The Multiculturalism Edge

Corporate practices that nurture an appreciation for religious and cultural diversity gives you an edge in talent management and growing your business.

It is 5.30pm in Singapore, and our Skype window was ready for the connecting sounds...", Soon Vietnam joined in, it is 4.30pm in Hanoi, and then Italy and the time is 10.30am in Trent, and then Argentina joined in, and it is 6.30am in Buenos Aires. We began with a moment of silence and then invited colleagues of different faiths to pray for the company.

For colleagues who are non-believers, this is a time of appreciation even though they do not understand the Arabic used by Muslim colleagues or appreciate the relationship with God as Christians prayed. For the people of faith, it is equally important to appreciate and respect the beliefs and resolutions from non-believers. After the prayers and wishes, each one then shared his/her personal resolutions/prayers. This annual practice then ends with a handshake (virtual and physical) and wishing each other well for the year ahead.

For eight years on the first Friday of the year, this is what we do; we gather to pray for one another and the company. This multicultural activity helps us appreciate everyone's religion, belief, culture, languages and gender. It is a cherished moment to listen to each other's wishes at the personal level and for the company. Our work as innovation and change management consultants is quite demanding as we operate in many countries, sometimes in places where our clients hold strong religious and cultural beliefs.

This practice is one of the many to learn how to appreciate the nuances, the characteristics of religious and cultural diversity. Through the sharing of personal resolutions, you can sense what matters to each one. Then as we work with one another during the year, it allows us to develop a unique sense of sensitivity, enhancing team effectiveness.

With Consulites from Malaysia, Hongkong, Vietnam and Singapore during a PurposeCORE workshop for a Singaporean client in 2015

This practice is one of the many to learn how to appreciate the nuances, the characteristics of religious and cultural diversity.

Multiculturalism exists in many workplaces, but too few are managing it effectively.

Multiculturalism is a reality, and it makes a difference in business and for growing a global network of talents. Many human resource(HR) departments lack the capacity to appreciate the value of different cultures and beliefs, and this can alienate talents who are keen to practice their beliefs at work. As companies expand globally, it is important for HR to develop practices that welcome diversity and nurture understanding. Providing prayer rooms for Muslims; good vegetarian options for Vegetarians or Buddhists, for example, are small gestures that can result in an increased sense of belonging. It is also a clear demonstration that you are ready to operate at a global level. But unfortunately, many companies dismiss the benefits of such practices and do not demonstrate enough sensitivity, thus unknowingly undermine staff morale and participation.

Multiculturalism is a reality, and it makes a difference in business and for growing a global network of talents.

Many companies are operating in multicultural environments. For example, in the West, the demand for halal food is rising. Therefore, there are obvious benefits to being able to market properly to this segment. Major fast-food brands like McDonald’s have adapted very well to this kind of environment and have a variety of menus catering to Hindus and Muslims in the world.

McDonald’s approach stems from a long history of appealing to a diverse customer base. Filet-O-Fish, for example, was created in 1962 to appeal to Catholics living in a neighbourhood in Ohio, USA. Therefore, being informed religiously and culturally can give you a competitive edge.

The other challenge that brands face is, how to communicate in a multi-cultural world. There have been mistakes in the past associated with insensitive advertisements that fail to respect religious and cultural identities. In 2011, DDB created an ad for a Chinese restaurant in Dubai which featured African and Indian customers with eyes that are of epicanthal fold or as some would refer to as ‘slanted eyes’. While the ad sought to be memorable, it failed to take into account cultural sensitivity.

Beyond just being careful, marketers with a religious and cultural knowledge will benefit from the ability to create a more inclusive message. Because if they get it right, they win over new customers and fans. Just recently when Optus, a teleco in Australia rolled out signages and ads in different languages to inform customers that their staff could speak a variety of languages, they came under a barrage of criticism by the public who felt that English is the only language that can be used in the country. As the racist comments piled on, the Optus Facebook administrator named Dan gently schooled them about the reality of multiculturalism in Australia.

Soon the patient and knowledgeable replies won the day, and one person wrote:

#DanTheMan I may no longer be a customer, but Dan is what's right with Optus. Bravo on the polite burn, singlehandedly...

Time to harness diversity for a better working environment and business

Multiculturalism is important to business and that is why a significant number global companies already value it and are doing their best to implement.

Read how L’Oréal Masters Multiculturalism

But if you are a smaller company you can certainly start now because multiculturalism can set you apart. Here are three ways to begin:

1. Value

Conduct a review of the organization on the religious and cultural diversity of the organization. Soon you will realize the richness and the potential talent to nurture understanding. At the same time, identify the areas where improvements are needed to ensure better cultural understanding for team effectiveness.

2. Appreciate

Review policies and practices and see if they are enough shared moments to learn and understand each other's culture. For our firm, every consultant is invited to share his/her life and beliefs the moment they join. Then we have practices where we welcome and celebrate diversity. In our policy guide, it is clearly stated that we do not discriminate by religion, beliefs and culture. And we make an effort to communicate this to Consulites.

3. Enrich

Finally identify ways to harness this internal knowledge of multiculturalism for business growth. Review which aspects of the company where multiculturalism will matter. Do you serve in markets where a particular faith is predominant; do you have the necessary understanding and the talent to do so? What about retail or customer service practices, are they culturally friendly to the locality where you serve? For example, whenever we serve in a predominantly Muslim country we design the strategy workshop schedule in such a way that we respect the time for prayers. Our clients appreciate this as they know that we are familiar with their customs.

These three steps have been useful for us and the clients whom we have helped to implement a strategy that harnesses multiculturalism for growth. Try it or share with me your experiences.

About Consulus

We are a global innovation and design consultancy with business management and multi-disciplinary creative capabilities. Since 2004, we have helped companies, governments and non-profit groups achieve sustainable profit and growth by redesigning their organisations, business models and brand experiences. Our competitive advantage comes from the insights gleaned from reviewing companies in 18 cities throughout the Asia Pacific regarding their business and organisational models. Read about our PurposeCore programme if your organisation is looking for an effective transformation to meet the complex challenges of the 21st century.

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Consulus is the convener for Shape the World Conference, a creative thought-leadership event aimed at providing design-led strategies to inspire companies to transform and shape the world. In 2013, Consulus launched the World Company Day initiative to inspire companies to shape the world creatively into a better place through daily work.

The Consulus Partnership is present in Singapore, Brunei, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Italy, Argentina

About Lawrence Chong

He is the Co-founder and CEO of Consulus, an innovation consultancy with business management and multi-disciplinary design capabilities. He is a featured Speaker at global events such as World Marketing Summit and World Brand Congress. He served as the Immediate Past President of Design Business Chamber Singapore. His thoughts on Asian innovation and creativity appear in regional media such as Business Insider, Business Times, Marketing Magazine, Newsbase TheEdge and VTC10. In his personal capacity, he is a member of Religions for Peace and the Focolare, working for peace through dialogue with friends of other faiths.