INTRODUCTION TO CULTURAL DIVERSITY

TOPIC 1

INTRODUCTION TO CULTURAL
DIVERSITY

COURSE LEARNING OUTCOME

1. Explain the concept of cultural diversity and

workplace diversity in tourism and hospitality
industry.
2. Discuss about the management and issues of
cultural diversity in tourism and hospitality
industry.
3. Study the impact on cultural diversity in tourism
and hospitality industry.

What is Cultural Diversity ?



CULTURE DIVERSITY

 “The set of common beliefs and  “Diversity” relates to individuals
practices that a person shares and groups with different
with a group” (Robins et al., 2006) socioeconomic backgrounds and
physical capabilities who engage
 The values, beliefs, attitudes, in a variety of languages.
languages, symbols, rituals,
behaviors and customs unique to  People of all ages, genders, races,
a particular group of people and ethnicity and sexual orientation.
that are passed down from
generation to generation  Diversity refers to differences
among people in term of
 Cultural identity is how people dimensions age, ethnicity, gender,
recognize where they belong race or physical ability.

 Refers to human activity and  Diversity include everyone not just
symbolic structure designs that racial or ethnic minorities.
emphasize the importance and
value of the action.  Diversity encompasses
acceptance and respect which is
 Culture refers to a group or understanding that each individual
community with which we share is unique, and recognizing our
common experiences that shape individual differences.
the way

CULTURE DIVERSITY

“The existence of a variety of cultural or ethnic
groups within a society”.

“The cultural variety and cultural differences that
exist in the world, a society, or an institution”.

“The definition of cultural diversity refers to
differences among people because of their
racial or ethnic backgrounds, language, dress
and traditions”.

DIVERSITY ARE VARY OF:

Diversity that can be found in the workplace.

 Job position  Products
 Income  Geographic background
 Human characteristics  Language(s) spoken
 Education background  Marital/partnered status
 Ideas  Physical appearance
 World-views  Political affiliation
 Age  Race
 Experience  Religious beliefs
 Disability (mental,  Sexual orientation
 Veteran's status.
learning, physical)
 Economic background
 Ethnicity
 Gender identity

Cultural Diversity in Tourism and
Hospitality Industry



 Globalization and internationalization is
current trends – people & product moving
internationally

 It makes people moving work and live with
people with diverse backgrounds.

 Cultural diversity also can create conflict.

 In hospitality industry, has great dimension of
cultural diversity from staff, guest and tourist.

 Tourism and hospitality organizations will work
in very complex multicultural tourism
environment.

 They must understand the perception of
culture and the role of national culture and
how impact to tourist behavior.

 The organization responsible to reduce gap of
cultural distance in workplace.

People travel around the world Advanced of computer technology

System using : GDS, Galileo, FIDELIO, AMEDEUS,
HORS, Trivago, Hotelpedia

Efficient communication system

Smart phone, Whatsapps, SMS, Email, Twitter,
Instagram, WeChat

Transportation (budget – high class)

MAS vs Air Asia, Cruise, Bot, Train, Car rental,
Grab car, Limousine , Taxi

Easy to book accommodation

Establish hotel & resort, budget hotel, motel,
homestay, camping site, hostel, dorm

THE IMPORTANCE OF CULTURAL
DIVERSITY

 Cultural Diversity is importance to companies for LONG TERM value.
 Hospitality industry its growing – people from all around the world

travelling each year
 Expand ability to speak in different language..
 Able to understand and more respect others religion and belief
 Have mutual respect
 Increase creativity and more exciting
 New attitudes and have different sight of view
 Conflict resolution- minimize potential conflict.
 Great Business reputation- build trust from customer
 Job promotion
 Increase exposure and knowledge

The Types of Culture

1. Corporate Culture
2. Regional Culture
3. Culture of Various Socio-economic Groups
4. Cultures of Various Age Groups

1. CORPORATE CULTURE

Refers to the beliefs and behaviors
that determine how a company's
employees and management interact
and handle outside business
transactions.

 The term Corporate culture widely used in research professionals and
managers in many organization all over the word especially in Japan
and Americans.

