Impact of Cultural Diversity in Workplaces

Question:

Discuss about the Role Concepts in Health Care for Cultural Diversity.

Cultural diversity has engulfed all the aspects of life in the modern life. It is clear that the world is found on the basis of different cultures. These cultures affect how people operate ranging from their family matters to their workplaces. Cultural diversity as an existing factor epitomizes the fact that not all the people are the same rather; individuals originate from different backgrounds. These backgrounds might be associated with the ethnic origins, the regions, religious beliefs, and family ties among others (Mazur, 2010).

The significance of cultures across the world and its impact on the workplaces has been evident in almost every practices carried. The dynamic associated with the cultural practices invites a deeper understanding of the different cultures and their significance. Every country has its major cultural practices. The people available make the cultural practices unique from the others. Furthermore, cultural diversity is also associated with the organizational practices in business scenarios whereby, an organization creates a set of practices which it identifies with and with which all the employees have to adhere to.

It is therefore, significant to note that, cultural diversity at work places may be expressed in a variety of ways starting from the communication patterns of the people within the work environment, their ethnicity, race, religion and sexual orientation among others. Hence multiculturalism represents a group of people from the different societies or cultures; who may coexist within a common work environment.  Cultural diversity is an acceptable factor in the organizational set ups, since no single culture exists alone in this world. However, some cultural practices may not have certain universally accepted standards of measuring the viability of cultural practices. Cultural elements such as the language, the symbols and beliefs among others are generally used to elaborate the diversity in general terms.

From a cultural point of view, there are a series of health beliefs and practices that are carried out across different cultures. The perceptions about different cultural practices vary from a group of people to another group of people. Cultural health beliefs determine how a person is supposed to express their concerns or illness. Some cultures for instance require that a person should not publicly express their emotions when under severe pains as it may go against the societal cultural norms and beliefs. Health beliefs and practices refer to those specific medical actions carried out by different people depending on the cultural background in which they belong.

Health Beliefs and Practices in Different Cultures

For instance, in birth and early infancy, there is a varied cultural belief regarding the mother’s acceptable time to remain indoors and the appropriate time within which the mother can move freely out. Some cultures require that mothers stay secluded indoors for a certain period of time without coming out. These may also involve the feeding patterns, the close care of the umbilicus and circumcision among others. In an attempt to prevent incidences of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), the American Academy of Pediatrics kicked off the campaign a back to sleep campaign which encouraged mothers to have their infants sleep separately. However, majority of black women within the US still share beds with their young children because they consider it culturally acceptable (American Academy of Pediatrics , n.d.).

Traditional healing has also been significantly on the rise in which is generally termed as the folklore medicine. Some people are considering it as alternative to the modern medication. Some cultures have strongly embraced the folk medicine, and the general feeling that it works according to them, and the pediatrics have been encouraged to respect the patient’s medical beliefs that may not be parallel to what the modern medication entails.

The family structure and the formation is a very important in decision making process, compliance and the effective medical results. The family provides a foundation for provision of care in relation to the medical and the patient care. It is fundamental to appreciate the diversity of the family patterns across the different cultural set ups. It is also important to note that most family roles are tailored according to genders within the family. Some cultures have specific perceptions about certain genders of people. Women and men play specific cultural roles depending on the urgency and the appropriateness of their roles.

Women have been majorly singled out to hold a crucial role in monitoring the adolescent patients. They are regarded in some cultures as the focal of point of communication through which all the activities are kick started. The roles of women however differ from one culture to another. Their significance also differs from one culture to another culture. In most traditional African societies, most women are considered to be below the men on the social radar. However, they are the main source of traditional healing, provide midwifery services, and carry out circumcision and other medical care.

Similarly, the roles of men differ across cultures. It is traditionaly believed across most cultures that men assume tougher societal roles as compared to women, however, some cultures have actively seen women assuming the roles of men and carrying out what the men ought to have performed. It is a common cultural practice in the African American mothers to assume the roles of the men. They may leave the children with their grandparents and go to look for work. Generally, there is a great feeling of male superiority in most cultures, a situation which affects decision making processes, for example, in the event of sexual encounter; a woman may not have the power to suggest the use of condoms as a protective measure.

Cultural Diversity and Communication Styles

Cultural diversity is greatly explained by the communication processes which come inform of different languages for oral communication, gestures, and traditional means such as use of smokes to send signals; facial expression and written communications among others. Cultural diversity also means that there are variety of communication styles and the communication contexts. The differences are also explained by the cultural beliefs and approaches within specific societies. Some cultures have a way of communicating which may totally differ from the other cultures. Communication styles employed across different cultures depend on the context within which it is carried out.

