The Multicultural Mind by David C. Thomas

Author:David C. Thomas
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Published: 2016-04-16T04:00:00+00:00

Monoculturals and a Multicultural Mind

One of the key ways to overcome the negative issues associated with stereotypes is to help monoculturals think more like multiculturals. To do that requires monoculturals to model their development on the experience that leads to a multicultural mind. It is not possible to precisely duplicate the informal experiences of multiculturals that result in a multicultural mind. However, a range of formal methods are available that have been effective in improving the ability of individuals to function in foreign contexts and with culturally different others. The most rigorous of these methods attempts to approximate the multicultural experience. A useful categorization of methods based on social learning theory (the idea that learning is a mental process that involves observing the behavior and attitudes of others, and the outcomes of those behaviors)15 is shown in figure 6.1.

As shown in the figure, factual training involves books, lectures, and briefings about people from a specific background. Learners are passive receptacles for information. Analytical training such as case studies or language training requires more active engagement. Experiential training such as role plays or simulations involves the highest level of mental involvement. All of these methods can be effective in learning about other people who are different, but, all things being equal, the most effective methods of developing a multicultural mind are the ones with the most rigor. These methods require the evaluation and reconciliation of differences in values, attitudes, and assumptions about appropriate behavior that leads to a multicultural mind. As discussed in chapter 9, organizations that rely on less rigorous methods to address cultural diversity issues are missing the opportunity to change the way monoculturals think. The obligatory lecture on “valuing diversity” that is prevalent in so many organizations has little if any effect. While formal training has its role in managing diversity, other more experiential avenues may hold more promise.

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