Cultural Diversity in the Management Hierarchy - Research Proposal Example

Cultural Diversity in the Management Hierarchy Introduction Cultural Diversity and Equal Opportunity have been on the centre stage of HR challenges for more than a decade. The focus has moved from the challenges diversity brings in, like divisiveness, to the obvious business advantages it has, such as Sometimes, you need to state the obvious!.such as improved performance. In several countries this concept has taken a political swing, where strict regulations are passed governing the diversity composition of companies. With all these efforts maintaining diversity at management level is still an undiscovered niche. Diversity covers various aspects of the employees ranging from gender, physical ability, social background, age, educational qualifications, race, color, ethnic origin etc. Cultural diversity basically deals with diversity in the cultural backgrounds of employees, which comes from factors like race, color and ethnic origin. In contrast to the confined definition of cultural diversity, the topic of this[not sure why you say your approach is in contrast Do you mean that you're being inclusive of both approaches], cultural diversity in this proposal encompasses all the factors that come in the preview of generally accepted aspects of equal opportunity. Diversity of late is not just a matter of following rules or of being a 'good thing' to do, but an inevitable requirement in the light of recent global developments. Many organizations are now operating in a more global environment either because of their direct involvement or indirect involvement through their value chain. The end customers are also becoming more and more concerned about the treatment afforded to the employees of an organization before purchasing their product or availing their service. All the pointers clarify the urgency with which diversity management programs and equal opportunity policies have to be rolled out at an organizational as well as at a national and indeed international level. Now that the requirement to recognize and value cultural diversity is established, effective strategies to manage diversity and promote equal opportunities need to be put into place. This proposal intends to lay guidelines into researching the level of cultural diversity in the management hierarchy in UAE firms. The cues may be taken from existing research on diversity management and specifically in the middle - eastern countries. Enforcing diversity related policies in the middle - east throw up a different set of challenges from the rest of the world. The context of enforcement should comply with the strong religious sentiments that exist in these countries. For example, rights of women pertaining to driving, family law etc are different in different middle - eastern countries. They have varying degrees of restrictions or freedom regarding several social aspects which in turn affect the work life balance. UAE in particular has been more exposed to the global world through active participation in trade. Hence the strategies may be slightly different in UAE, though the middle - eastern influence cannot be ignored. There is some form of diversity management mainly initiated by the Multi-National Corporations (MNC's) as a part of their company policies. In the absence of set legislative rules for enforcement, existing practices by the MNC's from the Middle East and outside may be used as a benchmark to analyze the current situation of UAE. In general there have been several developments in diversity management in organizations. The status of diversity management policies and programmes has moved from a purely HR responsibility to the strategic level. The well being of an organisation in terms of effectiveness and performance could be said to be largely dependent on the changing demographics (Duffy, 1994) [if you believe this to be the case, you need to support your argument with evidence, or at the very least to say somethings like 'as I will go on to demonstrate']. This can only be achieved, with the representation of all the demographics in the work place. At brick level (means at the fundamental level)[not sure what this means], this means achieving representation at all levels. Though tThe efforts of organizations like IBM by many organizations [efforts of who, where's your evidence to support this] over the decade have shown drastic improvements in the general workforce mix over the decade. These efforts remain at the operations level and , the equal opportunity formula does not strike a balance in thedoes not seem to apply at the management level I'm not sure what you mean here abut 'striking a balance in the management level You need to be clearer as to what you mean. This has been the case even in societies where strict legislations exist regarding equal representation. As all new concepts have to go through the tests of measurement, even diversity induced performance is measured in best practice companies. Some far sighted companies have included diversity as a consideration in their succession planning schedule too. Training, recruitment, employee involvement in improving diversity and managers diversity related performances are some of the examples of vital processes in an organization affected by the wave of cultural diversity management (Review in HRM international digest, 2006). Ok, but you need to support this with reference to the literature. This project intends to explore these developments from within the UAE context. UAE being a multi- cultural country, the focus will be on strategies of managing diversity and equal opportunities for employees of different cultures in companies in the UAE. Literature Review As mentioned in the introduction, cultural diversity has emerged from various demographical and trade related changes. There have been several studies regarding the positive as well as negative effects of having a diversified workforce, some of which are explored below. By far the majority of these studies have concluded that advantages of diversified workforce weigh heavily compared to its risks, if managed efficiently. Prior to understanding the UAE specific literature on diversity management, it is important to present an overview of the general developments in the diversity management strategies. This will give a strong ground to understand the concept in the UAE context. One of the burning topics in diversity management is