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CULTURAL TIMES WHERE DIVERSITY THRIVES
Culture, Racism and 'The Virus' COVER STORY
A Case for D & I in Recruitment
Looking Beyond Covid-19
C O N T E N T S
ON THE COVER
Culture, Racism, and 'The Virus'
01 Culture,Racism and ‘The Virus’ 05 Covid-19 Factsheet
Cover Story
P. 1-4
09 Looking Beyond Covid-19 11 A Case for D & I in Recruitment
A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE 6
It's All in the Palate
15
Trapped in Limbo or Presented the Gates of Opportunity?
14
News Around the World
It's All in the Palate P. 6
WORKPLACE LEADERSHIP 17
How to Showcase your Customer Experience During Challenging Times
Looking Beyond COVID-19
19 Hiring Heroes 21
P. 09-10
Leadership During Times of Ambiguity for Global Leaders
MORE 23
Churches, Temples. and a Mosque
A Case for D & I in Recruitment P. 11-12
CULTURAL TIMES | APRIL 2020
Letter from the Editor 2020 may not have turned out exactly as we all planned. Let's face it we are in unprecedented times unchartered waters with scary waves. I've seen a lot of anxiety and panic around me, but also experienced people stepping up and performing wonderful deeds. My wish for you as a reader is that you will step up or at least reach out. I found many things to be grateful for during this time. I love that we are now spending more time with families, nature and and self reflection. No doubts there are many worse off than myself or most of our readers. Please use this time to reach out to those who may be in need. This magazine feels a bit like the Corona Virus Edition with world news being focused on COVID-19, businesses trying to pivot and individuals around the world struggling to cope with the grief of their new normal. There are several article focussed on COVID-19, including a news page dedicated to the diversity news around the virus you may have missed; and tips and tricks to look beyond COVID-19. We also discover more about the growing Gin distillery trend around the world, explore a case study of mixed race and culture, before moving to some practical tips on how to showcase your customer experience. Dr Anja Wynne's American take on hiring veterans is certainly not only valid for the USA, but especially relevant in this time of uncertainty that can benefit from staff with resilience and crisis management experience. Be safe, be brave, be compassionate!
Tanya Finnie Tanya Finnie Editor and Content Director
Want to get in touch? Have an amazing story to tell? Write to us at editor@cultural-times.com CULTURAL TIMES | APRIL 2020
CULTURE,RACISM AND ‘THE VIRUS’ -How to Culturally Adapt as a Leader Written by Tanya Finnie
Covid-19 is draining the colour from India’s spring festivities. Australia’s older vulnerable people fear being trampled shopping for food. Chinese students are wondering if they’ll ever complete their studies around the world. The cruise industries’ bottom line is taking a dive. The virus does not choose between race, colour or religion. About seven weeks ago, I returned from an interstate
We have a world leader who still commonly refers to
work trip and my Uber driver gave a relieved sigh the
the ‘Chinese Virus’ and defends that statement when
moment he laid eyes on me and said: Thank goodness
pressed on the matter. As the fear of the Corona virus
you are not Asian! I looked at him puzzled and said:
grows, so does anti-Chinese sentiment. Countries such
“Excuse me?” He enthusiastically continued to explain
as South Korea, Malaysia, the UK, Italy, Australia, USA
how his friend just cancelled a pickup as he realised it
and Canada have a particular growing anti-Chinese
was a Chinese passenger. Let’s just say the rest of the
sentiment which portrayed through the number of
ride was a tad awkward as I enthusiastically leapt into
businesses placing signs in front of their stores saying,
a conversation about racism and how ‘The Virus’ is not
“No Chinese”, people being evicted from rentals, a 16-
a Chinese virus.
year old Chinese American boy being attacked or simply people moving seats on a bus as they realise
Since then the virus became an excuse for many to act racist and xenophobic.
they are sitting near someone from Chinese descent. Many who were at the wrong end of these racist attacks were second or third generation Chinese, or from Asian decent other than Chinese.
CULTURAL TIMES | APRIL 2020
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Culture, Racism, and 'The Virus'
As statistics clearly proof, Covid-19 may have Chinese
To simplify this, I’ll pick five countries, across five
origin, but does not choose between ethnicity, colour,
continents. There are different cultural dimensions
socio economic background or even age.
that influence behaviour and each of these flex across
However, fighting this Virus is not culturally equal! Symptoms may be universal, but how we react to them, is not.
different extremes with none being better than the other, but simply different. Each extreme always has pros and cons, depending on the situation. There are ten cultural dimensions in total, but again for the sake of this explanation we’ll look at four.
Individualism vs Collectivism Emphasis on individual goals and individual rights vs group goals and personal relationships. Think of how they view personal space and their rights to express themselves. Low Power Distance vs High Power Distance Emphasis on equality; shared decision-making vs differences in status; superiors make decisions. Think about taking control and being in charge and how important that may be. Low Uncertainty Avoidance vs High Uncertainty Avoidance Emphasis on flexibility and adaptability vs. planning and predictability. Think of being flexible vs those who plan more and prefer certainty. Time Orientation - Short Term vs Long Term Emphasis on immediate outcomes (success now) vs long term planning (success later). Think about developing strategic plans and their approach to this. Sony (Japanese) is known for developing 100year strategic plans.
