UnderstandingPrejudice.org: This is a web site for students, teachers, and others interested in the causes and consequences of prejudice. In these pages you will find more than 2,000 links to prejudice-related resources, as well as searchable databases with hundreds of prejudice researchers and social justice organizations. To the right, you'll also find a variety of interactive exercises offering unique perspectives on prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination.
Culture Matters: Working with Communities and Faith-based Organizations: In this report, UNFPA shares its experience in systematically integrating cultural analyses and respect for religion into development programs, an initiative launched in 2002. Gender relations and reproductive health are delicate matters taht demand real dialogue and great sensitivity to socio-cultural dynamics. The report profiles case studies spanning nine countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the CWANA region (Central and West Asia and North Africa). Its 32-page summary is entitled Working From Within: Culturally-Sensitive Approaches in UNFPA Programming.
Workforce Diversity Status: A Study of Employees' Reactions: This research paper by Subhash C Kundu (published in Industrial Management & Data Systems; 103, 4; 2003; pp 215-226) analyses the reactions and perceptions of male and female employees across categories about workforce diversity status in Indian organizations. The findings highlight the differing views of certain groups held by other groups, eg, male employees rated female employees as less qualified, less competent and less productive than females rated themselves. At this Emerald Now site, you will also find another two highly-rated articles on diversity and organizations: Managing Diversity Using a Strategic Planned Change Approach and Perceptions of The Hiring Decision: A Subcultural Analysis Over Time.
According to Intercultural Business Improvement (IBI), there are many roads and pitfalls to effective intercultural interaction. See their research-based assessments reported in their IBI Quarterly.
Why Diversity is an Opportunity: (An article by Stever Robbins in Harvard Business School Working Knowledge, May 17, 2004) 'Inner diversity gives the biggest bang for your buck. Personality and behaviour style profiles are widely used to help groups identify and talk about inner differences. Not only can distinctions help explain why people clash, but used in team-building, they can help you balance the skills needed to finish a project. "Comfy" diversity programs held for compliance that skirt the real issues waste time and money. The challenge of leadership is to help the group safely explore the opportunities presented by both visible and invisible staff diversity.'
Diversity Without the Excuses (An article by Chuck Salter, FastCompany, Issue 62, September 2002): This article gives practical, and proven, steps on how to find talented women and other underrepresented groups.
Careers of a Different Color: How do the career paths of black businesswomen differ from those of white colleagues? In their book, Our Separate Ways: Black and White Women and the Struggle for Professional Identity, Ella L J E Bell and Stella M Nkomo trace the surprising differences between black and white women's career paths. This excerpt of the book is from Harvard Business School Working Knowledge (September 2001).
Researchers at the Stanford Graduate School of Business explore career paths, corporate cultures and the role of stereotypes, among other topics, underscored by the belief that a key element in productive workforce management is to understand gender differences and diversity issues.
The Center for Gender in Organizations (CGO) at the Simmons School of Management in Boston, USA, is an international resource for innovative ideas and practice in the field of gender, work, and organizations. Recognizing the pervasive role of work organizations in society and individual lives, CGO seeks to advance learning and support organizations to strengthen both gender equity and organizational effectiveness. In CGO's work, it is understood that gender works simultaneously with race, class, ethnicity, age and sexual orientation in shaping organizational systems, cultures, and practices as well as individuals' identities and experiences at work. CGO also explores diversity within gender. Highly recommended. See the following CGO Commentaries: Beyond Diversity: Working Across Differences for Organizational Change; How Do I Talk to You, My White Sister?; Releasing the Double Bind of Visibility for Minorities in the Workplace; and Rethinking Management: What's Gender Got to Do With it?.
Jazz Up Your Workers: (from The Guardian Unlimited). In the best businesses, distinct voices combine harmoniuosly to everyone's benefit. Nigel Nicholson wonders why it happens so rarely: "So there I was, extolling the virtues of multicolored gender-mixed cross-cultural communities and staring at a sea of white middle-class men in blue shirts and dark trousers. I thought my talk wasn't bad; but the longer I spoke, the more uneasy I became...
The Handy Guide to the Gurus of Management: (written by Charles Handy for BBC) "Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner have found a way of capturing the best of most management theories but have set it within their own analysis of the task of managing across cultures."
How to Negotiate 'Yes' Across Cultural Boundaries: Myriad factors can make or break a deal, according to Harvard Business School professor James K. Sebenius. As he explains in this excerpt from the Harvard Business School Working Knowledge (April 2002), the "web of influence" in many countries is more important than meets the eye.
Do You See What I See? 10 Lenses to Help Organizations Understand Diversity Issues: Each of us sees the world through our own lens, says one diversity consultant in this Fast Company article (January 2002). You can't move beyond your own biases if you don't recognize them. Take this test to see how your belief systems compare with others.
Difference Is Power: Lots of companies talk a good game when it comes to the proposition that different is better. Ted Childs, IBM's Vice-President of Global Workforce Diversity, walks that talk. From Fast Company (July 2000).
If Diversity, then Higher Profits? Companies that have successful diversity programs seem to have higher profits. But which came first? This article from SHRM (December 1999) includes a good discussion on the difference between good and bad diversity programs.
The Delta Intercultural Academy is a knowledge and learning community for all those interested or involved in intercultural business and management communication. Includes online discussions about diversity and inclusion, and resource materials about the expatriate life.
Meridian Resources: This site is designed to introduce Meridian clients to a blend of Web tools and consulting services that address the disciplines essential for success in the global economy, including leadership, innovating across borders, leveraging global diversity and creating high performance global teams.
Trompenaars Hampden-Turner Culture for Business: Well known for their book, Riding the Waves of Culture, Fons Trompenaar and Charles Hampden-Turner base this site on their extensive work on the three layers and seven dimensions of culture. The focus lies in forging good relationships and creating a climate of mutual respect and trust. The site includes information for accessing the very useful Culture Compass tool, developed as a country-specific, interactive multimedia CD-ROM application for international managers, business travelers, expatriates and others who regularly deal with different cultures.
Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research (SIETAR): With more than 3,000 members, SIETAR is the world's largest interdisciplinary network for students and professionals working in the field of intercultural communication. Its main purpose is to encourage and support the development and application of values, knowledge and skills that promote and reinforce beneficial and long-lasting intercultural and inter-ethnic relations at the individual, group, organizational and community levels. The site identifies region-, country- or city-based groups.
Diversophy Online is George Simons' site for intercultural training for increasing cultural competence for living and working in a global environment.
Richard Lewis Training Executives for Global Competence: This site includes training in cross-cultural competence and communications, including e-tools.
Intercultural Press: A site for finding books, simulations, and other training materials about crossing cultures.