Language is the primary factor and the entrance to the culture. Workplaces are characterized by different linguistic styles. There is always a need for the use of a common language that may be used across all the people within the workplace. However, dealing with the differences in language should always be a priority at workplaces, since the language is the most dynamic element of cultures as it varies from one culture to another. Traditionally, the methods of communication and the communication styles were affected by the contexts, urgency and the role of that communication among others.

It is more common in clinical medicine for the clinicians to have their own coded language, which is understandable between them than any other person involved. Communication styles such as the coded professional language full of jargon are only meant for the professionals involved. Additionally, communication styles are employed in organizational set ups whereby there is upward and the downward communication between the top management and the junior staff. It is however important to stress on the simplicity of the communication process regardless of the communication style, one employs.

The death rituals and beliefs are largely known to be shaped by the culture. Every culture has its own perception and position about death and the rituals accompanying it. Pediatricians are often faced with various challenges in regards to the relying of information of severely ill patients to their families, the intentional termination of hospice machines, all the integrity issues regarding the dying person and all other integrity life issues surrounding them (Gordon M. , 2015).

The death and dying practices within several cultures revolves around determining who controls the body after dying and how the body should be approached. Some cultures differ on how the above mentioned factors should be adopted. In religious terms, Islamic religion believes in quick burials of their dead people which take a maximum of one day to avoid going against their Islamic laws. Similarly some cultures believe in preserving of the body as way of remembering, and giving a deserved send-off. Culturally, the families of the dead are in most cases accepted to have full control of the dead person at all levels (Gordon T. , 2011).

Death and Dying Practices in Different Cultures

The occurrence of death is always devastating news in most societies. It is therefore important to assess the extent of the effects which can be effectively provided by healthcare professionals towards the affected families. This moment calls for family gathering and reflection for some cultures to determine what went wrong and rectify on the ways which are deemed detrimental to societal norms (Carteret, Cultural Aspects of Death and Dying, n.d.).

Dying practices also invites for the adoption of control measures that aim at reducing the possibility of death occurrence. It a common practice carried out in different contexts even within clinics to asses fatalism and adopt measures that greatly prevent the possibility of the repeat cases. Culturally, it is about reflecting about where everything might have gone wrong.

Conclusion

Cultural diversity at work places inevitably affects how every operation is carried out. There are a lot of influencing factors in determining the outcomes of the cultural influence on most activities carried out at the workplace (Carteret, n.d.). I have discussed the influence of health beliefs and practices, which are practiced within the cultural concept.

While cultural diversity is an inevitable part of the workplaces, it brings both the positive and negative sides. For instance, having a culturally diverse workplace enables free expression of people’s opinions, suggestions and the free interactions. It may also facilitate adoption and acceptance of other people’s cultural practices and the point of views.

However, most people tend to believe in what they have or their beliefs are superior to other people. Hence, it is not always common that every person appreciates the cultural origin or the cultural point of view which differs with what they believe and conform to. Cultural misunderstanding may be a major problem associated with cultural diversity at the workplaces. Working environment with full of conflicting cultural beliefs will most probably erupt in possible disagreements and misunderstandings.

On the other hand the modern day nursing profession has seen a significant change in generation gaps. It is believed that the veteran nurses who are elderly in age and the middle aged know how to communicate well to the patients unlike younger nurses. There is a greater need for the older nurses to teach the new generation nurses on the importance of good communication in the nursing profession. Similarly, the cultural notion of professional stereotyping does not bode well with the cultural diversity at work places. It is commonly believed that, every nurse is most likely to be a woman, which is one of the few lowdown that may tarnish the role of the cultural diversity at the work places (Szymanowicz & Furnham, 2013).

References

American Academy of Pediatrics . (n.d.). Health Beliefs and Practices. Available at: https://www.aap.org/en-us/professional-resources/practice-transformation/managing-patients/Pages/Chapter-2.aspx

Carteret, M. (n.d.). Cultural Aspects of Death and Dying. Dimensions of Culture. Available at: https://www.dimensionsofculture.com/2010/11/cultural-aspects-of-death-and-dying/

Carteret, M. (n.d.).  Culture and Family Dynamics. Dimensions of Culture. Available at: https://www.dimensionsofculture.com/2010/11/culture-and-family-dynamics/

Gordon, M. (2015). Rituals in Death and Dying: Modern Medical Technologies Enter the Fray. Rambam Maimonides Medical Journal .

Gordon, T. (2011). Negotiations with death and dying: contemporary Jewish mourning rituals. Fields/Terrains. , 56-70.

Mazur, B. (2010). Cultural Diversity in Organisational Theory and Practice. Journal of Intercultural Management , 5-15.

Szymanowicz, A., & Furnham, A. (2013). Gender and Gender Role Differences in Self- and Other-Estimates of Multiple Intelligences. The Journal of Social Psychology , 399–423.