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Cultural Diversity Book Nears Release Date
McLean, VA
Monday, February 01, 2010
New Book Nears Release!
The Power of Cultural Diversity in Global Organization
New book reveals the secret to global success and its challenges
McLean, VA – February 1, 2010 – The newest book by Robert A. Simpkins & Behnaz S. Paknejad explores the power of cultural diversity in the global organization to help any entity enhance its chances of success in international expansion. It will be released within ten days and be available through all major resellers around the world.
Excerpt From the Book
"As you take advantage of engaging in the larger world, you will be presented with similar challenges and opportunities. What are the challenges – the diversity of values, norms, perceptions, behaviors, and problem-solving approaches? Looking deeper, though, there are many, many other forms of diversity. Diversity is so much more than the historically recent classifications of gender or race. It includes those, of course, but also includes civilizations, languages, dialects, and cultures. Additionally, it can – and should – include age, experience, education, geographic regions, personalities, values and belief systems, knowledge, and so many more. We'll talk about these, and others, as this book unfolds. There are four danger points to keep in mind when analyzing and integrating diversity, particularly cultural diversity, within your organization:
?? The first danger is what we called the Comfort Trap.
The comfort trap is when someone believes they understand enough about a diversity classifi cation that they become casual in their interactions with members of that classifi cation. In fact, the only thing one should be comfortable with is being uncomfortable. Not uncomfortable to the point of being stressful or embarrassing but to the point of requiring a heightened sensitivity to events occurring around them because they are unfamiliar with all the contextual experiences being expressed in a society's thinking and actions. What should they be uncomfortable about? Just about everything! What they believe they know, and understand, about another group is greatly overshadowed by what they don't know or, at the least, need to know more about.
?? The second danger is the Certainty Screen. In his wonderful book, On Being Certain (St. Martin's press, 2008), neurologist Robert Burton wrote about the "feeling of knowing" and how it seems like a confi rmation of knowledge, thereby thinking of it as a product of correct reasoning. On the contrary, there is an increasing body of evidence that suggests that feelings, such as certainty, stem from primitive areas of the brain and are independent of active, conscious refl ection and reasoning.
Probably the more certain you are about your "rightness," the less correct you are. The result is that you no longer search for new knowledge or understanding because you believe you already know
it all. Your inquisitiveness shuts down, and you start to act upon only the few, limited inputs that align with your certain beliefs and make it through your certainty screen therefore missing valuable new knowledge. In many instances, the certainty screen will also block out new information that contradicts what you are certain you already know. Don't be certain of anything!
?? The third danger is the Linear Mind-Set. Someone who thinks and reasons in a linear mind-set prefers breaking problems into small chunks and approaching them in a singular and sequential fashion. This is fi ne in certain endeavors, but when it comes to understanding cultures, the values that are found below the waterline do not work that way. You cannot just look at a particular value driver and react to it. Demonstrated behaviors and event perceptions are a collection of values
continuously changing in importance to each other depending on the circumstances.
?? The fourth danger is the Self-Blinder.
How much do you know about your own values and belief systems that you express every day in your interpretation and evaluation of the perceived realities? Remember, as you explore other cultures, you are judging what you see from your own cultural context and perspective. In other words, you are looking and judging from your values. They were given to you, or you observed and absorbed them yourself over a lifetime, and they are continuously evolving. As you age, marry, have children, advance your career, or experience some positive or negative traumatic event that life may throw at you, your values shift or change in their priorities. Make sure your frame of reference does not limit what you observe and understand; get rid of your prejudices and preconceived blinders. It's not easy, but you must observe and interact with other cultures without passing judgment, at least initially.
There are so many cultures in the world that one would have to spend the rest of their life researching them; and even then, the first ones counted would have probably altered, assimilated, or even ceased to exist, leading the researcher to start researching all over again. Even today, there are areas of the world in which cultural exploration still has not taken place or is still poorly understood. One can't discover or understand the isolated tribes of the rain forests of Brazil (or Brasil), a solitary community on the mountaintops of the world in Nepal, or the people of the backstreet bazaar of Cairo by looking down from an orbiting satellite."
Diversity is so much more than the historically recent classifications of gender or race. It includes civilizations, cultures, age, experience, education, geographic regions, language and dialects, personalities, norms, values and belief systems, knowledge, and so many more. If an organization's structure and processes isn't modified to stay aligned with cultural values and norms and trends occurring in the global expansion environment, the consequences can be disastrous.
In The Cultures in the Cubicles: The Power of Cultural Diversity in the Global Organization, the authors reveal that redesigning an operational model for global success is easy. Redesigning it the right way is a lot more challenging. It takes the application of thoughtful research, creative thinking, and intelligent analysis. Additionally, it takes a flexible and global mindset. One must throw away all false beliefs, biases, prejudices, or assumptions—finding and strategically planning on a foundation of realistic and measurable knowledge. All the information needed is readily available; it's just a matter of locating, linking, and trending the data for future success.
