Outliers Reflection

This in turn can increase the creativity and innovation within organizations. As well, individuals from diverse backgrounds are able to provide companies with insight into foreign business practices, translation assistance, and offer detailed information to assist in market penetration. A diverse working team can also improve decision making by providing different perspectives on problems. Individuals embrace working alongside other cultures, as it is a personal learning process that will prove useful in the future.

When looking at diversity in the workplace, many people and companies encourage it. “Cultural diversity has become a defining characteristic of an increasing number of societies” (“Consequences of Cultural diversity” this should be the author and the date). They feel that it is a great thing to have diversity in the workplace, however, what some companies do not think about is the negative effects of having too much diversity in the workplace. “A workforce that has significant differences in ethnicity, race, religion, gender and other individual traits can produce negative effects, especially if not well-managed. These negative effects of diversity are understandable if the work culture does not support tolerance and acceptance of

Culture lead to Success "The lesson here is very simple. But it is striking how often it is overlooked. We are so caught in, the myth of the best and the brightest and the self-made that we think outliers spring naturally from the earth"(268 Gladwell). In Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, gives an inspiring tale of how people become successful. He tunes our thought on what we think about when we hear the word, "self-made man".

Communicators who succeed in a diverse workplace must educate themselves about different cultures and co-cultures. Treating people from different cultural backgrounds with respect is essential. Finally, being willing to acknowledge and discuss cultural differences can help communicators understand and appreciate one another. The impact of culture and listening is very important in everyday life. Think about how many times you have had problems understanding someone from a different culture or even a different sub-culture. Now think about how many times someone from a different cultural background may have had problems understanding you. I know realize once that e-mail was

The Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell attempts to explain the reasons why people become successful in both controlled and uncontrolled environment. He uses different stories and studies to explain what makes a person who there are. For example, in chapter one Gladwell says that successful hockey players if born early in the calendar year this will make them stand out physically among other boys who are several months younger than they are. Gladwell says that over time, the opportunities that these players have has help them build up to make them better players. So, Gladwell uses a sociological perspective to try to explain the reasons for people's success.

The outliers I have grown up hearing about include Warren Buffet, Steve Jobs, and Bill Gates. These people, just like any other extremely successful people, work harder than everybody else to be to where they are. Also, they are willing to fail, because they know that in order to succeed they must learn from their failures. Clearly, to become extremely successful a person has to have that burning passion for what he or she does, has to do more than what is required, and has to be talented. Talent alone is not enough to become the world’s next billionaire. Talent, preparation, opportunity, and connections are needed to become an outlier. In the book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell shows just how equally important luck and opportunity is to

Words, expressions, and gestures possess dissimilar meanings among different cultures. There is potential for the intended meaning to be misconstrued by the other party, which will result in friction among the groups. Another threat is the potential of cultural shocks, in which certain members of a diverse setting may not be able to adjust or understand the other cultures. In an organization where this is most likely to occur, dissatisfied employees may respond with high rates of absenteeism or turnover. Lower performance on the job may also result, which would have a significantly negative effect on the well being of the company. Diversity has been proven to foster the productivity of teams. However, this diversity also increases the number of ideas raised, and can be more time consuming to reach a consensus regarding particular decisions or suggestions.

Born in Hampshire, England on September 3, 1963 to parents Joyce Gladwell and Graham Gladwell, Malcolm T. Gladwell was intrigued by the fundamental ideas of mathematics and psychology from a young age. After graduating from the University of Toronto, and accepting some not so appealing jobs, he finally landed a spot on the staff of The New Yorker. Spending time on this fast-paced journalistic endeavor and writing some out-of-the-ordinary pieces inspired Gladwell to go back to his roots, and explore the principals of psychology. In 2008, he published his third book, Outliers: A Story of Success. This novel explores the circumstances in which people are given the opportunity to be successful in their respective fields, based on their surroundings, along with personal drive, and perseverance to be the best. Gladwell wrote this novel to give his audience an in-depth explanation of the fact that people such as athletes, actors, and millionaires don’t simply become something from nothing based on luck- they must put in the work to be successful.

From my perspective, cultural competence goes beyond tolerance for differences like ethnicity, age, gender, religion or sexual orientation. It’s not just about understanding diversity; it’s about diversity and inclusion. It requires allowing your professional and personal selves to be put in situations that push you outside of your comfort zone.

I am a strong believer in inclusion of ample cultural and social variety. Not just because it is right, but because it makes any work place, and our world,

As there are many cultural differences in the world, working all together can sometime be

"Culture is more often a source of conflict than of synergy. Cultural differences are nuisance at best and often a disaster." - Dr. Geert Hofstede

The importance of understanding cultural, ethnic and gender differences by managers and professionals in a business setting is essential to make the work environment comfortable. In every culture there are basic standards of thinking, and acting and these cultural differences strongly influence workplace values and communication. What may be considered acceptable and natural in the workplace for one person may be unacceptable for another person. People from diverse cultures bring new ways of thinking, creativity and language skills needed to survive in today’s work force. In many

Being around people who are different from us makes us more creative, more diligent and harder-working.

My return to Korea in the summer of 2001 was nothing short of a culture shock. I was in a country I thought I had learned by heart. It was the country I always rooted my identity and pride from. I wasn’t ready for the shock. I