It’s common to hear news about Mexico’s high number of migrants crossing the country to find work up north or “escaping Latin America” for a variety of reasons. Seeing Mexico as a good way to cross into the U.S.A. and Canada, the diversity of migrants from Central America, the Caribbean, and (more recently) South America has increased.
The surge in the number and strict migratory policies of the U.S. is notable; some are waiting for a resolution, and some are dealing with getting rejected at the border. As a result, these groups of people now find themselves in Mexico, offering an unexpected alternative for their new home.
According to World Vision, approximately 7.7 million people have left Venezuela as of June 2024, of which an estimated 80% emigrated to Latin America. The main countries they go to are Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador. At the beginning of the Venezuelan exodus, the World Bank published a study saying that Ecuador was characterized as being a transit country to Peru or other countries in the southern cone, such as Chile and Argentina. Today, many of these migrants have found their way to Mexico.
“Migration is a change that we experience in our daily lives. As what always happens with changes, they are not liked and they generate questions, which are valid and legitimate questions that the population should be able to ask. What happens is that when a State does not generate clear answers or a clear political direction or does not manage the migration process, confusion is created and myths begin to be generated”
– Paula Rossiasco, Senior Social Development Specialist at World Bank, referring to the stigma of the population that begins to receive migrants in its cities.
According to an article from El Financiero, “Mexico has welcomed more than 600,000 displaced people from countries such as Venezuela, Haiti, and Cuba, whom it seeks to employ since many of them have not been able to find formal employment, while at the same time, 75% of Mexican business owners claim to have difficulties finding workers.”
Venezuela, Honduras, and Guatemala are the three leading countries of origin for incoming migrants in Mexico. Supporting this effort, Tent México, a coalition of 46 large companies in Mexico, has committed to hiring refugees and migrants on a large scale in the country.
The Role of Immigration in Increasing Workplace Diversity
Introducing a mix of cultural backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences through immigration plays a significant role in enhancing workplace diversity.
When employees from different countries and cultures work together, they bring unique ways of thinking. These can significantly benefit companies, particularly in terms of innovation, creativity, and problem-solving.
Top Benefits of Diversity for Companies
- Innovation: Immigrants often contribute to innovation by bringing new ideas, methodologies, and approaches developed from their diverse cultural experiences. Their fresh perspectives can help companies rethink traditional processes, products, and services. Research shows that diverse teams are more likely to develop innovative solutions because individually they can offer different insights into the same problem. In technology, for example, immigrant entrepreneurs have founded many startups that have gone on to become industry leaders.
- Creativity: Diversity in the workplace fosters a culture of creativity. Employees from different cultural backgrounds can draw upon varied influences, histories, and values. This melting pot of ideas often leads to more creative brainstorming sessions and more diverse solutions. Immigrants, having adapted to new environments tend to be resourceful, offering unique creative approaches to business challenges that homogenous teams may overlook.
- Problem-Solving: Immigrants, by nature of their experience in navigating and adapting to different environments, tend to be excellent problem-solvers. They bring resilience and adaptability, key traits for addressing complex issues in the workplace.
Additionally, culturally diverse teams can approach problems from multiple angles, bringing unique perspectives and ideas. This ensures that solutions are well-rounded and consider a broader set of factors. Studies have found that diverse teams are more likely to outperform their peers in critical thinking and solving non-routine problems.
By increasing workplace diversity, immigration helps companies tap into a wider range of talents and perspectives. This will lead to fostering an environment that is more conducive to groundbreaking ideas and solutions. The resulting innovation, creativity, and enhanced problem-solving capabilities give companies a competitive edge in an increasingly globalized market.
Challenges & Solutions
- As I have stated in a previous article on Trust, this value is the key to opening doors with new members. Initial Trust is even more important and can be achieved by openly sharing information, integrity, and reciprocity. Language differences and stereotypes are pointed out as the most important trust barriers.
- Language can harm interpersonal relations, knowledge sharing, and even peer assessments. Even if the team language is English or Spanish, the meaning can be missed, thus destroying trust between team members. Even new members from other Latin American countries can sometimes use words that can cause confusion or misinterpretation.
- Stereotyping and prejudice based on cultural differences can create mistrust and misunderstanding among team members (read more on Stereotypes in a past post, Breaking Free from Stereotypes).
- The Immigrant, the Expat, and the Global Leader go through many changes, psychological assimilation, and learning new social skills/behaviors. All this together with the new tasks. Empathy and general support are always welcome.
As an Intercultural Executive Coach, I help new leaders from foreign cultures navigate these cultural differences, focusing on the importance of empathy, cultural adaptation, and tailored leadership strategies for cross-cultural teams. Get in touch if you’d like to arrange a consultation with us.
