Diversity and Inclusion

by Julie Salvato

I want to forget about the fact that I am in Italy for this blog.  I want to write about cultural differences...within the group of Americans I am with.  This is the first time I have studied, relaxed, partied, laughed, and disagreed with so many different people at one time.  I am the only person from New England.  How do I intently listen?  How do I comfortably say things about myself without fear of being judged?  How do I show empathy when I am dealing with struggle myself? enthusiasm when I am tired? goofiness when my peers are serious?       

What we need to remember is not all people who look a like think alike, and not all people who look different disagree.  But, what happens when people who are “different” do not express any unique perspectives themselves?  Why would anyone want to express themselves if they are different- to stand out as different....?

Now, I’ll bring Italy back into the conversation, just for a moment.  For fear of not being accepted, I will do as the Italians do and ‘I’m just going to take a minute to breath’.  It’s ok to be different.  In fact, different is the new normal.  I’d rather be Julie than follow the crowd.  My opinions matter, at least to me.  I also want to leave my footprint.  I did. I’ve done.    

America is at a new frontier when it comes to diversity.  The nation has its first African-American president, and more and more women hold positions of corporate power (CEO of  HP, IBM, PepsiCo, Yahoo, etc).  Especially with easy access to the world wide web , we are more likely to come into contact with people unlike ourselves than ever before, and in every aspect of our lives.  On the other hand, discrimination, whether conscious or not, limits an organization’s ability to get the best from its workforce.  In my opinion, social diversity makes people with independent points of view more willing to voice those points of view, and others more willing to listen.  

There are several business implications when companies fail to understand cultural differences, particularly in entering the marketplace and meeting customer needs.  When a company is not diverse, it is not learning the intercultural skills of acceptance, respect, valuing, and adaptation in culture.  I will not be able to go through my career just the way that I was.  I need to be diverse and I need to be able to communicate with diverse people.  I have learned those skills not only because I lived in Italy for three weeks, but because I was with an amazing, diverse group of people.