Conversity Leadership

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Conversity Leadership

• Module 2 Cultures and Values

Cris Wildermuth, M.Ed. Susan D. Gray, PHR
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Introduction

• Group brainstorm
• What did we discuss in Module 1?
• What are some practical applications of what we
  discussed?

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Agenda

• The Interview
• What Is Culture?
• What Are Values?
• Value congruency
• Values and decisions
• Figuring things out

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The Interview

• You are a candidate for a job.
• Answer the interviewers questions according to
  the cultural rules you receive on your cultural
  rules card.
• Follow your cultural rules exactly.

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The Interview

• What behaviors did you observe in the
  interviewees?
• Which candidate would you choose, and why?

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What Is Culture?

• Its a learned and complex set of instructions on
  how to relate to the world.

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What Are Cultural Dimensions?

• Cultural dimensions are the general areas in
  which cultures differ.
• Examples communications, harmony, hierarchy,
  equality.

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Cultural Dimensions
Art, music, architecture,clothing,celebrations
Visible
Surface
Communicationstyle
Need for harmony
Invisible
Core
Preference for hierarchy or equality
Emphasis on relationships
Sense of time
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Cultural Dimensions

• Communications
• Need for harmony
• Sense of time
• Gender equality
• Preference for hierarchy or equity
• Emphasis on relationships

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Your Cultural Continuum

• Identify your own preferences with an O.
• Identify your perceptions of the mainstream U.S.
  American preferences with an X.
• Discuss your answers with your group.

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Your Cultural Continuum

• Communication Preferences

Indirect, will beat around the bush before making
a point
Very direct, to the point, tell it like it is
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Your Cultural Continuum

• What did you learn about yourself?
• How could these dimensions affect relationships
  at work?

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Values Line

• If you think the first word is more important, go
  to the right side of the room.
• If you think the second word is more important,
  go to the left side of the room.
• If youre not sure, stay somewhere in the middle.

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Values

• What is most important to us

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Value Congruency

• You have 15 to distribute among 10 values.
• The money doesnt have to be divided equally.
• For instance, you may assign 10 to 1 value, 2
  to 5 others, and ignore the remaining 4 values.

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Value Congruency

• Part I
• Individually decide how to divide the money.
• Part II
• As a group, consider what values are important to
  your organization, and divide the money
  accordingly.
• You must reach consensus.
• Voting is not allowed.

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Value Congruency

• Outcome
• The difference between the personal values and
  the organizational values represents your level
  of value congruency with the organization.

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Value Congruency

• Group Discussion
• How do organizational / individual value
  congruency levels affect each of you?
• How do value differences affect relationships
  among team members?
• What can you do about it?

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Value Decision Making

• You will
• receive specific value instructions.
• use the information on your value card as the
  basis for everything you say in the group
  discussion.
• reach a decision by group consensus.
• remember that voting is not allowed.
• use body language to express displeasure, if you
  wish.
• Tip Observe others!

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Values and Decisions

• What body language did you observe?
• How does the exercise relate to real life?
• How can you reconcile different value systems in
  the workplace?
• What did you learn?
• What can you do as a result?

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Figuring Things Out

• Scenario
• John, a team member, goes home exactly at 5 p.m.
  each evening. Everyone else stays longer, and
  some team members work until 7 p.m. Some of you
  are upset with John and feel that hes not
  pulling his weight.

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Figuring Things Out

• Interpretation 1
• John is a slacker.
• Question
• John, why arent you willing to stay and help us
  out? Were getting tired of doing your work and
  we have lives outside this office, too!

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Figuring Things Out

• Interpretation 2
• John has a logical reason for his behavior.
• You dont know the reason.
• Question
• John, we seem to work at different times. Can we
  talk about that?

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Figuring Things Out

• Work in pairs.
• Read the six situations presented.
• Think about possible reasons for the behaviors
  expressed.
• Take turns practicing nonjudgmental questions

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Figuring Things Out

• What could be the payoff?
• Can you think of situations in which this would
  be a useful tool?
• How can you use Conversity to conciliate
  differences in values?

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Personal Commitment

• How can you apply what you learned?
• What one thing do you plan to do as a result of
  todays discussions?