Beyond Xenophobia: Building the Intercultural Team | Orson Horchler | TEDxThorntonAcademy
Summary
TLDRThe speaker shares experiences of working with immigrants in a construction crew, highlighting the challenges and joys of overcoming language barriers and cultural differences. Through stories of learning to communicate and collaborate despite limited common language, the talk emphasizes the importance of creating intercultural spaces where diverse backgrounds can exchange and learn from each other. It addresses the misconceptions and fears associated with cultural encounters and calls for a shared responsibility to support and understand immigrants, acknowledging the bravery and risks they take to be part of a new community.
Takeaways
- 😀 Communication can be simple even without a common language, relying on gestures and body language.
- 👷 Hiring and working with someone from a different cultural background can be challenging but rewarding.
- 🌐 The importance of learning and adapting to new cultural norms and behaviors in a multicultural work environment.
- 📚 The speaker's experience with an Albanian worker who learned one English word per weekend, illustrating gradual progress in communication.
- 🎶 Collaboration in a band and art projects despite language barriers, showcasing the power of shared experiences and creativity.
- 🌍 The diversity of the team members, hailing from various countries, and the value of their unique perspectives and ideas.
- 🤝 The strong bond formed among team members who become a 'family' in the absence of a support network in a new country.
- 🏗️ The acknowledgment that cultural behaviors are often misunderstood, leading to workplace challenges when not properly addressed.
- 🧐 The distinction between xenophobia as fear of the foreign and the discomfort that arises from cultural encounters.
- 🏢 The need for leaders and companies to understand and embrace cultural differences to create a supportive work environment.
- 🌈 The concept of an 'intercultural space' where all cultures can exchange and learn from one another, fostering understanding and growth.
Q & A
What was the initial communication challenge between the speaker and the 66-year-old Albanian worker?
-The initial communication challenge was the language barrier, as the worker knew only four words of English. The speaker had to use Google Translate or made-up sign language to assign tasks.
How did the speaker's perception of the Albanian worker change over time?
-The speaker's perception changed when the worker learned to say 'yes' in English and they started working together effectively, even forming a band and working on street art projects.
What is the significance of the phrase 'Orson yes Orson' in the script?
-The phrase signifies the Albanian worker's first learned word of English, which was 'yes', and it also highlights the cultural difference in understanding affirmative responses between English and Albanian.
How does the speaker describe the experience of working with a multicultural crew?
-The speaker describes it as a strong bond that allows the crew to support each other in times of need and perform better than any crew they've ever been a part of.
What advice does the speaker give to companies having issues with immigrant workers?
-The speaker advises companies to understand that much of their behavior is cultural and to be open to learning about and adapting to the cultural differences of their immigrant workers.
Why did the speaker initially consider firing the Albanian worker?
-The speaker considered firing the Albanian worker due to the communication difficulties and the stress it caused, feeling that they could not work together effectively.
What is the speaker's view on the term 'xenophobia' in the current political climate?
-The speaker views 'xenophobia' as a term that is often used for character assassination and to tarnish someone's reputation, rather than a genuine fear of the foreign.
How does the speaker define an 'intercultural space'?
-An intercultural space, according to the speaker, is a place where all cultures can exchange and learn from one another, confronting and discussing cultural differences openly.
What is the importance of the leader in an intercultural crew according to the speaker?
-The leader of an intercultural crew is crucial in taking on the role of an older brother, educating about the host culture, and fostering an environment where cultural exchange can occur.
What challenges does the speaker face in creating a safe space for migrants?
-The challenges include dealing with cultural misunderstandings, confronting personal biases, and managing the discomfort that comes with cultural exchange and learning.
How does the speaker address the issue of cultural shock and discomfort in the workplace?
-The speaker addresses it by creating an intercultural space where discomfort is shared, cultural differences are discussed, and mutual understanding and respect are fostered.
Outlines
🤝 Overcoming Communication Barriers in the Workplace
The speaker recounts the experience of hiring a 66-year-old Albanian worker with limited English skills. Initially, communication was a challenge, relying on Google Translate and improvised sign language. The worker's gradual learning of English and the employer's understanding of his culture led to a successful working relationship. The narrative extends to the speaker's diverse team, emphasizing the importance of embracing cultural differences to foster a strong bond and improve performance. The speaker also addresses the common issues companies face when working with immigrants, such as cultural misunderstandings, and the need to recognize the impact of cultural behaviors in the workplace.
