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# West region keeps culture in focus

By Jake JoyDLA Disposition Services Public Affairs

                BATTLE CREEK, Mich.  –              
How important is body language? A pioneering scholar on the subject, Albert Mehrabian, held experiments in the 1960s that helped him develop the “7%-35%-55% Rule,” which found that when people interact face to face, a lowly 7% of what they glean from conversation is derived directly from the words spoken. A more substantive 35% comes from their conversational partner’s tone of voice. And a hefty 55% of what gets communicated is mined from the facial movements, gestures and posture of the person they are interacting with. In other words, body language speaks volumes.

So it seems that a heightened awareness of one’s own body language should help a person better express themselves when interacting with worksite colleagues. It just so happens that the Defense Logistics Agency strives to cultivate a harmonious, communicative workforce, and it prepares its Equal Employment Opportunity training instructors to go out and inform field personnel with topics like “Body Language Talks,” “Unconscious Bias,” and “Generations in the Workforce.” 

With this goal of employee enlightenment in mind, the West Region of Defense Logistics Agency Disposition Services held its first summit for field site culture representatives in September, where EEO specialist and trainer Renelle Hansen led some of the meetup’s team-focused sessions.

“Diversity, equality, and inclusion are imbedded into the culture of our organization,” Hansen said, noting that EEO offers additional topics like “Four Lenses” and a course on cultural intelligence. “Trainings like these continue to educate and spread awareness about the people we work with, our customers, and the warfighter.” 

Barstow Environmental Branch Supervisor Liz Carroll serves as the “Culture Champion” for West Region property disposal personnel. She said she hoped that the group training event would give culture reps better insight on who to contact or what to do when making decisions that might need to involve the employee union, DLA Human Resources or the sub-command’s Sexual Assault Prevention Representative.

“I learned that culture is not just cake and ice cream,” said Supply Technician Rindy Hughes. “(It’s) creating fair values, beliefs and behaviors that determine how employees and leadership interact, perform, and handle day-to-day activities.”

Carroll said the summit produced great conversations and helped site culture reps get a better understanding of what region leadership expects out of that collateral duty role.

Tucson site Property Disposal Technician Ruben Sarago said the event helped participants gain “a clear understanding of how to interact, listen and assist.”

“I personally make it my duty to speak with the Tucson team daily,” Sarago said. “When the culture is solid, the team will [exceed] standards.” 

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