Use this link to find your country if it is not on the list. CULTURAL TIMES | APRIL 2020
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Culture, Racism, and 'The Virus'
Australia has an advantage as an island and the fact that they were much later to get the virus with potential lessons learnt from other countries. Yet, were slow to respond with many conflicting messages (at least in the first few weeks). Note how they score lowest on power distance (38) (with the USA not too far behind). This means a single person carries more weight and everyone has a right to an opinion. For example, the PM announced on the week of Monday 23 March, schools will remain open and only hours later the Queensland
Premier
told
her
state
they
Italy is a country with a new government on average every
recommend closing schools. By now there was
10.2 months, lots of different administration changes and
already about a 30% drop in attendance in schools
some may say constant change and even chaos. This can be
by individual parents who made the call to take
explained by a combination of higher individualism (77)
their children out of school. (High Individualism
and higher hierarchy (50), where politicians (individualists
90)
to whom power is important) each form their own silo of
decision making. Think ‘mafiosa’.
Days after lockdown, thousands of Australians
were still photographed breaking the rules as for
Italy also score highest on uncertainty avoidance (75),
example flocking to beaches -even after barricades
which means you cannot jump (make decisions) unless you
were put up - expressing their individual right to
have a clear researched, double checked plan in place
be there, with a “she’ll be alright” attitude.
(which is harder to achieve in an already confused bureaucracy).
China’s response was quite fast and drastic with
complete cities and regions going into lockdown.
We also see several good news stories emerging from Italy
Though there was also the incident of the original
of people getting together on balconies, singing, playing
whistle-blower (a medical doctor who alerted the
games etc. Not that surprising for a country higher on
world, but also sadly lost his life), who was told by
uncertainty avoidance (75) who wants to bring a nation
police to ‘stop the false comments’ and later
together and go back to how it was.
investigated for breaking the news. China reacted fast as it was so much easier in a centralised government with much higher power distance (80) and lower individualism (20). The same reasons they leaned towards what some may call a dictatorial management system – especially when it came to silencing the Doctor who spoke up. The latter is also supported by the relatively low score in uncertainty avoidance. China also built hospitals within days due this same combination of cultural values combined with much higher longterm orientation (88) than any other country above. CULTURAL TIMES | APRIL 2020
South Africa on the other hand is a bit more complicated if you simply use the index chart above as it is not averaged out over the whole population consisting of 11 official language groups, each with their own cultural cluster. South Africa is also a in an unique position to all the other above listed countries - they were last to get the virus and has a much larger part of their population living in extreme poverty. Yet, South Africa responded much quicker to a shutdown than Australia, Italy or the USA. Maybe part of this has to do with the realisation that it is one of the most unequal societies in the world in combination of looking at the rest of the world. | 3 |
Culture, Racism, and 'The Virus'
Part of the complexity of South Africa is the high proportion of people living in close proximity (some with no or limited access to water), a large proportion also has TB and a significant proportion of people live with chronic
We see in capitalist countries how they run low on stock as everyone rush out to buy stuff to make
conditions and therefor is at a higher risk.
themselves feel better - a big
With a large proportion of South Africans being part of a
cultural difference to nations less
religious affiliation combined with high individualism (64)
focussed on money. Different
many still ignored the warning to isolate and is still
organisations responded very
gathering at religious ceremonies. One of the major threats
different too, depending on their
South Africans face would be false information as we’ve
culture.
seen in the past with cures for Ebola and AIDS. Ironically these listed past diseases may be the reason they are already more prepared as it has been practice prior to the Virus, to take temperatures at airports for example. It is not surprising to see Africa get hit so much later as they are still less connected to the rest of the world. Even though South African rate high on individualism (64) on this Index we know that the majority of the country rate higher on collectivism depending on their cultural background. (Hofstede's results are based on mostly English speaking white south Africans.
There is no doubt we have a world pandemic on our hands. Our biggest tools to fight this will be respect and compassion! It is crucial to note you are viewing the world through your own lense, your own cultural background, norms and cultural values. During stressful times, people revert back to their comfortable cultural space and adapt less. In other words, we see their values highlighted as they often learnt to adapt to the world. You can be a leader during this time by realising this and stepping back to listen to others, note their different views and practice respect and compassion. Â Be a hero in the pandemic, because as all things this will also pass. *As a loud warning it is important to note that we can use Cultural Values as a best guess, but there are always exceptions and a much wider framework of cultural Intelligence (CQ) to consider when making assumptions around cultures.
CULTURAL TIMES | APRIL 2020
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COVID-19 Fact Sheet "The Chinese Virus, because it comes from China."
For a full article on online dating and sex toys as per below see this link to the 'Conversation' article.
Many businesses had to pivot due to the limitations on face to face meetings and travel around the world. An example would be be dating apps. They already introduced video chat. It is a new world navigating romantic intimacy with no touching or proximity even. Online sex toys are seeing a huge rise in sales, especially in Canada and Australia.
