Are Cultural and Ethnic diversity and competency needed for success today?

I ask this question as I ponder about the the current state of our global economy. We are now, more than ever, connected with other people of other cultures, religions, races, etc across the globe. From my own personal experiences and upbringing, I can truly say I am a better person and can relate to practically anyone due to my wide range of cultural, religious, racial, and ethnic experiences. It could be that my particular experience is rare, but I feel like these experiences are more tangible than they look. These experiences have helped me in relationships, at work, in school, in sports, etc. I do not know if I would be where I am today if I werent able to empathize and converse with a wide range of people.

This article about from the washingtop post about 3/4th of white people not have any other friends also caught my attention LINK. This article would say that its not necessary to be ethnically and culturally competence and diverse because success is attainable without it, when coming whites to other groups. So is this competency only pertinent for minorities, or do you think that it will be must have skill for all people going forward?

I believe empathy and being able to relate to others goes a long way in life. My barber and I recently spoke about how all high school kids should work in retail, volunteer at a hospital and work at an old folks home. Those are 3 places will you will have to interact with people of all sizes, sexualities, genders, creeds, races, ethnicities, and cultures and everyone needs to be given the same and equal treatment. It really gives you a diversity of experiences that could help you and others later on in the future.

I'm open to dialogue and I'm just curious to see what you guys think!