Session Summary

Session Number:180
Session ID:S39
Session Title:Cultural Complexity in the Workplace: Asian and Hispanic Dialogues on the Journey Toward Pluralism
Short Title:Cultural Complexity
Session Type:Showcase Symposium
Hotel:Hyatt West
Floor:LL2
Room:Regency Ball D(N)
Time:Monday, August 09, 1999 8:30 AM - 10:20 AM

Sponsors

GDO  (Audrey Murrell)amurrell@katz.business.pitt.edu (412) 648-1651 
IM  (Farok Contractor)farok@andromeda.rutgers.edu (973) 353-5348 

General People

Organizer Reyes, Ana Maria  U. of Pennsylvania reyesam@wharton.upenn.edu (215)925-7828 
Organizer Yakura, Elaine  Michigan State U. yakura@pilot.msu.edu (517) 353-5158 
Presenter Thatchenkery, Tojo Joseph George Mason U. joseph@gmu.edu 703-993-3808 
Presenter Holvino, Evangelina  Chaos Management Ltd. chaos@sover.net (802)257-5218 
Presenter Ferdman, Bernardo M. California School of Professional Psychology bferdman@cspp.edu (619) 623-2777 ex. 362 
Presenter Teagarden, Mary  Thunderbird teagarden@t-bird.edu 602.978.7052 
Presenter Brannen, Mary Yoko San Jose State U. branne_m@cob.sjsu.edu 408-924-3580 
Presenter Yang, Elena  Independent Consultant/Educator yangea@earthlink.net (610) 793-3213 
Presenter Xin, Katherine R. U. of Southern California kxin@sba.usc.edu (213)-740-5894 

Submissions

Abstract

The management literature has been enriched in recent years by new research, exploring the experiences of a variety of diverse groups in U.S. organizations. This research is critical to management theory because it reflects the growing diversity of the workforce. Hispanics" and "Asians" represent the broad range and complexity of socially constructed dimensions of human difference involved in the management of diversity on a global scale. In the US, these groups also share the complex personal and professional identity development and intergroup relationship processes created by multi-nationalism, multi-lingualism, multi-culturalism, inter-generational acculturation issues, and designated minority status in organizations. While these ethnic categories are a welcome addition to the management literature, they are also exceedingly complicated, defying simplification. The crucial question is, how can we understand this kind of complexity and represent it more faithfully in the literature? One way is to begin exploring our own identities as "Asian" and "Hispanic" management researchers and practitioners and examining the links between the meaning and content of our identities and our work, i.e., how aspects of our identities inform our research, our method, our choice of topics, our writing, our teaching, and our practice and vice versa. The symposium design will retain the "polyocular perspective" of the 9 through the use of individual narratives (i.e., "self-representations") and collaborative analysis (i.e., analysis of narrative themes through dialogue within and between the "Asian" and the "Hispanic" subgroups). The interactive symposium presentation format will showcase these methodologies through the use of a fishbowl design.