As in the cover article leaders around the world responded in very different ways to this crisis. Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the UK states 'I shook hands with everyone." (including infected patients that he knew had COVID-19.)
In Kenya, people who were out after curfew got whipped and tear gassed. CULTURAL TIMES | APRIL 2020
Originally Novel Corona Virus or COVID-19, because when you look at it through a microscope it looks like a crown. (Corona in Latin) Novel, meaning new strain.
Once scientist figured out the strain it got renamed as SARS-CoV-2. SARS=Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.
Some people are more scared of their partner or ex, than of Coronavirus. We know domestic violence numbers increase during times of stress. In response some countries increased mental health support, or put a limit on alcohol purchases.
Once we know who is safe, life can come back from lockdown. An anti-body test will identify who already had the virus and is (probably) immune. It is possible to have had the virus and not show symptoms. Current tests detect genetic material rather than antibodies. The antibody test is less invasive and just require a pin prick of blood. (Vaccines has to be tested as more invasive, hence it taking longer to develop.)
This far it seems highly unlikely for a mosquito to get the virus from a human and even more unlikely that they can spread the virus.
The President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro stated "the cure is worse than the disease." He is against social isolation due to the economic devastation. He was quoted saying: "Some people are going to die, sorry that's life." | 5 |
. o C & s t i r Mind Spi
It's all in the Palate
An Interview with Mikael Gillard - Founder of Mind Spirits & Co. In late 2018 Mikael Gillard founded the Melbourne-based company Mind Spirits & Co., to shape sustainability in Australian liquors and digestives. In a mere 18 months, the distribution company has grown exponentially, now supplying 600 venues around Australia with local and more sustainable spirits, liqueurs and aperitifs. They represent 18 distilleries Australia wide and offer a hybrid solution covering consulting and distribution for Australian craft distilleries.
Mikael Gillard, Artura Bracho and Willa Wauchope Mikael has been involved in the distribution industry (craft spirits) for 8 years supplying all the finest restaurants and bars around the country. He had the opportunity to work closely with successful local brands including Applewood (SA), Prohibition Liquor Co. (SA), Hartshorn Distillery (TAS), Brocken Spectre (TAS), Melbourne Gin Company (VIC), Maidenii Vermouth (VIC). Sustainability often carries rhetoric of big price tags and inefficiency, so in March, we interviewed Mikael about his success, turning passions into projects and the future of Australian liquors. "Sorry about my accent," he remarks in a thick French accent. It's difficult to subdue the bias that a man with such an accent would be an expert when it comes to fine wines, liqueurs, and digestives. He begins to talk with passion about what led him to found Mind Spirits & Co. CULTURAL TIMES | APRIL 2020
Born to business owners and growing up in the French countryside, he remarks: "from a young age, I always knew I was an entrepreneur." In 2011, Mikael graduated with a master's degree in management from INSEEC Paris Business School. He specialised in marketing, doing his thesis on consumer behaviour in catering, and went on to work in fashion, home furniture,restaurants, and finally, the distribution of fine wine and spirits. Moving to Australia in 2011, he immediately saw the amount of waste in the bars and restaurant industry. "Giant bins of bottles would be emptied each night," he remarks to us, assuming there were recycling measures in place at the time. When he learned this was not the case, he was shocked. | 6 |
It's all in the Palate
So, after distributing some of the finest restaurants with mainly French spirits, Mikael launched Mind Spirits & Co with his business partner Arturo Bracho, a chef – who is half French and half Venezuelan. Together they have a perfect understanding of the palate and focus on going back to roots (farming – where it all originates from). Mind,Spirits & Co is a wholesale company that distributes local premium digestives, made from local ingredients.
We refuse to promote products that waste – Mikael. Mikael knows this value resonates with Australians. Modern Australians want to know the products they are buying are ethically sound. He explains that Australians love to experience new things, to experiment and to learn – its why wine, beer, and liqueur tastings have become a popular past-time. He says this is why ethically sound companies like Mind Spirits & Co are vital to the industry; bringing the right people, to the right venues, to taste the right drinks: this, he says, is creating the "right experience."
The trope of the unsophisticated Australian doesn't seem to exist as much as the stereotype. The youth of contemporary Australian culture is one of assimilated, multicultural taste, which is often absorbed by international - the current Australian trend: Gin & Tonic. Attuned to such trends, Mind Spirits & Co., with a Tasmanian Company, has been developing a sustainable approach to tonic production and distribution in venues. Mikael and the team distribute around Australia a tonic concentrate that can be mixed with sparkling water at the venue where it's served. It can be served on tap to avoid the waste of 200ml glass bottles. This new approach to tonic tackles the unsustainable and high-cost process of single-use tonic bottles. The use of this premium tonic concentrate can also cut up to 65% of the cost for venues & consumers. After 7 weeks availability around the country, the tonic concentrate has been wildly popular in restaurants and bars around Australia. Venues and consumers alike seem engaged by the sustainable model, the taste, and the price. The strength of the concentrate allows venues to use the only 10ml per serving. He believes in a good combination of packing, pricing, right product and right time and says sometimes you just need a small adjustment as for example labelling. An example of this concept was a Gin and Whiskey company – where he saw potential. After changing the size of their bottle and packaging it is now available in 350 stores. Many craft distilleries around Australia, more than 200 at the moment needs small adjustments to significantly increase their volume of sales. Mind Spirits and Co is a sustainable success story of a company still in developmental phase with a belief in palate and creating an experience to market. Let’s see what will be the next trend in the Australian market…
John Fontaine, Mikael Gillard and Artura Bracho
We want to challenge the palate of Australians - Mikael This experience finds a home in Distillery Tourism, whereby anyone from novices to experts can attend tastings in various Australian distilleries. With Australia's affinity for wineries, this is nothing new to Australian's. Mikael explains that this interest has more than begun to extend to liquors and digestives.
