Of the many factors that are used in global management work, the most important- and most impulsive- are employees. While capital, land and technology can be planned and hazards predicted and managed, employees are most difficult to manage globally. To address this problem, global managers use HRM tools. These HRM tools often encourage global managers to go through their requirements and select their own teams. The result is a cultural team that has individuals from different backgrounds and experiences. This might be because of differences in preferences, nationality or even discipline. One person may be from the home country, the second may be local and the third may be an operations manager!
What are the specific challenges that such a team formation would face? One is the dearth of cultural self-awareness. The global manager has neither the tools to motivate such a cultural self-awareness, nor does he have the time to permit the employees develop a cultural self-awareness on their own.
The reactions of people to cultural differences can be ethnocentric that is one’s culture is experienced as central reality, whereas others are experienced as ethno relative that is one’s own culture is experienced in the context of other cultures. In global organizations, most managers are initially ethnocentric and the challenge lies in persuading them to become more ethno relative.
What happens to global organizations that are not cultural sensitive?
An important requirement of good business is relationship building. This is important to build confidence, widen links and energize the production process.
The companies can plan for intercultural diversity before it ventures abroad. Then the company has to reassess the diversity issues, in light of its experience so that diversity issues are included into its time and budget plans. Moreover, the company must be proactive in removing any prejudices that may inadvertently creep in. In addition, the global managers must be willing to continuously adjust their schedules and programs in response to cultural exigencies.
In spite of the difficulties, cultural diversity can bring several advantages to global organizations. It springs up innovative approaches to problem solving. The diversity brings in greater wisdom and experience. Cultural diversity also remains an important catalyst for originality and inventiveness.
This abstract was checked by WhiteSmoke Solution. Learn more .