Horticulture Publications Horticulture
2009 Managers of Latino Workers in the Iowa Horticulture Industry Want Educational Programs to Bridge Language and Cultural Barriers Emilie Justen Iowa State University, [email protected]
Cynthia L. Haynes Iowa State University, [email protected]
Ann Marie VanDerZanden Iowa State University, [email protected]
Nancy Grudens-Schuck Iowa State University, [email protected]
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This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Horticulture at Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Horticulture Publications by an authorized administrator of Iowa State University Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Managers of Latino Workers in the Iowa Horticulture Industry Want Educational Programs to Bridge Language and Cultural Barriers
Abstract Horticulture is the fastest-growing sector of the agricultural industry, and this is true particularly in Iowa where the number of private horticultural businesses has more than doubled since 1993. The industry is relying more on non-English–speaking employees, especially Spanish-speaking workers, for golf course maintenance, landscape installation, and nursery production. Determining and serving the educational and training needs of a workforce that is not fluent in English is historically difficult for university extension programs. This study assessed educational needs and technical issues of English-speaking managers of primarily Spanish-speaking workers in the horticultural industry in Iowa, with special attention to language and cultural issues. Four focus groups were conducted, with managers recruited in cooperation with state professional horticultural associations. Communication gaps and challenges interpreting cultural differences were cited as key difficulties experienced by managers of Latino workers. The tudys produced a list of ideas for educational initiatives that would improve lateral (two-way) communications and delivery of Iowa-specific horticultural education and job-site training between English-speaking managers and Latino employees.
Keywords focus gruops, Hispanic, Spanish-speaking, workforce, employees, perceptions, turfgrass
Disciplines Agricultural Education | Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education | Community-Based Learning | Horticulture
Comments This is an article from HortTechnology 19 (2009): 224. Posted with permission.
This article is available at Iowa State University Digital Repository: http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/hort_pubs/21 JOBNAME: hortte 19#1 2009 PAGE: 1 OUTPUT: November 19 18:23:04 2008 tsp/hortte/176989/01152
sectors such as landscape design, installation and maintenance, lawn care, and tree care. Nationally, the production, horticultural services, and wholesale and retail trade prod- Extension ucts sectors of the horticulture indus- try contributed $147.1 billion in total sales receipts in 2002 (Hall et al., 2005). The USDA reported that in Education 42 states, nursery and greenhouse crops rank in the top 10 commodities and rank as the fourth-largest crop group in the United States in terms of Methods farm cash receipts (Jerardo, 2005). Horticulture is the fastest-growing segment of the agriculture industry Managers of Latino Workers in the Iowa in Iowa, and the number of private horticultural businesses in Iowa has Horticulture Industry Want Educational more than doubled in the past 13 years (Haynes et al., 2007; Klein, Programs to Bridge Language and 2003). Iowa has experienced change not Cultural Barriers only in the importance of the horti- cultural industry to its farming pro- Emilie A.K. Justen1,3, Cynthia Haynes1, Ann Marie VanDerZanden1, file, but a change in the profile of the agricultural employment pool. and Nancy Grudens-Schuck2 Within the last decade, Iowa has experienced an influx of employees able and willing to work in the horti- ADDITIONAL INDEX WORDS. focus groups, Hispanic, Spanish-speaking, workforce, culture and other industries who have employees, perceptions, turfgrass arrived in the state from Latin America SUMMARY. Horticulture is the fastest-growing sector of the agricultural industry, (Norman, 2008). Seasonal positions and this is true particularly in Iowa where the number of private horticultural that begin in March or April and end businesses has more than doubled since 1993. The industry is relying more on non- before December are common in the English–speaking employees, especially Spanish-speaking workers, for golf course horticultural industry, and it is com- maintenance, landscape installation, and nursery production. Determining and mon for Latinos to hold these jobs serving the educational and training needs of a workforce that is not fluent in English is historically difficult for university extension programs. This study (Lacey et al., 2007; Waliczek et al., assessed educational needs and technical issues of English-speaking managers of 2002). Word of mouth, referrals, and primarily Spanish-speaking workers in the horticultural industry in Iowa, with family contacts