Cross-Cultural Diversity - Coursework Example

Name of student Name of instructor Literature Date Managing Across Cultures Introduction Evidently, culture is one of the common aspects that play a critical role in shaping one’s perception and behavior for the world (Branine 2011). In this way, small groups such as work colleagues, family would attempt to create rituals, norms, symbols and heroes due to these practices in social life. Therefore, it is necessary for people to understand more about the cultural differences that prevails in the society. Notably, in the current multinational organizations, it is important to give scope for all stakeholders to learn about the existing cultures. Critical to note is that in working environment, people come from varying nationalities, religious backgrounds, different beliefs, ideologies, values and languages. The scope of this paper is to address the cross cultural differences at management level and providing strategies or recommendations on the best ways through which managers can effectively control and manage the cultural differences in their organizations (Gesteland 2015). Apparently, it is important as well for managers at an international level to know how cultural differences in their respective companies need to be managed. In fact, managers need to understand how they can change cultural differences into advantages for meeting individual and organizational goals. Benefits of Cross Cultural Diversity Apparently, everyone would agree that in the current workplaces, employee is multicultural and diverse. Since the start of globalization, the doors of countries across the world were opened in order to allow for investment and trade (Schneider et al., 2014). Notably this has resulted into greater development in different areas such as in technological advancements, marketing, and finance, among others. Since people in the society or organizations are the first to experience change when it happen, the globalization impact on people is now being felt in all multinational companies across the globe (Steers, et al. 2016). The impact on human resources has made it necessary to learn many techniques as well as new practices of completing a given responsibility. On the same breath, one of the impacts on human resources is that workers are sourced from diverse cultural backgrounds thus necessitating the prominence for knowing what cross culture is for the mangers of international companies since one has to manage people with different beliefs, practices, values, languages, among others. Firstly, culture refers to the distinctive way of life that distinguishes a specific group of people. In this way, cross culture refers to situations in which two or more cultures find themselves in a given social environment due to different factors such as working colleagues in an organization (Solomon & Schell, 2009). Connectively, it is critically important to note that cross-cultural management is the examination of human behavior in an organization based on an international perspective. Therefore, it involves understanding organizational behavior within cultures, countries, organizations with the intention of seeking to understand how improvement of interaction of mangers, workers, supplies, clients, executives and alliance partners can be enhanced. In this way without proper understanding of the best practices to apply in managing people from diverse cultural an international level, managers find it challenging to work with their subordinates thus affecting the achievement of organizational goals and objectives (Sepel 2016). The objective of knowing how to manage workers from diverse cultures is to ensure that the entire workforce works in harmony and differences in values, beliefs and languages are integrated in the organization as assets rather than being considered liabilities. In fact it is unfortunate that there have been instances where managers are accused on undermining or mistreating some workers due to their cultural backgrounds. In real sense, international managers should be using the cultural diversity at their workplaces to gain more knowledge on how to communicate and socialize with people in diverse societies. At the same time, employees get to know each other’s culture and apply the same in enhancing peaceful coexistence at a workplace. In this way, workers are able to make use of their different abilities to achieve their personal as well as organizational goals. Cross cultural management helps in the reduction of the cross cultural barriers and differences thus assisting in the creation of cultural awareness which fosters good cooperation and communication in an international organization. Evidently, this is one of the toughest jobs that cross cultural managers have to encounter in their interaction with employees. Proper use of cultural diversity helps in ensuring that employees are retained as well as staying in an international organization for a long period. In fact, an international organization that is able to make use of this great asset gains reputation in the society and trust from all players remains high. Dimensions of Cross-Cultural Differences In most case, cultural differences are categorized in two main dimensions based on Geert Hofstede and Fons Trompenaars (Tanaka & Cray 2015). In the two approaches, there is a proposal of setting cultural dimensions with the aim of ordering the dominant value systems that affect human feeling, thinking, acting as well as the behavior of institutions and values in more predictable ways. Apparently, the two sets of dimensions highlight the main problems that a given society need to cope with but in which solutions are different. The dimensions can however be grouped into three categories which include the relations between people, motivational