gender diversity. Gender discrimination is said to have increased in the Central and Eastern Europe after the transition during the post-communist period. Metcalfe and Afanassieva (2005) have suggested 'Gender mainstreaming' as an incremental change strategy. They also conclude that women's responsibility is mainly tied to household, which will ensure women struggle to reach heights in their professional life. HRM international digest also mentions that only 5% of women are present in the top management in US (Review in HRM international digest full reference needed 2006). One of the exploratory studies comparing the international diversity at board level concluded that Europe had the highest internationalized management compared to America and Asia (Palmer and Varner, 2007). The study does not state any findings from the middle - east, but generalizes in terms of gender split in board member compositions. Philippines and Malaysia were the only Asian countries having women in the management board (Palmer and Varner, 2007). To tackle the common barriers faced in ensuring diversity, several suggestions are made. Common ones include: diversity supporting organizational culture, preparing a clear diversity management strategy, drive it from the top, train on benefits of equality and hold managers accountable for managing diversity (Review in HRM international digest, 2006). Integrating these suggestions 'Cross - cultural diversity management model' should be specific to a particular organizational context is the newest development (Seymen, 2006). As per Seymen (2006), this model should take the take the negative and positive perspectives of cultural diversity and align it to the specific business context.You need to say more about this, or at the very least to insert a copy of the model as a table in your text. Otherwise, the reader will struggle to follow your train of thought. Studies on racial stereotypes have shown that Arabs are equated with terrorists in US (Chang and Kleiner, 2003). Tackling such stereotypes and focusing on another aspect of ethnic minority, Kamenou and Fearfull (2006), state that organizations should not only move towards gender equality but also acknowledge the different cultural and religious backgrounds of the workforce in HRM. As Adnan and Roger (1991:Pg.1 1page no) suggest, "The successful site manager is one who recognizes and understands the cultural differences of subordinates and combines both leadership dimensions: task and employee orientation." This is explained of the managers in middle- east who mainly manage a third country national workforce. The problem of managing diversity is much deeper than just learning to tolerate another culture or mannerisms. It extends to the mental frameworks in which these cultures are embedded. One of the major challenges facing any culture currently is their ability to assimilate change in its entirety including the transience, novelty and diversity (Hayes, 2000). Though there are such cultural diversities and equal opportunities related studies, very few concentrate on countries other than US. This may be because of the complexities involved in each national context. For example, an Australian study addressing the interpretation of affirmative legislations in equal opportunities proposes that "a distinctive Australian version of managing diversity will develop in some organisations based on the prior national legislative framework" (Strachan et al, 2004, Pg, 1page number needed in direct quotes). As per Hofstede's cultural dimension studies, Arab countries have more uncertainty avoidance, collectivism and power distance compared to US (Hofstede. G, 2001).Considering these differences, applying the same strategies for managing diversity as in the US may be inappropriate. There are several research projects regarding UAE women participation in politics, work and economic reform. There is little or no credible research on the status of cultural diversity management and equal opportunities in UAE. This project could be a starting point in understanding the current situation in UAE. The current strategies may be understood in the cultural context of an Arab nation. Based on these inputs, further progressive strategies may be devised. Aims and Objectives The primary aim of this project is to understand the strategies pursued by UAE companies in managing diversity and equal opportunities Cascading from the aim the following objectives can be derived: To identify a suitable sample size to undertake the study Follow an appropriate methodology to collect data on the current diversity management strategies in UAE Analyze the strategies in the light of literature review and the identified research gap Propose different or modified set of strategies if required. Research Methodology This chapter will describe the different methods applicable to this research. The research philosophy, approach, strategy, sample size and data collection methods will be explored. A brief outline of the remaining chapters in the project will also be mentioned. The research approach intended in UAE is mid way between positivism and interpretivism as the topics require objective knowledge testing as well as subjective analysis of participant's views. Deductive research approach involves hypothesis testing and draws generalizations as a result of it. This research falls under inductive approach as the generalizations like understanding of the concept of diversity and equal opportunities are tested in different contexts. Also considering the data sample size deductive research leading to universal generalizations falls short of credibility. This will be a cross sectional study rather than longitudinal because of the time constraints on the project. The nature of the project also supports this method as it is the first step towards understanding current strategies. The longitudinal study will be more appropriate in cases when the effectiveness of the modified strategies, are studied. Strategy used for research could be experimental, survey, case study, action or qualitative (Saunders et al, 2003). Qualitative, experimental methods like focus groups and case study approaches are ruled out as these are time consuming methodsdue to the type of research [you may wish to be more specific here] and the timelines available for research. Action research is the best method to be chosen if firms sponsor and also are also actively involved in the research. Survey ensures