are recognized as special attention to language and cultural issues. Four focus groups were conducted, effective recruitment techniques for with managers recruited in cooperation with state professional horticultural seasonal, manual-labor positions associations. Communication gaps and challenges interpreting cultural differences filled by Latino workers (Waliczek were cited as key difficulties experienced by managers of Latino workers. The study et al., 2002). Because the majority produced a list of ideas for educational initiatives that would improve lateral of seasonal workers are not fluent in (two-way) communications and delivery of Iowa-specific horticultural education English, communication is an on- and job-site training between English-speaking managers and Latino employees. going challenge for managers who are not fluent in Spanish (Bitsch and he ornamental horticulture in 2006, total sales of nursery crops Harsh, 2004). Language, cultural, industry has seen tremendous increased 17% from 2003, while the and educational barriers hinder pro- Tgrowth nationwide in recent number of smaller producers de- ductivity, efficiency, and safety in the years (Hall et al., 2005; Shields and creased and the number of producers horticultural industry (Martinez- Willits, 2003). The U.S. Department with sales over $100,000 increased Espinoza et al., 2003). Managers of Agriculture (USDA) reported that (USDA, 2007). The increased de- and workers experience improved mand for horticulture products and working conditions and are more
We would like to acknowledge and thank Susan services has led to growth in land- productive when the technical, lan- Benner from the Department of English and Eliz- scape goods, wholesale and retail guage, and cultural educational needs abeth Duncan from the Department of Horticulture trade operations, and the landscape of groups new to each other are fully at Iowa State University for their assistance with data collection. service industry, which in turn has addressed (Quigley, 1998). SING FOCUS GROUPS TO ASSESS 1Department of Horticulture, Iowa State University, created jobs in agriculture (Shields U Ames, IA 50011 and Willits, 2003). NEEDS. Needs assessment for adult 2Department of Agricultural Education and Studies, Horticulture commerce is com- employee education requires a long- Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011 posed of nursery, greenhouse, fruit, term commitment and a multifaceted 3Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]. and vegetable production, and service approach (Caffarella, 2002; Morgan
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and Krueger, 1993). Focus groups volunteers at a public garden. In the or e-mail was made providing the provide a way to collect a wide array field of horticulture, focus groups date, time, and location of the focus of ideas about needs, and are consid- have been used as a research method group. ered a sound methodology with which to understand the perspectives from In Jan. 2008, additional partic- to begin a needs assessment process. landscape professionals, public garden ipants were recruited during the The focus group method can succeed volunteers, and growers in the com- INLA Annual Convention and Trade in eliciting participation from all mercial greenhouse industry (Barton Show and the 74th Annual ITI Con- attendees in the conversational style et al., 1996; Haynes and Trexler, ference and Trade Show. To recruit (Morgan, 1997). Focus groups also 2003; Jutila et al., 2005; Scoggins participants from the INLA and ITI permit respondents to provide data et al., 2004). annual conferences, the organizers of about strong feelings related to educa- Little information is available the conferences were contacted, and tional needs and cultural differences— about the English-speaking managers permission to recruit was obtained. both negative and positive. Such infor- of the Latino workforce in the horti- Flyers were distributed, and an- mation is crucial to designing mutually cultural industry in Iowa. The objec- nouncements were made about the satisfying and effective educational tive of this study was to determine the study at both conferences to reach programming (Pearce, 1998; Quigley, educational and training needs of potential participants from the target 1998). Bitsch and Harsh (2004) used managers of Spanish-speaking horti- audience. focus groups with English-speaking cultural workers in Iowa. DATA COLLECTION. The first managers of greenhouses, nurseries, focus group after the pilot study was and landscape contractors in Michi- conducted in Ames, IA, on 7 Sept. gan to identify risk factors in labor Materials and methods 2007 with four managers from land- management of Latino workers. This A PPROVAL AND PLANNING. scaping and golf course firms/com- study found that managers supported Approval to conduct research involv- panies. The second focus group was and encouraged Latino employees to ing human participants was obtained conducted in Des Moines, IA, on 25 learn English and supervisors to learn in June 2007 from the Institutional Jan. 2008 