Click here to visit their pop-up website for Australian Distilleries.
Interviewed and written by Tanya Finnie and Matt Hands
CULTURAL TIMES | APRIL 2020
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It's all in the Palate
Alcohol Facts
80% of the portfolio of Mind Spirits and Co is proudly Australian 50% of Mind Spirits & Co. products are paddock to bottle. 20% of Mind Spirits & Co products are going towards more sustainability. Gin craft distilleries are growing worldwide. France is the biggest consumer of single malt Whisky in the world Japan is a great market for top end spirits and has the second highest alcohol tax in the world. Norway and Finland have the highest alcohol tax in the EU Australia has the 4th highest tax on spirits amongst the OECD’s 33 member countries. Belarus consumes the most alcohol in the world. (14.4 litres per person per year.) The first confirmed date to produce gin is the 17th century in Holland. Unconfirmed claims say it was first produced in Italy. CULTURAL TIMES | APRIL 2020
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LOOKING BEYOND COVID-19 HARD CONVERSATIONS AND CONFLICT RESILIENT LEADERSHIP Written by Sarah Blake COVID-19 is here, it is real and it is having an unparalleled impact within our communities. This means we are all facing uncertain times, even our industry experts are unsure of the full implications. We humans don’t deal with change well at the best of times and when we are faced with enormous uncertainty and a rapidly changing situation, it is little wonder that many of us are feeling confused, perhaps scared and very likely stressed. We are being pushed to our limits of emotional resilience; our capacity to deal with high stress and uncertainty. As a result, people are on edge and tend to react out. During these times people will be less tolerant, will not listen well and are more likely to be positional.
Ultimately this
results in poor decision making and ineffective communication.
Here are some of the conflict challenges that you might be experiencing: High levels of stress within the workforce and people are having a go at each other. Normally nice people are offering advice and opinions which are causing conflict between people with different opinions. Businesses are having to close and lay off staff and they don’t know what to do. Businesses can’t pay their bills but are too ashamed to have the conversation People are fighting over resources and getting aggressive to staff.
These are all triggers for conflict. Most of us would instinctively be aware of these risks but
Whilst we can understand why people are
when we revert to survival mode it is much
feeling this way, the negative behaviour doesn’t
harder to lean in and engage with the tough
help us work towards good outcomes. In an
issues effectively.
environment of high conflict, we need to reduce the risks as much as we can. This means hiding our head in the sand is not going to cut it – we need to step up into our leadership
potential
and
demonstrate
our
capacity to make decisions with a strategic focus, based on quality information in a calm and timely fashion. This is walking the business of conflict resilience. CULTURAL TIMES | APRIL 2020
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Looking Beyond Covid-19
Here are some tips that might help you reduce the risk of conflict and better lead your teams during high conflict situations. 1 – Stay Grounded
It is ok to admit you are struggling as it is highly likely that each of us will face our own moments
During times of chaos and confusion it is critical that those in leadership remain calm and focused on the issues that matter. Staying
grounded
understanding
is
what
about
your
core
you
really
function
and
priorities are and how they relate to the current situation.
Consider
what
areas
you
can
best
influence change and focus here. Action: Take it back to basics.
of overwhelm over the coming weeks and months,
however
as
leaders
we
have
a
responsibility beyond ourselves. Our conflict resilience depends on both our empathy during crisis and our capacity to make brave decisions. So, while it might not seem like it, now is the time to really lean into the hard conversations and deal with conflict early. Doing so will help us reduce the costs and recovery time – healing, resolution and growth will emerge but only if we tend the problems
2 – Change your Mindset
early.
Periods of conflict and crisis provide enormous opportunity for innovation and change if you can adjust your mind set from fear and blame. Be brave, be creative and be curious. Action: Ask ‘what if we’….
3 – Engage in the hard conversations
Sarah is a corporate trainer, author and multi award winning conflict strategist. With a focus on multiparty and cross-border conflicts, Sarah helps leaders clarify complex problems so they can make better decisions.
Reducing the risk of conflict requires us to lean in and deal with the problems. We can’t start problem solving if we don’t start by talking about the challenges. It will be hard and it is likely to be emotional. However, leaders that are able to ‘go there’ are more likely to navigate conflict productively. Action: Prepare, Be Clear, Problem Solve
CULTURAL TIMES | APRIL 2020
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A CASE FOR D & I IN RECRUITMENT
Most leaders don’t understand the link between D&I and innovation, talent attraction or staff retention.
their leaders fully understand the relationship between diversity and inclusion and attracting new employees. Whilst 32% believe leaders understand the link to creativity and innovation.
