Global Understanding

The contemporary philosopher Peter Singer cautions against ever referring to the “last remaining form of discrimination.” At various times throughout human history, we have believed that we have conquered discrimination, or that we are at least aware of those forms we have not yet conquered, and aware of how we will conquer them. But, Singer asserts, even the most righteous person will discover a form of discrimination for which he has not yet accounted.

In an ever-changing, intercultural world, there always are going to be new issues that arise for which we could not have planned. And even those people who consider themselves “enlightened” about discrimination and stereotypes may find that they unconsciously slip into a certain biased way of thinking when presented with a new situation.

This subjective approach can be especially troublesome in the global mobility industry. An increasingly global focus in organizations has challenged many biases held about people and customs in other cultures. But bias still exists in the workplace, and in a global workplace, that means global biases.

A common perception throughout the world, for example, is that people who do not speak one’s native language may be less intelligent or poorly educated. Unless you are proficient in every spoken language—which you are not—you probably have been frustrated at some point in your life by a so-called “language barrier.” This may be troubling, but more troubling are the biases that can accompany this frustration.

Lorelei Carobolante, SCRP, GMS, founder and chief pathfinder of Global Second Language, Inc., San Ramon, CA, said that one way to defuse linguistically-based cultural biases is to maintain an attitude of curiosity about people from other cultures and countries.

“One example that comes to mind is the high level of education and professional qualifications that expatriates must have in order to work in the U.S.—these people are sharp,” she said. After all, she added, to develop a functional understanding of a foreign language, they must have learned their first language to a competent level, and then be smart enough to understand how to learn another.

Domestic policies that for many organizations have been in place for generations potentially can cause problems when an organization decides to “go global.” Some of these policies already can be classified as outdated and discriminatory, but pursuing new business in another country can expose the limitations of others not so easily identified. “Foundationally, people believe policies are, by definition, neutral,” said Christopher Metzler, Esq., director of diversity management and EEO studies at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. “It’s not a matter of whether they apply the same [to everyone]. The question is, does it have the same effect?”

Through his educational and consultative work with organizations and companies, Metzler hopes to see the day when, as he puts it, diversity will become “the way we do business, and not just an addition to the business.”

“I think that if somebody wants to be a global citizen, the first thing they have to do is to focus on curiosity rather than judgment,” said Carobolante. “When people prioritize curiosity over pre-conceived ideas about what is really happening, that attitude fosters a type of learning that can act as a foundation to build a broader understanding of other cultures while learning to see one’s own in a new way: one of many rather than the one that matters more than any other—fostering relationship-building and global synergy at the same time.”

Institutionalizing that same curiosity by creating practices that value cultivating curiosity about other cultures and languages can be an effective way to develop policies that undo institutionalized discrimination while helping to create a truly global organization.