with six managers from Spanish. The managers from the Review Board (IRB) of Iowa State landscaping and nursery firms/com- study also commented on traditional University. The question guide was panies during the INLA conference. Latino values of strong sense of com- developed and revised using a panel of The third focus group was conducted munity, close family attachment, and experts consisting of focus group in Charles City, IA, on 15 Feb. 2008 caring for one another. However, methodologists and individuals famil- with 10 managers from a single nurs- these values can lead to workplace iar with the Latino communities in ery production company. The fourth challenges when Latino employees Iowa and elsewhere. Moderators were focus group was conducted in Des unexpectedly leave the job because trained using guidelines outlined per Moines, IA, on 26 Feb. 2008 with of family requirements (Bitsch and Krueger (1998a). A pilot study was five golf course superintendents and Harsh, 2004). conducted with seven participants to assistant superintendents from the Morgan (1998) describes focus ensure that preliminary questions golf course industry. The four focus groups, or group interviews, as ‘‘a way produced relevant data, and to deter- groups were intended as replications of listening to people and learning mine effective recruiting strategies for to produce high-quality qualitative from them,’’ which opens lines of future focus groups. data across sites and to account for communication between the researcher RECRUITMENT. Four focus differential group dynamics (Morgan, and participant, and participants with groups with a volunteer, self-selected 1997). each other. Focus groups allow par- sample were conducted in Iowa Twenty-five participants from ticipants to think more deeply about between Sept. 2007 and Mar. 2008. the four focus groups represented their responses because they listen to The target population was English- three sectors of the horticultural in- the responses of other participants. speaking managers of Latino workers dustry: golf course maintenance (n = Focus groups give participants a chance from the golf course, nursery produc- 7), landscape design and installation to ‘‘share and compare’’ experiences in tion, and landscaping sectors of the (n = 6), and nursery production (n = a way that provides high-quality data Iowa horticulture industry. In July 12). Each focus group had four to 10 for the researcher regarding compet- 2007, 241 letters requested partici- participants. Two researchers were ing needs or compatible approaches pation of managers who hired and present at each focus group, a mod- (Morgan, 1998). Focus groups may managed Latino workers. The letters erator and an assistant moderator. At be used as a principal source of data were sent to all active members of the the beginning of each focus group, or, more commonly in needs assess- Iowa Nursery and Landscape Associ- the moderator read directly from a ment, as a complement to studies that ation (INLA) and Iowa Turfgrass script outlining the rules and proce- employ other sources for data such as Institute (ITI). Two hundred twenty- dures for the discussion. Each partic- written sample surveys or individual three reminder postcards were mailed ipant was asked to read and sign an interviews (Morgan, 1997). Haynes 2 weeks later. Respondents to the informed consent form that stated the and Trexler (2003) used focus groups letters and/or postcards who were risks and benefits of participation in as the primary data collection method interested in participating and who the focus group. to assess training needs of volunteers fit the target population were con- An opening introductory ques- at a public garden. Jutila et al. (2005) tacted in Aug. 2007 by phone or e- tion was used to help all participants used focus groups and a written sur- mail to schedule a date and time for a become familiar with one another. vey instrument for their research with focus group. A second phone call Participants were asked open-ended
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questions from the IRB-approved list. were transcribed. Transcriptions were enjoyed working outdoors, the vari- Discussion questions, created by the coded by attaching labels to ideas or ety of job tasks, growing plants, and authors (Table 1), were designed themes that emerged from the dis- designing landscapes. Challenges for to determine training and resource cussions. The long-table approach the participants included criticism needs of managers, and to understand was used for coding and analyzing the from golf course members and cli- how university extension program- focus group transcriptions (Krueger, ents, long hours during the growing ming can help managers improve 1998b). This method required print- season, and the physically demanding working relationships, including com- ing the transcriptions on paper of nature of many of the tasks. munications, with their Spanish- different colors for each focus group. Managing employees for many speaking employees. Questions were Transcriptions were cut and organ- participants was