Leadership and Culture: Overcoming Ethnocentrism

Thesis: Each person is affected by their own ethnocentrism and faces the challenge of recognizing their own heritage so that they might understand the heritage of others which in turn creates more efficient and welcoming work environments.

1. Ethnocentrism: Defined
   1. Ethnocentrism is a universal tendency, and each of us is ethnocentric to some degree. (Northouse, 2010)
   2. As the word suggests, ethnocentrism is the tendency for individuals to place their own group (ethnic, racial, or cultural) at the center of their observations of others and the world. (Northouse, 2010)
   3. In the ethnocentric phase, people assume that their own cultural worldviews equate with reality, and as a result, they only see and judge other cultures by using their own culture's lens. (Moodian, 2009)
2. Know: Yourself
   1. Everyone has a culture.
      1. Recognizing one's own cultural influences initiates an understanding of others' cultural influences.
      2. Acceptance increases sensitivity to cultural difference and leads to conscious knowledge of the particularities of one's own and other pertinent cultures. (Moodian, 2009)
   2. Everyone's culture affects every part of their life.
      1. A person's culture influences their beliefs.
      2. A person's beliefs influence their morals.
      3. A person's morals influence their choices.
   3. Knowing yourself is the first step towards overcoming ethnocentrism.
      1. Knowing your own heritage helps you to understand its impact.
      2. Without self awareness we are more prone to misunderstanding others and to underestimating the impact that our own heritage has on how we perceive and think and act. (Branson and Martinez, 2011)
3. Know: Others
   1. What defines a culture?
      1. For our purposes, culture is defined as learned beliefs, values, rules, norms, symbols, and traditions. (Northouse, 2010)
      2. In short, culture is the way of life, customs, and script of a group of people. (Northouse, 2010)
   2. How are other cultures different?
      1. Religious Differences...
      2. Societal Rules...
      3. etc.
   3. The differences are not obstacles, they are strengths.
      1. Diversity means different thinking.
      2. Diversity means intercultural appeal.
      3. The intercultural competencies to prepare leaders at this stage include developing open-mindedness, listening skills, accurate cross-cultural perception, non-judgmentalness, knowledge of our own culture, and culture maps for understanding other cultures. (Moodian, 2009)
4. Know: Positive Effects
   1. Recognize the world outside of ourselves.
      1. There are almost 6.9 billion people in the world, only 312 million are in the US. (US & World Population Clocks, n.d.)
      2. Those in the ethnocentric phase become aware that their own cultures worldview is only one of many ways of seeing and being in the world. (Moodian, 2009)
   2. Understand others and their point of view.
      1. We filter everything through our own culture.
      2. This movement into the stage of ethnorelativism reflects our capacity to acknowledge our own cultural filters and suspend our judgments temporarily in order to understand others. (Moodian, 2009)
   3. Create better work environments.
      1. From [understanding cultural differences] one begins to observe the impact of cultural differences on the workplace. (Moodian, 2009)
      2. [Cultural] empathy consists of four related components

• Knowledge of one's own and other pertinent cultures
• Recognition of specific differences between cultures
• Understanding of how culture influences behavior in the workplace
• Ability to adapt to and/or manage differences, as expressed in business structures, systems, and priorities, within multicultural work environments

Conclusion: Without an accurate understanding of self, there can be no cultural acceptance. Therefore, in order for to have an efficient and welcoming work environment, there needs to be intercultural competency, namely in the form of overcoming ethnocentrism within the individual. This can be accomplished through an accurate knowledge and understanding of other cultures.

References

Branson, M. L., & MartiÌﾁnez, J. F. (2011). Churches, cultures & leadership: a practical theology of congregations and ethnicities. Downers Grove, Ill.: IVP Academic.

Moodian, M. A. (2009). Contemporary leadership and intercultural competence. Los Angeles: SAGE.

Northouse, P. G. (2010). Leadership: theory and practice (5. ed.). Los Angeles, Calif.: SAGE.

U.S. & World Population Clocks. (n.d.). Census Bureau Home Page. Retrieved November 20, 2011, from http://www.census.gov/main/www/popclock.html