Distinctive Features of the US Approaches to HRM - Case Study Example

What would you consider to be distinctive features of US approaches to HRM, and what extent do you think these would be exportable to the rest of theworld? This is a fact that the business world of present times is changing at a cut throat pace and it provides us all the more reason to believe that the future would indeed be very different to what it is at the present. International or external human resources management environment comprises of the factors and elements which are outside the boundaries of the firm and over which it has little or no control when it comes to handling the same. (Benton, 1994) US human resources management environment can work to the advantage of the firm as well as become a real nuisance, more so when the economy is not that encouraging boosting trade ties between stakeholders, different organizations and so on and so forth. The corporate strategy plays a significant role at building a bridge between the company’s inner policies and the undertakings it has with the various stakeholders, who could be from the human resources management settings. (Korzeniowski, 2001) Human resources management in a developing country like India is much different than it is in a developed nation – United States for example. The differences arise in the way works are done as well as the manner in which people are held accountable and answerable for their respective tasks and job natures. Conducting business within USA is also different because it has a distinct culture of its own. Its people speak different languages, adapt to a number of traditions and have family make-ups of a completely distinct proposition. (Enright, 2000) Human resources management in different venues of the world is a difficult yet interesting proposition. What might be hailed as a suitable entity in one location could be judged as a sheer loser in another country or business marketplace for that matter. Thus human resources management takes care of the social and cultural concepts of the place. Thus it is pertinent to note that different business markets of the world have differences in them nonetheless. A developing country has a developing market and the business which is widespread in its environs is something that has just started or remained within the realms of its exploration. On the other hand, a developed business environment – that of the US for instance, sustains growth and the profitability from the business standpoint is a part and parcel thing. Misunderstandings are an understood notion in a society such as of USA where people adhered to an agreed and applied culture but did not actually know the facets of the followed traditions and the cultural history. It was thus the role of the scholars and intellectuals to make the people know more about their culture, no matter how opposed the social customs and traditions were in the American society. Ethical confusions also did seem to take place when people migrated to USA in search of a better living and lifestyle, bringing with them their own cultures and set traditions which they had been following in their own backyards. This created a cultural tilt for Americans who seemed to follow the new practices that were being imparted by these foreign immigrants. Human resources management in USA is pretty different to how a marketer would proceed in another nation mainly due to the fact that the Americans are more culturally disoriented and they have less family-oriented values when we compare the same to an Asian country. The human resources management tactics and activities which could be sound enough within USA might not just work to the advantage for the organizations within another nation since the latter might have a lot of reservations with the different practices that are already in use under the business umbrella. But then again, creativity knows no boundaries and the human resources management gurus know when to strike and what to strike with, at the desired sets of people. In a developing nation, the race is to become more considerate towards the basic needs and wants of the people rather than playing upon their already achieved goals and objectives. Hence the disposable income of the people is one such aspect that has to be studied in depth before arriving at any possible conclusion. In a developing nation, Maslow’s theory of needs is applicable in a much broader sense than a nation which has already developed and there is little room for advancement within its ranks. The developing nation can see that its population achieves the basic needs like shelter, food, clothing and so on and so forth much before they can actually think of satisfying their whims that might be seen more often in a developed nation for that matter. The medium of communication thus become an interesting proposition since the developed nation can cater to the needs and wishes of the people in a pretty easy and straightforward manner as compared to a developing country. These people can witness marketing campaigns targeting them on television, radio, the newer forms of media like transit advertising, balloon promotion, SMS coverage and other things but the same might just miss out in the developing country since the market there is more in the developing zone and not able to understand its own self clearly. The legal barriers that so arise could be in the form of law suits and legal procedures adopted by different segments of the society but the same might just be a bit mellowed down in a developed nation say for example USA. The tolerance levels of the developing nations might just not be ready for out of the box creativity that could hinder their traditional norms and values but the same would go down well in a developed and more established regime. The differences in the retail structures of can also accrue as a significant point in the whole distinction when one compares USA with some other nation. (Barr, 2000) Since there is more freedom of speech in USA therefore what might a human resource posting in the newspaper would try to achieve in this realm could be a sign of personal invasion of