Diversity, Inclusion–And Cultural Fluency

 

WASHINGTON–Growing up in South Korea in the 1970s, Jane Hyun said physical and cultural diversity was a non-issue.

“I grew up in a very hierarchal society, in which elders were revered and children were respectful,” Hyun said.

So imagine the cultural shock, Hyun said here at the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Summit on Diversity and Inclusion, when she and her family moved to New York City when she was eight years old. “Everything flipped upside down,” she said. “We are used to a dominant cultural experience that is deeply embedded in us. When those cultural issues are challenged, it can be very disruptive.”

Hyun, co-author of Flex: The New Playbook for Managing Across Differences, said in today’s business environment, the stakes are high. “The corporate environment brings together a number of different people whose experiences affect interpersonal relationships and team alignment,” she said. “It also creates issues in attracting, developing and retaining talent.”

Hyun outlined three basic concepts: Diversity; Inclusion; and Cultural Fluency. “Diversity is all the difference who make us who we are,” Hyun said. “Inclusion is how we make all those difference work together. Cultural fluency is interacting very effectively with people who are different from you–how you engage.”

The latter part–engagement–is critical, Hyun said. In one study on team performance, results showed that homogenous teams performed better than multicultural teams that were not managed well, but not as well as multicultural teams that were well managed. “How the leaders bridge cultural differences is key to success,” she said.

Hyun said managers must adapt the concept of “flex”–the art of switching between communication and leadership styles in order to work effectively with those who are different from you. “It’s not stretching,” she said. “It’s the ability to expand to accommodate different styles and reverting to your core style.”

Each individual brings deeply embedded assumptions to a team, Hyun added. “This has the potential to create conflict–some people prefer direct communication; others might be intimidated by that,” she said. “We have to adapt our message to each audience to make sure we are heard effectively.”

Hyun noted a Chinese proverb states, “the loudest duck gets shot,” while an American proverb states, “the squeaky wheel gets the grease.”

“When I worked in college recruiting, we saw that the candidates who came from a more group-oriented culture had a harder time selling themselves as individuals,” Hyun said. “It required us to adapt our ratings strategy, as we could have passed over some very qualified candidates based on inflexible criteria.”

The final piece of diversity and inclusion is relationship-building. “If you are more of a task or doing person, you can build relationships very quickly,” Hyun said. “And American business culture tends to be on the ‘doing’ side. But people who are more interested in building a relationship first like to take time.”

In Asian cultures, Hyun said, American companies often have cultural misunderstandings. “American people want to hire people in Asia based on a 45-minute interview on five key criteria,” she said, “whereas in China, the process can take two weeks or more and involve multiple meals and social occasions. Cultural fluency is the engine that allows these relationships to develop.”

“This is a process,” Hyun added. “Building trust across cultures will take time. There are no shortcuts.”