orientation and attitudes toward time. Under the relation that exists between people, Geert Hofstede has distinguished the difference between collectivism and individualism (Ng et al. 2015). On the other hand, Fons Trompenaars has broken down this difference into further two dimensions: individualism versus communitarianism and universalism versus particularism. On the motivational orientation, it is important to understand that societies have freedom of choosing their own way of coping with inherent uncertainties of living. Under this, Geert Hofstede has identified three dimensions which include the amount of uncertainty avoidances, femininity versus masculinity, and power distance (Managing across cultures 2015). Finally, Hofstede argues that there is a difference between a short-term and a long-term orientation. On the other hand, Trompenaars has identified two dimensions on attitude towards time which include inner versus outer time and sequential versus synchronic. Notably, cultural differences can take place in any of the aforementioned dimensions. Managing Cross-Cultural Differences As international managers, it is crucial to understand how to relate with workers from varying cultural backgrounds (Adamson 2016). In this way, as employees and managers in multinational organizations continue understanding the differences and dimensions, it is the responsibility of both the employees and managers to ensure that strategies of keeping the diversity at rest are adopted. In this regard, one of the strategies that managers in multinational organizations can use in managing cultural diversities in their institutions includes having good knowledge of the foreign culture. Although understanding the foreign cultures in an international should be emphasized, the first is to admitting as well as admitting the existence of differences between cultures (Evans & Phillips, 2007). In most cases, this incudes differences in terms of interpretations and perceptions, as well as evaluation of social situations and those who act and create within them. Notably such differences need to be described, named, explained as well as understood by managers. In order to have mutual understanding, it is important to recognize the culture of a colleague. Secondly, it is critically important as well to respect the foreign culture that exists if an international organization (Ham et al. 2007). For example, in a working environment where majority are English speaking employees, it is the responsibility of all managers and employees to respect the Chinese culture of the Chinese speaking employees. Respecting another person’s culture means that other are accepting the differences that exist at the workplace without any judgment. In this way, it is not right for managers and some employee to claim that certain culture is more superior to the other. Further, it is always helpful for managers to ensure that they apply their managerial skills in relating to a foreign culture (Harry 2013). In this case, managers of international companies should try to find a common solution, simplification, mutual understanding of demanding and complicated process in behaving and behaving in foreign cultural conditions. However, this is not possible if the partners in foreign cultures are not involved in teaching other basic cultural practices (Puffer 2016). Therefore, managers have the responsibility of using the most applicable leadership and management style in encouraging all employees to volunteer in teaching and understanding other colleagues’ culture. The objective is to create harmony and peaceful coexistence in a culturally diverse working environment. Managers of multinational companies as well as other colleagues should ignore the cultural differences that exist in a working place (Majumdar 2011). As a strategy, ignoring differences helps managers to consider them irrelevant in achieving organizational objectives. In this way, workers are bale to understand each other’s’ cultures as well as practices which informs mutual respect. The managers as well as employees, though this strategy embrace the slogan that their way is the only way to ensure peaceful coexistence. In fact, studies have shown that ignoring diversity precludes not only effective management of cultural differences but also the possibility of increasing positive impacts and minimizing negative effects of diversity. In some instances, it is advisable to consider cultural differences as problems with the aim of minimizing the existing differences (Harvard Business Review Press 2016). The strategy is mostly applied in ethnocentric organizations where managers try what they can to reduce the problems that are associated with cultural differences through the reduction of cultural diversity. In this case, managers may try to create culturally homogeneous human resource or socialize employees into behaving in a culturally dominant pattern. Finally, managers can as well try to manage differences themselves especially if they are In synergistic organizations. in these type of organizations, the impact of cultural differences that bring both disadvantages and advantages are recognized. Therefore, managers in such organizations make good use of the benefits of cultural differences as well as preventing negative effects from affecting the peaceful and productive coexistence. Conclusion The paper has discussed the benefits of cross cultural diversity, dimensions of cross-cultural differences and managing cross-cultural differences. Based on the above discussion, it is clear that cultural differences at an international company or any other organizations should be taken as an asset and mangers need to apply their skills in ensuring they make use of cultural differences. 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