Half of Australia and New Zealand’s bosses have their heads in the sand when it comes to understanding the business benefits of diversity and inclusion. That’s according to a survey of over 1,000 people across the region by recruiting experts Hays as part of its latest Hays Diversity & Inclusion Report.
The link to staff engagement and retention is also low for people of *BAME heritage (38%) and people living with a disclosed disability (34 %). When it comes to profitability, just 29% of people who identify as **LGBTIQ+ said their employer understands the connection to diversity and inclusion.
Just 50% of respondents said their organisation’s leaders understand the link between diversity and inclusion and commercial business drivers such as talent attraction. Another 50% understand the relationship to customer insight, 49% to creativity and innovation, a further 49 % to profitability and 48% to employee engagement and staff retention.
In other illuminating findings from the Hays survey, 46% of respondents overall trust their leaders to deliver change on the diversity and inclusion agenda, 45% consider that their leaders champion diversity and inclusion and 37% said their organisation implements diversity and inclusion targets or KPIs.
For particular underrepresented groups, these figures fall further. The survey found that just 37% of people living with a disclosed disability believe
*Black, Asian and minority ethnic (people) **Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, Queer/Questioning + others
CULTURAL TIMES | APRIL 2020
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A Case For D & I in Recruitment
Recommendations According to Hays, there are several ways to move the dial forward on diversity and inclusion and address the challenges and opportunities these present: Use data to make the case:
Identify training needs:
Collect diversity and inclusion data and use it to demonstrate the link to business performance. Design and use performance metrics and analytics to measure and quantify the performance of diverse teams.
Diversity data is mostly sought during or following the recruitment of new employees, but it should also be collected throughout the employee lifecycle. Not only will this help inform an organisation’s diversity and inclusion commitments and progress, but it will identify any areas that can be addressed through leadership training, such as a lack of diversity in a particular team, unfair people practices or career development decisions.
Focusing on performance in this way will, in turn, lead to diversity improvements. Be self-aware: Inclusive leaders should aim to ‘lead from the front’ as conscious and self-aware champions of change. They should learn to recognise their own unconscious biases, so they are able to mitigate any unintentional consequences these may have on the demographics and culture of the organisation they lead. Only then can they be seen as authentic champions of change in diversity and inclusion. Undergoing unconscious bias training can help leaders in this endeavour. Understand employee sentiment towards their leadership style:
Publicly
support
diversity
and
inclusion
initiatives: Inclusive leaders should aim to clearly, regularly and effectively communicate that diversity and inclusion is on their agenda. Communicating diversity and inclusion policies, promoting any initiatives being undertaken, and sharing the social, personal and commercial successes which result from these will help increase employee confidence that leaders understand the importance of diversity and inclusion to individuals and the business as a whole.
Building an inclusive workplace relies upon all employees having confidence that their opinions are heard, valued and respected equally.
In addition to supporting their self-awareness, regular ‘health checks’ of employee opinions may help leaders investigate the reasons behind both positive and negative sentiment, and take active and transparent steps to increase trust, confidence and a sense of belonging amongst their workforce. Inclusive leaders can inform themselves and encourage this by regularly seeking opinions about both the leadership style of those in positions of authority, and how their diversity and inclusion strategies and actions are being received by employees across all demographic groups. This can be done through regular face-toface ‘town hall’ meetings and anonymous employee feedback ‘pulse surveys’. CULTURAL TIMES | APRIL 2020
Written by Chris Kent National Director – Resources & Mining Hays
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Where Diversity Thrives
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News Around the World GLOBAL
Coronavirus news has been dominating the world, changing the ways people work and live. Australia even divided its borders with Western Australia (already the most isolated capital - Perth - in the world) shutting off from the rest of Australia by Friday 3 April.
GLOBAL The Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, a think tank that studies diversity and inclusion ,has revealed that 2019 is a record year for diversity in film. Which includes an unprecedent number of female leads and co leads. This has been a significant step forward to achieving true diversity I the film industry.
AUSTRALIA Football opened the door for African women to pioneer change (specifically recruiting for this profile). Many had to convince their families to join facing various cultural and physical barriers. The African Nations Club has been running for the last 5 years in Adelaide, South Australia.
Sports news is almost non existent and finance news involve plenty of share prices crashing. The world learnt a lot from their leaders in this crisis.
ALASKA Alaskan businesses are now no longer allowed to pay disabled workers less than the minimum wage which is USD 9.84. Alaska now joins New Hampshire and Maryland as the first states to get rid of a sub-minimum wage for employees with disabilities which is completely legal under federal law and has been legal since 1938 when the Fair Labor Standards Act was implemented.
CROATIA The historic coastal Croatian city of Rijeka marks the start of the year as the European Capital of Culture for 2020. The city held a large industrial themed performance that illustrates its past as a “worker’s city” that is surrounded by the sea. The city has since grown into a cultural epicentre of art, music, photography that is now appealing both tourists and the city’s residents.