This outstanding book—written by two of the world's most renowned writers, speakers, and organizational advisors—breaks it all down for readers, giving them and their organization the ability to succeed today, and the power to predict tomorrow in the global environment. For more information on The Cultures in the Cubicles, log on to www.theculturesinthecubicles.com.
About the Authors
Behnaz S. Paknejad is a recognized expert in the fields of global human resource development, internationally adaptive communications, and cross-cultural effectiveness. Ms. Paknejad has advised on, and deployed, performance-improvement initiatives around the world. Her expertise comes from real-world experience.. She is an expert in multilingual and multicultural acclimatization and has provided her knowledge to both governmental agencies and the private industry sector. She has authored two previous books that have received international acclaim. Her first book, coauthored with Mr. Simpkins, was Not Another Pretty Binder: Strategic Planning That Actually Works (HRD Press, 2008). Her second book, also coauthored with Robert Simpkins, was The Global Crosswinds of Change: How Organizations Can Successfully Recognize and Response to Change in a Changing World (Xlibris, 2009).
Robert A. Simpkins is an acclaimed international advisor and organizational educator, focusing on the development of planning professionals to maximize their capabilities in the domestic and global environment. His expertise is in the functions of strategic planning and strategic management, change management, sales management, sales, competitive intelligence, communications, and cross-organizational effectiveness.Mr. Simpkins has advised on, and deployed, performance improvement initiatives in more than fifty-one different countries—around the world and all across the United States. Robert Simpkins is an accomplished public speaker and writer, having been published by Competitive Intelligence Magazine, the Journal of Business Strategy, Employment Relations Today, Emerald Press, and the American Management Association. He has also been interviewed on CNN International and MSNBC International. He has written three internationally acclaimed books. His first book, Secrets of Great Sales Management: Strategies for Enhanced Performance (AMACOM, 2004), has received international recognition and been translated in five languages.
The Cultures in the Cubicles * by Robert A. Simpkins & Behnaz S. Paknejad
The Power of Cultural Diversity in the Global Organization!
Publication Date: February 12, 2010
Trade Paperback; $19.99; 255 pages; 978-1-4500-2358-0
Trade Hardback; $29.99; 255 pages; 978-1-4500-2359-7
eBook; $9.99; 978-1-4500-2360-3
The Power of Cultural Diversity in Global Organization
New book reveals the secret to global success and its challenges
McLean, VA – February 1, 2010 – The newest book by Robert A. Simpkins & Behnaz S. Paknejad explores the power of cultural diversity in the global organization to help any entity enhance its chances of success in international expansion. It will be released within ten days and be available through all major resellers around the world.
Excerpt From the Book
"As you take advantage of engaging in the larger world, you will be presented with similar challenges and opportunities. What are the challenges – the diversity of values, norms, perceptions, behaviors, and problem-solving approaches? Looking deeper, though, there are many, many other forms of diversity. Diversity is so much more than the historically recent classifications of gender or race. It includes those, of course, but also includes civilizations, languages, dialects, and cultures. Additionally, it can – and should – include age, experience, education, geographic regions, personalities, values and belief systems, knowledge, and so many more. We'll talk about these, and others, as this book unfolds. There are four danger points to keep in mind when analyzing and integrating diversity, particularly cultural diversity, within your organization:
?? The first danger is what we called the Comfort Trap.
The comfort trap is when someone believes they understand enough about a diversity classifi cation that they become casual in their interactions with members of that classifi cation. In fact, the only thing one should be comfortable with is being uncomfortable. Not uncomfortable to the point of being stressful or embarrassing but to the point of requiring a heightened sensitivity to events occurring around them because they are unfamiliar with all the contextual experiences being expressed in a society's thinking and actions. What should they be uncomfortable about? Just about everything! What they believe they know, and understand, about another group is greatly overshadowed by what they don't know or, at the least, need to know more about.
?? The second danger is the Certainty Screen. In his wonderful book, On Being Certain (St. Martin's press, 2008), neurologist Robert Burton wrote about the "feeling of knowing" and how it seems like a confi rmation of knowledge, thereby thinking of it as a product of correct reasoning. On the contrary, there is an increasing body of evidence that suggests that feelings, such as certainty, stem from primitive areas of the brain and are independent of active, conscious refl ection and reasoning.
Probably the more certain you are about your "rightness," the less correct you are. The result is that you no longer search for new knowledge or understanding because you believe you already know
it all. Your inquisitiveness shuts down, and you start to act upon only the few, limited inputs that align with your certain beliefs and make it through your certainty screen therefore missing valuable new knowledge. In many instances, the certainty screen will also block out new information that contradicts what you are certain you already know. Don't be certain of anything!
