Today, three years have passed since the death of Edward T. Hall, an American anthologist and cultural researcher.

His work on nonverbal communication was groundbreaking at the time but today is accepted as normal in the world of anthropology. His legacy as an anthropologist is immense – however, his legacy to the ‘new comers’ – the interculturalists – is inspirational. Much of the work we do in the field of intercultural studies, cross-cultural communication and cultural diversity has its base firmly planted in the foundations of the understanding and insights he laid down.

Today is the International Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development! Although the name of the day sounds complex, the purpose of this day is fairly simple: to celebrate cultural diversity and help us learn to live together better. In November 2001 UNESCO adopted a Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity.

Do One Thing for Diversity

The following year, 2002, was the United Nations year for Cultural Heritage and at the end of that year the UN declared may 21^st to be the International Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development.

Ever since then, May 21^st has been celebrated and commemorated through seminars, various educational programs and campaigns, exhibitions, and concerts. A grass-root campaign sponsored by UNESCO, ‘Do One Thing for Diversity and Inclusion,’  is trying to engage the international community through social media. According to the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon the campaign is calling for “from youth to policy-makers, from religious leaders to journalists, entrepreneurs and others who shape opinions and trends.”

A recent survey concerning TRUST had 17 countries unanimously
agreeing that one profession in particular was THE one to be trusted above all others.  If these 17,295 respondents are any indication of how the rest of the world feels then the likelihood is that FIREFIGHTERS are the most trustworthy group in the whole world. However, levels of trust in bankers have fallen considerably – down to a mere 37% compared with 98% for firefighters.

The GfK Trust Index for Spring 2011 determines the level of trust that citizens have in 20 professional groups and organisations (see below for more details). Of course, there are many interesting differences between the nations with Civil Servants having a vastly different reputation depending on the country in question:  just under 80% of Swiss citizens believe this profession to be trustworthy, only one in four in Greece gave a similar response.

So, who has our least degree of trust?

 A nation is enriched by the people within it.  The more diverse they are the more we are enriched as a whole, and the more we grow as individuals. I firmly believe that cultural diversity is our biggest asset – but then how can it also be a liability? The answer really is simple – in trying to help people retain their cultural heritage or ethnic identity we manage to lose the message about UNITY.

UNITY is something we – as a nation – apparently strive for, but it’s the one goal we consistently fail to achieve. The UK Government searches desperately to identify what is “Britishness” so that it can bring a sense of belonging and UNITY to the nation. It has consistently failed to do so. I believe that is because, in spite of searching for our distinctive core values, they have not dug deep enough into the values of the nation and fundamentally do not understand about our Cultural Code.

Why is it that the French are very secure in who they are and why do Americans pride themselves on taking the oath of allegiance and flying the flag?  Why is it they seem to have UNITY – at least to the concept of nationhood – and we do not? That’s because they are French or American before they are anything else. 

A photographic competition promoting the cultural diversity and universal values of childhood is taking place to increase awareness of the health and living conditions of children around the world. The competiton which is being run by the International Vaccine Institute is open until August 12th.

The economic climate and globalisation has made industries more competitive so it is vital for organisations to have the right international skill set.  With the challenges of new markets, globally distributed remote teams,  the enormous changes happening in the workplace where people of all different nationalities are thrown together and different communication styles across the globe, it’s a sure bet that CULTURAL DIVERSITY is today’s business reality.  Our future clients and colleagues will be more likely to want to do business with us if we can demonstrate an authentic understanding for their culture, business needs and communications styles. You cannot afford to get things wrong!  International managers armed only with easy-to-learn, fast-to-recall cultural dimensions and differences will find themselves stereotype rich and operationally poor in today’s business reality of complex cultural organisations and culturally diverse customers. Ensure a positive difference for your business performance ,as well as for the people within it, by learning how to embrace cultural diversity profitably!

I recently suggested that Barack Obama could be seen as a role model for Cultural Intelligence, but it is not only the Leader of the U.S. that needs this but all of the Leaders of our culturally complex companies. Leaders will need to develop intercultural communication skills and a new skill set  for deep contextual understanding of what takes place when people interact across several kinds of cultural differences in a modern global company. They will need to develop a Cultural Intelligence based on a deep sensitivtiy that enables them to value, motivate and mobilise culturally distinctive workforces. They will also need the ability to be open to new ideas and practices, loosening boundaries and finding creative ways to integrate new ideas ‘back at base’. There are exciting challenges ahead for all those who manager culturally complex organisations. Remember though: good intercultural communication is not only for ‘over there,’ overseas or in foreign parts – it’s also for here on our doorstep – with our customers and staff from many diverse backgrounds. Cultural Diversity is everywhere.

The election of Barack Obama must be a turning point in history as we can never go back to a time where being President of the USA is solely a job for white men. It is interesting to debate and reflect on what influence this will have on the intercultural field and on cultural diversity issues. Undoubtedly he seems to have a natural ability to mix and match with his fellow human beings in a way that George Bush could never dream of.  His skin colour, minority background, intelligence and genuine respect for others of difference has him being a role model for someone with Cultural Intelligence – long may he live up to this – there are so few people around who can.