Socio-Cultural Factors in Organizations and Results of Management Dilemma - Research Proposal Example

Running Head: Management Dilemma Socio-cultural Factors in Organizations that Influence the Outcomes of Management Dilemma [Client’s Name] [Affiliation] Defining the Case and Identifying the Source As was discussed, absolute objectivity in the decision making process of organizations is very difficult to achieve. This is because of the presence of the subjective factors that, when excluded in the calculation, could potentially harm the productivity and performance of the organization as a whole. But how much can these factors affect the performance and productivity of an organization? Are there strong theoretical basis that would support this contention? Do real-life situations in organizations support or validate these theories? In order to understand the effects of socio-economic factors in decisions concerning management dilemma, this paper aims to conduct a cross-sectional research on the socio-cultural elements that influence the outcomes of the decision-making process during a management dilemma. In order to do this, the research will use qualitative and quantitative data for analysis and evaluation. Qualitative data pertains to the review of related literature pertaining to the topic. The literature to be reviewed will be selected to include only peer-reviewed journal articles, management books, and other relevant articles that will come from both online and printed sources. The literature will be composed mainly of articles, books, and theories and principles on cultural diversity, people management, organizational management, effective leadership, management strategies, and organizational behaviour. The main goals of the qualitative data and information are to substantiate the research with all the published facts and findings from various authors. A minimum of 25 sources will be chosen, reviewed, and evaluated for relevance on the given topic. These data sets will then be used as the framework of the research which will determine the null and alternative hypothesis of the problem statement. The quantitative data and information that will be used from this study is a combination of descriptive and correlational statistics. The quantitative data that will be obtained in the survey will be subjected to descriptive analysis where measures of central tendencies will be evaluated and interpreted. Quantitative data that will be subjected to measures of central tendencies will include the demographic characteristics of the respondents as well as other relevant indicators (like the size of the organization where the respondents belong to and the number of years in their current position). Correlational statistics will be used in relating the degree of presence of the independent variables and how they affect the independent variable. In particular, the research will use one tailed analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the student’s t-test to measure the degree of correlation between the dependent and independent data and information. The quantitative data will be used to verify whether the discussion presented in the evaluation of the existing literature related and the results obtained in the survey are highly correlated. This means that certain theories and principles of human resource management will be subjected to major scrutiny and evaluation based on the statistical results of the data obtained directly from respondents. The main advantage is using this strategy will be the diversity of the respondents which translates to the ability of the research data to cover a wide array of managers. The data evaluation and interpretation which involves managers from different types of organizations facing different degrees of difficulties of management dilemmas will be covered. The main disadvantage, however, is the complexity involved in such a heterogeneous sample size. Drawing meaningful conclusions on the data and information obtained in the research can be challenging in the light of a diverse management background. Data Collection Methodology   The paper has employed a combination of the Survey and Questionnaire approaches to be able to draw responses from the respondents. Both open-ended and close ended questions were used in the paper, close-ended questions were used on the questionnaires and open-ended questions served as the guide for the interview questions. These questions are drafted in such a manner that it opens an avenue for a discussion guide between author and the respondents especially in expounding the opinion they held on how the independent factors of this research (in-group/out-group, organizational behaviour, cultural diversity, and economic status) affect the dependent variable (decision outcomes in management dilemma). Also, the questionnaires aimed to get a general idea of the effectiveness of the management strategies employed by the respondents to effectively manage their organization. On the side note, the paper will also interview a set of representatives from the sample size to substantiate what will be written in the questionnaire. The results of the questionnaires and the interview will be correlated at the end of the paper. A randomly selected sample population composed of 325 middle and top managers will be invited to answer a survey questionnaire composed of 5 sets of 10 questions each. The selection process for the sample size will be done by block sectioning of public data and information on top and middle managers in the locale of the researcher coming from the local branch of the SEC. The list of managers will be further trimmed to those whose contact numbers and email addresses appear in the public document obtained from the SEC. Nonresponse bias will be assessed by comparing responses to a simple ‘yes/no’ question from each contact (late responders) and by comparing demographic information (nonresponders).  The first set of questions will be composed of a modification of the Cultural Diversity Awareness Questionnaire (CDAQ) which will evaluate the ability of the managers to identify culturally-sensitive workplace issues (Lazaro & Umphred, 2007). The second set of questionnaires will focus on the perception of the managers towards their environment, particularly on the different socio-economic status of their constituents and how this status affects their constituents’ performance in the organization. The paper will use a modified Perceived environmental Quality Indicators (PEQI) which has been verified for internal consistencies (Hyman, 1980). The third and fourth sets will explore on the effects of in-groups/out-groups and organizational behaviour as a whole, respectively, to the decision-making process during management dilemma. The last set of questions will be open-ended questions which will explore: (a) how the respondents make decisions in any management dilemma involving its human resource; (b) what management strategies do they employ in order to resolve issues on management dilemma involving the human resource; and (c) what are the measureable outcomes of their choices. The strategy will include mailings (snail mail and electronic mail), university stationery, paid reply envelopes, personalized correspondence, and final telephonic contact. References Hyman, E. (1980). The uses, validity, and reliability of perceived environmental quality indicators. Social Indicators Research. 9(1); 85 -110. Lazaro, R & Umphred, D. (2007). Improving Cultural Diversity Awareness of Physical Therapy Educators. Journal of Cultural Diversity. 14(3). 1-18 Read More