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This TMA World presentation explores how diversity and inclusion training has changed in recent times and provides advice for creating an inclusive workplace. For more information on diversity and inclusion training and other skills you and your organization need to thrive in the borderless workplace, contact us today: [email protected]
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How equality and diversity training can shape the borderless workplace
© Transnational Management Associates Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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Yad yad acarati srestas…
If you’re sitting in my class and these are the first words you hear from me, what will you do?
Will it grab your attention?
Will you think you’re on the wrong training programme or will it bring upon a shy smile or discomfort?
How equality & diversity training can shape the borderless workplace
© Transnational Management Associates Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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Well I’ve heard these plus other more challenging responses from my audience.
Of course, these words work well on a diversity programme.
It’s diversity.
It’s an ice breaker.
It’s expected.
How equality & diversity training can shape the borderless workplace
© Transnational Management Associates Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
4 4
And by now you’re
thinking this is another
rant on diversity.
© Transnational Management Associates Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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Before you leave the blog (and
for those who have
decided to stay, thank you)
allow me to share a few
thoughts on how diversity
training has changed and
needs to change to
facilitate our new work
environment or what we
refer to at TMA World,
a borderless workplace.
© Transnational Management Associates Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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For them I used to ask,
‘do you schedule meetings on
Friday lunchtime?’
What’s wrong with
Friday lunch time?
I have noticed a big
change in the diversity
work I’ve delivered over
the last decade.
6
© Transnational Management Associates Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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For them I used to ask,
‘do you schedule meetings on
Friday lunchtime?’
What’s wrong with
Friday lunch time?
In 2003 my calendar was full,
delivering training on Religion
and Belief, an awareness of
faith in the workplace and
believe it or not, sharing with
people that we all have
different reference points and
different religious or spiritual
practices was a surprise for
some.
7
© Transnational Management Associates Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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For them I used to ask,
‘do you schedule meetings on
Friday lunchtime?’
What’s wrong with
Friday lunch time?
I observed that entering the
world of minority faiths
challenged the core of faith
itself. For others, though
Religion and Belief was
coming from an EU Directive
and with the fear of
discrimination and legal
battles, their corporate mind
didn’t perceive a natural
business case for looking at
Belief in the workplace.
8
© Transnational Management Associates Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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In 2005, colleagues and I were
delivering a huge diversity
initiative at one of the world’s
leading pharmas.
This was generic diversity – we’re
all different.
© Transnational Management Associates Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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The question that I used to love
debating with my pharma audience
was ‘there’s a room full of white,
British, male scientists – do I have
diversity?’
Yes of course I do! I had age,
geography, education,
communication styles, interest,
hobbies and the list could
continue.
© Transnational Management Associates Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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I’m glad we conveyed a strong
message of diversity as real and
unique as every individual in the
workplace.
‘But we all get on, so why are we
here?’
© Transnational Management Associates Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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I left them with hope that soon
their pharma site might just recruit
people different to them and that
they better keep notes from the
training close at hand.
© Transnational Management Associates Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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But then, one of my
favourite areas of work was
cultural diversity.
© Transnational Management Associates Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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In 2006 and later in 2010, I was
involved with a massive oil
company who were delivering a
multi-million dollar off-shoring
programme in Bangalore.
It involved hundreds of project
managers, business analysts and
three Indian vendors, delivering
the software needs of the
companies trading arm.
© Transnational Management Associates Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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This was a fun project – working
with India is! However, the culture
gap was big.
The simplistic project manager
approach of taking a four-stage
project management process from
Chicago to Bangalore and
expecting the same results was at
best naive.
© Transnational Management Associates Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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Consideration for style, approaches
to leadership and decision making
had nothing to do with the
technical work of software
development, but it impacted what
was delivered and most
importantly for Chicago, when it
was delivered.
© Transnational Management Associates Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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I couldn’t help but
patronise a room full of
project managers by asking
them to reflect on two
questions.
© Transnational Management Associates Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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The first, ‘what is your job title?’
‘Project Manager!’
Now, what is your job title when
you’re working offshore with India?
