Culture is the celebration of diversity. Let us therefore not deny our origin; but instead celebrate ours as a cultural mosaic not a tower of Babel, but a power of Babel - Ali A. Mazrui

On May 21 we celebrated the UNESCO-led World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, an annual commemoration that champions the diversity of world cultures as well as the importance of intercultural dialogue for forging a peaceful, cooperative future. In honor of the holiday, Avanade European Executive Sponsor for Race and Ethnicity Prachi Kumar reflects on growing up in a multicultural environment in Mumbai and the importance of bridging cultural gaps in the workplace.  

Culture is an essential part of who we are

Culture shapes our identities in countless ways. The culture we grow up in determines the language we speak, the religion we practice, the traditions we observe, the foods we eat and the values we uphold. Our cultural background influences our beliefs and opinions on important issues like politics, race and gender.

Our cultural background can also affect how we see ourselves in relation to others, and how much (or how little) we understand people who come from different backgrounds. This lack of common ground can result in what is commonly called a cultural gap, which hinders cross-cultural relations and mutual understanding.

Bridging the cultural gap

It is only through intentional effort and acceptance of different cultures that cultural gaps can be bridged. It takes willingness and desire to understand different cultures. Communities that make such efforts show an appreciation for diversity and view cultural differences as a gateway for building and growing their own community. Including people from other cultures into their community provides new insights and appreciation of different, diverse groups. They gain a new perspective of the world at large.

I was born and brought up in the city of Mumbai. As the commercial capital of India, Mumbai has always attracted residents from different parts of India with diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds, speaking different languages, following varied religions and practicing a wide range of cultural traditions. I was therefore exposed to cultural and ethnic diversity since I was a toddler. Born to a Hindu family, I studied in a Christian school that was attached to a convent; meanwhile, I also had Muslim neighbors, Jewish and Zoroastrian friends. Later, in my work life I spent time in the U.S. and have now resided in Germany for 14 years. I have also had the privilege of working with colleagues who come from various cultural backgrounds, which has added another dimension to my experience with different cultures.

Through my journey, I have experienced the good, but also not so good examples of handling cultural diversity.

I realized that communities that foster a desire to understand and embrace cultural differences create harmonious relationships and harness the strength in cultural diversity. Communities that fail to do so land up in conflicts that can have far reaching consequences for humanity in general.

The same applies to our workplace as well. As employees come together to achieve shared goals and outcomes at work, each one brings their own ways of thinking and conduct primed by one´s cultural upbringing, experience , and most importantly, one´s exposure to other cultures. Unless there are initiatives to constantly raise awareness about different cultures at the workplace, working effectively in cross-cultural teams can become an arduous journey for employees.

UNESCO recognizes the importance of promoting respect, mutual understanding and conducive dialogue among cultures to create communities that can offer people more fulfilling, intellectual, moral and purposeful lives, and so do we at Avanade.

Cultural diversity at Avanade

At Avanade, we support a workplace that encourages everyone to show up as their full, authentic selves. We inspire greatness by empowering every voice. We also understand that by enhancing our cross-cultural awareness, we can have more inclusive teams where everyone feels like they belong, so we promote cultural awareness tools with all employees.

Here are some of the other ways we uplift cultural diversity at Avanade:

• We are proud to sponsor a Multicultural Employee Network, with five regional chapters across the globe and I feel honored to be the Executive Sponsor of our Europe Beyond Employee Network
• Our Culture Cafés provide a platform for our employees to share about their culture heritage and traditions from which we can all learn
• Employee networks frequently partner with other groups to host events and promote intercultural dialogue, sharing and learning from one another

We are proud of how multicultural we are as an organization. Embracing cultural diversity is not a one-time event – it is a journey that we have to take together. While there are initiatives that we are driving, they can only be successful if each one of us is willing to understand, embrace and even celebrate different cultures.

Let´s come together to co-create an all-inclusive, respectful, harmonious, joyful, nurturing and a beautiful cultural mosaic at Avanade and beyond.