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Resources

 

This page highlights various resources (articles, tools, books) as well as upcoming events and training opportunities.

January 2018

For years, in training programs, I have been saying, “Technical proficiency is not sufficient for effective engagement with colleagues and clients from diverse cultural backgrounds.” In fact, I use a little equation to make my point:

Technical Proficiency + Cultural Competence = Effective Solutions in Intercultural Settings.

 

What I mean is that Project Management skills and processes are always implemented by human beings. Human beings are shaped by the beliefs, values and behaviours of the cultures in which we have been formed.

June 2016

We all know we are living in a social, political, and legal minefield on the issue of cultural diversity in our decision-making bodies. We all want to do the right thing. Our challenge is, what does that look and feel like?

October 2014

Governments are Canada’s largest employers. The federal, provincial and municipal governments employ 3.6 million people. Public administration or general government operations alone (excluding education, health and business initiatives)
employ almost 1.4 million people. As such, governments are major employers in many cities. In some provinces and territories, the public sector employs over a quarter of the work force.

 

Yet, despite being a key factor in net labour force growth and skilled workers forming the largest immigration category, immigrants are only about half as likely to work in the public sector compared to Canadian-born populations.

 

Why is this the case? Overall, there is a paucity of research focused on immigrants in the public service. This paper seeks to address this gap by asking the following questions: What do we know about immigrant employment in the public sector?
Do governments have any practices or policies to encourage the employment of immigrants? What could governments do to prepare for and respond to demographic shifts in the labour force?

Impact of Difficulty in Adjusting and Adapting on International Student Attrition

July 2015

Introduction

 

Raj graduated from an International Baccalaureate secondary school in Mumbai. He was at the top of his class. He was accepted into a top level university in the United States – he had all that they were looking for! Raj arrived in Boston in late August and leapt into “frosh week” activities. By December his grades reflected his academic struggles. By reading week in his second semester he was only attending classes periodically. He failed all of his April exams. In May he was back home, with no plans for returning.

 

This real example is not unusual. 20-25% of international students fail to complete the undergraduate program into which they were accepted. To understand this phenomenon there are a variety of factors that need to be considered. Amongst a variety of factors, those which continually rise to the surface include, 1) difficulty in adjusting and adapting to the new environment and 2) the consequences of social isolation, precipitated by seeking to meet familial expectations of academic performance. This article will explore difficulties in adjusting and adapting, which has implications for social isolation factors as well.

The Future of Hamilton Will Not Look More Like Me

October 2011

I’m a white male, in my early fifties, living in downtown Hamilton, born and raised in

Ontario with roots going back more than two centuries in Canada. But the Canada I live in will continue to become increasingly diverse, and noticeably so.

 

From 2001 to 2006, more than 4000 immigrants settled in Hamilton each year. One half of those newcomers to Hamilton were born in Asia or the Middle East. Only 23% were born in Europe. This pattern is true across Canada, particularly in urban areas.

 

This means that the complexion of “Hamiltonians” over the next decades will continue to change. And the values and worldviews of new Canadians will gradually cause changes and adjustments to what it means to be “a Canadian.”

March 15, 2013

Great book exploring the whole notion of cultural intelligence and its applications for the business world. Livermore is one of the leading proponents of this model for navigating a globalized world.

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April 9, 2018

PMI Lakeshore Chapter

Monthly dinner/presentation

Oakville, ON

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