both a challenge and sequenced from general to specific to ized under emerging themes across an enjoyment. Managers felt chal- maximize insight, which allowed the the four focus groups. Presentation lenged, for example, when some participants to become more familiar of the findings was organized by employees were not present for work with the topic. Probing, or follow- background and demographics, com- and had not notified the supervisor. up, questions were asked by the mod- munication with Latino workers, ob- Managers also said they were dis- erator during the discussions to clarify servations of culture, and future pleased when employees appeared to comments that may have been unclear. programming. show limited creativity during land- Focus-group discussions lasted scape installation. However, partici- 60 to 90 min. The moderator led Results pants also stated that they enjoyed and facilitated the discussion ques- BACKGROUND AND DEMOGRAPHICS. working with employees and many tions and the assistant moderator Participants discussed their back- reported that they had developed a documented comments from the par- grounds in relation to their current bond—indicating a positive relation- ticipants in the form of field notes. horticultural positions. Of the 25 ship—with their Latino employees. Responses also were captured with participants, 21 were men and 4 were For one participant, Jane, this bond digital and tape recorders. Partici- women. Discussions revealed that went beyond working hours to being pants were informed of the recording, 80% of participants had farming back- ‘‘invited to all the weddings and the and their identities were kept confi- grounds and were raised in rural baptisms and everything. [They were] dential by using their initials during communities. The majority of partic- really, really kind and generous.and transcription. At the conclusion of ipants, 72%, were below the age of 50 shared a lot of food.’’ each focus group, the assistant mod- years. When asked what their aspira- COMMUNICATION WITH LATINO erator summarized the comments, tions for the future were, 48% of the WORKERS. Participants reported com- and participants were asked to verify participants were content in their munication challenges when supervis- the accuracy of the summary. current positions; however, 32% of ing Latino employees. When asked to DATA ANALYSIS. The researchers the participants also were looking state their level of Spanish language discussed the responses of the partic- forward to retirement. Job responsi- fluency on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 = poor/ ipants in a debriefing immediately bilities of the participants included limited, 5 = excellent/fluent), 79.2% following the focus group session, day-to-day operations of golf courses, of 24 respondents rated their fluency which began the process of identify- managing staff, overseeing landscape as either 1 or 2 (54.2% and 25%, ing and modifying the question installations, budgeting, and hiring/ respectively). Participants reported guide. The digital and tape recordings training new staff. Participants using workplace Spanish handbooks, dictionaries, translation websites, and bilingual employees to translate in- Table 1. Question guide used by facilitator during focus groups of managers of structions from English to Spanish. Latino workers in Iowa to determine resource needs of managers. Although participants were aware of Opening Spanish-language classes available How did you become involved in horticulture? through community colleges, only What is your agriculture history or background? three participants had inquired about What dreams or aspirations do you have for the future? the classes and none had enrolled. Demographics Managers also talked about the What position do you hold in your company? ways in which they stayed current in What are your duties in this position? technologies in the industry. Many What do you enjoy about this position? relied on coworkers, on-the-job train- What do you dislike about your position? ing, and trade magazines for new How much Spanish do you speak? information about management prac- Training and resource needs tices, including how to successfully What training and information resources are available to you? work with employees. Golf course What training and information resources do you provide to your Spanish- speaking superintendent participants stated employees? they often shared information at How do you access these resources? meetings about management practi- Do you know about the extension service and extension programs? ces with one another. Participants Concluding reported providing safety trainings How can extension help make you more successful with Spanish-speaking employees? to Latino workers; however, few par- ticipants, 36%, provided posters,
