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Working with Gender, Culture, Race and Age Editor: Dr Jonathan Passmore
Press
Release Association
for Coaching, London. January 15, 2009
Business
managers need to raise their game when it comes to dealing with people who are
different to themselves. Many organisations operate internationally, or do business
with other countries with different cultures.
All
will have diversity
within their own workforce - people of different ages, gender or race who have
different values and ways of behaving.
Understanding
and working with diversity is the focus of a new book, launched by the Association
for Coaching.
The book, called Diversity in Coaching, Working with Gender, Culture, Race and
Age is edited by Dr Jonathan Passmore, Director of the Coaching Psychology Unit
at East London University and is published by Kogan Page, priced £24.95.
Diversity
in Coaching provides useful information for any organisation with a culturally
diverse workforce. It provides an overview of the different cultures, traditions
and religions that motivate people across the globe and features a number of countries
and territories including Europe, North America, Australasia, South Africa, Brazil,
China, the Middle East, India, Russia and Japan.
Authors
of the book examine where organisations typically cross the line between business
and cultural values and offer techniques to help get the best from a culturally
diverse workforce.
Differences in gender also feature within the book with emphasis on some of the
key differences between Alpha males and Alpha females. It provides an insight
into what drives our business leaders, both male and female and where they can
typically fall short. Age difference is an area often overlooked and misunderstood
by business leaders who may have different ambitions and values to their older
counterparts.
Bob Garvey, author of this chapter comments: “Older people offer invaluable experience,
yet as people age, there can be individual developmental and psychological challenges
that can result in shifts in behaviour, attitude and motivations.
Understanding
these issues can enable a different approach to age transition and minimises the
tendency to sterotype older people as obstructive, difficult or reluctant to change.”
Jonathan Passmore, editor of the book comments, “The UK's workforce is becoming
increasingly diverse and as a result, professional cultures have been forced to
merge and embrace diverse skill sets in order to remain competitive.
Cultural
differences between individuals increase the complexity of the leadership role
and leaders need to demonstrate cross-cultural awareness if they are to be truly
effective in today’s diverse business environment.”
Diversity in Coaching is the third in a series of books commissioned by the Association
for Coaching and is likely to have the broadest appeal to date. Previous books
include Excellence in Coaching and Psychometrics in Coaching. The book will be
available from 16th February, 2009, available from www.associationforcoaching.com
