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A Diversity Self-assessment

Here's a short “Diversity Self-Assessment.”  (There are many similar tools elsewhere on the web.)   Many diversity-related conflicts are based on inaccurate stereotypes or discomfort with that which is unfamiliar.  In the words of Steven Covey, “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.”

1. Are there certain diverse groups that you feel uncomfortable around, or feel that you lack knowledge about?

• Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender?

• Other religions?

• Other nationalities?

• People with disabilities?

• Others?

2. Consider each of the various types of diverse communities, such as those listed above..  What challenges do you think members of that group face in the workplace?  In society? 

3. Recall some situations in which you noticed that people were being excluded or marginalized, or you witnessed someone making a culturally inappropriate remark.  Did you respond or say nothing?  Were you satisfied with your response?   How would you like to respond in the future?

For any areas you identify, there are several things you can do.  There are many web sites that have useful information about working with people of other cultures, or you can read web sites or magazines that are targeted to that demographic in order to learn more about the news and cultural issues that concern that community.  You can join the employee resource group for that community.  You can do something as simple as having lunch with others who are different from you just to get to know them better. 

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Make Diversity part of your professional development plan in 2007!

Along with holiday celebrations, vacations, and end-of-year business accounting and reporting, December or early January is usually also a time of planning for the new year.  At many companies, people engage in setting professional development goals or plans for the new year, either formally or informally. 

There are many ways in which employees can include learning about and promoting Diversity in their professional development plans.  Here are a few possibilities:

• Attend Diversity training, either internally or externally.  Consider becoming a trainer!
• Find out if your community has a diversity-related professional organization or networking group, then subscribe to their newsletter and check out some of their events.
• Perform community work with organizations primarily serving people who are culturally different.
• Read “x” number of books or articles on Diversity.
• Subscribe to diversity newsletters, such as diversityinc.com or linkage.com.
• Apply for an overseas assignment.
• Travel to countries with different cultures.
• Participate on a Diversity team (many business groups have them).
• Attend a local or national conference related to Diversity.
• Seek a mentor or become a mentor for someone who is culturally different.
• Learn a new language.
• Author or co-author an article or case study on a Diversity-related topic .
• Become active in one of your company's Employee Resource Groups.  At most companies, they are open to all employees, not just those with the demographic characteristic in question.  Consider joining a group that is culturally different from you.
• Review the diversity information on your company's internal and external web sites.  If you find it to be lacking, offer to make improvements.
• Offer to give a brief presentation about diversity to your department at a staff meeting.
• Make it a point to occasionally go to lunch with people who are culturally different from yourself.
• Find web sites that provide news and cultural information to communities that are different from your own, and visit them periodically.

Survey:  Your Diversity-Related Activities in 2006   |  Discuss this article

December Holidays

Here is a sampling of holidays observed in the U.S. and elsewhere during December.  This is not intended to be an all-inclusive list. 

Advent, celebrated by Christians, began on December 3.  This four-week period before Christmas is a time of preparation and anticipation for the coming of Jesus Christ.

St. Nicholas Day, December 6, celebrates the life of St. Nicholas, a Christian bishop from what is now Turkey, known for his good deeds.  In many European countries, families exchange gifts on this day rather than Christmas.  Children put their shoes out the night before, in hopes of St. Nicholas filling them with treats.

Bodhi Day, December 8, celebrates the day of the Buddha’s enlightenment.  Today, Buddhists observe the importance of this event by celebrating Bodhi Day. The day is observed in many ways, usually through prayer, meditation and teachings. Some North Americans incorporate Bodhi Day with Christmas traditions by stringing multicolored lights around their home to represent enlightenment and the many individual pathways to personal enlightenment, or by decorating a potted live ficus tree with lights, strings of beads representing the unity of all things, and three shiny bulbs representing the three jewels of Buddhism.

Hanukkah, which begins at sundown on December 15, is an eight-day Jewish festival commemorating the recapture of the Temple of Jerusalem from Syrian Greeks in 165 B.C.E.  When the temple was restored and cleansed, only one day's supply of oil was found for the daily lighting of the menorah (a ritual candelabra).  This small supply lasted eight days, and today an eight-branch menorah is lit to remind Jews of the miracle.  Hanukkah is also known as the Festival of Lights, Feast of Dedication, or Feast of the Maccabees.

Yule is a term sometimes heard in Christmas carols in the U.S.  However, “Yule” and “Christmas” are not synonymous – Yule is celebrated at the Winter Solstice, and is one of eight holidays celebrated by Pagans based on the solar calendar.  Many other celebrations are also held around the world in conjunction with the Winter Solstice.

Winter Solstice (December 21) occurs when the North Pole is at its furthest point away from the sun, the shortest day and longest night in the Northern Hemisphere.  Winter Solstice celebrates the return of light (when days start becoming longer again).  It is celebrated with fire, the symbol of man-made light. People gather and exchange gifts in the glory of the return of the Sun.

Winter Solstice observances are held by virtually every culture in the world. Solstice rites are practiced among such diverse groups as Native South Americans, Celts, Persians, Orientals, and Africans. Solstice was known as Sacaea to the Mesopotamians, as the Festival of Kronos to the ancient Greeks, and as Saturnalia to the Romans. According to Norse traditions, the Valkyrie looked for souls to bring to Valhalla during Yule. Norwegians abstained from hunting or fishing for the twelve days during Yule as a way of letting the weary world rest and to hasten the revived sun's appearance. In old Russia it was traditional to toss grain upon the doorways where carolers visited as a way of keeping the house from want throughout the rest of the winter. Ashes from the Yule log were mixed with cows' feed in France and Germany to promote the animals' health and help them calve. In Baltic regions today, corn is scattered near the door of the house for sustenance and ashes of the Yule log are given to fruit trees to increase their yield. Romanians bless the trees of the orchard on Yule with sweetened dough to bring good harvests. Serbs toss wheat on the burning Yule log to increase livestock bounty.

Christmas, December 25, one of the most joyous days of the Christian year, celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ.  It is a worldwide celebration and has many different customs, including attending worship services on Christmas eve or Christmas day, giving presents, sending cards, and family gatherings.

Kwanzaa (December 26-January 1) is an African American celebration with focus on the traditional African values of family, community responsibility, commerce, and self-improvement. Kwanzaa is a time of reaffirming African-American people, their ancestors and culture. Kwanzaa means "first fruits of the harvest" in the African language Kiswahili. Kwanzaa is observed by more than 18 million people worldwide.

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Sources:

• The 2003 and 2001 "Honoring Differences" calendars from ProGroup

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yule

About Diversity Corner

The Diversity Corner is designed to increase awareness and build competency around workplace diversity issues.  The content of this newsletter is selected and edited by Dave Hughes.  Feedback is always welcome. 

Copyright © 2006 by Dave Hughes.  Permission is granted to publish articles within this newsletter on a not-for-profit basis, with the following byline:  “By Dave Hughes (www.DiversityCorner.com)”

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