Cultural IQ

Does Prejudice Make You Less Smart?

Scientific research now suggests that prejudice or bias make actually it harder for workers to make quality decisions at the office. Experiments conducted with brain-imaging equipment at Dartmouth College found some prejudiced workers became mentally drained as they tried to manage their biases. After a brief chat with an African American, some white test subjects who exhibited bias could no longer perform well on tests of cognitive abilities.

"Just having a prejudice makes you stupider," John Gabrieli, a professor of psychology at

Stanford University, told the Boston Globe in Nov. 2003. "It is really interesting."

"I think people are getting caught in this trap where they are trying not to do the wrong thing, rather than trying to act natural," Jennifer A. Richeson, an assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences at Dartmouth College, told the Globe. "Somehow we have to get past this awkward phase."

As the unfolding crisis in the mortgage industry continues to swallow up stock market profits, this research ought to scare the heck out of profit-conscious investors on Wall Street. Sub prime mortgages have been tearing away the financial foundation from communities of color for years. In the most extensive study of its kind, the Center for Responsible Lending found that African-Americans and Latinos are commonly almost a third more likely to get a pricy loan than white borrowers with the same credit scores. The study examined 50,000 sub prime loans. 

So, a fair-minded person might ask: What role did racial bias play in the current mortgage meltdown, and how much is it going to cost us? The NAACP wants an answer. It has filed suit in Los Angeles federal court against 14 of the country’s largest lenders, alleging systematic, institutionalized racism in sub-prime home mortgage lending. Organization officials said that African American homeowners who received sub-prime mortgage loans from these lenders were more than 30 percent more likely to be issued a higher rate loan than Caucasian borrowers with the same qualifications.

The mortgage meltdown - the layoffs, the credit crunch,the abandoned properties and declining home values - provide an expensive lesson. There comes a point where white Americans will begin to lose money as a result of racial discrimination.

Gary Becker, a respected economist and Nobel Prize winner, addressed this in his 1992 Nobel Lecture."When the majority is very large compared to the minority - in the United

States whites are nine times as numerous and have much more human and

physical capital per capita than blacks - market discrimination by the

majority hardly lowers their incomes, but may greatly reduce the incomes of

the minority,"Becker said. " However, when minority members are a sizable fraction of the total, discrimination by the majority injures them as well."

In other words, bias against others may now come with a very expensive price tag. As the demographics shift, the bias tax will only get larger.

Taking a cultural inventory

                         Cultural Assessment Tool

The road to cultural competency is paved with cultural audits. We can not be content to say we are fair and unbiased. We must continually  audit our actions and words and be willing to examine the hidden beliefs and assumptions that emerge.

Part I: Self-Awareness

1.     Select the diversity strategy that best describes you:

Colorblind: I don’t think about it. I just hope for the best.

Diversity-conscious: I look at all the angles – gender, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, etc.

Diversity-challenged: I don’t understand why other people can’t act more like me.

Cultural Maturity: I gather cultural intelligence, examine issues through a variety of cultural shades, and audit my performances.

2.  How extensive and diverse is the collection of resources you most often draw upon when learning about various groups (cultural, religious, etc.)?

o        Internet

o        News articles

o        Books and workshops

o        On-site visits and interviews

o        My support team of diverse colleagues

o        My support team of family and friends

o        Diverse newspapers

Part II: Cultural Filters

1.  List the cultural and social filters you tend to use while at work.

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

2.      Which process do you use to manage your cultural and social filters?

o        I don’t need help.

o        I don’t have filters.

o        I consult with a diverse team of cultural coaches as I work.

o        After I develop my interview questions, I identify key issues and challenges for women, ethnic groups, the gay community, etc.  Then I integrate those angles into my news stories.

Cultural Assessment Tool

Part III: Cultural Audits

• Are you able to tolerate and accept different views or do you tend to believe your view is right and others are simply misinformed?
• If you had the need to hire an employee, would you select the applicant you feel is likely to agree with you or the one who is likely to challenge you to grow?
• When confronted with an instance of racism, sexism or bigotry, do you teach and lead by example?
• Have you ever apologized for not being willing to listen? If so, did you make a second effort to understand the other person’s feelings and beliefs?
• Have you ever imagined yourself in a situation faced by someone in another group (age, religion, race, sex, etc.?) If so, did you learn from this experience?

