Diversity needs differ by country.

When it comes to diversity issues, even the word itself is subject to misunderstanding.

In the global marketplace, diversity is considered an "American thing," says Mike Hyter, president and CEO of Boston consulting firm Novations/J. Howard and Associates. Although "diversity issues

For example, he says, the Chinese may say, "We're all Chinese. We don't have a diversity problem." And yet, "there are distinct differences between people from the city and people from the country in China."

Hyter, whose company has provided diversity training for 20 years, says many countries speak instead of "workforce productivity" issues. He prefers to use the term "inclusion" when talking to clients about training programs. "It's not about changing people's values, says Hyter, "but about getting the best productivity from your workforce, and that's something everybody wants."

Whatever term you use, companies need to develop a "global diversity stance," Hyter says, in which the "overarching values of the organization are the same, even though the [implementation] processes may vary from country to country."

HR, he says, must ensure that the company has clearly defined a universal business case built around this common theme, and then must be an advocate for all its employees in every country in which the business has a presence.

"That is really big," says Hyter. "That advocacy needs to begin with HR."