It is very interesting to compare America’s individualistic mindset to Japan’s collectivist mindset. In America, there is constant competition and goal to get to the top. It is refreshing to hear about how another country is able to excel by having an extraordinary amount of “group effort and team spirit” (Honda 1). But this difference can be seen as both a negative and positive way. First off, the negative perspective is that there is very “little opportunity for individual creativity” (Honda 5) since the goal is to conform and have no disagreements. But in a positive light, this helps holds the group together and highlights the importance of teamwork and a sense of belonging to a group.
What I thought about most when reading the Americans working in Japan is how important it is to become a global engineer and learn how to be accepting and respectful of other cultures. Thinking about different cultures, I start to think about the United States. Especially in California, we are quite diverse and have many different people and people who have acculturated by combining U.S. culture with their own culture. But in Cal Poly, where there is such a lack of diversity, we don’t really get a chance to meet others who are different than ourselves. With a society comes dominant images and culture and it is inevitable to believe in that dominance when you have nothing else to compare it to. As a state school, we lack international students compared to private schools. How do we become understanding and accepting of others when we can’t even meet people with different cultures? And even if we did have people with different cultures at our school, how do we have everyone be able to get out of their own friends circle, which is usually a homogeneous group consisting people of their own race, and into a diverse circle?
Those who have been able to encounter different cultures have gained and thrived “as global thinkers, to make them far reaching in the way they look at things” (Legg), along with being able to learn how to work with different people in another culture. This idea of global thinkers is very similar to why diversity is a benefit. With different cultures, values, experiences, etc. comes different perspectives and thoughts that would help us not only in our education, such as in classroom discussions, but also for us as people to grow aware and accepting of someone different from ourselves. I’m not only talking about race and ethnicity but also other factors that shape a person like gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, religion, etc. I’m not saying that our engineers cannot become global engineers, but I think that diversity (a diverse staff and diverse student body) for Cal Poly can become a step and the beginning into becoming a thriving global engineer.
Honda (1992), “Working in Japan: An Insider’s Guide”.
Legg (1989), “American Engineers in Japan: Same Profession: Different World”.
I agree with you that an appreciation and finesse in dealing with diversity is a key component to being a globally competent engineer. I believe that being well-versed in diversity relating to race relations, is knowing that race is only a social construct, and has no scientific basis whatsoever. We can however, talk about ethnic differences to be able to mediate between cultures. Facing ethnic diversity in the workforce can bring worthy issues to light, for the better. I think one really important trait that it helps foster is awareness, and I feel that awareness and acting upon that awareness fosters ethically-minded people.
ReplyDeleteA project that comes to mind to foster awareness is “White Privilege” by Peggy McIntosh; her project aims to compile an constantly -expanding list of ways, subtle and not-so-subtle, in which the white population is privileged in our culture. This includes as genius an example as the fact that bandages are sold in “flesh” color, but are not representative of all skin tones, namely darker ones.
Once we address disparaging differences, we set ourselves up to enjoy the benefits of diversity: untapped creativity. I feel that in discussing diversity, we are engaged in a discourse about what is right and fair, which is no doubt essential. However, we must not look at introducing diversity as a chore, as I agree with you that it is a benefit we can no longer afford to cast away.