Part IV: Framing Conversations

•         Do you measure cultural communities with the exact same yardstick?
•         Do you integrate diverse voices into daily communications?
•         Whenever possible, do you include cultural and historical context so others can understand the roots of cultural disagreements?
•         Do you stop to consider how words are likely to be interpreted by different cultural groups and audiences?

                        

You Make the Call

Back in the day when I was a cub reporter, the weekend editor assigned me to the much dreaded "cops shop."  You'd go down to the police station, read the incident reports and write a story if you'd found something really sad.

On this day, there had been a  murder in Memphis, Tenn. A woman had been walking with a friend when the duo was robbed at gunpoint. Both women turned over their purses and the robber fled.  As he was running away, one of the women started to give chase. She was white and she yelled to him, "Nigger, give me back my purse."

Now the police report  did not include all the pertinent information.  It stated two white women had been robbed at gunpoint. The robber was running away when he turned and fired a shot at one of the women, killing her. 

This report did not make sense to me and I told the captain on duty so. (Not that it matters but I am African American.)"Why would a robber turn and fire at one victim, leaving behind another as a witness?," I asked. At that point, the Captain gave me the truth.

I wrote the complete story, giving the account of how the woman had chased the robber and called him the "N" word. My editor removed the paragraph that provided those last few details. He told me that our newspaper, as a matter of policy, did not blame victims. (Honestly, I have to tell you that I would later find that this "standard" was not applied uniformly.)

Does the story makes sense to you if that paragraph is not included?    Is it right for a newspaper to withhold information to protect the reputation of a crime victim?  (If so, if a prostitute is killed, why do newspapers mention her or his occupation? ) Is it possible that the published version of the story might increase acts of hostility against blacks?

You make the call.

Please post a comment and tell me what you would do in this situation. It is time for a honest and open conversation regarding these sticky situations involving race.

What’s Hot and What’s Not

Diversity Trend Lines

When human resource professionals gather at a diversity conference, it is a little like a swap meet where ideas are traded and challenges are explored.

The men and women on the frontlines of the movement to manage diversity and develop worker potential engaged in many crucial conversations Oct.18-20 during the Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM) Workplace Diversity Conference titled: “Leading, Changing, Transforming.”

Feel good workshops are out. Opportunities for individual learning and growth are in. Shame-on-you speeches are out. Trusting cultures that welcome honest and open dialogues are in. Workshops that preach love, peace and happiness are fading from the scene. Training sessions focused on building organizational capabilities and competencies are in.

Throughout the conference, people talked in private and public about diversity fatigue. Many workers – both from the majority and minority groups - are diversity weary, a symptom of their frustrations. Many visionaries here are trying to respond to the backlash by viewing diversity issues through a wider lens.

Rarely does one hear talk of fixing or changing people, as there was years ago when I first started covering these issues. That’s out. Instead, consultants such as Global Lead’s Jessica Gilbert say that diversity is a journey during which companies must meet workers where they are and create growth and learning opportunities. Her colleague, David Tulin, says people don’t resist change, rather they resist being changed.

So, instead of holding workshops to change people, forward-thinking companies are creating learning opportunities that get workers to think and grow.

Limiting diversity programs solely to racial and gender hiring initiatives is out. Leading companies today view diversity in many ways: diversity of function, diversity of thought, diversity of expectations, and diversity of ideas. Instead of using diversity programs to solve problems, they are using them to build talent, increase productivity and create trusting teams.

White men are no longer the "target" in diversity sessions. In today’s climate of inclusiveness, there is encouragement to forge cross-cultural alliances. Some white men are emerging are influential diversity champions.

At the conference, leaders focused on the future while reflecting on what went wrong in the past. R. Roosevelt Thomas Jr., a widely respected consultant, told participants that diversity advocates who feel everybody should think as they do are part of the problem. He suggests that there is not one single way to view or define diversity, or one approach that will work for all. Rather, inclusive workforces are a byproduct of learning cultures, effective communicators, innovative strategies and more.

Programs that preach that people are all the same or tell how to handle cultural groups are waning. Instead, the objective is to provide knowledge to assist workers and prepare them for global sales opportunities. Companies seek to create flexible cultures that respond well to cultural ambiguities and successfully draw out the talents of diverse workers.

