Developing a Culturally Inclusive Mindset

Internal auditors webinar on 'Developing a culturally inclusive mindset."

"Understanding the motivation, knowledge, and skills to cultivate a globally inclusive mindset is necessary to succeed in today's diverse and interconnected work environment," stated Sylvia Gonner in the seminar conducted by the Institute of Internal Auditors Doha Chapter recently. Sylvia is the founder and CEO of CultureWiz, a trainer, and an author specializing in intercultural relationship building, Global mindset and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). She was Global Vice President of the Institute of Internal Auditors and had over 30 years of experience successfully leading international growth strategies.

'Culture is the collection of beliefs, values, attitudes, habits, rituals, behaviors and actions of a group of people, ' Sylvia stated. She elucidated further with the behavior iceberg chart where invisible aspects are emotions, thinking, values, and beliefs, and observable aspects are behaviors and results.

Intercultural competence is the ability to function effectively across cultures and think and act appropriately when communicating and working with people from different cultural backgrounds at home or abroad. Intercultural Competence matters since consequences are inner conflicts such as frustrations, self-doubt, resentment, inefficiency causing delays, wasted efforts and missed opportunities, and damage by way of bad reputation, harmed relationships, and loss of job.

Sylvia explained how to develop a culturally inclusive mindset. The three areas touched upon were Maintaining self-awareness, Adapting attitudes and behaviors, and Developing understanding and acceptance. The first and foremost is to become self-aware of innate biases and assumptions, and prime values that drive our behaviors. Then comes understanding the values and beliefs that drive other people's behaviors and how they perceive us. Then it is an acceptance that outcome matters more than intentions and all cultures are different neither one is better or worst.