Resources for Managers
If you want your organization to succeed, try borrowing leadership techniques from
multicultural sources—from the African American concept of sankofa, or learning from
the past, to the Latino value of gracias, or incorporating gratitude and hope.
In Salsa, Soul and Spirit (Berret-Koehler Publishers Inc., 2007), author Juana Bordas
explains how ideas from African American, American Indian and Latino cultures can
enrich any workplace, even those without a broadly diverse workforce. Multicultural
leadership uses the values and practices of diverse cultures and “encourages diverse
people to actively engage, contribute and tap their potential,” writes Bordas.
Salsa, Soul and Spirit presents eight principles of multicultural leadership. For each one,
Bordas provides “next steps” that prompt readers to put the ideas into action. Among the
principles:
 Sankofa. Learning from the past is vital to multicultural leadership, Bordas says,
and managers should seek out and learn from people with different takes on
history.
 “I to we.” The individualistic culture that dominates today doesn’ t leave room
for a collective identity. The book guides readers on creating a collective history
for their organization, to build common ground and mutual understanding.
 Mi casa es su casa. The idea that “my house is your house” sparks generosity.
Sharing resources, helping those in need and taking care of others benefit both
parties and are survival tactics. Generous leaders need to examine the impact their
actions will have on future generations, including the future leaders of their
organizations.
 A leader among equals. Leaders of communities of color tend to be collectively
recognized by the community, rather than grab hold of leadership. Leaders are
“expected to remain part of the group” while at the same time taking charge.
 All my relatives. The book examines how many cultures emphasize the “kinship
of community” and the idea that people are all related. Relationships always carry
responsibility, Bordas says, and leaders need to revive their sense of responsibility
to those around them.
Author Freada Kapor Klein’ s own Level Playing Field Institute says more than 2 million
professionals and managers leave their jobs annually “solely due to unfair treatment.”
The cost of replacing those employees is $64 billion a year, according to Klein. The
unfair treatment here isn’ t headline-grabbing, lawsuit-prompting bias, but rather hidden
bias—which costs employers dearly.
Giving Notice (Jossey-Bass, 2007) examines how hidden biases can become hidden
barriers. For instance, people experiencing hidden bias might not get shown the ropes as
readily as others, or might not receive timely feedback so they know what to do
differently in the future. They might not be invited out for socializing after work, or
might find themselves always identified by their “group” rather than by their other traits,
interests or abilities.
Throughout Giving Notice, Klein weaves the stories of three composite characters—a gay
black man, a white woman and a Latino man. The Latino man, a technology expert, ends
up being asked to work with Spanish-speaking clients although he doesn’ t speak
Spanish. The gay man remains closeted amid a culture where the men engage in locker
room talk and exchange stories about dating women. The woman spends valuable
meeting time making photocopies or getting coffee at the request of men in the room.
The book looks at how CEOs can establish a top-to-bottom culture that truly practices
diversity, rather than simply playing “the diversity game” in which they use slogans and
community events to appear to embrace diversity—but really don’ t.
Klein guides readers in identifying and dismantling stereotypes they may not realize they
use. Readers also learn signs of possible hidden bias in assignments, mentoring, and
organizational culture and climate. A section on global issues describes experiences of
international employees who left jobs due to bias.
Employers face a “psychological recession” that leaves workers fearing job loss at any
time—and holding back the commitment they otherwise might give to their jobs, says
consultant and psychiatrist Judith M. Bardwick in One Foot Out the Door (AMACOM,
2008).
Using research that includes extensive employee surveys, the book argues that many
employees are unhappy at work. But Bardwick shows how good management brings
positive results both for employees and for companies. Backing corporate examples with
survey data, she ties motivated employees to profitability. Employer commitment to
employees, in forms including family-friendly policies, training, good communications
and employee stock programs, bolsters engagement.
Ideas for improving employee engagement include:
 Making relationships between bosses and employees significant and strong.
Good work relationships have enough empathy, commitment, goodwill and
respect that communication stays open and disagreements are conversation
starters.
 Giving employees customized recognition and remembering that “fair does
not have to mean identical.” Bardwick offers suggestions for specific
recognition ideas that meet employees’ personal motivations.
 Pursuing the best fit between the organization and individuals. Hire not only
for skills and qualifications but also for fit with values and culture. The book
provides tools and checklists for analyzing both the company’ s culture and risk
tolerance and the job candidate’ s potential fit.
The attempt to talk to the boss that ends up with a heated exchange. The discussion with
the vice president that feels more like a grilling from a police officer. The questioning
that appears to indicate your abilities aren’ t up to snuff. These events raise not only your
blood pressure but also your defenses.
As author William R. Noonan writes in Discussing the Undiscussable (Jossey-Bass,
2008), when people—or organizations—are threatened or embarrassed, they create
“defensive routines” that blame others for problems and also damage their own abilities
to get work done. When the whole organization is defensive, managers and employees
don’ t feel personally responsibility for the organization’ s problems, he says.
Noonan explains how these defenses work and how to spot and dismantle them. He uses
a fictional narrative, woven through the book and portrayed on an accompanying DVD,
to illustrate how defensive behaviors influence the workplace.
Noonan details how to intervene. He outlines how third parties such as coaches,
managers or consultants can conduct private interviews with those involved, letting them
get their versions of events out. He teaches how to create maps showing the patterns of
the defensive interactions—how people set each other off, how teams react to leaders’
defensiveness and more.
Readers learn how to reflect on their defensive routines and relationships and how to get
teams to recognize and discuss their defenses. Exercises help readers practice seeing
others’ perspectives.
SmartDraw.com has released its newest software, SmartDraw 2008, designed to help
computer users create presentation-quality business graphics and organizational charts in
just minutes. With SmartDraw 2008, users can create organizational and workflow charts
with a series of simple commands. The formatting is automatic, and all the shapes within
the chart are evenly spaced and aligned. The software also features SmartTemplates that
are designed to automate the creation of all types of business graphics, such as project
charts and decision trees.
Contact: (800) 768-3729, www.smartdraw.com, mail@smartdraw.com
Terms of Use: © 2008 Society for Human Resource Management. Members of SHRM are
authorized to distribute copies, excerpts or e-mails of this information for educational purposes
internally within their organizations. No other republication or external use is allowed without
permission of SHRM. The information is not intended to serve as a substitute for legal advice.