One dimensional diversity programs of the past were not keeping pace with today’s competitive challenges. Rising in their place are initiatives with tentacles to support corporate goals, productivity, revenue growth and more accurate business intelligence. These initiatives seek to help frontline managers solve challenges such as recruitment and retention, talent development, staff morale, interdepartmental conflicts and collaboration, and communication breakdowns.

Diversity is evolving into a more fluid concept because it has so many different definitions and meanings. It is a challenge; a problem; a market opportunity; a threat; a potential for lawsuits, and a loss of cultural control, depending on the individual's or corporate point-of-view.

Our approach, beliefs and  language dramatically affect the outcomes of diversity initiatives. As Henry Ford once noted: “If you think you can, you can. And if you think you can’t, you’re right.”

Henry Ford knows a thing or two about business.  It doesn’t matter if you are building automobiles or workforces, without a proper attitude even the most brilliant concepts  might just fall apart.

Lessons for A City

One topic of conversation can make voices rise and hopes fall in a room of  CEOs:  Why aren't there more highly skilled workers?

America needs to keep its industries competitive. Beyond reading, writing and arithmetic, executives suggest that creative workers need critical thinking skills, effective communication skills, the ability to work in groups  and the ability to solve problems.

(The Society of Human Resource Management's excellent report on 21st century workforce skills (http://www.21stcenturyskills.org) notes that these contemporary workers also need cross-cultural skills to succeed.)

"This study should serve as an alert to educators, policy makers and those concerned with U.S. economic competitiveness that we may be facing a skills shortage," Susan R. Meisinger, President and CEO of the Society for Human Resource Management, says of the report.  “In a knowledge-based economy a talented workforce with communication and critical thinking skills is necessary for organizations and the U.S.to be successful."

OK, now let’s consider the research of Robert Putnam, author of Bowling Alone: the Collapse and Revival of American Community. His book - which some argue is a sign that diversity is dead - found that our society is losing social capital as people and communities become less connected, and less engaged. This is especially true, it seems, in diverse neighborhoods.Does that mean everything would be OK if we are all more alike? Well, of course not.

It fails to consider the possibility that the lack of communication skills, critical thinking skills, teamwork and problem-solving capability might ALSO be creating tensions among the races, and prompting people to stay within their comfort zones. We don't know what to say, so we don't say anything.

Blaming diversity for the decline in social capital is a little like blaming math when students get the equations wrong. Perhaps our problem is not that we are different but rather that our community is not skilled enough to manage those differences. Why the heck aren’t we?

That question takes us to the doorsteps of universities and school districts. Are educators providing the applied skills and social intelligence that American workers need to manage 21st century business challenges? If we can’t connect with people in our own neighborhoods, how can we expect to connect with strangers half a world away?

“It is clear from the report that greater communication and collaboration between the business sector and educators is critical to ensure that young people are prepared to enter the workplace of the 21st century,” says Richard Cavanagh, President and CEO of The Conference Board. “Less than intense preparation in critical skills can lead to unsuccessful futures for America’s youth, as well as a less competitive U.S.workforce. ”

Cities that create skill-building projects and cultural competency initiatives are going to be the first to solve “the diversity problem.” They get a happier and healthier business community as a bonus prize

Those communities content to blame diversity for their plight – rather than look for systemic weaknesses - are going to have to answer their children one day when they ask, “Daddy, mommy, why aren’t there any jobs?”

Cultural IQ

Test Your Cultural IQ

This brief quiz demonstrates how cultural filters affect our daily communications. After reading the questions below, select the answer that most closely reflects your own beliefs. Sit down with a colleague or friend to discuss your choices. During the dialogue, identify how and why your assumptions differed. Remember, the goal is not to find consensus but rather to better understand how cultural lenses shape our responses to the things we see, the places we go, and the people we meet.

1. HEADLINE: AS THE VISION FADES, THE INDIGNITIES GROW
   The headline for this New York Times article most likely was about:
   
   1. CEOS who lose their way and are about to be fired.
   2. Baby boomers in need of reading glasses.
   3. The war in Iraq.
   4. I read the article so I won't give the correct answer away.
   (The correct answer is 2.)
2. WHEN ORDERING A CHEESESTEAK IN PHILADELPHIA ONE SHOULD SAY:
   
   1. "Wit or widout,"
   2. Without onions, just the cheese, please.
   3. Gimmie a steak with the works.
   (The official visitors' site for Philadelphia says the correct way to respond is "Wit" for "Yes, I would like Whiz and onions," or "Widout" for "No ,just the cheese.")
3. THE SIGN IN FRONT OF THE RESTAURANT STATES; "NOW HIRING FRIENDLY PEOPLE." AFTER READING THE SIGN, HOW ARE YOU MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND.
   
