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Diversity Matters
is edited by
Annette Merritt Cummings
Vice President,
Diversity Services
800.438.9911

American Indian Heritage Month

This month, Diversity Matters celebrates the rich culture of American Indian communities, while highlighting the different paths Native workers forge in the business world, nonprofits and their own companies. We invite you to explore the unique cultural perspectives American Indian and Alaska Natives bring with them to their professional pursuits.

Toward understanding how we may successfully invite American Indian workers into our businesses, Annette Merritt Cummings, vice president of Diversity Services says, “Many diversity training programs advise managers to discard the Golden Rule--Treat others as you want to be treated. In its place, they suggest using the Platinum rule: Treat others as they want to be treated.”

Listening Well, Humility, Ties to Family: An American Indian portrait of business

An interview with Tina Begay, Director of American Indian Business Leaders (AIBL, aibl.org) at the University of Montana. AIBL, a national non-profit, works to prepare Native college graduates for the business world by offering technical assistance and training.

What are some of the cultural nuances we should know before even seeking to attract Native American workers?

Well, first, it is important to recognize American Indian verbal and non-verbal communication patterns. We tend to emphasize the non-verbal aspect of communication. It is an essential component of our culture and, in many cases, a correlative factor to understanding many of our traditional languages. For instance, in many cases we are taught that a sign of respect is not to look someone directly in the eyes. Slight eye contact is the norm. Direct eye contact may be viewed as a sign of aggression and disrespect.

Another example would be the handshake, which for American Indians is soft and sometimes just a slight brush of the hand. Within the mainstream business world however, a strong handshake and making direct eye contact is perceived as a sign of self-esteem and confidence.

Also, if you have ever observed two non-Indian business people introduce themselves, the questions most often asked are, “Where do you work?” or “What do you do?”  If you observe two American Indian business people introducing themselves, you will hear them define their identity in terms of their tribal affiliation: “Where are you from?” or “Who is your family?”  Recognizing these differences in communication will help facilitate the American Indian’s ability to market him or herself professionally, and also support the development of their networking skills.

What are some of the cultural values or morals that play a role in business?

One of our universal values is that we place an emphasis on listening. This often conflicts with the mainstream business world, which tends to place its emphasis on talking in order to demonstrate knowledge. The mainstream business world may perceive silence as ignorance, shyness, or even disinterest. By contrast, many American Indians are comfortable with silence, and because of this, may experience culture shock when entering Corporate America. We always tell our students to understand their communication style and investigate the communication style of those around them to help them adjust to different workplace environments.

Another value would be humility, which is very much a part of the American Indian culture. To be humble is a value much greater than being recognized for achievement. In fact, recognition of our accomplishments and our success is normally a responsibility that rests with certain family or community members. We don’t sing our own praises.

This value clashes somewhat with the realities of mainstream business. For example, in a job interview, it is very important to market yourself appropriately. This means having the ability to elaborate on accomplishments to effectively compete for a position. When confronted with this, some American Indians feel uncomfortable elaborating on their skills, abilities, and quality of work.

Are there specific fields that Native Americans are particularly drawn to at the moment?
Our students are drawn to a wide range of fields--business, accounting, administration, finance, and education, to name a few. However, we do see many of our students returning to their home reservations and working for their respective tribes. Our students gravitate toward jobs that include social purpose, such as for-profit community development banks, non-profits, and government.

Why are Native Americans an underutilized group in the talent pool? How might this oversight be corrected?

One factor is simply that employers may be unfamiliar with where to go to recruit American Indians. This can be remedied by joining forces with organizations that specialize in working with American Indians and recruiters.  Of course, AIBL is an excellent resource for this, as are groups such as American Indian Science & Engineering Society.

Employers should also consider contacting mainstream universities that have a high enrollment of American Indians, and work with the campus Career Service programs to target American Indian students. Another untapped resource pool is tribal college graduates. Currently, there are 34 tribal colleges in the United States and one in Canada.  Most tribal colleges have career service programs that work with employers to place their graduates.  A great resource for finding out about tribal colleges is the American Indian Higher Education Consortium.

Is the overall view of business and career paths different for American Indian workers? Are there differences in perspective to be aware of?

I would call it how we define our priorities. Many American Indians have a cultural tendency to view ourselves as an extension of our family, to view our family as an extension of our tribal community, and our tribal community as an extension of the American Indian population as a whole. From this foundation, we define our priorities a little differently than those within the mainstream business world. 

In mainstream business, professional position, salary, and status are characteristics of success. Conversely, for many American Indian people, living around family may prove to be more important than, for example, making a geographical career move to a higher position that pays more money. Thus, an American Indian business professional is more likely to define success as having wealth in the context of his/her family, than wealth defined in terms of position or salary. 

AIBL views both Anglo business values and American Indian ones as great attributes to possess in the workplace. The organization actively encourages students to balance the two models. Below is a snapshot that outlines some of the cultural nuances:

"A CLASH OF CULTURES" Anglo Business Vs. Indian Business
ANGLO MODEL	INDIAN MODEL
Prizes Competitiveness	Prizes Cooperation
Personal Goals Important	Group Goals Important
Emphasis on Future	Emphasis on Present
Control of Others Important	Self-Control Important
Concerned with Facts	Emotional Relationships Vital
Aggressive and Assertive	Patient and Tolerant
Driven Toward Material	Materialism Less Important
Achievement Oriented	Contentment Oriented

          (Source: Montana Business Quarterly)