Generating and Maintaining Motivation and Teamwork in Culturally Diverse Groups:

Learning to Love Differences in Gender, Generation, Language, and Culture in the Workplace

TIPS, TRICKS, AND RESOURCES

Jane Canfield Federal Documents Coordinatorjcanfield@pucpr.edu

Jane CanfieldCoordinatorLearning Commons and Government Information Center

jcanfield@pucpr.edu787-841-2000, ext 1806787-348-5151 (cellular)

Understanding the Concepts: Motivation, Teamwork, and Diversity

https://extension.psu.edu/programs/4-h/members/projectsresources/diversity/diversityactivities.pdf

Diversity Activity

Observe the person seated next to you carefully.

Write down one thing you believe is similar to yourself and one thing that you believe is different from yourself.

Share with that person.

Share an observation with the group.

Motivation

‘Motivation is defined as the process that initiates, guides and maintains goal-oriented behaviors. Motivation is what causes us to act, whether it is getting a glass of water to reduce thirst or reading a book to gain knowledge. It involves the biological, emotional, social and cognitive forces that activate behavior.’ – Kendra Cherry

Diversity

Diversity in North Carolina

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/nc

Race and Hispanic Origin

White alone, percent70.8%

Black or African American alone, percent22.2%

American Indian and Alaska Native alone,

percent 1.6%

Asian alone, percent3.1%

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander

alone, percent 0.1%

Two or More Races, percent2.2%

Hispanic or Latino, percent9.5%

White alone, not Hispanic or Latino, percent63

Dimensions of Diversity

Age/Generation

Gender/Sexual Orientation

Culture/Ethnic Heritage

Focus on Three Dimensions

Age/Generation

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/01/17/where-millennials-end-and-generation-z-begins/

Baby Boomers (age 52-70)• Live to work• Self worth = work ethic• Loyal to employer• Competitive• Goal-centric• Process oriented• Focused• Disciplined• Enjoy working in teams and proving

themselves to the team• Need to know that they are valued• Want to make a difference

Generation X (age 37-51)

Work to live Crave independence Skepticism Focused on results Think globally Adapt to change Eager to learn Thrive on flexibility Education is a necessary means to

succeed

Millennials (age 22 – 36)

• Fully transparent, shares everything• Do well with detailed instructions• Desire to make an impact• Commerce & conscience together• Value Diversity• Love technology• Education is a highly expensive

necessity• Do not perform at their best in a

traditional work environment• Find solutions using technology

Gen Z (age 7-21)

• Tech-innate (first generation to grow up with modern technology)

• Accepting of others• Make things• Realists• Individualistic• Competitive• Transparent• Entrepreneurial and inventive spirit• Concerned about the cost of education

https://thriveglobal.com/stories/main-characteristics-per-generation/

Gender/Sexual Orientation

Nineteen states include both gender identity and sexual orientation as protected classes in their employment discrimination statutes.

President Obama issued Executive Order 11478, prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation by federal employers and federal contractors.

http://www.ncsl.org/research/labor-and-employment/sexual-orientation-in-employment-discrimination-laws.aspx

Gender/Sexual Orientation• In 18 countries, husbands can legally prevent their wives

from working.• In 39 countries, daughters and sons do not have equal

inheritance rights.• 49 countries lack laws protecting women from domestic

violence. https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/gender-equality/

About four-in-ten working women (42%) in the United States say they have faced discrimination on the job because of their gender.

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/12/14/gender-discrimination-comes-in-many-forms-for-todays-working-women/

Culture/Ethnic Heritage

National cultural value differences

Individualism vs. Collectivism

Power Distance

Uncertainty Avoidance

Orientation to Time

Gender Egalitarianism

Being vs. Doing

https://cultureplusconsulting.com/2015/06/23/nine-cultural-value-differences-you-need-to-know/

https://lincs.ed.gov/lincs/discussions/englishlanguage/10language_summary

•Differences in conversational turn taking•Need to educate employers about cultural differences in employees from other cultures•Need to educate English language learners about appropriate styles of communication for the workplace•Differing attitudes about time•Differing perceptions around the need to “look busy”, as well as be busy

Cultural Workplace Concerns Indicated by ESL Learners

•Issues around the use of the native language at the job, including the oddness of not using your common language with other native speakers and the perceived snub to monolingual workers when you don’t use the target language

•Unrealistic expectations around how much impact a short course of English can make at the workplace.

Cultural Workplace Concerns Indicated by ESL Learners

https://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/task_force/harassment/risk-factors.cfm

Workplaces with Significant Risk Factors for Discrimination

Homogenous workforce

Workplaces where some employees do not conform to workplace norms

Cultural and language differences in the workplace

Coarsened social discourse outside the workplace

Young workforces

Workplaces with "high value" employees

Workplaces that rely on customer service or client satisfaction

Recognize and respect others and their individuality.

Think before you speak. Be sensitive to others. Talk about your differences. Ask tactful questions about how people

want to be treated. Eliminate stereotypes and generalizations

Tips for Managing and Loving Those Different Cultures, Generations, and Genders

https://www.ars.usda.gov/ARSUserFiles/30420000/NewEmployeeResources/Handling%20Diversity%20in%20the%20Workplace.pdf

The D.E.A.R. formula stands for:

Describe

Express

Ask

Review

Techniques for Talking to Others Who are Different from You

https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1062113.pdf

The LENS Method

Look objectively

Examine your assumptions

Substantiate with Locals

The laws enforced by EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity

Commission) protect you from employment discrimination

when it involves:

•Unfair treatment because of your race,

color, religion, sex (including pregnancy,

gender identity, and sexual orientation),

national origin, disability, age (age 40 or

older), or genetic information.

•Harassment by managers, co-workers, or

others in your workplace because of your

race, color, religion, sex (including

pregnancy), gender identity, sexual

orientation, national origin, disability, age

(age 40 or older), or genetic information.https://www.eeoc.gov/youth/discrim.html

•Denial of a reasonable workplace

change that you need because of

your religious beliefs or disability.

•Improper questions about or

disclosure of your genetic

information or medical information.

•Retaliation because you complained

about job discrimination or assisted

with a job discrimination proceeding,

such as an investigation or lawsuit.

The laws enforced by EEOC (Equal Employment

Opportunity Commission) protect you from

employment discrimination when it involves:

The Legal View on Diversity and Discrimination in the Workplace

Food for Thought: Resources for Further Exploration of Our Wonderful Diversity

https://www.census.gov/about/diversity-networks.html (information on diversity from the US Census Bureau

https://www.eeoc.gov/youth/discrim.html (Information on youth discrimination from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/types/sex.cfm (Information on sex and gender identity based discrimination )

https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/types/age.cfm (Information on age based discrimination)

https://www.cdc.gov/tb/education/skillscourse/participant/slidehandouts/day2/day2_cultural_and_diversity_considerations.pdf (Information from the Centers for Disease Control on Cultural diversity)

https://hbswk.hbs.edu/archive/can-you-manage-different-generations (Article from The Harvard Business School on managing different generations in the workplace

https://lincs.ed.gov/ (Link to the Literacy Information and Communication System of the US Dept of Education. The site offers information for adult learners and English language learners)