The Importance of Engaging

My first day at IMI's Annual Conference was inspiring, enlightening, and informational. As someone who works, lives, and breathes culture, it was nice to be in the company of like-minded folks. An overall theme of the day for me was engagement. It is not enough to simply do your research and pass the test-- one must apply their learnings on the ground and ENGAGE. For one to claim to be culturally competent or inclusive, he or she must understand, respect, and engage with those who embody other cultures.

The first session I attended was all about "Transformational Diversity" which is a shift from the old way of thinking about diversity as race and gender to a more strategic framework of minorities-integration-synergy-performance. In order to change organizational cultures, it is important to create an inclusive environment with actions in place that value and respect difference.

My second session was titled "The Cultural Dimensions of Plane Crashes" which was all about the Case of Avianca Flight 052. This interactive session really provided insight into how cultural differences can influence life and death decisions.

After hearing a great keynote address from Lara Logan, CBS 60 Minutes correspondent, I went to my third session that dealt with multigenerational issues within HR policies. Again, I mention the importance of engagement here because I find that generational issues in the workplace can be minimized by simply engaging respectfully with your colleagues of all ages. As groups discussed their organizational HR issues, the overall theme seemed to be the need to develop understanding amongst all employees around technology and policies.

My last session of the day was titled "Diversafari" and was all about including graphics and exercises when creating a training program. This session was all about engagement with others, from learning how they relate to the Diversity Wheel, to learning how they handle being on the inside and the outside of a group. When working in teams, this type of information is so useful for reaching the organizations' ultimate goals.

Overall, I have to say that today reinforced that I am in the right field. Working to help others understand the value of culture, diversity, and inclusion is a job that can never end. People must ask questions, share experiences, respect others, and continue the process of engaging in order build inclusive environments.

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