CULTURAL TIMES | APRIL 2020
USA Scientist can't use coronavirus antibodies from gay or bisexual men to find a cure for COVID-19 in the USA. Federal and Inductry guideline dating back to 1983 (during the height of AIDS) forbid this. A petition has been launched to goverment to repeal this policy in March. The FDA did ease restrictions on gay blood donars.
WOMEN In every human population women live longer than men. 9 out of 10 people who live to be 110 years old are female. (Consistent since the 18th century) New research by scientists report women live 18.6% longer than males.
GLOBAL Several countries including Canada, Australia, Germany adn Holland have a third option. to tick on your passport - "X". This is not an option in the UK yet. Last year lost a case in the appeal court was lost. Many transgender people are still feeling left out.
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TRAPPED IN LIMBO OR PRESENTED THE GATES OF OPPORTUNITY?
Written by Monei Thomason Like a cherry blossom tree with thick roots, firmly placed within red soil, the contrast of my face is stark. One of them but not quite, yet still not one of us. Born into two conflicting cultures has been the most culturally insightful experience many will not have experienced first-hand. “Halfie”, “half-caste”, “mixed race”; names I’ve heard
Long,
sweeping
mountains
filled
with
lush
many a time throughout my life. From education
greenery, and an active volcano overlooking a
values, to religious beliefs, cultural norms, and just
beautiful lake. Hot springs, delicious food outside
general outlooks on life, my Australian father and
of the tourist eye, waterfalls, forests and so many
my Japanese mother couldn’t be any more
more, things I have been so privileged to
different. The clashes of distinctive and unique
experience through my mother’s love and deep
cultural norms meets in the middle; where I
knowledge of her country.
struggle to navigate between the two Memories of homemade meals made from On one hand, I have experienced the cultures first
homegrown produce with my grandparents,
hand in-depth. Japan’s bustling cities have long
watching the television, sitting on tatami mats,
been appetising to many, but the smaller towns
surrounded by the paper screen walls with all of
such as Kagoshima which is where my Japanese
us laughing and sharing stories while it is snowing
family resides, has a beauty to it that words can
outside.
hardly describe. CULTURAL TIMES | APRIL 2020
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Trapped in Limbo or Presented the Gates of Opportunity
On the other hand, the wide sweeping beaches,
From both sides, they view you as the other.
laughing in pools and having regular barbecues
Many of my half Japanese friends find it hard to
to the sound of summer sums up the Australian
navigate the clash of cultures, the cultural
experience. Outdoor movie nights under the
confusion and the impact this has on the
stars, warm Christmases, the laid-back nature of
perception of our identity. This clashing of
the people, and the hot summer nights are just
cultures and the mixing of races has also led to
some nostalgic experiences one may have in
racism from both sides as we are seen as the
Australia.
other, and sometimes even fetishised for our oriental mix. We feel like we will never fully be accepted into either society and so we live, walking the lines of both societies with the good and the bad.
We can always take pity on ourselves knowing we are never fully embraced into one race, but I like to think that most of us appreciate our differences and bare our face to adversity. We can accept the opportunities we are given from our parents, with most of us speaking two languages, having in-depth experiences in both cultures, and being blessed enough to have two cultures embedded into our personality and our growth. And so, as the cherry blossom blooms in the face of adversity, we too, look to the Australian shore and feel the call of the Sakura whilst our feet are firmly placed in the red soil.
I have been lucky enough to experience both sides of these beautiful countries in depth as I have family in both; some may say the best of both worlds.
However, there are downsides to being a mixed race. Unfortunately, being a part of both races at the same time can mean that you are also not fully accepted in either race. Right from left to right: Monei, Ian and Mayumi Thomason
CULTURAL TIMES | APRIL 2020
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HOW TO SHOWCASE YOUR CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE DURING CHALLENGING TIMES COVID-19
By Ava Lucanus, Customer Service Specialist
CULTURAL TIMES | APRIL 2020
Right now, we are living in a chaotic and uncertain world. As we’ve seen in the media and perhaps even personally, times like this bring out the worst in people. We have all witnessed the behaviours of customers in supermarkets and other shops where people are stripping the shelves bare.
People are panicking! Some clients have asked me why customers behave in this way at times like this. Well I’m not a behavioural scientist, but from what I’m seeing and hearing from the experts, it’s that these are uncertain times. Nobody knows how long this will last and what the full impact will be on themselves, their family, or their community and they have absolutely no control over the unfolding situation. Uncertainty produces fear as people scramble to find safety in their topsy-turvy world. Hoarding supplies makes them feel safer and more secure.
As a result of the uncertainty, customers right now are becoming less tolerant and more reactive, and business has become tougher. | 1 7 |
Customer Experience During Challenging Times So it’s time to start considering whether your customer experience strategy is up to the mark. When this situation passes will you bounce back with your client base and reputation intact? This is a huge time of change for everyone, and more than ever before now is the time to nurture your customer relationships. You have invested a lot of effort and resources to build them, and you’ll need to ensure your customers stay with you through the good times as well as the bad.
