For the first 23 years of my life, I grew up in a small village (yes, village) in northeast Pennsylvania. There was only 500 people in my town; there was little diversity among them. It was a small town both figuratively and literally – complete with some disdain for big cities and especially for places like California. To some, California was nothing but hippies and surfers. In March of 2001, I moved to Ventura, California. I thought it was great! The beach was within walking distance and I had never seen a palm tree before. I was living the dream. Eventually, the little bit of money I had saved to move began to dwindle and I needed a job. I had a few short-lived ventures before I started working for Weatherford Oil Country in August of that year. It was to be a life-changing experience for me…
Before Weatherford, I had really been exposed to diversity at a workplace, particularly racial and ethnic diversity – surface-level diversity, basically (OLEAD 410 online notes, 2018). Here, I was one of the few white guys; everyone else was Mexican, many who came straight from Mexico. It was strange to hear Spanish spoken nearly exclusively, with only a few of the Mexican workers speaking decent English. It was a difficult transition, but I managed. A few years passed and it was time for the 2004 Presidential election. I learned that many of my co-workers differed from me as far as ideals and values were concerned. This is referred to as deep-level diversity (OLEAD 410 online notes, 2018). I realized that our differences went deeper than the surface, but at the same time, I considered many of them my friends and I didn’t let these differences change that.
Working with such a diverse group of individuals was challenging at first: I was afraid to venture outside my comfort zone and meet new people who were much different from myself and my usual circle. That experience changed my opinion of the concept of diversity and how it can have a positive impact in the workplace. I learned my craft from someone who was different from me in nearly every way and I appreciate having had the chance to learn from him. The lesson he taught went beyond the job and affected my outlook on workplace diversity.
References
OLEAD 410 online notes. (2018). Penn State World Campus, Pennsylvania State University.
Jason Paul Wylie says
Lance,
The talking in Spanish wasn’t too bad. I learned to sort of glean what they were saying from their conversations. I didn’t appreciate the fact that I could tell I was the subject of their conversations (I would catch a word that I knew referred to me). Eventually, HR tried to implement a no-Spanish policy, due to complaints. It never really got traction. Most of the Spanish-speakers were good people so I knew nothing they saying was all that bad.
Jason Paul Wylie says
Jennifer,
I don’t think it was quite the same for them. At that job, they had the numbers. It would be like a young Mexican guy going to work in a white-dominated factory. I was the outsider and they had the power. Luckily, they weren’t jerks about it or anything, though they did have a few laughs at my expense… at least I think they did – it was all in Spanish.
Jennifer Rosson says
Hi Jason – what a wonderful story about your experience!
You mentioned that at your new job, you were one of a few white people and that most of your coworkers were Mexican. While it must have been a culture shock for you to suddenly be in a workplace where Spanish was the dominant language, I love the fact that you were able to adapt. At first, you said you were afraid to venture outside of your comfort zone and meet people that you found to be different. Looking back, do you feel that your Mexican coworkers felt the same way about you? Did you find them to be equally as hesitant or were they more readily accepting of you as the new white guy? What do you think drove their behavior and level of comfort?
Lance Weyeneth says
Jason,
You bring great examples from your personal life to show the differences between surface level and deep level diversity. It also sounds like to me that even though you made had these differences that you were friends with them and I am hoping they made you feel like you were included. I could see how hard your work environment would be considered inclusive. As you stated and your statement goes along with what (Moran, Abramson, and Moran, 2014) stated, “deep-level refers to the differences between individuals’ psychological characteristics such as personality types, value, and attitudes.” Views on the presidency can definitely differ from culture to culture, so good job pointing that out. When you hear them talking in Spanish then how does that make you feel? I am glad that the diverse group with has taught you a lot and gave you a lot of experience that you might not had gotten otherwise. If you were a leader and living in Pennsylvania still then what would you had tried of doing to make your workplace more diverse? It sounds like your experience based on an analysis by (Moran, Abramson, and Moran, 2014) that, “high diversity work groups do achieve more creative and innovative solutions”. This is a great blog that pertains to a real life scenario.
References:
Moran, Robert, Abramson, Neil, & Moran, Sarah. (2014). Managing Cultural Differences. Oxford: Routledge.