Not celebrating Christmas, and not having time off from school for Persian religious holidays, has always made me take great notice of the fact that I am "different." As I have matured, however, I have come to appreciate this difference, and to realize that everyone truly is "different" in many ways. It took me quite awhile to come to this realization and to fully accept my culturally diverse identity as a Persian-American, but now that I have I realize that the diversity I struggled with in my youth has actually given me a great advantage in modern society. I am already prepared and well equipped not only to "deal with" cultural diversity, but to actively engage and navigate a world where it is commonplace.
Learning to not only tolerate but to utilize cultural diversity in the workplace can be very difficult. Even something considered as standard by many people such as a basic work ethic can be reflected and understood very differently by people of different cultures. Many "full American" peers of mine (for lack of a better term) believe that they work as hard as they should, and indeed they often accomplish quite a lot. The work ethic I inherited from my parents and my Persian background requires almost sole dedication to a task until it is accomplished, however, and I realized early on that I studied more than most of my friends. In the workplace, different cultural expectations along these lines can lead to conflict; it is essential that all necessary work in the organization be accomplished as efficiently and correctly...
This is only one basic example of the problems that can arise in work vs. social situations when it comes to cultural diversity.
My own identity has been shaped by both the Persian and the American culture. There are still things in these cultures that I feel are largely mutually exclusive, and when I encounter situations that have different cultural answers I must make a personal decision as to what to do. My diverse background has enabled me to make such decisions with a large degree of confidence, however, and I would not trade my cultural or personal identity for anything. Though it might seem simpler in the shot term to belong to only a single culture, in the long-term I can already see that my diversity has enabled me to develop a much more comprehensive view of the world.
References
Carnevale, a. & Stone, S. (1994). "Diversity beyond the golden rule." Training and development, pp. 22-39.
During, J. & Mirabdolbaghi, Z. (1991). The art of Persian music. New York: Mage publishing.
Fordham. (2007). "Persia." Internet ancient history sourcebook. Accessed 8 September 2009. http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/asbook05.html
Woods, S. (2009). "Workplace diversity." Cornell university ILR school. Accessed 8 September 2009. http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/library/research/subjectguides/workplacediversity.html