Like any relationship, the true measure of whether or not your customers will bounce back with you is how you treat them in these challenging times. Here are my 4 tips to keep your customers happy by turning the fear into kindness. 1. Make it easy. Now is the time to become easier to deal with, and more flexible. Your customers may be experiencing financial and personal loss, and there could be some things that don’t cost your business much that can really help your customers out during this time. Ask yourself what you can do right now to make life easier for your customers.
2. Avoid being a stickler for the rules. When making a decision, think about what will be more beneficial in the long term for both you and your customer, not just the short term. Be softer with your cancellation fees and refund policies. Give your staff more autonomy to make decisions. Find ways to offer more value to delight your customers.
3.
Stay calm and listen. Approach your customers with kindness and calm. When you’re calm, they will be too. Today I received a telemarketing call…poor timing. If you’re in sales, don’t even think about selling right now. You don’t know what their personal circumstances are and how this crisis is affecting them. Instead, listen to your customers. Ask questions, like… Are you OK? What you can I do to support you at this time? You could even send out cards or personal notes to your favourite clients to let them know you are thinking of them.
4.
Reflect, plan and reposition. If business is quiet, use this time to reflect on what you can do to be of service to your customers. How can you serve them better? Make this a time of review, re-planning, and repositioning. Hold team meetings to come up with ideas. Your customer facing staff will most likely have the ideas already. Change is a time of innovation so collaborate and find some new ways so that when this situation resolves you will be in a much stronger position.
Like everything else the world has been through, this too shall pass. Look after your customers now and when it does pass they will look after you.
Ava Lucanus
Ava Lucanus is a customer experience specialist who helps organisations to align their customer experience with their brand promise, through customised training programs virtually and in person. CULTURAL TIMES | APRIL 2020
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HIRING HEROES: VALUE OF VETERANS IN YOUR WORKPLACE Dr Anja Wynne, GPHR
When I was approached to consider becoming an officer in the US Army, it was the furthest thing from my mind. I was studying International Business & German at the university and envisioned a glamorous global career. I accepted the challenge, and, in the end, both the US Army and US Air Force afforded me the global career I desired, albeit more rugged than glamorous.
The career I embarked on helped frame my passion for exploring cross-cultural interactions and their impact on the workforce.
Very early in my military career, the country of Somalia was undergoing a humanitarian crisis. They were in a state of war and troops from around the globe were called to help restore hope through a UN peace keeping mission. As a logistics officer, I was charged with providing fundamental supplies, such as food and water, to the UN troops in country, as well as, the challenging task of coordinating the transport of fallen troops to their home nations for a proper burial. In the U.S. Army, logistical support was always provided by both men and women. However, the positions women held in many of the partnering military forces were limited to traditional roles such as medical and administrative support.
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Hiring Heroes As the violence in the county escalated, the subject
unemployment due to the Corvid-19 pandemic). The
of mortuary support soon became a critical issue
large unemployment numbers are largely due to
during the daily meetings with the other country’s
uncertainty and misinformation about the skills that
logistics liaisons. Some national liaisons revealed that
a service member can bring to an organization.
they did not deploy this resource to Somalia, while others expressed that they contracted this service out to professionals within their country. The U.S. was asked to take the lead in developing a mortuary transport
standard
operating
procedure,
more
specifically, I was asked to author the document.
Historically, veterans have a strong pattern of positive employment
outcomes
with
an
emphasis
on
leadership and organizational commitment. The military trains its members to lead by example, as well as through delegation, motivation, and
My knowledge of the process was sound, but
inspiration. Military leadership is based on a
when my personal diversity dimensions of youth,
concept
gender and nationality were added to the
Service members have experience leading and
situation, some senior international male officers challenged my authority. I was vaguely familiar
with Allport’s contact theory and Hofstede’s concept of national cultural identity which prompted me to realize that to be successful at this task, I would have to apply strategies that respected each officer’s culture while demonstrating the value of my diverse attributes. Ultimately, I applied what would become the construct of cultural intelligence (CQ).
of
duty,
service,
and
self-sacrifice.
contributing to diverse teams representing race, gender,
geographic
origin,
ethnic
background,
religion, and economic status, as well as mental, physical, and attitudinal capabilities. These concepts of servant leadership and teamwork are not only valued in the military, but highly valued in the corporate sector. Most importantly, veterans have the proven ability to learn new skills and concepts. They can
enter
your
corporate
community
with
identifiable and transferable skills, proven in real-
In my experience, I found the U.S. military to be equitable. This was largely due to their investment in diversity initiatives. The Defense Equal Opportunity Institute was established in 1971 in response to the racial tensions of the 1960s in the United States and has evolved to provide extensive human relations, equal opportunity, equal employment opportunity, and diversity training. Instilling these curricula into military units, promotes a culture of integrity, mutual trust and respect, and most importantly, the ability to maintain self-control when faced with a stressful
world situations. This background can enhance your organization's productivity.