 “ the systems of shared beliefs, values and standards of solving
problems, which is created in the forming and developing process of
corporation and demonstrated through physical and nonphysical forms
and behaviors of it member”

Great Corporate Culture

1. Vision and Mission
2. Values
3. Practices
4. People
5. Narrative @ Tagline
6. Place



Why Company Culture Matters ?

 Company culture is important to employees because
workers are more likely to enjoy their time in the
workplace when they fit in with the company culture.

 Employees tend to enjoy work when their needs and
values are consistent with those in the workplace.

2. REGIONAL CULTURE

Refers to a common practices, beliefs
and experiences that shape the way
the community members in a certain
region understand the world.

 “In anthropology and geography a cultural region, cultural sphere and
cultural area”

 These are often associated with an ethnolinguistic group and the territory it
inhabits

 Culture region is an area inhabited by people who have one or more cultural
traits in common, such as language, religion , or system of livelihood.

 It is an area that is relatively homogeneous with regard to one or more
cultural traits.

 The geographer who identifies a formal culture region must locate cultural
borders. Because cultures overlap and mix, such boundaries are rarely sharp,
even if only a single cultural trait is mapped

Costume Food Craft Architecture Dance Language

• Kebaya •
• Batik
• Songket



3. CULTURE OF VARIOUS
SOCIO- ECONOMIC GROUPS

Refers to the common practices and
behaviors by individual/group of people
belong to a certain social economic
status.

 Socio-economic group refers to a person's position in society's structural
and functional systems.

 Its involved an activity, occupation, occupational status and industry.

 Can be classified according to socio-economic group into upper-level
and lower-level . Income may :

 Upper level Upper /
 Medium level Higher
 Lower level Class
 Poor
Middle Class

Lower Class

Example: Socio-economic Diversity
at school

 Upper-income families - send their children to private schools because
they view the education and security as superior to that of public
schools.

 Medium or lower income – send their kids to public school.

Socioeconomic diversity has a mix of students or staff
from different income levels, social backgrounds, and
in some cases, racial and ethnic backgrounds.





4. CULTURE OF VARIOUS
AGE-GROUPS

Refers to the common practices, beliefs
and behaviors by individual /group of
people at a certain age.”

 Age diversity which is the acceptance of all age groups in the
workforce.

 Age diversity offers positive advantages for healthy organisations, just
like any other sort of diversity in work and life.

 Treating people fairly, regardless of age, is central to the principles of
ethical business and ethical organisations.





1. Traditionalist
• The oldest and most knowledgeable people in the workforce.
• Strong work ethics and are hard-working.
• Believe in a hierarchical management style (where authority
is respected).
• Tend to be very company-loyal.
• Dependable, stubbornly independent
• Like face to face / direct communication and interpersonal
skills.

2. Baby boomers

• Hard-working and loyal, with a strong work ethic
• They are well educated, have excellent teamwork skills, value

cooperation and have excellent face-to-face communication
skills.
• Associate work and status with self-worth.
• They are fiercely competitive and therefore question authority
and thrive on adrenaline-charged assignments.

3. Generation X
• A steady work ethic, but are not loyal to any company.
• Dislike office hierarchies (believing loyalty and respect are
earned).
• They are very independent and critical of others but work
well with other people
• They are much more technology literate, environmentally-
conscious and family-focused than previous generations.

4. Generation Y
• The largest generation in the workplace
• Tech-savvy, energetic and adaptable.
• They believe respect should be earned.
• They are optimistic and seek out new job opportunities
(not being company- loyal).
• They place high value on self-improvement and growth.
• Prioritising a good work-life balance over better pay.

5. Gen Z

• The next generation of workers.

• They grew up in a media-saturated world.

• They are technologically dependent and reliant on
seamless, multi-platform communication; with social
media a central communication platform.

