What makes someone Multicultural

Question 1

Why is it important to learn about multicultural employees in the workplace?

Answer 1

• international migration
• increase in multicultural employees
• culturally diverse teams will have multicultural employees
• you may become a multicultural employee in the future

Question 2

Who is multicultural?

Answer 2

A person who has knowledge of, identifies with, and has internalised more than one culture.

Question 3

Have in-depth knowledge about the culture

Answer 3

An individuals’ level of understanding about cultural values, norms, beliefs, and appropriate behaviors, including linguistic knowledge.

Question 4

Identifying with the culture (in-group mindset)

Answer 4

The degree to which individuals see themselves as cultural group members, and attach value and emotional significance to group members.

Question 5

Have internalised the culture

Answer 5

The degree to which societal cultural values, assumptions, beliefs, and practices are reflected in an individual’s own values, assumptions, beliefs, and practices.

Question 6

Different levels of categorizing oneself as multicultural (Vora et al., 2019)

Answer 6

• monocultural (knowledge, identification, or internalisation of only 1 culture)
• slightly multicultural (knowledge, identification, & internalised one culture and to a lesser extent another culture)
• moderately multicultural (knowledge & identification, but no internalisation of 2 or more cultures)
• Highly multicultural (knowledge, identification, & internalisation of 2 or more cultures)

Question 7

How literature defines multiculturalism (Vora et al., 2019)

Answer 7

YOU NEED TO RANK SLIGHTLY, MODERATELY, OR FULLY IN ALL THREE TO BE CONSIDERED MULTICULTURAL:
- knowledge (slightly, moderately, fully)
- identification (slightly, moderately, fully)
- internalisation (slightly, moderately, fully)
If you selected one cultural group (monocultural) for any one of these criteria: knowledge, identification, or internalisation - you would be considered monoculural overall (not multicultural). So even if you have knowledge of more than 2 cultures, if you do not identify, or have not internalised with more than one cultural group, then you will be considered monocultural.

Question 8

Q - Lecture

Answer 8

What’s the difference between identifying with & internalising a culture???/ How can you really be sure that you identify with the culture?
Identify - do you feel a part of that in-group or do you feel shunned? (do other people have the perception that you are part of their group? Interestingly, as a hapa, I have been able to get along or understand the language, yet I still don’t feel connected with the group of people i.e., church).

Question 9

Defining an individual as multicultural by context

Answer 9

History, geography, cultural heritage,interpersonal relations, & national polices.
- living in a countries with multiculturalism policies or colonial histories (Ng, 2010)
- individuals having more than one cultural ancestry (Amiot & de la Sablonniere, 2013)
* highly doubt this, because some people don’t even know their own nation’s history, so how could they be considered multicultural - knowing more than 2 cultures*
For example: hard to consider myself multicultural because:
- I can’t fluently speak Chinese
- I don’t read or write in the language
- I don’t watch the news from China
- I don’t know much about the history ( I only just started watching dramas)

Question 10

Defining multiculturalism by acculturation process

Answer 10

A sequential process through which someone adapts to a new cultural context, often after migration, and usually specifies a home or heritage culture, and a host, adopted, or mainstream culture (Berry, 1997)
For example: Mum would be multicultural, she is of Chinese cultural heritage, and has adapted to Aus:
- she has adjusted to the Australian culture / “way of life”
- she can get around on her own (25+ years of living in Aus)
- she has an intermediate grasp of the language and has studied in Aus (Yr 11 & 12)

Question 11

Defining an individual as multicultural by identification

Answer 11

Individuals may identify with more than one culture are considered multicultural. Somewhat related to acculturation - the degree to which individuals are affiliated with each of their cultures.

Question 12

Defining an individual as multicultural by skills & abilities

Answer 12

• Bilingual skills
• Bicultural competence (considered critical to expatriate adjustment & effectiveness {Bell & Harrison, 1996]
• Bridging behaviours (cultural & informational bridgers in cross-border contexts) [Sekiguchi, 2016]
  *useful for MNCs