The Purpose of Cultural Diversity

Hartwell T Paul Davis

The value of cultural diversity is the

protection it gives preventing all of humanity

from being enslaved by mediocrity as well as

by oligarchical collectivism – H T Paul Davis

• Genesis 11:5-6 (KJV) 5 And the LORD came down to see the city and the

tower, which the children of men builded. 6 And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and

they have all one language; and this they begin to do:

and now nothing will be restrained from them, which

they have imagined to do.

• What is the purpose of culture?

• What are the dangers of ethnocentrism?

• Should HRD seek to homogenize training practice

or adapt practice to cultural norms?

• What is the importance of acculturization?

• Are their potential negative effects from the current

global megatrends?

• What is the importance of cultural training?

Research Questions in Global HRD

Purpose of

Culture

Purpose of Culture

• Prevents humanity from being

enslaved by mediocrity

• Creates and promotes innovation

in products based on diverse

needs and wants

• Stimulates relationships, curiosity,

and creativity

• Provides cohesiveness among

cultural groups and defines social

relationships at both a micro and

macro level

• Prevents oligarchical collectivism by distributing governmental powers

• Provides an economic check and balance by distributing control of wealth and resources

• Prevents a one world governmental system

• Distributes knowledge, preventing a centralization of knowledge management and thus power

Cultural diversity is God’s way of preventing excessive abuse over humanity

The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical

Collectivism from Orwell’s Nineteen-Eighty-Four

envisions a totalitarian utopian society, socialist in

nature, reminiscent of a pre-Babel one world

government which was prevented by dividing the

nations in the biblical Tower of Babel account in

Genesis. Cultural diversity has a direct impact on

maintaining a distributed balance of power

economically and socially, deserving of our highest

respect – H.T. Paul Davis

Oligarchical Collectivism

For reference: Dalvai, M. (2010). Utopianism Parodied in Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four. An Intertextual Reading

of the ‘Goldstein Treatise’. Orbis Litterarum, 65(5), 388-407. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0730.2010.00991.x

Global HRD should focus on equipping training

professionals with strong emphasis on cultural

awareness, respect for culture, intent on avoiding

ethnocentric policies seeking to change cultures, but

rather skill at delivery through acculturization that

adapts training to the culture. Megatrends leading to

homogenous practice or that attempt to break down

cultural barriers are dangerous and could lead to

oligarchical collectivism or disrupt the social and

economic checks and balances inherent with cultural

diversity.

Hypothesis for a Global HRD paper

• Do not seek to be “color blind”; instead seek to

understand and appreciate differences

• “Color blindness” seeks to see and treat all

people as being the same and ignore

characteristic and cultural differences; in effect

it is a form of politically correct ethnocentrism

• Cultural awareness seeks to understand

differences that can lead to respect and the

ability to develop relationships with those of

other cultures

Color blindness versus cultural awareness

Key Definitions

• Globalization symbolizes and creates a convergence

of economic and social forces, values and taste,

challenges and opportunities (Marquardt, Berger, &

Loan, 2004, Kindle Loc 83 of 4292)

• Culture is a way of thinking, acting, and living that

is shared by members of a group and that older

members pass on to new members (Marquardt et al,

Kindle loc 111 of 4292)

Ethnocentrism


Ethnocentrism – the belief in the superiority of one’s own culture

• Corporate ethnocentrism: evidenced by the organization

presenting training in the same way all over the world

• Development of foreign managers and trainers: indicates bias

by owners, labor unions, governments or by HRD structural

functionalism (in-group mentality)

• Ethnocentrism is the classroom dynamic as multi-cultural

personnel engage in corporate training

Training is filtered through cultural experience in both the trainer and the learner.

Three major areas where ethnocentrism can impact HRD

Cultural

ComponentsHartwell T Paul Davis

Marquardt, M., Berger, N., & Loan, P. (2004). HRD In the Age of Globalization: A Practical Guide to Workplace

Learning in the Third Millennium. New York: Basic Books.

Layers of Culture

• Religion

• Language

• Education

• Economics

• Politics

• Family

• Class structure

• History

• Natural resources / geography

Factors Influencing the Cultural Environment


Learning in the Third Millennium. New York: Basic Books., Kindle Loc. 262 of 4292

• Environment

• Time

• Action

• Communication

• Space

• Power

• Personal Behavior

• Social Behavior

• Structure

• Thinking

Variables of Culture


Learning in the Third Millennium. New York: Basic Books. (Table 2.2, Kindle Loc 299 of 4292)

Impact on HRDHRD must adapt practice to the culture by

acculturization of training programs


Ethnocentrism – the belief in the superiority of one’s own culture

Acculturization is the conveying of a program

(including is objectives, methodologies,

materials, and content) across cultural

boundaries to ensure that the training

program is user-friendly (Marquardt,Berger,

& Loan, 2004, Kindle loc. 502 of 4292)

What is acculturization?


Learning in the Third Millennium. New York: Basic Books.

Global Training Model


Learning in the Third Millennium. New York: Basic Books. (Figure 3.1, Kindle Loc 512 of 4292)

Benefits of Globalization


Learning in the Third Millennium. New York: Basic Books. (Table 10.2, Kindle Loc 1553 of 4292)

Globalization is debated by proponents and opponents for

various reasons. One implication is the potential for

reversing the Tower of Babel effect that provides a balance

against oligarchical abuse. However, economic

globalization or Christian globalization (missions) share

commonalities by reaching across cultural boundaries.

Globalization has many benefits as long as organization

promote cultural awareness and practice acculturization

rather than ethnocentrism in its global mission.


Implication of Globalization