Part Two: Building Inclusive Teams Through Status, Purpose, and Communication
Inclusion is not a policy. It’s an experience.
Research from San Diego State University defines inclusion as the degree to which individuals feel belongingness and uniqueness. Both matter. If people belong but must hide their uniqueness, they assimilate. If their uniqueness is valued but they are not treated as insiders, they remain outsiders.
Great leadership creates space for both.
The final three value scales from The Cross Cultural Values Chart developed by Tina Stoltzfus Horst in Dancing Between Cultures, help leaders understand how organizational arrangements, purpose, and communication shape team dynamics.
Organizational Arrangements – Status and Equality
Some cultures operate with clear hierarchy. Respect is tied to role, age, or title. Authority is honored and rarely challenged openly.
Other cultures lean toward equality. Leaders can be questioned. Initiative is encouraged. Respect is often earned through achievement and character.
CliftonStrengths can amplify either orientation. Individuals high in Command may feel comfortable in hierarchical systems. Those high in Self Assurance may naturally challenge ideas. Responsibility may uphold structure. Individualization may seek fairness across levels.
The biblical story of Daniel provides insight. Daniel honored the authority of Babylon while remaining faithful to God. He navigated hierarchy with integrity. Cultural intelligence does not mean abandoning structure. It means stewarding it wisely.
Leaders must ask themselves whether their organization treats people with respect, values their strengths, and does what is right. These three must haves form the foundation for inclusive cultures.
Purpose – Task and Relationship
Some cultures are task first. Goals drive decisions. Success is measurable. Results matter most.
Other cultures are relationship first. Connection precedes execution. Loyalty matters. Interaction is meaningful in itself.
Within the CliftonStrengths domains, Executing themes propel task completion. Relationship Building themes cultivate cohesion. Influencing themes rally momentum. Strategic Thinking themes provide direction.
Teams fracture when task oriented leaders perceive relational investment as inefficiency, or relationship oriented leaders interpret urgency as insensitivity.
Jesus modeled balance. He accomplished the mission of redemption while investing deeply in twelve disciples. He withdrew to pray yet fed crowds. Purpose and relationship were never enemies.
Healthy teams learn to articulate when they are leaning heavily into tasks and when they need to re invest in relationships. Both drive sustainable performance.
Communication – Direct and Indirect
Some cultures communicate directly. Words are clear. Feedback is explicit. What is said is what is meant.
Other cultures communicate indirectly. Tone, body language, and context matter. Meaning is often layered.
CliftonStrengths themes such as Communication, Activator, and Command may feel natural in direct systems. Harmony and Adaptability may thrive in indirect environments.
When leaders ignore communication style differences, misunderstanding grows. Direct communicators may appear harsh. Indirect communicators may seem evasive.
Ephesians 4:15 calls leaders to speak the truth in love. Truth requires clarity. Love requires wisdom in delivery.
That balance is not situational. It is a leadership discipline. Scripture reinforces this posture again in Colossians 4:6, which says, “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” Leaders who communicate with grace and wisdom can effectively navigate diverse situations.
Cultural intelligence trains leaders to flex their style without abandoning authenticity. It asks not only what am I saying, but how will this be heard.
Bringing It All Together
CliftonStrengths helps individuals discover how they are wired. Cultural intelligence helps leaders understand how context shapes interpretation.
When leaders intentionally aim their strengths through the lens of cultural awareness, four things happen.
1.Executing themes provide reliability across diverse teams.
2.Influencing themes create shared momentum.
3.Relationship Building themes cultivate belonging.
4.Strategic Thinking themes ensure long term clarity.
Leadership becomes less about control and more about stewardship.
In a globalized and generationally complex world, leaders who combine strengths based development with cultural intelligence create environments where people are treated with respect, their strengths are valued, and what is right is pursued consistently.
That is not just good management. It is wise leadership.
References
Horst, Tina Stoltzfus. Dancing Between Cultures. 2017. www.dancingbetweencultures.com
Lingenfelter, Sherwood G. and Mayers, Marvin K. Ministering Cross Culturally: An Incarnational Model for Personal Relationships. Baker Academic, 2007.
Shore, L.M., Randel, A.E., Chung, B.G., Dean, M.A., Holcombe Ehrhart, K., and Singh, G. Inclusion and Diversity in Work Groups: A Review and Model for Future Research. Journal of Management, 2011.
Gardenswartz, L. and Rowe, A. Diverse Teams at Work. SHRM, 2003.
Gallup CliftonStrengths research and frequency reports.