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videos, or technical literature in Span- Participants asserted that learn- State University extension did not ish to Latino employees. ing a few common Spanish phrases sufficiently promote their services Four managers recommended a had helped to establish respect and because he was unaware of publica- class on Spanish language for horti- remove cultural barriers with Latino tions, classes, or the location of the culture undergraduate students at employees. One participant used pic- county extension office. Participants Iowa State University. An Iowa State tures instead of words to label and said they were not aware of any uni- University alumnus from 2000 sum- organize tools. To connect with versity extension programs specially marized the sentiment with the com- employees and overcome cultural geared toward managers of Latino ment: ‘‘There was never any focus on barriers, one supervisor used the fol- employees or extension programs or taking Spanish at the college level. A lowing analogy to relate the impor- materials available in Spanish. little golf course fluency, that’s all tance of golf in the United States with Focus group participants sug- [the students] need, and then [the soccer in Latin America to his Latino gested a range of specific program students] can go from there.’’ Five workers. ‘‘The little trick I use, the topics that they believed were needed participants discussed and recom- common denominator between every- by Latino employees to be more mended classes on Latin American body [who] speaks Spanish, is soccer. successful workers in the horticultural culture and human resource manage- That’s something that I take and I industry (Table 2). Participants sug- ment for horticulture students at relate it to the golf industry. [Latinos gested developing educational mate- Iowa State University. are] so passionate about soccer; in the rials for safe equipment operation, OBSERVATIONS OF CULTURE. United States we’re passionate about proper use of fertilizers and pesti- Most of the participants emphasized golf, especially at this place. For what cides, and ways to identify harmful the need for cross-cultural training it’s worth, it seems to keep everybody insect pests and common plants dan- for managers and employees. Manag- on the same page, if we talk about gerous to workers, such as poison ivy ers said Latino employees placed great soccer once in awhile.’’ (Toxicodendron radicans). All golf importance on family relationships. FUTURE PROGRAMMING. When course superintendents agreed that Also, nearly all participants agreed participants were asked if they were explanations about golf, how it is that Latino employees were hard aware of university extension services played, why things are maintained or working and dependable. Eight par- and programs, most stated that they managed a certain way on the golf ticipants remarked that Latino were familiar with programs such as course, and golf etiquette were also employees often had second jobs in Master Gardeners, 4-H, and plant needed so that employees would the evenings and that many relied on pest management bulletins. The know why particular standards of care younger children in the family to question also stimulated criticism. and quality were needed. Participants complete English-language forms and One participant remarked that Iowa also made suggestions for delivery translate oral and written commu- nications for their Spanish-speaking parents. Three participants expressed Table 2. Recommendations for future educational programming for concerns that Latino employees had universities, cooperative extension, and industry associations to assist difficulty finding addresses when Latino workers in the horticultural industry. Recommendations originated working on landscaping jobs. Nearly from focus group participants who were managers of Latino employees half of the participants across the in the Iowa horticultural industry. focus groups stated that Latino employees feared reporting equip- Universities ment failure. Managers described • Develop and implement a Spanish and Latin American cultural class for societal characteristics of Latino em- undergraduate horticulture majors ployees in which those in positions of • Encourage participation in a human resource management class for undergraduate authority are respected and not to be horticulture majors questioned. This differed from the Cooperative extension organizational culture of the United • Develop publications about Latin American societal characteristics States in which lateral communica- • Develop publications about proper use of fertilizers and pesticides in Spanish tions and ‘‘equality’’ norms were • Develop publications about ways to identify harmful insect pests and harmful plants in more typical, such as in the horticul- Spanish tural industry. Tony and Roy illus- • Work with industry associations to create bilingual safety trainings, manuals, and trated these societal characteristics guides with pictures with their comments: • Provide bilingual educational materials to managers at workshops and trainings Tony: ‘‘For [Americans], we like • Translate existing publications from English to Spanish to think that we’re equal. But for • Deliver trainings for Latinos through visual aids, digital video discs (DVDs), and [Latinos], they usually have one dom- workshop leader who speak Spanish inant person. That’s just the way their Industry associations culture is.’’ • Offer seminars and workshops for Latino employees during winter months Roy: ‘‘When we [managers] talk • Develop publications about golf, how it is played, and golf etiquette in Spanish to each other, we look in each other’s • Develop publications about nursery production and landscaping in Spanish eyes. [Latinos] don’t. In their culture, • Create links from industry associations to extension websites they don’t look in our eyes. That’s for • Offer general labor management seminars and workshops about cultural differences managers.’’ during annual conferences