covering a vast sample size within the project timelines, economically. Surveys can also be designed to include qualitative and quantitative aspects of the research as required by the research philosophy. This project will require a combination of different sampling methods though the nature of the research strategy will mainly warrant probability sampling. In the first phase data collection can be compared to a census, where all registered (UAE Companies listed in the governmental sitein Wikipedia can you use a more sophisticated approach rather than wikpedia!!)) companies will be contacted. Hence Primary data will be collected using survey questionnaires in a sample size of 100 or more well known UAE companies from various industries. The firms will be chosen based on stratified sampling as all the industries have to be given equal representation. Questionnaires and interviews (if appropriate) will be considered for collecting data. Questionnaires are preferred as they are useful when delving into names and concepts; identifying possible explanations in relating concepts to one another and in showing correlation between concepts (Smith, M 1998). A pilot survey will not be conducted in this research because of the nature of the project instead; all precautions will be taken in terms of content and interpretation by showing it to experts. Questions will consist of both close ended and open-ended. For ease of analyses parts of the questionnaires will be compiled following a Likert scale, with a choice of four responses to statements and will be coded as follows: - 1. Strongly Disagree 2. Disagree 3. Agree 4. Strongly agree It is decided to use four scores to prevent the respondents sticking to the middle line, thereby committing them to an appropriate response. The questionnaire intends to collect four types of data. They are: General information like Age and Education, diversity and equal opportunity awareness, structure and corporate diversity related policies of the organization and existing challenges in managing diversity. Active Response Rate (ARR) = Total number of Responses_ __________ _ Total number in Sample - (ineligible + unreachable) ARR will be tracked regularly and if the response rate is low, then follow up calls will be made to improve the response rate (Saunders et al, 2003). 1. Proposed Primary and Secondary Data sources: The financial resources required for this project are meagre, as most of the communication will be done electronically. The information required for initial short listing would be obtained from the World Wide Web and personal contacts. Strategies to manage diversity on the questionnaire will be collated using excel/SPSS or any other relevant software available in the university. All the other data or software resources required are available on the World Wide Web or the university network. Company responses will be the primary source of data for analysis.Presumably, you will seek to obtain diversity management strategies from each of the participating organizations Table listing proposed resources Databases (Secondary data) Specific Journals Primary data ABI Global Equal Opportunities International Surveys EBSCO Business premier Human Resource Management Journal Interviews Index to Theses Women in Management Review Company Responses Proquest dissertations and theses Social science citation index 2. Proposed Chapter Headings and Sub Headings Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1 Cultural diversity 1.2 Diversity management 1.3 Equal opportunities Chapter 2: Literature Review 2.1 Equal opportunities and Discrimination 2.2 Diversity management strategies 2.3 Developments in the Middle - East 2.4 Research Gap Chapter 3: Aims and Objectives 3.1 Aims 3.2 Objectives Chapter 4: Methods and Methodology 4.1 Research approach and type of research 4.2 Data collection techniques 4.3 Sampling Chapter 5: Analysis and Findings 5.1 Data analysis method 5.2 Findings from the analysis 5.3 Chapter 6: Conclusion 6.1 Summary of the research 6.2 Future research directions Appendices and Bibliography 3. Provisional Time Schedule May June July Week 3 Week 4 Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 3 Week 4 Identify a list of target companies Prepare questionnaire Send questionnaires to companies Follow up with companies Tabulate results First draft of the project Final draft and submission of the project References Metcalfe Beverly Dawn,Afanassieva Marianne (2005), Gender, work, and equal opportunities in central and Eastern Europe, Women in Management Review. Vol. 20. Iss. 6,p.397-411(15pp.) Palmer M Teresa,Varner I Iris (2007), A Comparison of the International Diversity on Top Management Teams of Multinational Firms Based in the United States, Europe, and Asia: Status and Implications, Singapore Management Review, Vol. 29,Iss. 1,p.1-30(30pp.) Duffy Margaret (1994), Ten prescriptions for surviving and thriving in the Virtual organisation, Public relations quarterly, Vol. 39. Developing diverse senior managers: How alike are your high potentials (2006), Human Resource Management International Digest, Vol. 14, Iss. 3,p.9-11. Seymen Oya Aytemiz (2006), The cultural diversity phenomenon in organizations and different approaches for effective cultural diversity management: a literary review, Cross Cultural Management. Vol.13,Iss. 4,p.296-315 Chang Szu-Hsien,Kleiner Brian H (2003), Common Racial Stereotypes, Equal Opportunities International, Vol. 22,Iss. 3,p.1-9(9pp.). Kamenou Nicolina,Fearfull Anne (2006), Ethnic minority women: a lost voice in HRM, Human Resource Management Journal, Apr. 2006.Vol.16,Iss. 2,p.154. Enshassi Adnan,Burgess Roger. (1991), Managerial Effectiveness and the Style of Management in the Middle East: An Empirical Analysis, Construction Management and Economics, Feb 1991. Vol.9, Iss.1;Pg.79,14pgs. Saunders Mark, Lewis Philip and Thornhill Adrian (2003), Research methods for business students, Harlow: Financial Times Prentice hall, 3rd ed. Strachan Glenda, Burgess John, Sullivan Anne (2004), Affirmative action or managing diversity: what is the future of equal opportunity policies in organisations Women in Management Review, Volume 19,Number 4, 2004, pp. 196-204(9). Hofstede Geert. H. (2001), Culture's consequences: comparing values, behaviors, institutions, and organizations across nations, London: Sage publications, 2nd ed. Hayes John (2002). The Theory and Practice of Change Management, New York: Palgrave Macmillan Read More