The World of Executive Migrants
As I have mentioned in many of my posts, but now in the words of Fernanda Navas-Camargo and Sandra Montoya Ruiz, from the Universidad Católica de Colombia(1), “arriving at a new host country, represents a variety of situations and feelings which range from being able to communicate in a foreign language, to understanding the underlying meaning of certain acts, ways, traditions and proceedings of the new destiny.” But there is a certain subject that I have not touched upon which is the actual migration; to understand these growing communities, and their integration in the host country, can only lead us to rethink cultural diversity and our preparedness to welcome and work with them.
Migrating to the new countries
Migration derives from many different backgrounds, resulting in an emergence of a plurality of cultures within a single place, and in the needs of the new population, like what we have discussed before: finding a place to live, being able to find job opportunities, searching for fellow communities to ease the change, many times in their own language, and settling down in what is now their new home.
As a result of the economic growth in Latin America in the last 2 decades, there has been a growth of migration towards certain cities and countries inside the region creating a needed integration process for this arriving population. As we all know the United States is a country whose identity is based on the arrival of migrating communities, therefore its expertise, policies, and tradition in this matter is very well known. The purpose of this post is to create awareness for the Global Leader to facilitate a quick adaptation and belonging of these minority cultures as quick as possible.
Migration in Latin America
The migrating population always represents a minority in any host destination. As an example:
- According to the latest Population Census from 2020, in México there are 1,212,252 persons born in another country, which is equivalent to 1.96% of the total population. (Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía (INEGI): 2020). Of these migrants 66% of them come from United States, 26% from Central America (Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica), 9% from Venezuela, Colombia and Argentina and 2% belong to Spain.
- From 2011 to 2019, 1.085.673 migrants were registered in Brazil. In 2019, most of these migrants were from South America and the Caribbean, principally from Venezuela and Haiti. Source: www.portaldeimigracao.mj.gov.b
- Buenos Aires, Argentina, is home for 2,890,151 inhabitants, and Great Buenos Aires, the urban extended area hosts 12,801,364 people, 13% of whom were not born in the country.(1)
The above numbers, although just a taste of the number of immigrants represented in Latin America can only demonstrate that interculturalism in America as a continent, is a natural situation where interaction among people from different backgrounds, including immigrants and citizens, is essential to the correct coexistence of all.
Helping to increase awareness
Being aware of these subcultures in Mexico, or any country the executive lives in, is key to continuously be open to identify cultural differences and adjusting their perception about these cultures and learning to combine and enjoying the best from each one of them. This is fundamental to successfully build a bridge between the different cultures, and thus be more successful as global leaders. Understanding these cultures, through knowledge and respect, is fundamental to successfully interact and reach our highest potential as leaders.