‘Project Manager?’
© Transnational Management Associates Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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Well no! I thought I was going to
revolutionise the world of
offshoring when I told them ‘You’re
offshore project managers.’ I
didn’t.
But I did spend day on cultural
awareness in hope of filling that
‘offshore’ gap.
© Transnational Management Associates Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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So why is reflection on these
experiences necessary?
Are the approaches to diversity
I’ve shared no longer relevant or
did we get in wrong?
© Transnational Management Associates Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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Well, we didn’t get it wrong.
We responded to the need of the
time and it was a good business
fit.
© Transnational Management Associates Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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However, what’s happened, and
rapidly I might add, is that all of
the above has converged into a
daily reality for thousands of
employees around the world.
Rarely do I find a novice to cross-
cultural working.
© Transnational Management Associates Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
23 23
I think we’ve gone beyond
awareness and appreciating
diversity as a good thing.
The juncture we’ve now arrived at
is living diversity.
© Transnational Management Associates Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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And the more and more the
workplace continues to change,
the more we have to live this
diversity.
We have to make it happen on
every conference call, in every
email and through all of our
deliverables.
Diversity training now has to be
more personalised.
© Transnational Management Associates Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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We can do this by
developing two areas:
1. Cooperation
2. Communication
© Transnational Management Associates Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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1. Cooperation
It’s more than just getting on.
It’s about peeling back all layers of assumptions and perceptions and working with the individual.
Let’s consider building relationships and getting to know team colleagues as an investment rather than a luxury.
© Transnational Management Associates Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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1. Cooperation
This is not just about introductions but about sharing insight on our preferences, styles, working patterns – even figuring out what things bother us in working life.
We can take it deeper with appreciating and recognizing the unique contributions and talents colleagues bring to the team.
© Transnational Management Associates Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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1. Cooperation
It’s about hitting the ground running with trust.
Given most of us in the borderless world don’t get to see each other face to face, transcending an e-mail address and diving deep into cooperation is paramount for high performance.
© Transnational Management Associates Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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2. Communication
One of John Maxwell’s recent books has a great title and I think it sums up the challenges of our borderless life: ‘Many communicate, very few connect.’
For those of us working remotely and in virtual teams we know that communication is a crucial thread weaving through and holding the team together.
© Transnational Management Associates Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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2. Communication
Connection is not just the phone line or the internet connection.
It’s the shared understanding we create between colleagues, keeping us on the same page, keeping roles well defined and finding time to invest in all the cooperation points shared above.
© Transnational Management Associates Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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2. Communication
When we consider the lack of non-verbal cues, communication asks of us to appreciate the use of language, accent, time zones and appropriate technology.
As members of diverse teams we just have to keep trying to connect.
© Transnational Management Associates Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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To conclude, the borderless
workplace is upon us all.
We no longer have to worry about
intrusions and stepping on toes if
we’re going to live in this
borderless world.
© Transnational Management Associates Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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We’re going to naturally get close
to colleagues, have better
understanding of each other and
the reward of that will be reflected
in the reality of our diverse world.
© Transnational Management Associates Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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Whatever action a leader
performs,
others emulate.
Whatever standards a leader
sets,
the world will pursue.
So back to my opening,
yad yad acarti.
This is Sanskrit and comes
from India’s spiritual text
called the Gita.
Let me leave you with
this:
”
“
© Transnational Management Associates Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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Webinar Twitter Blog Viewpoints and articles
Publications Written by Terence Brake, Director of Learning & Innovation at TMA World. Our new Borderless Working e-book series
About Us
Visit
www.tmaworld.com/insights
to discover the latest
thinking from our experts
on global, collaborative,
cross-cultural and virtual
working.
© Transnational Management Associates Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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Above all we’d like to hear from you directly, so please don’t hesitate to send any comments, questions or feedback
to us at: [email protected]
Or visit our website: www.tmaworld.com
About Us
Visit
www.tmaworld.com/insights
to discover the latest
thinking from our experts
on global, collaborative,
cross-cultural and virtual
working.