Event

The Institute for Gender and Development Studies (IGDS) continues their Lunchtime Seminar Series with the topic,Globalization, Assimilation and Culture Erasure: A Review of Trinidad and Tobago by Ms. Lystra Small-Clouden, Ph.D. SHRM-SCP.

This seminar takes place at noon. Please feel free to bring your lunch.

Results of Study

Globalization, Assimilation and Culture Erasure: A Review of Trinidad and Tobago

The objective of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship between globalization and assimilation with contributing factors of culture, value, norms, and identity to determine whether managers in Trinidad and Tobago devalue their own culture to assimilate into a global culture. Global and culture assimilation as described by Hofstede (1980), Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner (1993), and Schein (1996a, 1996b) provided theoretical grounding for the study.  A researcher-constructed survey was used to collect data from a random sample of island graduate business school respondents. The survey was analyzed utilizing both parametric and nonparametric statistical tools to answer five research sub-questions. 

Based on the statistical data, it was concluded (a) demographic factors impacted culture, values, norms, and identity, (b) global factors had no impact on culture, values, norms and identity, (c) the Trinidad and Tobago manager assimilated during international business meetings, (d) there was an impact of assimilation on culture, values, norms and identity in Trinidad and Tobago, and (e) there was no change in management behavior during international business meetings. From a theoretical perspective, based on the analysis of culture, managers were unaware of culture erasure. Second, from a scientific merit perspective, the ANOVA method optimized and validated causal-comparative effect of both measurement and structural models with the inclusion of interrelationships effects between variables. 

Finally, from a practical perspective, respondents perceived global factors had no impact on culture, but assimilation had a negative impact on culture. Based on the results, it was assumed the unique and distinguishable aspects of culture are disappearing, and the effects of globalization and assimilation have caused an unconscious reprogramming of collective behaviors, which resulted in culture erasure.

About Lystra Small-Clouden

She is a national of Trinidad and Tobago. She holds a doctoral degree in Organization and Management from Capella University, Minnesota, USA. She is a senior certified global human resources professional with expertise in intercultural leadership. She has experienced firsthand the challenges for women in leadership and understands the importance of cultural diversity awareness for persons in leadership positions.  As the mother of four beautiful children, Lystra brings awareness to disparities of women in leadership and the challenges faced by racial-ethnic minorities as they are expected to change or erase whom they are to be accepted as leaders. 

As a social anthropologist Lystra, is concerned about the disappearance of culture, values, norms, and sometimes our identity. Lystra Small-Clouden lives in Bergen County, New Jersey.

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