Telstra - Cross-Cultural Training Programs - Case Study Example

Cross-cultural Training Programs Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation Background Telstra is an international company that integrates technology and builds content solutions that are easy and simple to use. Telstra Company owns not only the largest and fully integrated IP network in Australia but also the fastest and largest mobile network national wide. The company’s effort is to know and serve its customers better than other companies, providing the option of not just digital content, but digital connection, as well. The company has a wider span of control in 15 countries, with China inclusive. In the early 21st century, the opportunity belonged to the connected individuals, connected communities, connected businesses, and connected government. Therefore, Telstra Company takes the lead in communication and information services with the best brand in the whole of Australia (Baker & Bowen, 2003). Activities and strategies of cross-culture The market country of the Telstra Company is in Australia where it provides services while competing with all the companies present in the telecommunication market. The company provides more than 9.6 million in the fixed line of the country, more than 3.3 million services of more mobile data plan of 3G. The main activities of the Telstra Company provide the basic access services to homes and to most of the businesses. Additionally, the company provides services of broadband access, mobile telecommunication and contents. The company also provides comprehensive data range and internet services with domain name as Telstra BigPond. Telstra Company engages as well in the services of the wholesale to the other carriage and carriers. The company provides with the leading directory and Australia Search Company which are involved in the search, information services and advertising. The company undertakes cable distribution along with television subscription and FOXTEL subscription (Pearson Australia, 2012). The company employs over ten thousand employee who are from the different backgrounds since the company spans in 15 countries with different cultures. Therefore, cross-cultural management concerns arise in a range of company’s business contexts. With respect to the Telstra Company, for example, the managers from foreign countries need to have an understanding that the employees from Australia or host country need different corporate structures and different HRM (Human Resource Management) procedures. Since the company, also concentrates on the in cross-border business, leveraging the anticipated synergies depends on coming up with procedures and structures that revolve around culture in a deeper way. Additionally, for a company to make successful sales to the foreign customers call for adaptations that are culturally sensitive to services or products, advertising, and marketing (Baker & Bowen, 2003). Cross-cultural aspects There are numerous unfamiliar cultures present in domestic and international businesses or dealings. For example, buyers from a foreign land visit to make deals; the company may outsource suppliers from foreign countries, and the company employees with diverse cultural backgrounds. For example, for the Telstra Company to adopt its management style to suit the corporate culture of the new managers in India, it should adapt to particular Indian cultural aspects. Telstra Company manages employees from Europe, Asia and Africa, where these employees bring into the company idiosyncrasies to their work or job attributes from the host countries. For example, it is a common thing in most of the Asians to be reserved when servicing or dealing with customers. In the past, the Telstra Company has been encouraging Asians employees to be much more outgoing. Therefore, the cross-cultural integration of the Telstra Company is manifestation of the globalization which in turn leads to the integration of the culture, as well. The expectations of the people’s behaviors are gradually emerging despite the fact that they are reluctant to relinquish their own cultural values and norms. There are numerous universal values of the cross-cultural encounters in relation to the Telstra Company (Baker & Bowen, 2003). Work environment In Telstra Company, there are various work and employment practices that need to be embraced when dealing with cross-culture undertaken by the company. The issue of the maintaining confidential information is an invaluable asset in the business which includes knowledge, facts and opinions regarding Telstra Company. Moreover, the concerns about the company’s business, its customers and its employees are something that has not been disseminated to the members of the public in Australia. The confidential information refers to all information derived from the performance of the Telstra. Therefore, the issue of keeping the secret of the confidential information is an act of the corporate culture in Telstra Company. Since the company is an international company, the concern for the confidential information becomes a cross-cultural aspect where all members of the company are supposed to adhere to the confinement of the confidential information regardless of their diverse cultures (Baker & Bowen, 2003). Cross-cultural programs Equally importantly, Telstra Company embraces cross-cultural programs with an equal opportunity of employments. It has been a corporate culture of the Telstra Company to establish an inclusive, flexible and supportive work environment people differences are harnessed and respected. Therefore the company recruits, trains, develop, and promote, as well as rewarding its employee depending on the merit or performance. Employment programs are derived from the quality unrelated to the inherent job performance or requirements such as sex, family responsibility and disability. The inherent job requirements are prohibited within the company as they may lead to unlawful discrimination. There has been a number of diversification strategies adopted by the company so as to grow internationally. The strategy is helpful in the realization of the tangible benefits focused on harnessing employees with full potentials especially in India to offer a competitive position of the company (Pearson Australia, 2012). Cross-cultural Challenges Cross-cultural risk is aggravated by ethnocentric orientation implying that people from diverse cultural backgrounds normally use their individual cultures as a gauge for judging others. For example, most of the people who have come from a country where a single culture dominates, they have a