You’ve probably heard of the glass ceiling that can restrict women’s upward mobility in the workplace, but what about the bamboo ceiling?
According to Jane Hyun’s research for her book, “Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling,” while Asians are well represented in entry-level positions, few advance to senior management ranks or corporate board positions because of cultural barriers or a lack of organizational resources. To help combat this trend, Hyun gave lessons in cultural fluency as part of NAVAIR’s national celebration of Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month May 15.
Cultural fluency, Hyun explained, is “the right mix of cultural awareness, knowledge, sensitivity and interpersonal astuteness needed to effectively navigate in a variety of organizational and cross-cultural contexts.”
Leaders who are culturally fluent have several core characteristics, according to Hyun, including the ability to see differences as an asset, an insatiable curiosity for learning, the ability to adapt to a variety of thinking and communication styles, and the willingness to play an active part in creating an inclusive culture.
Cultural fluency is necessary in the workplace because without it, Hyun explained, it can lead to interpersonal conflicts, unaligned teams, the inability to attract and retain diverse talent, insufficient communication and an alienated customer base.
“We all, as leaders and aspiring leaders, need to leverage this thing called cultural diversity,” she said.
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