The Challenge of Cultural Diversity: Harnessing a Diversity of Views to Understand Multiculturalism

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The Challenge of Cultural Diversity Harnessing a
Diversity of Views toUnderstand
MulticulturalismPatricia L. Nemetz Sandra L.
Christensen

• TRM 435 Diversity Management (Fall 2009)

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Multiculturalism

• The condition of multiculturalism can be defined
  as an environment with several distinct cultures

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Diversity as a Controversial Issue

• How individuals view ideal states of
  multiculturalism (p.435)
• Individuals may not necessarily share same
  opinion about multiculturalism
• Before trainings or educatioal programs we need
  to define an individuals
• predisposition towards a particular ideal state
  based on his view on the nature of society.
• Lets define yours

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VIEW OF THE NATURE OF THE SOCIETY
Functionalist
Radical Structuralist
Functional Pluralist
IDEAL STATE OF MULTICULTURALISM IN SOCIETY
Dimensions of Multiculturalism
Integration
Seperation
Population Variation
CULTURAL PLURALISM
Cultural Particularism
Cultural Homogenization
Cultural Variation
DELIBERATIVE UNIVERSALISM
Comprehensive Universalism
Relativism
Moral Philosophy
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VIEW OF THE NATURE OF THE SOCIETY
Functionalist
Radical Structuralist
Functional Pluralist

• Individuals interpret the world through various
  lenses or perspectives that form a framework
• These are called paradigms (Kuhn, 1962)
• These paradigms are very difficult to change
  (only through major knowledge revolutions)
• Two paradigms in the form of a polarized
  dimension individuals view of the nature of
  the society (Burrell Morgan, 1979)
• Radical change paradigm vs. regulation paradigm

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VIEW OF THE NATURE OF THE SOCIETY

• Radical Change Paradigm
• Focuses on deep-seated stuructural conflict and
  modes of domination in modern society
• Interested in radical change

• Regulation Paradigm
• Explanations of society focusing on its
  underlying unity and cogesiveness
• Try to protect status quo

ORGANIZATION THEORISTS.
Functionalist
Radical Structuralist
Functional Pluralist
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VIEW OF THE NATURE OF THE SOCIETY
Functionalist
Radical Structuralist
Functional Pluralist

• RADICAL STRUCTURALISM
• Rooted in the works of Marx
• Capitalism?economic inequalities? discrepancies
  of power?social life resting on domination and
  conflict,
• Activist provide critique of contemporary society
• Belief in social change with revolution and
  sometimes violence
• Belief in plurality of interests and not in
  common values and consensus
• See plurality as a source of conflict ot as an
  exercise of democracy/richness of culture
• View conflict resolution as opiate and a tool of
  domination over the opressed
• Ideology of 1960s and 70s for minority rights
  (especially in US) in society and in workforce

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VIEW OF THE NATURE OF THE SOCIETY
Functionalist
Radical Structuralist
Functional Pluralist

• FUNCTIONALISM
• Support of status quo
• Maintaining order and social change through
  problem solving (Burrell Morgan, 1979)
• Focus on consensus and social order often within
  the existing control mechanisms and authoritative
  structures
• Not activists but if there is a serious thread to
  status quo, their viewpoint may create backlash
  movements
• Most scholars in the field of organizations
  studies assume this view (Burrell Morgan, 1979)
• Functional Pluralism is a view within
  Functionalism
• Emphasis on conflict and power as issues
  affecting society and the need to seek balance
  between them
• Pluralism and controlled conflict are important
  and necessary to build democracy through
  consensus
• Conflict resolution is an important tool
• For pluralismthey seek reform but not revolution

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Discussion questions

• WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF?
• DO YOU SEE EXAMPLES OF BOTH PARADIGMS IN TURKEY?
  (i.e. Some of them may be reflected in the
  current discussions of democracy)
• What/who else can you think of?

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VIEW OF THE NATURE OF THE SOCIETY
Functionalist
Radical Structuralist
Functional Pluralist
IDEAL STATE OF MULTICULTURALISM IN SOCIETY
Dimensions of Multiculturalism
Existence of intergroup diversity
Absence of intergroup diversity
Integration
Seperation
Population Variation
CULTURAL PLURALISM
Cultural Particularism
Cultural Homogenization
Cultural Variation
DELIBERATIVE UNIVERSALISM
Comprehensive Universalism
Relativism
Moral Philosophy
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IDEAL STATE OF MULTICULTURALISM IN SOCIETY

• Population Variation

Seperation
Integration

• Extent of subgroup members interaction and
• relations with other subgroups (Pratt, 1974)
• In the case of full integration the relationships
  are randomly distributed regardless of race,
  gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual
  orientationetc.
• Seperation
• can occur in any one of those dimensions
• can be by choice (i.e. to protect culture) or it
  can be imposed by socioeconomic stuructures (i.e.
  ghettos)
• can also be driven by a political movement (to
  protect a subgroup from the influence of other
  majority or minority groups)

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IDEAL STATE OF MULTICULTURALISM IN SOCIETY

• Cultural Variation

CULTURAL PLURALISM
Cultural Homogenization
Cultural Particularism

• It refers to the variety of concentration of
  values, behavior and attitudes experienced and
  accepted by various groups within a society
• Cultural Particularism emphasizes within group
  similarities and between group differences
  within a diverse society
• Values of identity, solidarity, sense of
  community
• Provides sense of pride and attachment but on the
  negative side it can create isolation, prejudice,
  hatred and war againts other groups
• Cultural Homogenization emphazises creation of a
  modern, integrated society through common
  language, common currency, common cosmopolitan
  valuesto blend the diverse elements into a
  smooth mixture
• Minimization of between group differences through
  structural institutions
• Religion, ethnicity, nationality are marginalized
  elements
• Emphasis of individual over group
• Alienation of certain individuals from society
  through marginalizing for example religion
• Cultural Pluralism
• Many cultures can coexist together and each group
  can adopt some norms from other groups

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IDEAL STATE OF MULTICULTURALISM IN SOCIETY

• Moral Philososphy

DELIBERATIVE UNIVERSALISM
Comprehensive Universalism
Relativism

• Relativism suggests that no common moral
  guidelines can be applied to all humankind
• Variation of moral codes, differences of moral
  beliefs between different groups in a diverse
  community
• Tolerance of these differences is essential
• Finding a common ground is not essential, no
  guiding principlesno objective moral truth
• This can create severe practical difficulties in
  a diverse society because there is a wide variety
  of conflicts among gender, racial, ethnic,
  religious and sexual orientation groupsduring
  interaction
• Comprehensive universalism suggest that objective
  moral truth exists and can be applied to all
  humankind (Taylor, 1987)
• Support Enlightenment principlessome societies
  are more enlightened (i.e. Western
  democracy)history is progressing towards this
  goal
• Values freedom, equality, human rights, rule of
  law
• Deliberative universalism (Gutman, 1993)
• Rely partly on universal principles and partly on
  deliberation to address conflicts concerning
  social justice
• Deliberation is required when there is no
  substantive standard
• Deliberation aims to find common ground and
  understanding each others view