Question

What are some of the challenges in coaching a person from a different national culture, ethnicity, gender, or race? What are the ways to manage those challenges successfully?

Answer 1

In globalized business world, the issues related to diversity are increasingly recognized and acknowledged. The coach or trainer must be more aware of the importance of and how to manage diversity while coaching. There are several challenges in coaching a person from a different national culture, ethnicity, gender, or race. Some of these are discussed in brief as follows:

· A person that has a different national culture, ethnicity, gender, or race might have conflicting goals and values. It is difficult to mould behaviour of such employee into desired manner.

· Many a time it is observed that employees that come from different national culture, ethnicity, gender, or race attend training in a cynical manner rather than seriously understanding the content.

· Coaching a person from a different national culture, ethnicity, gender, or race might turn into be counterproductive. Highlighting some behavioural aspects that are considered normal in one culture but looked at as indecent in other culture might give rise to negative attitude.

In order to manage these challenges coaches need to be self-reflective for managing cross-cultural engagement. Another solution is that the coach must avoid deviating from the main objective and goal. By concentrating on the main objective, coach can ensure that people with diverse culture, race, gender and ethnicity focus on the same objective. Coach must plan coaching by adapting to multicultural diversity.