Is Inclusion Valid Globally?

I’m curious regarding the validity and application of the concept of inclusion in a country with an overwhelmingly homogeneous majority population coming from a single ethnic group.

The concept of inclusion seemed to evolve from the context of ethnic diversity in the US where there is not just only a United States government, but many different races with different cultural, social, and economic backgrounds who are not really united! They needed a law to ensure the diversity, if not, then…!

Since we’re talk about global inclusion, and not just inclusion in the US, let’s look out to the world, at the globalization trend. Let’s try to be more inclusive! Right! More US companies have branched out to other countries which have traditionally one majority ethnic such as Vietnam, Japan, Korea, and Russia...Then a simple question emerges: is the inclusion concept is still valid in those countries?

Let’s take Vietnam, my homeland, as an example. It is a country with roughly 80 million people with 54 different ethnicities. That makes it sound like a very diverse country. However, out of that population, 70 million are Kinh people and they dominate urban centers, the coastlines and deltas. The ethnic minorities live mostly on mountainous areas. Most of the labor force in the country’s economic engines such as Hanoi (8 million people)and Ho Chi Minh city (8 million people) are Kinh, a single ethnic group! It sounds like they are all included in a social setting which they have formed for themselves and enjoy their culture norms which have evolved for about four thousand years.

If we look around in Asia, several countries have similar conditions, such as Korea, Japan, and Taiwan. They have a kind of homogenous society! Nobody seems to be excluded! Or at least most people are included. Evidence, they don’t need a law to ensure diversity to eliminate discrimination!

So when it come to these situations, the question is, is the concept of inclusion still valid? I think it is!

Firstly, though living in a homogenous culture, people come to factories and companies with many different mind sets, different concerns, and different social and economic conditions and statuses, and with different talents.

I don't need to cite too much here! As we may agree that, personal and institutional performance are affected by:

1) personal capacity, skills, and talents;

2) the energy and materials invested in the job (from individual and organization)

3) the institutional setting allowing people to perform;

4) the emotional environment, which could help them to expand beyond the average standard with proper encouragement; and

5) personal values which may lead to self-sacrifice! For example, due to the value of family, religious or country, some people could sacrifice themselves, even their lives, for that value!

Once they come to the workplace, most people behave in an institutionalized environment with institutionalized behaviors! The institutionalization of behaviors is framed by task guides, accountability and liability. Also, don't forget that in a culture which has been strongly influenced by Confucian philosophy, people tend to obey the layers of the power structure above them, and tend to wait for direction in a very passive way. Furthermore, for quite a long time, in a society in which formal social spaces have been strongly formalized and have strong value, people try to separate work relationships from their personal traits and background. These factors may hinder the ability of people to participate and initiate new ideas to improve performance in the companies.

Here you go! The inclusion concept and principles seem to have some value!

We need to encourage people to participate with their whole-self! Anyway, 8 hours at work are part of their life too! They are actually living during that 8 hours of working, right? And the workplace is also part of their living space. Relationships with co-workers are also part of their social lives. If people try to stop what they are, and who they are, then companies really lose a lot of potential.

In recent research and efforts to adapt to changes, such as conflicts, globalization, or climate change, researchers have pointed out that we really need a lot of different types of capitals or assets and should try to nurture as much as potentiality as possible. Why? The more diverse the system, the better chance the organization may survive!

Diversity is necessary and important, but it is not enough! I am sure all member of IFI agree with this, and if you happen not to agree, then let’s look around and think about that. We need to have the system and environment which enable us to convert these assets into capital! from there, capital could create value added outputs! sound like a capitalist isn't it?

In countries like Vietnam, Korea or Japan, the most important form of capital in the whole economy is HUMAN! Yes, human! The diversity of workforce in a country like Vietnam includes the differences in generations, experiences, creativity and motivations. Do they need a way to mobilize their assets and turn it into capital?

Yes! Organization is a human device! It is the way human make up our reality to achieve the thing one single individual could not make create. So if the organization needs to become bigger than what it used to be is, let it make everybody who is part of the organization bring more to their work and be eager to do so! Humans can make it happen and design in the way they want! They can either try to divide people’s life into separate realities or make them bring their whole-self to their workplace to share, learn, contribute their talents and abilities to the common goal of their organization.

That environment may be called an inclusive organization!

Some of you may ask, yeah, it is important, so what? How can we make that happen?

Easy! (Maybe) just join the Institute for Inclusion! Or ask member of the institution! Still couldn’t do it? Then let’s think about it, and keep thinking about that idea, the other may come!

Try it yourself! Isn’t it an interesting point, an organization starts from an individual!

Trust you! Trust me! And smile!

Thanh Vo