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methods of educational materials not comparable to states with larger making them easily accessible through that included visual aids, digital Latino populations, therefore, the the Internet. Using pictures instead of video discs (DVDs), and a workshop results conducted from studies in other words to address safety concerns could leader who spoke Spanish. To work states may vary. Furthermore, our study reduce on-the-job accidents. In addi- even more successfully with Latino did not address issues from the per- tion, existing publications could be employees in the landscaping indus- spective of the workers. To strength- translated to Spanish for distribution try, participants suggested that INLA en and add depth to the research, a among Latino workers. These sugges- offer educational opportunities for needs assessment of Latino horticul- tions would help managers make con- Latino employees in the form of semi- tural workers would be beneficial. nections with their Latino employees, nars or workshops during the winter Our focus group discussions whether the managers speak Spanish months. showed that managers observe and or not. Slightly more than half of the identify language and cultural differ- If implemented, the suggestions participants across all focus groups ences that enhance and conflict with of focus group participants for future agreed that access to extension mate- job performance of employees. These programming could help improve rials should be more straightforward. findings are similar to the findings of communication and cultural under- Moreover, to better connect univer- Bitsch and Harsh (2004) in Michi- standing between managers and Lat- sity extension research with private gan. The findings showed that the ino employees. Past research industry, participants suggested cre- language barrier between English- involving the horticulture workforce ating links from extension websites speaking managers and Latino em- supports the need for educational to associations such as ITI and ployees poses daily challenges for the programming for horticultural indus- INLA. Participants also suggested managers (Bitsch and Harsh, 2004). try workers (Haynes et al., 2007; that extension educators could pro- Recognizing and learning about these Mathers, 2003; Scoggins et al., vide information in trade magazines differences could help managers of 2004). about cultural differences between Latino workers in Iowa build better communities in Latin America work relationships with their and those in the United States. Par- employees. Literature cited ticipants also endorsed the creation of Focus group discussions sug- Barton, S.S., J. Mercer, and C.J. Molnar. general labor management classes, gested that managers would benefit 1996. Using focus groups to determine provision of publications about nurs- from learning and using Spanish market potential for wildflower sod. ery and golf course technical features vocabulary specific to golf courses, HortTechnology 6:271–276. in Spanish, and workshops about cul- production nursery, and landscape Bitsch, V. and S.B. Harsh. 2004. Labor tural differences. installation. These findings are similar risk attributes in the green industry: Busi- to a survey of arborists who hire ness owners’ and managers’ perspectives. Discussion Latino workers in Connecticut (Ricard J. Agr. Appl. Econ. 36:731–745. Focus groups are especially et al., 2008). The study showed that Caffarella, R.S. 2002. Planning programs useful for illuminating complexities managers were interested in work- for adult learners. Jossey-Bass, San Fran- on sensitive topics such as manager- shops, videos, training materials writ- cisco, CA. employee relationships and for ten in Spanish, and a manual with a Hall, C.R., A.W. Hodges, and J.J. Haydu. topics that are poorly understood list of common words used in the 2005. Economic impacts of the green (Morgan, 1998). The complexities industry in English and Spanish for industry in the United States. 9 Apr. of the new Latino presence in the their Latino employees (Ricard et al., 2008.
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Krueger, R.A. 1998a. Moderating focus Morgan, D.L. 1998. The focus group non-English-speaking workers in arboricul- groups. Sage Publications, Thousand guidebook. Sage Publications, Thousand ture.J.Ext.46(2).28Apr.2008.
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