When it comes to diversity, a new article on the management-issues.com offers some suggestions that we should consider.
Code switching ability: A unique advantage
It's not true that under-represented groups automatically have a higher CQ, but what they do have is a lifetime-long experience of code-switching.
It's about learning when and how to change the way they speak, and also the way they act. It's about situations when different cultures are involved.
Precisely this ability is a huge advantage for these people. When someone is a member of a minority group, the skill is usually developed.
Demanding characteristics of employees
Often you can tell how serious someone is about diversity when you ask them what the most difficult characteristics of team members are. Then there is the question of what characteristics the managers find easy to work with.
The answers are about whether the person primarily describes people like him or her. That's a clue about how interested the person (and their company) really is in adjusting to different cultures.
Social media often gives other clues – are potential superiors confined to their social bubbles, or do they follow very diverse people?
Understanding how cultures are similar and different
That's true especially if the company operates in some exotic key markets. The cultural values of a certain person may be very similar to those of the customers.
For example, African Americans and Latinos care deeply about their extended families and communities compared to Caucasians. This cultural value is called collectivism and is shared by 70 % of the world.
So in certain situations it's very convenient to have somebody in the team who fully understands this value and its implications.
-jk-