Putting Intercultural Communication Into Practice: Part 2

By: Emily Pickett

Part one of my series on intercultural communication introduced a variety of ways companies are implementing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts. I described how companies are investing in employees, investing in marginalized communities, hiring and promoting diverse candidates, reshaping corporate policies and practices, and implementing timely cultural experiences.

Part two takes the initiatives identified in part one and translates them into actionable steps that companies can implement. I’ve consolidated the recommendations into my top 10 tips for creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace.

1. Develop Representation Goals

Representation goals seek to grow minority representation among a company’s employee base. Goals can include increasing the number of African American and/or Hispanic employees by a certain percentage within a certain amount of time or becoming a gender-balanced workplace. Harvard Business Review provides the following tips on how to set and meet diversity goals:

• Analyze local demographics so your employee base can accurately reflect population
• Focus more on skills than levels of education
• Seek external validation of goals to ensure they are reasonable
• Train employees on new job functions when existing functions are disrupted by technology

2. Rewrite Job Postings

Candidates seeking employment with your organization should not feel discriminated against. Tools like those offered by Ongig help organizations attract top talent by creating inclusive job descriptions.?They point out gender-specific job titles like “chairman,” the use of masculine- or feminine-specific words, and unconscious biases regarding gender, race, sexual orientation, disability status, age and elitism.?

Financial recruiting company Selby Jennings points out that job descriptions should use gender-neutral pronouns like “they” or “their,” avoid presenting a toxic work environment with phrases like “work hard, play hard,” and keep descriptions succinct and direct to appeal to both men and women equally.??

3. Avoid A Hiring Bias

A common example of hiring bias is presented in a study of symphony orchestras. Currently, conductors host blind auditions, in which musicians try out behind a curtain so their gender is not exposed. Before this practice became the norm, women only represented six percent of the positions in the nation’s top orchestras. Once the new hiring practices were in place, the percentage of women rose to 21 percent. This illustrates that conductors had a preference for male musicians despite many female musicians being just as talented.?

Companies can avoid making biased choices by considering strategies offered by the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM). SHRM suggests hiring managers seek to understand existing prejudices, rework job descriptions, implement a blind process for reviewing resumes, provide candidates with skill tests, standardize interviews, quantify the candidate’s likeability and set diversity goals.?

4. Develop a DEI Policy

Companies should create a DEI policy that states goals, how your company plans to implement DEI, and what employees can do to support the policy. Fundraising company Bloomerang offers a sample policy, which starts with a diversity and inclusion statement and is followed by a list of goals. It also includes action items so employees know exactly what to do to abide by the policy.?

A DEI policy needs to be more than empty words or a box to check. It must be implemented and upheld by all employees to be effective. Bloomerang suggests weaving the DEI policy into the overall strategic plan, implementing a zero-tolerance policy for harassment, conducting constant employee check-ins to gauge success, keeping a pulse on tactics, and adapting as needed.?

5. Implement DEI-Focused Departments and Roles

To implement and uphold a DEI policy, companies may need to hire dedicated personnel who focus on DEI. More and more companies have a DEI department and are hiring senior leadership to spearhead efforts.?

Forbes states that “hiring a Chief Diversity Officer is one way to ensure a company transforms into a work culture where all employees and customers are protected, feel safe, given an equal chance, and are treated with dignity and respect.”?

Without being prioritized and having ample resources to carry out efforts, DEI risks being overshadowed by other strategic goals. To make significant progress in DEI, companies should invest as much as possible in people who can hold the company accountable and lead initiatives.?

6. Measure and Report on Progress

Companies that have dedicated DEI personnel will be better able to measure and report on DEI progress. Creating measurable goals and objectives is critical so that companies can gain an understanding of whether or not their initiatives are working. Showing DEI progress can be a competitive differentiator as it appeals to top talent and positions the company as an industry leader.

Harvard Business Review offers four insights for diversity data. First, present the data in an easy-to-understand format such as a dashboard or snapshot. Second, use the data to empower people to act. HBR states “in order to use diversity data as a driver of DEI progress, organizations need to make clear to employees the connection between their daily decisions and the resulting diversity outcomes.”

Next, companies should set diversity goals, and last, companies should use the data to shift social norms regarding DEI. Norms are powerful drivers of behavior, and therefore objective data can be pivotal in identifying where a company is lacking.???

7. Give Back to Struggling Communities

An essential component of a DEI plan is to consider how your company can give back. Many companies have ample resources that can be used to make a difference in the lives of those outside the employee base. Use your local or industry knowledge to identify how you can put those resources to work for those in need.?

In part one of this series I shared beverage company Molson Coors’ pledge to invest in minority-owned suppliers, and financial company Citi’s $1 billion investment in closing the racial wealth gap. A third example is that software company Salesforce will spend over $100 million with Black-owned businesses over the next three years and will invest $100 million of intentional capital to empower minority-owned companies, according to Glassdoor.?

8. Allow Time for Learning

Employees will feel more empowered and confident in embracing DEI efforts and communicating across cultures if they have the chance to participate in professional development on the subject. Companies should make time for employees to hone in on their intercultural communication skills. This can take shape as a self-paced e-learning course, an in-person training session, an informal lunch and learn session, or an intensive, multi-day workshop. Regardless of the method chosen, it should be prioritized for employees to have the time to dedicate to learning.

According to the Association for Talent Development, benefits of intercultural communication training among workforces include breaking down cultural barriers, building awareness of cultural norms, and improving self-awareness and improving negotiation skills. Heightened intercultural competence can lead to increased productivity and reduced conflict due to miscommunication.?

9. Create Fun Ways to Experience Cultures

Employee Resource Groups are voluntary groups that focus on meeting the unique needs of a company’s employee base. Companies can turn to these groups to come up with creative ways to unify employees. Successful strategies include hosting culture-specific events that allow employees to celebrate one another’s holidays, especially holidays of minority groups. Casual multi-cultural settings allow employees to get to know other cultures in a non-threatening environment.

According to Great Place to Work, Employee Resource Groups are effective at improving work conditions for marginalized groups, improving the work environment, bringing employees together, developing leaders and alleviating toxic environments. Building trust among employees is crucial in developing a positive shared work culture.

10. Define Your Corporate Culture?

Lastly, the focus on DEI presents an opportunity for companies to redefine their corporate culture based on new norms. A strong corporate culture that all employees can embrace leads to greater loyalty and retention. New hires can be assessed based on how their unique values work toward the overall values of the company, rather than dominant societal values.

According to Forbes, companies should assess employee values and expand on them to create alignment with the greater corporate values. And don’t stop with simply a slogan or marketing video. When the corporate culture is true to the values of your employees, it will be evident to all your company’s stakeholders, including your customers.?

Embracing DEI initiatives for your company doesn’t have to be an overwhelming assignment. Start making changes based on your company’s unique needs and see where it takes you. The essential aspect is to prioritize DEI because DEI is the way of the future. To stay competitive, you must show your commitment and follow-through in becoming a diverse, equitable and inclusive company.