🌐 Cultural Encounters and the Fear of the 'Other'
This paragraph delves into the concept of xenophobia, which is often hastily labeled to criticize those who fear or reject immigrants. The speaker discusses personal experiences and observations about cultural encounters, highlighting the discomfort and fear that can arise from interacting with people from different cultures. The narrative touches on the superficiality of welcoming attitudes that may mask deeper issues of cultural misunderstanding. The speaker also reflects on the challenges of assimilation and the necessity for immigrants to adapt to the dominant culture to avoid causing discomfort or fear.
🏗️ Creating an Intercultural Space for Dialogue and Growth
The speaker describes the creation of an intercultural space as a response to the challenges faced by immigrants in the American workplace. This space serves as a 'safe' area where migrants can discuss cultural issues, confront each other about their practices, and learn from one another. The speaker emphasizes the importance of this space in facilitating cultural exchange and mutual understanding. The narrative includes personal anecdotes that illustrate the transformative power of such an environment, where misconceptions are addressed, and cultural appreciation is fostered.
🌍 Embracing Privilege and Sharing Risks with Immigrants
In the final paragraph, the speaker reflects on the privileges of first-world citizenship and the responsibility that comes with it. The narrative highlights the risks and discomforts immigrants face in their journey to a new country, urging the audience to match this level of risk and discomfort to overcome fears and support immigrants. The speaker calls for action, encouraging individuals to be there for immigrants, to educate themselves about different cultures, and to engage in uncomfortable but necessary conversations that can lead to personal and societal growth.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Communication
💡Cultural Barriers
💡Immigrant
💡Cultural Exchange
💡Xenophobia
💡Personal Space
💡Cultural Assimilation
💡Intercultural Space
💡Cultural Misunderstandings
💡Risk and Discomfort
💡First World Citizenship
Highlights
Communicating without a common language can lead to simple gestures like nodding for 'yes' and shaking for 'no'.
Hiring a 66-year-old Albanian worker with limited English led to creative communication methods like Google Translate and sign language.
The worker gradually learned English words, starting with 'yes', showcasing incremental language acquisition.
Cultural differences in communication, such as Albanian affirmations and negations, can lead to misunderstandings.
Despite language barriers, the speaker and the worker successfully collaborated in music and art, indicating the power of non-verbal connection.
Diversity in the workplace from various countries like Burundi, st. Vincent, and the Grenadines, and France enriches team dynamics.
Cultural clashes can lead to drama and strong bonds, as work relationships can become akin to family.
The importance of understanding cultural behaviors in the workplace to prevent miscommunication and improve team performance.
An example of a Congolese worker addressing clients as 'mom' or 'dad' reflects a deep cultural respect for elders.
The challenge of cultural adaptation for immigrants in a new country and the need for support networks.
The concept of 'xenophobia' is discussed, questioning its use and understanding in the current political climate.
The speaker's experience of being an immigrant in Portland, Maine, and the community of immigrants he found there.
The struggle of integrating immigrants into American workplace culture and the resistance to cultural exchange.
The idea of creating a 'safe space' for migrants to discuss and learn about each other's cultures.
The importance of intercultural spaces where all cultures can exchange and learn from one another.
The story of an Angolan worker's misconceptions about dating white women, highlighting cultural misunderstandings.
The risks and responsibilities involved in operating in a different culture, both for the immigrant and the employer.
The privilege of having first-world citizenships and the duty to support and understand immigrants' experiences.
A call to action for individuals to be there for immigrants, to share discomfort, and to educate oneself about other cultures.
