Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
diversity and inclusion, and offers equal opportunities to all gender, races, and working-age
people. They value community and capitalize on the uniqueness between people using their
differences to start conversations, advocate for positive change, and build a business set on a
foundation of diversity. To many, the purpose of Starbucks is to sell coffee. The actual purpose
is to nurture and inspire the human spirit, one cup, one person, one neighborhood at a time. The
purpose of Starbucks is to have a positive global impact on communities and people around the
world…through coffee. Their platform is positive social impact; their medium is coffee.
Starbucks aims to achieve this by offering emphasizing customer connections between baristas
and customers in-store, encouraging their team members to give back, supporting their coffee
Working for a diverse organization requires leaders who “engage and manage
relationships across diverse co-workers [and] customers” (Chrobot-mason, et. al., 2013, p. 315)
successfully and effectively. To do this, a leader must embody qualities and values that align
with inclusion, appreciation, and cultural intelligence. How I fit into Starbucks as a leader is by
exemplifying their mission and values. I identify as a leader who values diversity, encourages
middle-class, educated, white female, I believe this does not exclude me from the ability to truly
value and appreciate diversity. We are told that because of privilege, I cannot possibly and truly
be fully open to diversity, but I say they’ve never met me, then. I hold an open heart to everyone
with no boundaries for inclusion. The important part is to be aware of underlying implicit bias,
LEADERSHIP IMPACT AND REFLECTION 3
and to remain sensitive to cultures, races, and others who have walked different paths than
Part of my identity that was not listed on my original pie chart is “Texan”. What I had not
considered before is that growing up in a town in Texas where 48% of the population was
Hispanic/Latino, according to the 2000 census, has an impact on my identity. Perhaps this is why
my “white culture” does not play as strong a role in my identity as I originally perceived. I now
understand that my race plays a significant role in my privileges, but it should not undermine the
where the demographics were practically evenly split between white and other races, spending
days and nights at my friends homes whose cultures were completely different than my own,
participating in a quinceañera at the age of 14, and attending a high school where half the
population was not white gives me the advantage of being more accepting and inclusive of
diversity. Eagly and Chin note that “individuals from racial and ethnic minority groups, in
particular, generally have multicultural experience because they have learned to negotiate both
minority and majority cultures” (Eagly & Chin, p. 220), and that this makes them good leaders in
multicultural organizations. I’d like to argue that though I did not grow up in a minority group
(though, could we argue that the white population in my hometown was on the verge of being the
minority group? As of the 2010 census, my hometown was 62% Hispanic/Latino), I did grow up
having to navigate both minority and majority cultures; I did grow up practically immersed in a
culture different than my own. This, I think, magnifies my value of acceptance and inclusion, as
automatically grants me privileges that I don’t like to admit I was born with. Why should I have
been born with more privilege than anyone else? But the way of the world, and society, says that
I was. What I’ve learned in this course, though, is that it’s important to recognize the privilege of
who I am in order to better understand the culture of others; to be more sensitive to the status of
others. Our identity sets us apart whether we consciously admit it or not. Perhaps my identity
holds me more accountable for speaking up for others, for advocating for others, and for standing
up for change. As a leader I aim to advocate for inclusion, appreciation, respect and celebration
of differences, and my innate character refuses to let me back down from this. As a leader, I will
bring a strong voice for inclusion to my workplace; I will bring courage for when it’s necessary
to stand up; eyes to see with clarity; a heart that is sensitive to others, and a mind that is open,
understanding and culturally intelligent. I hope my identity will not stand in my way, but will
My Leadership Impact
(2005) talks about the competencies that are necessary to lead people within a multicultural
organization. She mentions that for leaders to be successful in multicultural interactions, global
literacy is necessary (Connerley, 2005, p. 71). “’To be globally literate,” she says, “means
seeing, thinking, acting, and mobilizing in culturally mindful ways’ (Rosen & Digh, 2001, p.
74)” (Connerley, 2005, p. 71). For me, my approach to leadership in a multicultural organization
would include growth towards becoming more globally literate. I’d like to be mindful that
culture impacts people at their core, and dictates their responses, habits, and perceptions. I’d like
to be more culturally sensitive when working with others, but not in a way that interrupts or is
LEADERSHIP IMPACT AND REFLECTION 5
overbearing in the workplace. Everyone should feel included, appreciated, valued and respected
in the workplace. Being able to create a work culture where diversity can flourish in this way
requires cultural intelligence, awareness, and education. Because a leader impacts the way a
team thinks, works, acts and feels, it’s vital to integrate cultural competency into a leaders skill
set.
Conclusion
At the beginning of this course I liked to think that I was fairly culturally aware. Though I
still think I have had a fair amount of cultural exposure in my life (by growing up in southern
Texas, living in Europe for 1.5 years, and travelling to 9 other countries), this course has shown
me the depth of cultural knowledge that I still require. Cultural intelligence is not just about
knowing other cultures or appreciating them, but understanding their communication styles,
conflict management styles, context styles, norms, societal standards, and much more.
When I took the pretest earlier this semester I scored in the low 70’s. When I took it
today, my score was 104. My understanding of cultural diversity and how to approach it as a
leader has grown already. However, to become an even better leader and member of society, I
References:
Chrobot-Mason, D., Ruderman, M.N. & Nishii, L.H. (2013). Leadership in a Diverse Workplace.
Chapter 18 in The Oxford Handbook of Diversity and Work. ASU Library Holdings.
environment: Developing awareness, knowledge and skills. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
publications.
Pasadena, Texas Population:Census 2010 and 2000 Interactive Map, Demographics, Statistics,
http://censusviewer.com/city/TX/Pasadena