?? The third danger is the Linear Mind-Set. Someone who thinks and reasons in a linear mind-set prefers breaking problems into small chunks and approaching them in a singular and sequential fashion. This is fi ne in certain endeavors, but when it comes to understanding cultures, the values that are found below the waterline do not work that way. You cannot just look at a particular value driver and react to it. Demonstrated behaviors and event perceptions are a collection of values
continuously changing in importance to each other depending on the circumstances.
?? The fourth danger is the Self-Blinder.
How much do you know about your own values and belief systems that you express every day in your interpretation and evaluation of the perceived realities? Remember, as you explore other cultures, you are judging what you see from your own cultural context and perspective. In other words, you are looking and judging from your values. They were given to you, or you observed and absorbed them yourself over a lifetime, and they are continuously evolving. As you age, marry, have children, advance your career, or experience some positive or negative traumatic event that life may throw at you, your values shift or change in their priorities. Make sure your frame of reference does not limit what you observe and understand; get rid of your prejudices and preconceived blinders. It's not easy, but you must observe and interact with other cultures without passing judgment, at least initially.
There are so many cultures in the world that one would have to spend the rest of their life researching them; and even then, the first ones counted would have probably altered, assimilated, or even ceased to exist, leading the researcher to start researching all over again. Even today, there are areas of the world in which cultural exploration still has not taken place or is still poorly understood. One can't discover or understand the isolated tribes of the rain forests of Brazil (or Brasil), a solitary community on the mountaintops of the world in Nepal, or the people of the backstreet bazaar of Cairo by looking down from an orbiting satellite."
Diversity is so much more than the historically recent classifications of gender or race. It includes civilizations, cultures, age, experience, education, geographic regions, language and dialects, personalities, norms, values and belief systems, knowledge, and so many more. If an organization's structure and processes isn't modified to stay aligned with cultural values and norms and trends occurring in the global expansion environment, the consequences can be disastrous.
In The Cultures in the Cubicles: The Power of Cultural Diversity in the Global Organization, the authors reveal that redesigning an operational model for global success is easy. Redesigning it the right way is a lot more challenging. It takes the application of thoughtful research, creative thinking, and intelligent analysis. Additionally, it takes a flexible and global mindset. One must throw away all false beliefs, biases, prejudices, or assumptions—finding and strategically planning on a foundation of realistic and measurable knowledge. All the information needed is readily available; it's just a matter of locating, linking, and trending the data for future success.
This outstanding book—written by two of the world's most renowned writers, speakers, and organizational advisors—breaks it all down for readers, giving them and their organization the ability to succeed today, and the power to predict tomorrow in the global environment. For more information on The Cultures in the Cubicles, log on to www.theculturesinthecubicles.com.
About the Authors
Behnaz S. Paknejad is a recognized expert in the fields of global human resource development, internationally adaptive communications, and cross-cultural effectiveness. Ms. Paknejad has advised on, and deployed, performance-improvement initiatives around the world. Her expertise comes from real-world experience.. She is an expert in multilingual and multicultural acclimatization and has provided her knowledge to both governmental agencies and the private industry sector. She has authored two previous books that have received international acclaim. Her first book, coauthored with Mr. Simpkins, was Not Another Pretty Binder: Strategic Planning That Actually Works (HRD Press, 2008). Her second book, also coauthored with Robert Simpkins, was The Global Crosswinds of Change: How Organizations Can Successfully Recognize and Response to Change in a Changing World (Xlibris, 2009).
Robert A. Simpkins is an acclaimed international advisor and organizational educator, focusing on the development of planning professionals to maximize their capabilities in the domestic and global environment. His expertise is in the functions of strategic planning and strategic management, change management, sales management, sales, competitive intelligence, communications, and cross-organizational effectiveness.Mr. Simpkins has advised on, and deployed, performance improvement initiatives in more than fifty-one different countries—around the world and all across the United States. Robert Simpkins is an accomplished public speaker and writer, having been published by Competitive Intelligence Magazine, the Journal of Business Strategy, Employment Relations Today, Emerald Press, and the American Management Association. He has also been interviewed on CNN International and MSNBC International. He has written three internationally acclaimed books. His first book, Secrets of Great Sales Management: Strategies for Enhanced Performance (AMACOM, 2004), has received international recognition and been translated in five languages.
The Cultures in the Cubicles * by Robert A. Simpkins & Behnaz S. Paknejad
The Power of Cultural Diversity in the Global Organization!
Publication Date: February 12, 2010
Trade Paperback; $19.99; 255 pages; 978-1-4500-2358-0
Trade Hardback; $29.99; 255 pages; 978-1-4500-2359-7
eBook; $9.99; 978-1-4500-2360-3
Robert A. Simpkins
President
Global Crosswinds, LLC
McLean, VA
202-262-6131
