Case Study - The Scent of Difference - Essay Example

Reference should be made primarily to the self-efficacy theory of Bandura (Steers et al. 2010, p.295). The above theory is based on the view that ‘motives are meaningful only if they are given to individuals who believe that they are able to succeed’ (Steers et al. 2010, p.295). In the specific case, Indian workers believe that they can respond to the demands of the work, as much as their American counterparts but their salary is too low so that there is no incentive for Indian workers to keep their performance at high levels.

In other words, Indian workers believe to their capacities in regard to the tasks assigned to them but they are not treated fairly. If Indian workers would not feel confident for their skills they would have no problem with the highest rewarding of American workers. Therefore, self-efficacy in the particular case leads to the development of tensions between the two social groups, Americans and Indians. Another theory that would help to understand the tensions appeared in Source One would be the theory of Reasoned Action, as developed by Fishbein and Azjen in 1980 (Larson 2009).

The particular theory promotes the idea that the actions of each individual are highly influenced by the plans he had made in advance but also by his beliefs in regard to the action involved (Larson 2009). The above condition is commonly known as behavioral intention, showing the interaction between the human behavior and the intentions/ attitudes of each individual (Larson 2009). In the specific case, the managers of the organization have fired the American workers because they were old and were compensated with high salary.

Therefore, the particular decision has been resulted by the plans of the firm to reduce its costs without taking into consideration the risks involved with the appearance of a new culture in the workplace. In this context, the theory of Reasoned Action can be used for highlighting the emphasis by the firm’s leaders on the achievement of a particular target, the reduction of costs, and the lack of any concern for the potential cultural conflicts in the workplace. At this point, reference should be made to the social identity theory which states that in order for a social group ‘to achieve a positive social identity a group must be distinguished from other groups in regard to certain positive values’ (Tajfel 2010, p.209). If there are no such values, then tensions will appear between the particular group and the other social groups in its environment.

It should be noted that conflicts among social groups are most likely to be caused because of the following two reasons: a) differences in culture and traditions, b) conflicting interests (Tajfel 2010, 302). In other words, because of the important differences in regard to the social identities of the two social groups, of Americans and Indians, tensions in Source One can be characterized as unavoidable, unless appropriate actions would have been taken by the firm’s managers and leaders The Intergroup Contact theory of Allport (1954) could be also used for explaining tensions in the workplace.

The specific theory proposes the idea that ‘there can be no harmony within a group if the intergroup contact is low’