   1. I'd walk away because there probably aren't ANY friendly people working there right now.
   2. I'd go in because management only hires friendly people.
4. A REPORTER WRITES, "THE ANTI-MUSLIM BACKLASH WAS INSPIRED BY THE TRAGIC EVENTS OF 9/11." THE REPORTER'S USE OF THE WORD "INSPIRED" INDICATES TO YOU:
   
   1. The reporter was most likely working on deadline and made a mistake.
   2. The reporter believes the backlash against Muslims is understandable or justified.
   3. The reporter made a vocabulary error.
   4. The reporter was just telling it like it is.
5. A NEWSPAPER HEADLINE ABOUT A BLACK CONVICT ON DEATH ROW POSES THIS QUESTION: WHO CARES IF THIS MAN DIES? HOW WOULD YOU EXPECT THAT READERS MIGHT RESPOND? WOULD THEY CONCLUDE:
   
   1. The newspaper is inciting racial bias and hatred.
   2. The newspaper is just doing its job by asking the tough questions.
   3. This newspaper wants to sell more newspapers.

Intelligence @ Work

When a new employee starts a new job, rarely does he or she say, "I want to be average. No more, no less."

Yet when it comes to cultural intelligence, many smart folks are content to be average. Average they are, and average they want to be.  Anybody that tries to encourage growth is viewed suspiciously as a member of the political correctness police.

People with average cultural intelligence don't understand a lot of things but,for them, this is not a problem. Unlike their peers, they intentionally close themselves off from information that might make them more effective.

They might not understand young people. They might not understand other races or religions. They might not understand why others dress differently. They might not understand rap music or opera. They might not understand why immigrants with little formal schooling take so long to learn English. They might not understand Americans.

This lack of curiosity about cultural, political and religious differences can prompt feelings of suspicion and fuel ugly demonstrations of violence and hate. These are the emotions that are making the world less free, and more unsafe.

Language is a currency that can make our life richer. The greater the appreciation we have for its power, the harder it works to ensure we succeed. Spend our currency well and we will end up with high cultural IQs. Spend it poorly, we end up up - well, average.

The words we choose and the tone we use ultimately determine whether our friends and co-workers want to avoid us or be near us. Cultural differences don’t divide communities; rather it is the desire to mold others in our image that keeps peoples apart.

Both sides need to be flexible, you see. But this is rarely discussed because each group is too busy complaining about the faults of the other. Rarely do opponents reflect upon their actions in forging a bridge over the divide. The newcomers need to learn the old ways: the history, the customs, the culture. And the old timers need to be able to bend with the changing times and accommodate new words, music, and culture.

People with high cultural IQs are not necessarily the best educated, I find. Often they are people with the most educable mindset. We sometimes think college-educated workers know everything. They may, but only if they are willing to leave those Ivy Towers and keep on learning.

Many of the costly cultural collisions are caused by careless use of language; incorrect or confusing interpretations of statements; and a dependency upon words that suppress honest dialogues, lead to tensions and ultimately cause conversations to get stuck. The road to diversity failure is littered with words and terms such as: can’t, won’t, they, those people, racist, sexist and political correctness.

This daily blog will not follow the road most traveled and report on diversity problems. It will gather strategic intelligence from the change agents who forge solutions. It will explore the volumes of research that help frame hot-button conversations and move us toward common ground.

We can learn alot from the life experiences of other people. Anne Frank, the German Jewish teenager who was forced into hiding during the Holocaust, didn't get the chance to go to Harvard or Yale. Yet her book is required reading in many classrooms around the world.

    Anne wrote,"Then, without realizing it, you try to improve yourself at the start of each new day; of course, you achieve quite a lot in the course of time. Anyone can do this, it costs nothing and is certainly very helpful. Whoever doesn't know it must learn and find by experience that a quiet conscience makes one strong."

Now, there is a person with high Cultural IQ.

The prisons of hate and intolerance are built by our minds and we need higher Cultural IQs so we can tear them down. In a world filled with growing tensions and hate, this is no time to aspire to be average.