Transcripts
[Music]
say you and I had no language in common
and we only had our bodies to
communicate some things would be pretty
simple right
like communicating yes just nod
No two years ago I hired a new worker in
my construction crew and I didn't know
much about him besides he was 66 years
old he was Albanian I need you about
four words of English I would assign
tasks to him using Google Translate or
made-up sign language and he would just
look at me and go so I would try to find
something else so I would insist and
again he would say he would go like this
and then after a while I just started to
stress me out I felt like I cannot work
with with this guy when we can I made up
my mind that I was gonna talk to him on
Monday and tell him I had to fire him
when we got to work on Monday all my
crew got there at the same time we just
had to start working we didn't have time
to talk I had to get him busy I told him
what I wanted him to do and he looks at
me and he goes yes Orson yes Orson see
my worker would learn one word of
English every weekend I guess that
weekend he learned the word yes and also
I didn't know that in Albania this is
yes and this is no
now we've been working together for two
years we were also in a band together
we still don't barely know any words of
common language but we managed to play
some complex world fusion music he's
also helped me with my street art
projects and in my band and my my
collaborations in my company we're all
from different countries
Rhonda Burundi st. Vincent and the
Grenadines I'm from France nobody's
perfect
and and so we spent our days laughing at
each other's speech patterns sometimes
when one of us voices out an idea and
the others think this is something I
could only come out of the mind of a
Vincentian or Congolese or or Frenchmen
and there's also plenty of drama you see
when you come to a new country and
you're without family or support network
often the people you work with become
your family it is say that it is best to
keep your personal problems at home but
those lines get blurred it makes for a
strong bond that allows us to be there
for each other in times of need
and it also I also know that on the
stage or at the job site we perform
better than any crew I've ever been a
part of now you may want to hire
immigrants or collaborate with
immigrants if so then congratulations
now let's get to work typically when
companies contact me to ask for advice
on working with immigrants it's because
they already hired somebody and they're
having some issues and usually the
issues can be broken down to the fact
that the company or the managers did not
realize how much of our behavior is
cultural so for instance I worked I had
a friend of mine who I hired used from
Congo and when we'd work at somebody's
house where he would talk to the client
and he would say excuse me mom
or excuse me dad and so it made just for
a cringe-worthy moment nothing too bad
but it took me about two years of a lot
of exposure and two Congolese culture to
realize what he had done first of all he
was by saying mom were saying that he
was say telling the person that he was
that person was good enough to be of his
own blood it could be his family he
would respect her or him as he would his
parents and also he was stressing out
the fact they were older now who the
hell stresses out the age of an older
woman well somebody from a culture where
age and experience is extremely
respected when you work with somebody
from other cultures it can threaten your
every assumption migrants are used to it
the discomfort is something that we
experience every day but for and it's
it's a lot of work it's exhausting it's
also exhilarating but for the person who
is used to functioning in their own
culture and their culture is the
dominant culture the encountering of the
cultural other can also lead to a lot of
fear that fear is something we were
quick to call xenophobia in Greek fear
of the foreign but what is xenophobia
what does it mean for us in the present
political climate xenophobe is a word
like sexist like racists like biggest
that we use to label somebody for
character assassination to tarnish their
records in opposition to that some
well-meaning people may have welcomed
immigrants proper stickers on their cars
or right well-thought-out Facebook posts
about their outrage at anti-immigration
policy even more than that some people
might willingly join a multicultural
space
when I first arrived in Portland there
were so many immigrants and is also I
encountered a lot of Americans who
wanted to get to know their immigrant
neighbors they were say why aren't the
immigrants out in the bars we never meet
them well I'll tell you what happened
the first time that I saw a Congolese in
the bar I was there with a female
American female friend of mine I thought
everything was going great and within a
few minutes she comes to me and says
help me Orson this guy's just keeps him
very in my personal space
so I wanted to tell her that probably if
she also had grown up in a one-bedroom
with seven siblings she probably
wouldn't have much personal space but
the gist of it is just that personal
space like every every other behavior is
entirely Co so there are many ways of
refusing to encounter the the cultural
other that are hidden in welcoming
attitudes you may be comfortable with me
coming into your home or living next
door or even flirting with you but only
because I'm doing all the work or
speaking your culture the minute that I
talk about race sex religion the way we
perceive them in my culture the minute
that I show my romantic interest in you
the way we do the mating dance in my
culture the minute I forget about your
conscious personal space we have a big
problem the u.s. is for multicultural
space Queens New York the most
ethnically diverse place on earth in the
widest state in the country in Maine
Portland Maine public school kids 33% of
them speak another language besides
English at home technically speaking
since I only meet people from my culture
once every five or six years every
culture every space the answer because
multicultural but I know better than to
assume it means that I can just express
my culture freely my social survival
depends on my assimilation
the better I assimilate the less
discomfort I caused the less potential
for fear so really not being afraid may
technically be the opposite of
xenophobia but it also may mean that in
the first place one is not even ready to
receive cultural other when I arrived in
Portland Maine for the first time in
over a decade I had an incredible
community there were so many immigrants
so many people with whom I share the
