Biases and assumptions block many people from seeing clearly. These biases are often easier to spot by their ethnocentric and egocentric behaviors but they can be more challenging to identify within ourselves. That has been the case for many Americans when it comes to their biases and assumptions toward people from the Middle East.

Islam is the largest religion in the world and it promotes peace and tolerance (The Pennsylvania State University, 2017). Using a logical test called the “Imagination Test” we could imagine that due to the vast number of practicing Muslims there are some extremists among them who don’t value peace and tolerance. We know from historical events like 9/11 that there are indeed extremists in that group, and they have carried out terrorist attacks. So whether we can imagine that or not, it’s a historical fact that they exist (history.com Staff, 2010). And yet still we cannot say that all Muslims are terrorists, it’s not logical to believe that.

“Do not make assumptions based on trends, instead get to know the people and the situation” (The Pennsylvania State University, 2017). This isn’t just true in the context of a cultural discussion but it’s true of any trend. In statistics, there is a general phrase that states, “correlation does not imply causation” and this also applies to what we know about the Middle East. Just because there have been multiple terrorist attacks on America from Muslims that does not mean that all Muslims are terrorists.

I work in the technology industry and I’ve had the chance to work with many cultures. I’ve found Middle Eastern cultures to be some of the most kind and peaceful people that I’ve worked with. According to The Economist, more terrorists attacks are carried out in the Middle East than any other place (2015). This implies that it could be more correct to view the majority of Muslims as victims rather than terrorists. Sometimes we lack the empathy we need to step back from our emotionally clouded opinions and see that these cultures as they really are. They may in fact be dealing with more terrorism locally than the rest of the world is globally.

Be fair to the world and the cultures around you. Biases and assumptions are not fair and valid ways of understanding people. The way to understand people who are different than us is to get to know them and their situations (The Pennsylvania State University, 2017). That understanding will help cultivate the empathy we need to embrace other cultures like the ones from the Middle East who might in fact, be victims themselves.

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References
History.com Staff. (2010). 9/11 Attacks. Retrieved February 26, 2017, from http://www.history.com/topics/9-11-attacks

Pennsylvania State University (2017). Lesson 01: Introduction to Leadership in a Global Context [ ]. Retrieved from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1826457/modules/items/21654133

The plague of global terrorism. (2015, November 18). Retrieved February 26, 2017, from http://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2015/11/daily-chart-12

In the business world results matter. A team or a group that can “make things happen” or “get things done” will succeed because they understand what stakeholders and executives are looking for. Synergy is a necessary element for these types of teams to function at the highest level achievable.

Groups are comprised of individuals. Individuals create diversity within the group and synergy happens when these individuals work together toward a common goal (Pennsylvania State University, 2017). Creating and maintaining synergy within a group can be challenging due to the various levels of diversity among the members. So the very individuality and diversity that differentiates one group from another is the same element that makes it complex for synergy to be created and maintained within the group.

Back when I first started my job at my current company I worked on a “conversion team”. This team was comprised of a: business strategist, data scientist, user-experience and user-interface designer, front-end developer, and finally, a back-end developer. We were not the only team, there was another “conversion team” on site and they consisted of a different set of individuals with the same disciplines. However, our team was successful and their team was not because they were missing a necessary element that we, in contrast possessed, synergy.

Why did our team have synergy? Each individual on our team had a different discipline and we made sure that we respected their expertise on the subject. We understood that we are far superior as a team if we agreed to be stronger collectively than individually (Merriam-Webster, 2003). We worked on this because there were moments when we challenged each other but we did so with the team in mind. We completed personality tests to understand each other, organized team lunches, and listened when other teammates spoke. The other team didn’t follow these practices and one-by-one they started to get unhappy and disband.

Synergy is a necessary element for teams to function at the highest level achievable. If synergy is not involved then the individualism that makes up a team will be also be the thing that destroys it, as well as, the ability to get things done. The team that has synergy and works together can also win together.

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References

Pennsylvania State University (2017). Lesson 01: Introduction to Leadership in a Global Context [ ]. Retrieved from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1826457/modules/items/21654124

Synergy. (2003). In Merriam-Webster’s dictionary (11th ed.). Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster.

Lewin’s three stage model of change is broken down into; unfreezing, changing, and refreezing (Pennsylvania State University, 2017). These stages serve as a framework of understanding how change needs to be implemented. Let’s look at the unfreezing stage to understand how it can be approached for better odds of success.

Organizational change needs to be planned (Pennsylvania State University, 2017). It might be tempting to just rush right into change but planning ahead for helping people change is important. People don’t like to be forced to do anything let alone change something they are already comfortable doing a certain way.

Unfreezing people is not without its challenges. Employees are creatures of habit who need to be warmed up to the idea that change might actually be better (Huppke, 2015). When our company was purchased by a much larger company last year everyone on the team had to come to grips with the fact that change eminent. I was truly shocked at the negativity around the office. People compared the new company leader to Hitler and other dictators. However, the more benefits the new company provided the more people started to like the idea of being a member of the new team.

