Chapitre 14 - Cultural Diversity in Business
Travailler et vendre dans un monde multiculturel.
Reading Comprehension
Based on the Hult.edu article from Découvrir. Answer in English.
13 Benefits and Challenges of Cultural Diversity in the Workplace
Embracing cultural diversity in the workplace is an important first step for businesses that want to be competitive on an international scale. From the Virgin Group to Disney and PricewaterhouseCoopers, organizations across industries are embracing the benefits of a diverse workforce. But with benefits necessarily come challenges of working across borders, cultures, and languages.
Benefit - Diverse cultural perspectives can inspire creativity and drive innovation
Diversity of thought has been shown to breed creativity and drive innovation, helping to solve problems and meet customer needs in new and exciting ways. A study from Forbes echoed this notion, concluding that "the best way to ensure the development of new ideas is through a diverse and inclusive workforce."
Benefit - Diverse teams are more productive and perform better
The range of experience, expertise, and working methods that a diverse workplace offers can boost problem-solving capacity and lead to greater productivity. As an article in the Harvard Business Review argues: "working on diverse teams produces better outcomes precisely because it's harder."
Challenge - Different understandings of professional etiquette
Colleagues from different cultures can also bring with them different workplace attitudes, values, behaviors, and etiquette. For instance, the expectation of formality, organizational hierarchy, and even working hours can conflict across cultures.
Source : hult.edu/blog - Hult International Business School · Level: B2
1 According to the article, why is embracing cultural diversity important for businesses?
2 True or False - then justify in one sentence.
"According to the Harvard Business Review, diverse teams perform worse because working together is harder."
3 According to the article, what is one challenge of professional etiquette in a multicultural workplace?
4 Name two companies mentioned in the article as examples of embracing diversity.
5 In your own words, summarise the main idea of this article in two or three sentences.
Grammar Spotlight - Gerunds & Infinitives
Observe → Comprends → Applique.
Observe
These sentences are taken from the Hult.edu article you just read.
The Rule
| Form | Used for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| gerund (verb+ing) | as a subject, or after certain verbs (enjoy, avoid, suggest…) | Working abroad can be very enriching. |
| infinitive (to + verb) | to express purpose, or after certain verbs/adjectives (want, decide, important…) | We want to expand into new markets. |
Structure:
Exercice A - Choose gerund or infinitive
Base: A team travels together to meet international clients regularly. This is very useful for the business. (travel)
Base: It is essential that a company respects local customs. (respect)
Base: Managers should not avoid discussing cultural misunderstandings. (discuss)
Exercice B - Gap-fill
Our company has decided _______ (open) a new office in Vietnam next year.
_______ (adapt) your communication style to your audience is a key professional skill.
Lexis in Action
Match, classify, and use the key vocabulary from this chapter.
A Matching - Term → Definition
B Gap-fill - Complete the sentences
1. A truly __________ workplace makes everyone feel welcome and valued.
2. In some cultures, the organizational __________ is very formal, and employees rarely question their manager.
3. Good training can help __________ communication misunderstandings between colleagues.
4. Companies that __________ diversity often perform better internationally.
Guided Writing Task
Mobilise everything you've learnt about gerunds, infinitives, and cultural diversity.
Write 80-100 words in English about why cultural diversity matters for a business you know (real or imaginary). Use at least one gerund and one infinitive correctly.
Sentence Starters
Word Bank
Your Writing
Self-evaluation Checklist
Embracing cultural diversity helps a business understand its customers better. Working with colleagues from different backgrounds encourages new ideas and reduces the risk of relying on stereotypes when entering a new market. It is important to train staff to be culturally sensitive, especially before launching a product abroad. Companies that fail to adapt their communication style often make costly mistakes. Overall, building an inclusive, diverse workforce is not just fair - it makes good business sense too.