DM Exercise

Name: Parneet Singh

Roll Number: 14PGHR45
Group: 8

Issues involved in the exercise?

Met Singapore students, who were on exchange and had come to my school
in Calcutta being very excited we gave a lot of time to these students inside
class as well as outside and came to realise a lot about cultural differences
The main issues involved were, we assumed that their tastes and preferences
& studying methods were same as ours and ignorance of their level of
openness when it came to talking
Biases came in the form, that we assumed that since they are from one of the
most advance countries, they would be very open to talk, sharing of contact
and will adjust to the food here
Values came in the form of being more sensitive towards not what you know
about them (which is mostly bias) but being open to find out things about
them (you listen and dont assume things). Also realization of how
stereotyping is bad when it come to understanding diversity.

Q.1 What is their impact on you in your professional life?

More sensitive to individual idiosyncrasies when I realized the differences
in culture and impact of diversity, I became more broad minded. Broad
minded in the sense that I realized its not just cultural but individual
differences that exist.
Since the differences were so much more magnified when it came to
people with diversity that I realized how differences exist not only there
but also with people from the same culture, on account of idiosyncrasies
More awareness of this fact made me more receptive of information and
input from other people, because I had learned to consciously fight any
bias that comes to mind
Understanding of the importance of cultural difference this difference
which we address as part of diversity is in the commonest sense considered
rude and ignorant because people consider cultural unawareness/ diversity
unawareness not as lack of diversity experience but as simply ignorance of
facets which are not part of your lives

Q.2 How much others culture in your class you know?

Our class has a very diverse mix of students
Among the 61 students in our batch, we have students from all different
backgrounds and cultures
From geographical differences we have friends from the four sides of
India, north, south, east, west (but no friends from the North-east) to
differing backgrounds of culture
Also diversity in terms of gender (30 31 boys and girls) as well as work
experience (30 31 students with work experience freshers)
Also the students coming from exchange add that extra pinch of diversity

Q.3 Has your knowledge about others affected your interactions with them?
Even though I would like to answer this question in the negatory, the truth
is, diversity bias enters a persons sub-conscious and without the knowledge
of the individual, has an impact over his interactions with others
Having said that, I would say that having knowledge about others have been
points of conversation with others, but I have consciously and proactively
made an effort to not let any such knowledge colour my judgement of the
person or come in the way of our interactions

Q.4 What skills are needed to effectively manage diversity?

Considering all that we have discussed so far regarding diversity and our
understanding of diversity overall, I would identify the following skills as
those which a requisite for a person to manage diversity:
Empathy not to judge people with different backgrounds and be accepting
of their ways. Also empathy allows a person to place himself in another's
shoes, and this is what is needed in a diversity manager to understand the
perspective of others
Patience a diversity manager must have a lot of patience in order to
understand the various views points of everyone and make all others
(including himself) understand the implications of those without their own
cultural filters
Awareness Any person will be better able to handle persons from differing
backgrounds/cultures (CnB) if he is acquainted to that persons CnB.
Awareness of that persons CnB is what give diversity managers an edge