predisposition to scrutinize the world principally based on their own cultural point of view. Ethnocentric tendencies have proved to be common to almost every society in the world and entail the notion that one’s own culture, religion, race, or the ethnic group is paramount to others. Scholars have described ethnocentric views as orientation based on home country. Hence, they suggest that managers who are involved in the management of business outside their home country should shun away from ethnocentric orientation and need to adopt geocentric orientation (Baker & Bowen, 2003). The concept of geocentric orientation requires the managers to develop good terms with the employees and other stakeholders of the business in the host country. Therefore, managers should seek to understand the business environment or the market they are operating in without considering the geographical locations or the country boundaries. Managers with geocentric orientation will always strive to make premeditated efforts to develop proficiency, as well as necessary skills in order to cooperate and work effectively with other people from different cultural backgrounds. They should be concerned with developing new approaches of thinking, avoid prejudice and strive to analyze diverse cultures within the business operational environment. In order to prevent ethnic bias, they need to learn and appreciate other people’s efforts in contributing to the growth and success of the business (Pearson Australia, 2012). Employment In order for Telstra to be successful in operating in different cultural environment, it provides its employees with a number of employment tools aimed at addressing their diverse needs. The company attaches great value to its employees as it believes that employees form an indispensable part of the company’s success and growth. All employees regardless of their cultural backgrounds are expected to be always open and honest in their dealings with the manager. Thus, they are free to consult, interact or approach their manager if they have problems or concerns regarding the performance of the company. Further, the company is dedicated into developing its employees’ careers and skills while maximizing on their career possibilities, as well as the company’s continued growth. It has thorough training programs for its workers in order to help them cope and adapt to a new business environment. Workers are encouraged to adopt the company’s corporate culture as opposed to own cultural believes that may affect its growth. However, like other multinational corporations, Telstra encourage their workers to learn about other people’s cultures in order to be cross-cultural proficient. It holds regular seminars that are aimed at encouraging their employees to work effectively with their colleagues from different countries with diverse cultural backgrounds (Pearson Australia, 2012). Gifts, Prizes and Hospitality Employees’ motivation forms an important aspect that would lead to the growth and success of the business. Therefore, it accepts the practice of receiving and giving prizes, as well as hospitality as an incentive to recognize the efforts and contributions of workers towards the company’s success. Every employee’s efforts in the company are rewarded in order to boost their morale and work in a good environment that encourages their career growth. All Telstra employees are fairly and equitably treated in the same way in spite of their race, ethnic group or religion as the company has realized the important of multi-cultural diversity. Recruitment of new employees to fill in various posts in the company is based on the applicants’ academic qualifications and work experience rather than cultural dimensions. Further, it provides its employees with the right for fair treatment and to understand the rationale for decision making and actions that pertain to employees and their employers. Fairness is based on the conduct of employees as the company expects them to be guided by business ethics in their dealings with the customers, colleagues, supervisors, as well as other business stakeholders. Issues related to employees’ dismissal from work are thoroughly scrutinized and investigate to prevent unfair dismissals that may be ethnical biased (Pearson Australia, 2012). Language and Communication In a cross-cultural environment, a group of people or individuals characteristics are greatly influenced by social, as well cultural norms of a specific geographical region. Therefore, communication and language forms an indispensable part that is aimed at bringing people from diverse cultural background together. For example, in a meeting or the seminar, communication and language helps to create a mutual understanding of other people’s culture and encourages cross-cultural proficiency. Hence, for workers to communicate effectively among themselves the issue of language serves an important purpose. Therefore, workers’ interactions through language and communication influence the operational of multi-cultural workplaces based on setting of job strategies at all management levels. Depending on the corporate culture in which the Telstra Company evolved, its organization, as well as decision making processes have a tendency of being determined by that culture. However, for the firm to realize growth and success in its dealing with its employees, customers, as well as its stakeholders it should have a comprehensive corporate culture distinct from any individual cultures (Pearson Australia, 2012). Conclusion Unlike, economic, political, as well as legal systems, culture are a bit complex to identify and analyze. Its implications on international business are wide in scope and expansive. An assortment of interpersonal exchange and value-chain operations, for example, the design of the product or a service, sales, as well as marketing is influenced by culture. Therefore, in their areas of operations, managers need to design products and services based on culture of a particular geographical area and even the color. For example, while red may symbolize beauty and romance in the United States, in another country like South Africa it may be signify mourning. However, as a result of globalization many firms are becoming accustomed to different geographical regions with diverse cultural backgrounds. References Baker, G., & Bowen, T. (2003). First byte: Using information & communication technology. South Melbourne: Oxford University Press. Pearson Australia (2012). Cross-cultural communication. Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) – 9781442533561/Cavusgil/International Business. Read More