San Diego — like many American cities — is becoming a multicultural city more and more, as immigrant populations continue to grow. When I gave the commencement speech at the University of California, San Diego a few years ago, I was impressed with the large percentage of Asian students receiving awards. As the workforce reflects this diversity, it is often difficult for white, middle-class people — especially those coming here from the Midwest who see themselves as “hot dog, apple pie and Chevrolet” Americans — to know exactly how to relate to people of very different backgrounds, history, cultures and norms. It is doubly difficult for managers who need to know and understand what motivates and what rewards the people reporting to them. Most people have not grown up with very diverse populations, but with people largely like their families and themselves. There is great comfort in being with those who share one’s values, interests and way of life. Awareness of this is the first and most important step in being able to relate to people very different from oneself. Most of us make sexist and racist remarks, not even aware they may be offensive. A rundown of the major value systems operating for various groups in work settings cannot be outlined in a short article. However, I can give a glimpse of the conventional United States cultural value system, which may help in not viewing it as the one-and-only standard to which all others must adhere. Objectivity about one’s own value system helps in realizing that alternate systems have validity. These are the values many of us have grown up with — some of them are held as personal values, but permeate the workplace. (It is important to note that as I write this down, some values are in the process of changing.) We believe in rugged individualism; the individual is the primary unit. We believe in the Protestant work ethic: Hard work brings success. We are competitive; we strive to be number one. Winning is everything. We focus on the future versus the present (becoming versus being). We are supposed to save for a rainy day and value continuous improvement. We are action-oriented. We must always “do” something about situations. Our need is to master, control, harness and exploit both nature and the environment. We would rather schedule our lives than be spontaneous. We emphasize the scientific method. We want to be objective and rational. We believe in cause and effect. We believe in dualism, either/or — the polarities. Numbers are meaningful to us; how old we are, how tall, how many children, how much money we earn, how many phones/TVs in our homes. We make political decisions by majority rule, but our corporate organizations are based on a hierarchical chain of command. We believe in one (Judeo-Christian) God, and that this is superior to other religious systems or even that this is the only valid choice. Our goal is to bring other groups up to our “standards.” We value direct eye contact. We limit physical contact. We shake hands, rather than hug or kiss. We control our emotions. We each need our own space; we are territorial. We adhere to schedules. Time is viewed as a commodity and is considered precious; “time is money.” Hours, minutes and seconds count. We believe in romantic love, marriage and children. The nuclear family is the primary social unit. We assume that the man — most often — is the primary breadwinner, head of the house and strong. We also assume that the woman has more homemaking responsibilities, taking care of the children and elderly parents and nurturing. Our organizations are structured on these sex roles. To wit, no daycare in our places of work and no flexibility for taking care of family matters, because in the workplace, men’s needs and priorities are accommodated, but women’s aren’t. (Many men, however, especially those who are single parents, face the same issues that women traditionally have.) Women (stereotypically blond and blue-eyed) compete around attractiveness. Men (stereotypically tall, dark and handsome) compete around athletic prowess, financial success and leadership. Status is achieved by what one owns, money, credentials, titles, positions, roles and displays of power over others. Most of these above values are not necessarily shared by other cultures, yet we assume they are and act accordingly. It is not only because of the insensitive things we may do, but also because of the sensitive things we do not do that I wrote the following poem: Sins of Omission It is not only what I say for I am seldom prejudiced in any obvious way It is what I don’t say: the forgetting, the not noticing the disregarding, the overlooking it is not only the support not given it is not knowing when it is needed I do not sin by commission anymore I sin by omission So take a moment and think through what differing value systems may exist that you could examine as possibly also valid. — Natasha Josefowitz taught the first course in the U.S. on women in management and is the author of 19 books. She lives at White Sands La Jolla.