experience of migration and I spare the
francophones
off to a comic-con which is big like
older brother with that filial name came
also a lot of responsibilities so when
my businesses and my my artwork and my
music started picking up I decided to
bring some of these immigrants in my in
my work and I was hitting one big hurdle
which is that in the American workplace
in American culture the workplace is
somewhere where you're not supposed to
be made to feel uncomfortable yet for
people who are from other cultures when
you're living in the u.s. you're always
uncomfortable I would see a time and
time again if I had all a crew of
entirely immigrants and one single
American worker that would dictate the
company culture shut down dissident
voices and refuse to dialogue I was told
for instance by Americans who identified
as underprivileged in one way or another
that it was not their job to educate
their co-workers who could barely speak
English how to speak to them in a
politically correct manner one even told
me if they want to learn they just have
to go on Google and that's when it kind
of dawned on me that's it you can add
Google but a 67 year old Albanian needs
you cannot go on google and find out
what a 22 year old less
from burkina faso staying at the
homeless shelter in portland needs to
feel respected so the disadvantage of
not speaking the cultural language of
the u.s. of the internet proceeded all
so i felt the need to create an
exclusive space a place just for
migrants and i guess what Americans call
a safe space but what is a safe space
for migrants what is the safe space for
people who share only one thing in
common and that is being culture shock I
guess it would be a safe space that's
not comfortable in that safe space we
discuss issues we confront each other
about each other's cultures we ask
pointed questions about Muslim prayer
homosexual practices we talk about them
we probe and then they end the out we
get over it and we change my perception
of aging for example has totally changed
in contact with the Congolese and their
respect for experience so we became an
intercultural space an intercultural
space is not just multicultural but it
is a space where all cultures get to
exchange and learn from one another I
had a female employee from from Uganda
and she I was turning her in carpentry
and she said ëno Orson I'm a I'm a baby
American I said don't say that because I
don't like the way that we infantilized
immigrant he said no really and some day
you come to Uganda with me and you'll be
a baby Ugandan she had a point when you
go to another culture decades of
experience can come up to Leith and you
have to start from scratch it is very
important to know that when you
especially when you're working with
older workers for us with my opinion
worker for instance he has to follow my
directives all day I'm 30 years younger
than him I have less experience in
carpentry when he gets one we played
together in the band he gets on stage it
doesn't matter you know
standing Albanian you know his boss you
can tell his years of experience these
moments are incredibly important to
create but also because someone has to
start from scratch
the leader of the intercultural crew has
to really take on that role of older
brother and and use the freedom of
speech of the intercultural space to
educate about the host culture
I had a worker from Angola and he had
been in the country for three years we
drive down to Kennebunk to a job and
we'd be in the car in one time he tells
me you know sanneh I'd really like to
have a white girlfriend I said well I'm
sure you could and he says yeah but
they're so expensive so I said what are
you talking about
I mean I've started relationships with
Central African women and it's not just
you pay for dinners how much do you
leave after for her to buy shoes the
next day and the second time you get
together we talk about how much money
I'm going to send to our family so I'm
like why do you think that and he says
well my friends who are dating white
women the women move in right away and
they have to buy them a car they're
always going shopping and you know how
white women love heroin and as the way
to me aware of it where did your friends
find these women and he looked at me
like I was stupid he says well on and he
names a street corner in Portland where
the prostitutes hang out
operating in a different culture is
risky it can get you arrested or it
could get you punched in the face like I
was shortly after 9/11 by a co-worker
who was convinced I was a member of
al-qaeda but and it's also there's risk
involved also for the person hiring or
the leader of the crew often I get
contractors who tell me you know worsen
I love what you're doing I'd like hire
immigrants too I say yeah great I got
this brother from Uruguay he just got
his work permit they said well how's
this English not great he's been here
for a year and they said well I don't
think that's gonna work out so in this
host culture there was a lot of
insistence on words were so proud to
call themselves perhaps Republican or so
upset to be called racist but there's
sometimes a lack of action therefore for
me there is a responsibility to share
discomfort and to share risk if you wish
to support your immigrant neighbor for
many people who are here many migrants
simply embarking on the journey to make
it here it's incredibly risky and
dangerous as we speak you know coming to
this multicultural space people are
dying to share with us it's not a
metaphor as we speak perhaps in the
deserts of Mexico running out of water
and on a raft in the material or in the
overheated engine room of a cargo ship
headed to Brazil people may be losing
their lives to share this space with us
we may meet here on safe soil and they
may respectfully call me older brother
or papa
but it is done that I admire and they
are my masters
of bravery me you see I have not just
one but two of what I think of as the
greatest privilege in this 21st century
I have to first world citizenships
because of that I'm here today able to
talk to you I hope that everything I've
said today honors those who cannot speak
I believe we have a duty to match the
level of discomfort and risk to get over
our fears you may think there's nothing
you can do but don't be discouraged you
can be there you can be that person for
an immigrant that person you can go to
with any question about this culture and
with when talking together things start
getting a little uncomfortable that's
great you have just entered that space
beyond xenophobia thank you
[Applause]
[Music]
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