If we were to step back in time and I had a voice in this matter I would offer some advice to the executives. One idea would be to hand out fun merchandize to people in the office. Help people see this as an exciting new time and an opportunity to be a part of a fun company culture. Don’t expect people to change, help them unfreeze by feeling that this new world could be even better than the old one.

A leader who can plan for change will have better luck unfreezing people. Getting a workforce ready to move forward is important and by offering a small glimpse of a brighter future people will be more open to changing. Don’t just tell people that change is good, show them.

 

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References

Huppke, R. (2015, June 06). Good ways to break bad habits at work. Retrieved February 13, 2017, from http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/careers/ct-work-advice-huppke-0608-biz-20150605-column.html

Pennsylvania State University (2017). Lesson 01: Introduction to Leadership in a Global Context [ ]. Retrieved from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1826457/modules/items/21654115

 

In a world full of knowledge ignorance still exists. We cannot know and experience all things but I think the best way to minimize ignorance is remain a student. If we are open to new information and to having new experiences we can better educate ourselves throughout the length of our lives and thusly, decrease our ignorance. This education is of paramount importance if we seek to become a leader in a global context or if we anticipate working on a team.

Ethnocentricity is an “exaggerated tendency to think the characteristics of one’s own group or race is superior to those of other groups or races” (Drever, 1952, p.86). This kind of thinking is rooted in ignorance. Other cultures and groups have so much to offer and we have a choice here, we can choose to be open minded or we can choose to remain close minded toward the groups that are different than ours.

Ignorance can be stubborn. I remember hearing a coworker talk about neighbors of hers that were from India. She was from the deep south and in an extremely judgmental tone she talked about the way their food smelled. I asked her if she had ever tried Indian food and her response was that she would never eat that stuff. Her tone indicated a belief that her culture was superior to theirs and without even knowing it she was expressing unconscious ethnocentric values. (Pennsylvania State University, 2017) She refused to try it so she remained ignorant of the Indian culture and everything that it had to offer.

I would never want to admit that I’ve been biased or that I have allowed myself to generalize about other cultures but I have, most of us have. It’s the unconsciousness of it that bothers me because I don’t want to be biased but there are times that I just am. Our text says that one of the best ways to fight ethnocentrism is to travel, experience new things. (Pennsylvania State University, 2017) Each time I do this I broaden my understanding and appreciation of other cultures without even realizing it. Perhaps travel is indeed the antidote to ethnocentric behaviors. (Pennsylvania State University, 2017)

Ultimately the coworker that I mentioned was a very nice person but her behavior here was fueled by her ignorance of the Indian culture. This is why I am a proponent of people doing something as simple as trying new foods from other cultures or having a chat with someone who grew up in another country than you did. Ask someone you work with where they find good food and go with them to lunch one day. I don’t want to be ignorant of something that is different than me, I want to understand it. And every time I seek to understand it I find myself walking away seeing with a deeper understanding and appreciation for something I didn’t even realize existed.

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Works Cited:

Drever, H. E. (1952).A dictionary of psychology. Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin.

Pennsylvania State University (2017). Lesson 01: Introduction to Leadership in a Global Context [ ]. Retrieved from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1826457/modules/items/21654085

Hi, my name is Joseph Lishia and I live in Charlotte, North Carolina. I work in the financial industry as a UX Designer (User Experience). I’ve worked hard to get where I am and I love what I do, however, I do want to continue to grow so that I can add value to myself and my profession.  I don’t know what my long term goals are outside of working in the design industry but I do know that I want to keep myself in a position to always be learning.

In the past I’ve been able to lead several groups but for the last 5 years I haven’t been in a leadership position. I work hard to be a good example to my colleagues around me but I am not currently leading any initiatives within the creative group. I am supporting a couple large scale product teams but in a more autonomous capacity.

One of the most eye opening books I’ve read on leadership was “Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting Out of the Box” by The Arbinger Institute.“discover you’ve been in the box. Do keep trying. Don’t deny that you’ve been in the box when you have been. Do apologize; then just keep marching forward, trying to be more helpful to others in the future. Don’t focus on what others are doing wrong. Do focus on what you can do right to help. Don’t worry whether others are helping you. Do worry whether you are helping others.” It’s a simple and pragmatic mindset that I truly believe will make a dramatic difference. The focus here should be about being honest about our own self-deceptions, be humble, focus on helping other people, and so on. If we do these things I believe that everything else will start to fall in to place for ourselves.

My wife’s name is Brittany and I have a little girl named Juliet. We sold our first house and are currently fixing up a 1966 ranch style house in south Charlotte. It’s been a challenging journey since spring but we are really seeing all our hard work pay off. Since you now know that I have a little girl, a full time job, I’m fixing up a house, and taking online classes there isn’t a lot of time to ride my bike but I do love cycling as well. One day I’ll have a little more time to do it but until then I’ll enjoy just have to follow the pros on Instagram or SnapChat.

Joseph