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Understanding Cultural Drivers™ means understanding our history to influence our future, professionally and within our personal communities.
The Cultural Drivers™ framework helps people who identify as Latino, Latine, Latinx, or Hispanic explore how culturally rooted scripts, values, heritage, and lived experiences may shape the way they lead, make decisions, build relationships, and navigate the workplace. It looks at where culture and leadership intersect, so those insights can be applied with intention in professional settings.
The framework is built on three steps: Notice the cultural patterns that may be shaping your leadership, Name their influence, and Navigate them with greater clarity and purpose.
El Puente Institute’s six Cultural Drivers™ include Familismo (Familism), Respeto (Respect), Simpatía (Politeness), Personalismo (Personalism), Colectivismo (Collectivism), and Marianismo/Machismo (Traditional Gender Roles). Each Cultural Driver™ has been derived from evidence-based assessment and review.
Familismo (Familism) - Represents the strong identification and bond each person holds with immediate and extended family portraying feelings of loyalty, mutuality, dependence, and unity (Sabogal et al., 1987; Villarreal et al., 2005).
Respeto (Respect) - Hierarchical structures in Latino/Hispanic communities contribute to differential behaviors toward others based on factors such as age, gender, social or economic status, and authority (Holvino, 2010).
Simpatía (Politeness) - Someone who is likable promotes pleasant relations and positive situations and avoids conflict and disharmony. You go out of your way to create highly personable atmospheres (Holvino, 2010).
Personalismo (Personalism) - Creating and valuing meaningful, personal and trusting relations (Holvino, 2010).
Marianismo/Machismo (Traditional Gender Roles) - Machismo emphasizes traditional masculine traits such as dominance and assertiveness, defining men as protectors and providers. Marianismo promotes values like purity and self-sacrifice in women, positioning them as nurturing and submissive in accordance with patriarchal norms.
Although there are additional Cultural Drivers™ in the Hispanic/Latino cultural identity, the six presented here are the Cultural Drivers™ that intersect most prominently with leadership effectiveness.
Sabogal, F., Marín, G., Otero-Sabogal, R., Marín, B. V., & Perez-Stable, E. J. (1987). Hispanic familism and acculturation: What changes and what doesn't? Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 9(4), 397-412. https://doi.org/10.1177/07399863870094003
Villarreal, R., Blozis, S. A., & Widaman, K. F. (2005). Factorial invariance of a pan-Hispanic familism scale. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 27(4), 409-425. https://doi.org/10.1177/0739986305281125
Holvino, E. (2010). I think it’s a cultural thing and a woman thing:” Cultural scripts in Latinas’ careers. CGO Insights 30. Center for Gender in Organizations, Simmons School of Management, Boston, MA.https://www.simmons.edu/sites/default/files/2021-12/CGO-Insights-30.pdf
El Puente Institute uses the Cultural Drivers™ framework to build a deeper understanding of the Latino/Hispanic community. It addresses stereotypical perceptions and highlights the many strengths of Latino/Hispanic individuals and communities.
Take a look at the courses we offer to individuals who want to strengthen their cultural competency.
Take a look at the courses we offer to individuals wanting to improve their cultural competency.
