Document Actions
Mini-Lesson, Spring 2009
Throughout your life you have associated with many groups – geographic, socio-economic, educational, professional, religious, gender-related, and more. Some of these groups have strongly shaped your values, norms, believes and ways of operating. By definition, a group that influences these deep-seated qualities is considered a culture. You have many cultures; some of which can have a dominant role in your life. We become so comfortable operating in any one of our cultures that we don’t even think about how it influences our actions and reactions, especially if we are only associating with those in our like culture(s). The only time, we may ever seem to notice it, is if someone –from another culture- doesn’t speak or behave the same way.
Consider some of the cultural associations below:
• Family, (parents, sibling, grandparents, extended family, spouse, children)• Geographic location (country, neighborhood, childhood, present residence)
• Religion or Spirituality (early years, currently)
• Education (school, college, continuing)
• Friends (childhood, current, colleagues/co-workers)
• Professional Life (field, position)
1. Describe some of the values, rules, norms, and adopted beliefs of these groups.
2. How have these deep-seated qualities impacted your life and work?
3. What has been your reaction when someone that might be from a different culture behaves differently than your norms?
From Managing Diversity in Health Care Manual by Lee Gardenswartz and Anita Rowe. Copyright © 1999 by Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, CA
