Cultural diversity in the Australian early childhood education workforce: What do we know, what don’t we know and why is it important?

This paper reviews current literature and research relevant to the Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Early Childhood Education (ECE) workforce in Australia, including data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Australia is a highly multicultural society, with one out of every three people born overseas. Anecdotally, the Australian early childhood sector is reported to have a highly multicultural workforce. Yet there is a noticeable lack of data and research concerning cultural diversity in the Australian ECE workforce. This paper reports on the data from the ABS-Census of Population and Housing (ABS-Census), the small body of literature on the CALD ECE workforce and literature pertaining to CALD in other Australian workforces to argue that more data and research is needed. Developing a richer understanding of the status, experience and contributions of CALD educators would enable the sector to recognise and support the potential benefits of such a workforce for children and families and social cohesion in Australia.

Managing Global Teams and a Multicultural Workforce

In order to enable organisations to succeed in contemporary times, it has become necessary for them to draw upon a range of actors located in different geographies. Instead of viewing the multiple cultures of employees located in different geographies as hindrances, it is useful for teams to view them as sources for designing a unique culture. Also, teams may benefit from embracing the paradoxes that are inherent to the context of globally distributed members. Teams need to recognize that the issue of utmost importance is the growth and evolution of their project. In order for a project to achieve its objectives, teams may need to build a balance between individual contributions and collective deliberations.

Assessing Self-Reported Competence Among Registered Nurses Working as a Culturally Diverse Work Force in Public Hospitals in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Introduction: Nurses in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) represent a multicultural workforce who are educated in different countries from around the world. The purpose was to assess professional competence among a multicultural workforce of registered nurses in KSA in relation to individual and work-related factors. Method: The Nurse Professional Competence Scale was used in a cross-sectional design. Results: Registered nurses ( N = 541) reported highest scores for “nursing care,” and “value-based nursing care,” and lowest scores for “care pedagogics,” and “development, leadership, and organization of nursing care.” All CAs achieved 0.80 or more Cronbach’s alpha. Known-group validity was verified by comparing nurse managers and staff nurses competence in organization, administration, and leadership of nursing care ( p = .000). Discussion: There is room for competence development in care pedagogics, and development, leadership, and organization of nursing care. Assessing registered nurses competence is of importance for planning and implementing cultural congruent nursing care.

Do multicultural faculty members perform well in higher educational institutions?

Purpose Globalization has brought many challenges to organizations, namely, in managing the performance of multicultural workforces to achieve organizational objectives. Past researchers have highlighted many factors that influence the employee’s performance, but the nature and scope of these factors is limited to the conventional setting. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to develop a comprehensive framework to better understand the role of the psychological diversity climate, HRM practices and personality traits (Big Five) in job satisfaction and performance of the multicultural workforce. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 258 faculty members working in Saudi Arabia’s higher educational sector. Structural equation modeling was used with Amos 18 to analyze the data. Findings The findings of this study suggest that managers should adopt diversity practices to improve the psychological diversity climate among multicultural workforce. In addition, diversity training and unbiased performance appraisal systems also increase the faculty member’s job satisfaction and performance in multicultural settings. Finally, managers should consider openness to culture and sociability traits while selecting faculty members to work in multicultural settings. Originality/value This framework has never been tested in higher educational institutions and in multicultural setting.

Essential Skills for Leadership Development in a Multicultural Organization

This research was conducted to address leadership concerns regarding managers’ effectiveness in leading a multicultural workforce. Essential leadership skills for frontline managers were explored via pilot study interviews and a follow-on survey. Six leadership skills were identified and prioritized that are currently informing the company’s new leadership development program initiative.

Managing a Diverse Workforce

Today's business leaders tout the value of a multicultural workforce. This is built on the idea offered through research that the contributions of diverse sets of people, who have experienced the world in different ways, will produce innovative responses to issues confronting the organization. As a consequence, contemporary businesses have focused on improving their recruitment strategies to reflect the core values they espouse. This chapter proposes to explore a number of diversity variables; ageism, sexual orientation, gender, race and ethnicity, religion and disability, with the objective of improving our understanding of how and why they matter to organizations. The chapter acknowledges the contributions of scholars and practitioners, who continue to make the business case for inclusion as a strategic priority in an evolving and complex global environment. It is recommended that organizations reinforce their strategic vision about multiculturalism through training and development programs that will validate the importance of the initiatives being pursued.

Leading across cultural borders: a communitarian approach to global development

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the community development experiences of a communitarian leader who has worked with various global institutions. Through interviews and the examination of lived experiences, findings yield new insights into the complexity of human identity and the flexibility of decision making in a multicultural setting. The narrative also aims to inform current discourse on leadership in the non-profit sector. Design/methodology/approach Narrative analysis was used to investigate outcomes and relay the personal anecdotes of the interview participant. Formal and open-ended questioning generated comprehensive responses concerning the participant’s personal and professional interactions while completing work-related tasks for global development projects. In general, questions that referenced conflict among colleagues, cultural proclivities, and gendered decision making allowed the participant to expound on answers that explored workplace relationships, organizational structures, and leadership perspectives. Interview responses were examined for emergent patterns or categories and detailed analysis of codes from interviews guided the creation of four key themes: feminine ethos, organizational identity, self-perception, and sociocultural interaction. Findings The narrative delves into the important human and humanitarian experiences that have shaped the professional life of Dr Thomas Bruce, an exemplar of leadership in the global non-profit sector. Bruce, a self-described communitarian, served as Chairman of the Board of Directors at Heifer International and oversaw community outreach initiatives in South Africa for the Kellogg Foundation. Based on Bruce’s knowledge, expertise, and responses, findings suggest global leaders take a multidimensional approach to colleague interaction and project completion. Narrative outcomes also indicate the evolving nature of grassroots initiatives requires both assertive and cooperative management styles. Research limitations/implications Due to the chosen research method, findings focus on the experiences of one global non-profit leader. Narrative outcomes are unique and may not have the requisite data to be applied to cases or situations beyond the global non-profit sector. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to interview other leaders who have worked on global humanitarian initiatives to further understand their diverse experiences. Practical implications The narrative includes practical implications for practitioners who oversee global development projects and other humanitarian initiatives in an interdependent world. Use of compromise, collaboration, and compassion often aid community outreach efforts and strengthen communication in the workplace, particularly for leaders who manage a multicultural workforce. Social implications In an interdependent world shaped by the forces of globalization and cosmopolitanism, leaders of global non-profit organizations regularly manage a multicultural workforce and resolve public disputes in order to address prevailing humanitarian challenges. Understanding the lessons learned by one exemplar in the global non-profit sector can aid cross-cultural communication and enhance community development activities in various countries. Originality/value This narrative fills an identified need to study and understand how global leaders work with diverse communities and a multicultural workforce to complete important institutional and humanitarian goals.