Through their service in the armed forces, veterans gain valuable leadership, problem-solving and critical thinking skills. Organizations that have not yet tapped into this talent pool may be missing out on loyal, adaptive, eager-tocontribute, and ready-to-learn employees.
situation. The U.S. military forces are uniquely diverse. In a nation of over 320 Million citizens, the military represents less than 0.5% of population. These 2.4 Million
service
members
mirror
the
Anja loves that she can apply her international experience to her consulting career. Below: Anja (left) and her family.
national
demographics regarding race and ethnicity; females, who
are
50%
of
the
total
population,
are
underrepresented at only 17% of the forces. Our service members who retire or leave their respective
services
contribute
to
our
Veteran
population of 7%. These statistics are important, because more than 10 million military veterans are currently
unemployed
or
actively
looking
for
employment (and this is prior to the recent spike in CULTURAL TIMES | APRIL 2020
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Leadership During Times of Ambiguity for Global Leaders Adaptive vs Technical leadership capabilities as an organisational investment strategy for Global Leaders Global authority figures who are currently dealing with chaos, complexity or crisis, are experiencing adaptive challenges. And adaptive challenges require the capabilities of adaptive leadership.
Through-out history we have seen examples of authority figures acting with or without leadership. The fragility of significant change such as political upheaval, financial crisis, or health epidemics create vulnerable environments where authorities succeed, or in fact fail in their acts of leadership. The assumption is often made that authoritative figures are synonymous with leadership. That simply because the existence of a high ranking role, such as a politician or CEO’s that leadership exists. In times of stability, it is expert authoritative management that is provisionary of resources, direction and order to maintain status quo. Furthermore, the need for adaptive skills in such environments are minimal to non-existent. Technical or Adaptive skills are both necessary for bringing stability to a problematic environment, but in times of flux, adaptive leadership skills are critical to successful leadership. Technical challenges are known as simple problems, which do not require leadership, but rather good management. Indicators of technical challenges include: Problems that are easily identifiable Resources are readily accessible Minimal disruption to the workplace ecosystem.
However, an Adaptive challenge is characterised by complex and significant problems that causes disruption to people, processes and ecology’s. For instance, Problems are difficult or ignored Requires diagnosis and experimentation Solutions require innovation and positive deviance Both capabilities are necessary to bring stability to problematic environments. However, the dialogue deepens as we acknowledge that many authorities attempt to solve Adaptive Challenges with Technical Solutions. This approach exacerbates the existing problem by further dividing loyalties, creating dissention by those looking for trusted leadership. Adaptive leaders understand that further developmental skills and capabilities are required to navigate current and future complexities and facilitate trust in amongst paradoxes. Adaptive leadership is developed by embracing the idea of rumbling in the disequilibrium zone of eustress, and to think deeply about the complexities of problems as you embark on your profound leadership journey.
For example, software issues that reduce efficiencies, which requires an upgrade is a technical challenge given the simplistic resolution of the original problem. Ilsé Strauss is an Organisational Adaptive Leadership specialist based in Perth, WA. As a Postgraduate at Murdoch University, Ilsé researches leadership capabilities associated with complex situations. Her company provides Management Consulting, Executive Coaching & Mentoring.
www.purposesync.com
CULTURAL TIMES | APRIL 2020
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"I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin, but by the content of their character." Martin Luther King
Where Diversity Thrives and Culture Comes Alive
CHURCHES, TEMPLES AND A MOSQUE By Guglielmo Placanica
I have always been fascinated by cultural differences and in particular religious beliefs. Travelling overseas has given me the opportunity to visit many places of worship from Christian churches in Europe, Hindu temples in India, Buddhist temples in Japan and an Islamic mosque in Malaysia. As a foreigner, I observed various religious practices and was moved by the devotion of ordinary people to their faith. In London, at St Paul’s Cathedral, I witnessed a choir of boys singing with angelic voices at Evensong; In Haridwar India, I attended an Arati (Hindu Ceremony of Light) and found myself among thousands of followers; in Nara, Japan, large crowds paid homage to Buddha; and at the National Mosque of Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur men prayed to Allah.
It is estimated that there are approximately 4,200 active religions in the world. Religion is an important component of many cultures. All we need to do is look at the population that follow a particular faith, the magnificent structures that have been built in the name of that faith (cathedrals, temples, mosques, synagogues) and the statues and icons that have been constructed to represent that faith.
St, Paula's Cathedral, London
Arati in Haridwar, India
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National Mosque of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur From my observations and interactions with followers of various religions, I have come to the conclusion they are ordinary people who have found meaning and purpose through their faith. Without it they would be lost.
When we think of religion it is easy to be judgemental of diverse cultures and their beliefs. If someone is raised in a particular culture and is indoctrinated in its religion, then it is nearly impossible for them to perceive a different religious viewpoint. They firmly believe their faith is absolute and disregard other faiths. Many conflicts and wars have been fought over religion, not only between different religions but also between sects of the same religion.
Human beings whether religious or not are all seeking peace and contentment. Some seek it through religion.
If people could see the common ground between religions then would they not become tolerant and accepting of different faiths and of the people who follow them?
Arati in Haridwar, India
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“Our role is to hand over a safe and beautiful world to the next generations full with human rights and cultural diversity.” Amit Ray
CULTURAL TIMES | APRIL 2020