Welcoming the Wave
When an organization considers the term “diversity,” differing dogmas come to mind. One could think of race, ethnicity, gender, culture, age, etc. At the end of the day, we live in an enormously diverse world.
While the idea of diversity is not a new concept, many organizations and nonprofits continue to contemplate the value of diversity within their structure. Having a diverse staff provides an opportunity for extraordinary benefits and innovations within the organization or institution.
Emerging Population
A metaphor that best describes our current situation regarding the exponential growth of the Hispanic/Latino population in the United States is a tsunami. Tsunamis literally transform the landscape that they affect. With the winds of a continued population shift, organizations will need to consider how they will address the coming tsunami that is the growing Hispanic/Latino population.
In many ways, due to an influx in the Hispanic/Latino population, we are experiencing a tsunami of historic proportions. Population shifts have been occurring for decades and basic shifts occur for two main reasons: migration and birth rates.
The terms, “Hispanic” and “Latino” are often used synonymously; however, they are distinct and have differing meanings. The main difference between the two terms are that Latinos originate from Latin America and Hispanics descend from Spanish-speaking populations. However, for the sake of this discussion, we will use the term Latino and Hispanic interchangeably.
A 2019 Pew Research Center data states, “The U.S. Hispanic population reached a record 60.6 million in 2019, up 930,000 over the previous year and up from 50.7 million in 2010.”
Hispanics have accounted for more than half of total U.S. population growth since 2010.
Ultimately, the Hispanic/Latino demographic from 2010-2019 currently stands at approximately 61 million of the U.S. population and is growing rapidly. Hispanics have accounted for more than half of total U.S. population growth since 2010. Today, Hispanics represent almost a third of the U.S. population therefore, it is safe to conclude that the Latino population is exploding and will inevitably have an impact on our organizations – including higher educational institutions.
Key Questions
It is imperative that we ask the following questions:
- How will the Hispanic/Latino population growth affect the future of organizations and higher educational institutions?
- How should organizations respond to this ever-growing demographic of the next generation of Hispanic/Latino leaders?
- What are some collective benefits to having a more diverse team?
As this cultural tidal wave continues to move throughout our society, it begs the question: How should organizations respond?
The impact of the Hispanic/Latino demographic growth will be felt in the higher educational system in recruitment, faculty, and administration leadership. Within the political spectrum, Hispanics will play a significant role as potential candidates or voter outcomes. In the religious sector, the growing Hispanic population will become increasingly important as they potentially transition in to leadership roles.
As this cultural tidal wave continues to move throughout our society, it begs the question: How should organizations respond?
Developing a cross-cultural team
At first, developing a cross-cultural team can seem challenging on many fronts; however, when an organization’s leadership operates with intentionality and commitment such development can be pursued with excellence. I would like to present the following principles for developing a cross-cultural team, and benefits which can emanate from doing so.
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Understand your current situation.
Anytime an organization begins a new process, it is important to begin with an assessment. In another words, begin by taking a hard and honest review of your current organizational chart. It takes assessment, decision-making, and execution. If an organization’s leadership is not aware of the current situation regarding a cross-cultural team, it will be difficult to move in that direction.
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Understand that a diverse team can produce innovation and creativity.
Having diverse cultures in the decision room can often bring innovation and creativity. It allows the team to view potential new opportunities from various vantage points the mission of Baptist University of the Americas (BUA) is educating and equipping cross-cultural students in preparation to lead in a variety of leadership roles in the future. As BUA continues to bring differing cultures together, it further enhances our opportunity to operate with ingenuity in our planning and execution.
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Intentionality must be a key ingredient.
Developing a diverse team will not happen overnight. It will take more than a few emails and genuine dialogue from leadership to make this happen. Leaders in the organization will need to make intentionality a key ingredient to the recipe. Intentionality could reflect changes in recruitment efforts, employment, promotion, and marketing, as well as providing new opportunities within the organization. Furthermore, intentionality is the cornerstone upon which the leadership can successfully build and carry out a clear direction for the organization.
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Abe Jaquez, Ed.D, President and CEO of the Baptist University of Americas (BUA), holds a Doctor of Education degree in Education Leadership. He strongly believes that leaders who foster an environment that is welcoming and uplifting of the growing diversity, propels unprecedented ingenuity within the organization as a whole. This model of leadership is embedded within the DNA of BUA as they continue to forge towards 75 years of equipping students with a cross-cultural, Bible-based education. Learn more at www.bua.edu.