenigk, a research scientist from Germany. The company paid for a relocation service to find his family a suitable home and for a service to manage the paperwork.

Pharmaceutical companies hire diverse workforces too, says Edwin Martinez, head of diversity at Astra Pharmaceuticals. Miami patients and doctors, for instance, are largely Cuban. The company's employees must respond to that population's unique needs. The same applies to the auto industry. Julie Childers, Honda's recruiter in America; says Honda hires a culturally diverse staff. Everyone also is encouraged to learn Japanese. When the company hosted an international convention, "We needed only two or three outside interpreters," says Childers. "We covered the rest with our own associates."

Diversity has other advantages. Culturally competent individuals tend to be team players. They often think more creatively and solve problems more effectively. Furthermore, when companies hire from different cultural groups in the community, their public image improves. And broadening the ethnic scope of hiring increases competition. Employers get the best candidates from several different ethnic groups.

Looking Good

Employees win too. For example, when dentists (especially those in public clinics) develop a basic knowledge of the languages and customs of their clients, they can more easily communicate problems (such as high levels of dental disease) to them. They also can discuss cultural practices that relate to oral health.

Librarians practice cultural sensitivity by planning services, programs, and collections of materials that appeal to a culturally diverse community. Some libraries also offer perks to certain job applicants. The American Research Library, for example, offers scholarships, financial aid packages, summer jobs, and mentoring programs to library science students of different cultures who intend to work in academic libraries.

Lisa Walker Johnson, a lawyer, hires candidates for her firm from several different cultures. The reasons? Corporate attorneys, many of them from different cultures, put pressure on law firms to hire a "rainbows" assortment. The same applies to law firms eager for government work. Furthermore, law firms often represent clients of diverse cultures who expect a culturally competent staff.

Cultivate Cultural Competencies

Taking a global approach can pay off. But how do you morph into Mr. or Ms. Multicultural? Some people are lucky. They grow up in homes in which parents or grandparents speak two or more languages. Children learn about other cultures and absorb the vocabulary.

Daniel Ofori-Addo, 21, from Ghana, works four different jobs on the Grinnell College campus in Iowa where he is a student. Daniel feels his fellow employees treat him "as an equal," but he's disappointed in American students. "They have been insensitive and ask questions that reveal prejudices," says Daniel. He also says most American students stick together and don't try to interact with him.

As Daniel has noted, many Americans feel comfortable in only one culture. Here are several ways to boost your cultural competence.

* Make friends with someone from another ethnic group. Spend a holiday with the person's family and ask questions about their customs.

* Take language classes in middle school and high school. Learn another language in summer school or in a student exchange program.

* Volunteer for an organization or charity that aids one ethnic group, such as Afghan refugees.

* Join a library or Y in a culturally diverse neighborhood. Suggest planning a summer or fall culture festival.

* Volunteer or intern in a summer program involving a new culture. For instance, work on a construction project on an Indian reservation in New Mexico or in an Eskimo village in Alaska

* Read about different cultures or take a high school or community college class in multiculturalism.

* Watch television programs or videos that profile different cultures and countries.

* Suggest your school "adopt" a school with an Asian or African address.

* Tutor an immigrant in an ESL class.

Learning about different cultures takes time. But you'll have fun and advance your social skills and your career at the same time.

For More Information:

Patchogue-Medford Library

http://pml.suffolk.lib.ny.us/pmlmulti.htm

American Library Association

www.ala.org/yalsa/profdev/multicultural.html

RELATED ARTILCE: Goofy or Gracious?

Do you know someone from a different culture? Do you know the rules of etiquette for that culture? For example, in a Chinese workplace, employees applaud when they greet a newcomer like you. How should you respond? (Answer: Applaud back.)

Here are four scenarios. Choose the correct behavior for each.

1. Your Chinese friend invites you to dinner. He introduces you first to his grandfather. What should you do?

a. Grab his hand and shake it.

b. Say "Hi!"

c. Bow slightly.

2. Your father takes you to work, and you meet a Saudi Arabian engineer. He asks if you have ever eaten Middle Eastern food. What should you do?

a. Look him in the eye and criticize the food.

b. Look him in the eye and say you're looking forward to the experience.

c. Lower, your eyes and say you've never tasted it.

3. You want to give a friend from India a birth day gift. He is Hindu. What gift should you not give?

a. a leather wallet

b. a free pass to the movies

c. a ticket to a baseball game

4. An exchange student from Kuwait visits your house. What is the best topic of conversation?

a. his sister, who is at home in Kuwait

b. political difficulties between the U.S. and Kuwait

c. the courses he's studying

Answers: 1.c; 2.b; 3.a; 4. c

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