Diversity - Stereotyping, conclusion

This post adds some examples of stereotyping from William Sonnenschein The Practical Executive and Workforce Diversity (Lincolnwood: NTC Business Books, 1997) p. 57-8. Sonnenschein produces a table taken from Lee Gardenschwartz and Anita Rowe Managing Diversity (New York: Irwin Professional Publishing, 1993) Gardenshwartz and Rowe contrast what they call Mainstream American Culture with what they call Different Cultures.


People in the former have “Explicit, direct communication. Emphasis on content – meaning found in words.” People in the latter have “Implicit, indirect communication Emphasis on context – meaning found around words.”

The former see "eating as a necessity." The latter see “dining as a social experience.” The former are “Linear. Logical. Sequential,” the latter are “Lateral, holistic, simultaneous. Accepting life’s difficulties.”

It is my contention that these types of generalizations are debatable and either irrelevant to workplaces or potentially harmful. Time spent on contrasting such obscure categories as "Mainstream American culture" and "Different Cultures" is wasteful of resources. The stereotypes defeat the conclusion that we are all individuals.

The next post will move from the topic of stereotyping to a view of history as a guide to Real Diversity.