• They are tolerant of alternative lifestyles but expect a
dynamic way of working at a time, place and style of their
choosing, moving towards virtual work collaborations

• They are used to hovering authorities; which-means they
require structure and predictability in the workplace and
crave specific, detailed instructions on how to do things



How Organizations Can Get
Benefit By Team That Have
Age Differences In Workplace

a) Diverse Skill Set
✓ creates an environment where each generation brings different skills

and talents to the table.
✓ Pool different talents and experience
✓ Ex: young employees likely have a strong grasp on the use of high-tech

business medium such as social networking, online product
demonstrations and webcasting

b) Technology
✓ Young professionals grew up in a high-tech world and have greater

familiarity with business technology tools compared to their more
mature staff.
✓ While all age demographics must embrace technology in the
professional world to communicate
✓ Effectively reach customers, a workforce that contains tech-savvy
employees has a definite advantage over companies that employ
only mature worker.

c

c) Age diversity
✓ gives businesses the advantage of being able to communicate and

deal with customers across all age spectrums.
✓ Mixed-age workforce where companies value knowledge, experience

and skill above age, seniority or gender, employees of all ages have
the opportunity to teach, share and learn from one another.
✓ Senior workers can share deeper industry knowledge or offer advice
on negotiation and benefits.

d) Tradition
✓ More mature members of a workforce have the advantage of

traditional business skills.
✓ This diversity gives business the advantage of being able to

communicate and deal with customers across all age spectrums.
✓ Ex: One customer may prefer the fast pace of email correspondence,

while another may appreciate the tradition of a formal business letter.
A diverse workforce can cater to both types of customer.

e) Mentoring
✓ The practice of multi-generational workplace mentoring offers many

advantages. In a mixed-age workforce where companies value
knowledge, experience and skill above age, seniority or gender.
✓ Employees of all ages have the opportunity to teach, share and learn
from one another.

f) Continuity
✓ A workforce heavily composed only of people in a particular age

demographic run the risk of becoming obsolete.
✓ traditionally, older workers train younger professionals in the ways of

the company, passing down accumulated years of experience.

The Benefits of Cultural Diversity

Advantages / Importance

1. Increase adaptability

✓ Organization employing a diverse workforce can supply a
greater variety of solutions to problem in service, sourcing
and allocation of resources.

✓ Employees from diverse backgrounds bring individual talents
and experiences in suggesting ideas that are flexible in
adapting to fluctuating markets and customers demand.

2. Broader service range

✓ A diverse collection of skills and experience.

✓ For example language and cultural understanding allows a
company to provide service to customer on a global basis

3. Variety of viewpoint

✓ A diverse workplace that feels comfortable in
communication provides a larger pool of idea and
experience in vary points of view.

✓ The organization can draw from that pool to meet business
strategy needs and the needs of customers more
effectively.

4. More effective execution

✓ Companies that encourage diversity in the workplace
inspire all of their employees to perform to their highest
ability.

✓ Company- wide range strategies can then be executed
resulting in higher productivity, profit and return on
investment.

5. Promotes humanistic values.

✓ When an organization has a group of employees belonging to
diverse cultures, it demonstrates that the organization recognizes and
celebrates and commemorates the diversity that exists in people of
different backgrounds.

✓ It makes the people of the organization think that their value and
worthy contributions are being realized by the organization and the
management.

6. Improves productivity and profitability.

✓ Apart from these humanistic values, cultural diversity also brings some
tangible benefits to the businesses all over the world.

✓ Active persuasion of diversity at the workplace directly impacts
productivity and profitability of the organization as well as the
employees. There is an enhancement of productivity of the workers
and profitability for the organization.

7. Helps to create a pool of talent.

✓ When any organization invests in diversity, it results in the
creation of a bigger pool of talent.

✓ This is a win-win situation for both the employees and the
organization.

✓ The employees exchange and learn each other’s positives
and competencies. Such a pool of talent provides the
organization with a competitive edge, which help it to
progress in a huge and competitive environment.

8. Exchange of innovative ideas.

✓ When an organization comprises of people with diverse
backgrounds, cultures and experiences, new creative and
innovative ideas prop up in the minds of different people.

✓ It is natural that people with varying experiences and
perspectives in life would be able to generate unique ideas and
solutions to problems.

✓ This is of immense value to both the organization and
employees. Such dynamic exchanges that take place between
people having different perceptions yield creative results.

✓ Such a situation is never created in groups of people who think
similarly and belong to similar cultures.

THE CHALLENGING IN CULTURAL
DIVERSITY IN WORKPLACE

Discuss the challenging that may be
happen in workplace that have cultural
diversity.