space and freedom on the part of the average Indian (the developing regime), for instance. The price tags at the back side of brands in the retail quarters would not be a necessity in India but could become a major point of loss for the USA chain store since there are definitive issues of consumer laws and anyone can take the store’s authorities to the court for falling on this particular count. On the recruitment and selection front, the lack of having job analysis regimes and interviewing techniques could become a problem within USA but the same can go on beyond scenes and that too in a corrupted way in other countries of the world. One must understand that in the rest of the world, the human resources management function would focus on the things which are not present in the region whereas the same tacticians would go a step ahead and experiment thereby bringing in more luxuries and conveniences to the people within the workplace in USA. Same is true for both USA and India where people are meted with different developmental regimes since their countries are either on the developed list (USA) or still progressing along continuously on the developing front. One should believe that education levels are something that must be focused upon when one discusses these problems. Without basic education, a country can lag far behind its goals and objectives, in fact without it; it would not even know they exist in the first place. Therefore the literacy levels must form the backbone of the whole distinction that is there as concerns to the human resources management and cultural divide that exists in USA and elsewhere. American nation has the potential to become a multiracial society, one that can entail within its peoples from many different cultures and traditions but the people who are at the helm of it, do not really want the same to be achieved. Multiculturalism seems to be an improbable and unlikely thing as far as United States is concerned. There seems to be an unending rivalry between Asians, the native-American folks and the people from Africa. It has been going on for a number of generations and seems to find no way out of this culture. Culture speaks people’s language. This has to be the simplest and most concise definition of culture when seen within the limits of a society and that of a particular region. However on the part of more precise and accurate description, one sees that any set of social customs and rituals that are followed in a particular society come under the heading of a tradition prevalent in the same area. It may be possible that this culture is not liked or followed by any or all of the people within its fold while at times, it has been seen in old civilizations that people used to hold different kinds of rituals and events in the name of cultural activities that came in the way of their fulfillment of commitment towards an agreed and applied culture. This culture was a manifestation of their promise and obligation they owed to the very same civilization and society and thus these events were marked as the tools to carry out the same. Cultural patterns are different in every area of the world and it would not be wrong to say that they are dissimilar in a single city as well. Considering the diverse nature of cultures within a distinct vicinity, it is also imperative to keep in mind that these cultures do have an interface mechanism with each other and thus the product which comes from this interaction and contact can either be a positive one, with communication of ideas and new modernizations taking place within the society or a totally opposite one, producing problems for the two culturally-adopted peoples. As far as the cultural differences within USA are concerned, we see that the diversity regimes are something that the human resources specialist can play upon to flourish his workplace in an immense manner. Liberalization in the form of thought and creativity is pretty apparent in a US society and hence the marketer can benefit from the same and have some leverage within the related ranks. Cultural values and attachment thus have a very significant role to play when businesses decide to have offshore locations within the developing nations as this could seriously backfire in the wake of differences arising out of even the minutest of issues. It is imperative to understand the culture of a society or a region before entering into it for fiscal returns. This decision is indeed one of significance and long term prosperity of the organization. Culture has a lot of role in the contexts of the developing nations since they are more attached with it and also because they find the legal barriers are not that strong. The education levels fall way below the mark and thus there is little awareness as far as marketing regimes and their eventual practices are concerned. Firms have to predict what will actually happen with them in the future and this is not an easy process, in fact it is easier said than done. They must be open to a number of challenges and potential problems that can come their way every now and then and for this not to happen, they must make sure that their research according to the market dynamics and cultural representations is up to date and current. The cultural differences that arise due to the various issues including the misunderstandings of the language that is commonly spoken of is something that the organizations must take care of before they decide to venture into a new country or region. Also the fact that the US approach towards human resources management is generally more sedate and laidback is a plus point for the different people who come to the superpower nation of the world to mold their careers in a positive way. Bibliography BARR, Pamela S. (2000). When Firms Change Direction. Oxford University Press BENTON, Ted. (1994). Social Theory and the Global Environment. Routledge ENRIGHT, Michael J. (2000). Regional Clusters and Multinational Enterprises. International Studies of Management & Organization, Vol. 30 KORZENIOWSKI, Paul. (2001). The Challenges of Going Global. Business Communications Review, Vol. 31 Word Count: 2,028 Read More