We all hear international companies talk about their multicultural teams and workforce But how often do we hear about the intercultural teams?
And this is the crux of the matter whether be for internal or external customer service DIVERSITY AND Inclusion are vital to success
Diversity – is a noun and Inclusion – is a verb
Another way of looking at it is an example of is simply – DIVERSITY is being invited to the party and INCLUSION is being asked to dance….. And I have a fabulous example of this when I attended a friends cousins wedding during December I was definitely part of the diversity of the guests BUT I was also invited to dance and very much part of the inclusion
The way we shake hands the amount of space between us when talking is vastly different and having some awareness can avoid many pitfalls and unnecessary embarrassment.
As anywhere due diligence is invaluable when navigating the cultural map and no less so here in UAE where the numbers of different nationalities are staggering
Even the areas of gift exchange is fraught with potential as we can see from a recent article on BBC World. Where giving a watch or time peace in China is considered ‘that your time is running out!’
Debrett’s, the etiquette guide, which advises readers to “do some research to avoid making a basic error –”A ceremonial sword in [some parts of] Africa is a symbol of power; in Switzerland it would be seen as a sign of aggression,”
Other areas that are often neglected are that of the Intergenerational team, women in the workforce and the ‘differently abled’
Or as a wonderful Pakistani woman has recently said loudly ‘DON’T DIS MY ABILITY’
Diversity and Inclusion you need to know how it can work towards your success
TAKE IT FORWARD USE IT AND GROW
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