Multiculturalism and Other Factors That Affect Communication in a Project - Essay Example

Multiculturalism and Other Factors That Affect Communication in a Project We have chosen questionnaires as our way of data collection from respondents of a global organization whose main headquarters is in the UK. Questionnaires revolve around coping with multiculturalism and other factors, such as language, which all affect communication in a project. The literature review focused first on theories and studies on cultures that influence organizations, and how multiculturalism and language affect communication and interaction in the organization. The theories are linked to our present study of multiculturalism and helped frame the questionnaires of the respondents. The respondents comprise the management, middle- and low-level management staff of a global organization. Confidentiality is afforded the respondents. Data analysis is done after the questionnaire submission. Discussion and recommendations are included in the last chapter. 2. Introduction The values of the particular group of people are one form of influence on the organizational culture. There are two cultural systems present in a global organization, but are essentially separate: the national culture and the corporate or organizational culture. Cultural differences are present in global organizations. Most low-rank employees can be recruited in the country where business is built. These people have their culture apart from the culture in the organization which in turn forms another culture. Managers and employees working in an international environment are obviously subject to the impact of multi-country, regional and global change and dynamism than managers in a single-country operation. Managers should be fully aware of the culture’s values and what behaviors or actions those values support in order to take advantage of an existing cultural system. Employees and managers should develop a deep understanding of how organizational values operate in the firm. The study of multi-cultural influences in an organization is a concern of International HRM. Multiculturalism is an outcome of globalization. These organizations are global in context; meaning their operation, corporate set-up, orientation, are internationalized. 1.1 Background The process of decision-making, including strategic decision-making, is clearly influenced by cultural factors. The collection of information, its interpretation, the dynamics of the group making the decision and the contextual constraints under which decision-makers work are all influenced to a greater or lesser degree by the culture of those involved. (Cray & Mallory, 1998, p 71) Moreover, communication always involves language, and language barrier is more pronounced in multicultural organizations. Communication failure between expatriates and local employees may arise from a number of factors, such as differences with regards to cultural adjustment (Black et al., 1999; Selmer, 2006; Torbiorn, 1982, cited in Lauring, 2008, p. 346). 1.2 The Problem Multiculturalism along with language complicity affects communication in a global organization. There is a range of literature on organizations whose human resource is composed of different nationalities, hence multicultural, but how these affect communication in the organization has less empirical studies that we could find in the literature. It is in our opinion that we have to conduct an empirical study on the effects of multiculturalism and language in an organization’s communication. 1.3 Aim The aim is to conduct an empirical study on possible participants from a global organization with branches throughout many countries, and main headquarters in the UK. The study will consist of questionnaires to be provided on managers and employees of the organization. 1.4 Objectives The objective is to find out the effects of multiculturalism and language barrier in an organization’s communication. The empirical study will be analysed and provided discussion and recommendation. 3. Literature Review Workplaces are changing at exponential rates. Organizations expect that learning and knowledge creation will take place continuously for individuals and that they will share what they know in ways that promote learning in groups and throughout the organization. (Marsick & Watkins, 2003, p. 132) Problems usually arise if international corporations develop behaviour strategies locally and then try to implement them globally (Schneider, 2002, p. 105). This means a particular culture is already developed in the organization, then it applies it to its branches outside the country, usually it has effects in the communication process. Schneider adds that it’s about the “differences in sentiments that have an effect on behaviour in organizations”. According to Mead (2005, p. 3), ‘national culture influences how managers and employees make decisions and interpret their roles… [and] differences between national cultures create important opportunities for growth and development, but also can cause serious problems if they are not understood.’ The values of the particular group of people are one form of influence on the organizational culture. Mead (2005) adds that culture is particular to one group and not others; it is learned and is not innate; it is passed down from one generation to the next; and that culture includes systems of values. Hofstede (1993, cited in Cray & Mallory, 1998, p. 70) argues that two cultural systems are present in a global organization, and are essentially separate: the national culture and the corporate or organizational culture. The former is derived from early socialization, while the latter springs from specific organizational culture mainly through the nationality of the founder. Cultural influences are a major concern. Most low-rank employees can be recruited in the country where business is built. Senior staff and other managerial jobs are from the country of origin. Cross-cultural concerns therefore are inevitable. This makes additional demands on the skills of the managers in handling employees of different orientation and culture. HR managers working in an international environment are obviously subject to the impact of multi-country, regional and global change and dynamism than managers in a single-country operation (Harris et al., 2003). Different countries do have different values which affect the way people organize, conduct and manage work. The HR manager is faced with interpreting the actions and attitudes of the employees, negotiate with groups that have not only different goals but different methods of reaching to the company and different expectations of the other employees’ behavior. The three elements of managing organization culture are: 1.) Taking advantage of the existing culture; 2.) Teaching the organization culture; and 3.) Changing the organization culture (Griffin and Moorhead, 2007, p. 485-486) Most managers have to choose the first one, i.e. take advantage of the existing culture or that they work in organizations that already have cultural values. They just have to deal with the existing cultural values, and the problem now is how to manage the existing culture. For them, altering behaviors within the existing culture is much easier and faster than changing the history, traditions, and values that already exist. The second element of managing organizational culture is socialization which is the process through which individuals become social beings. Organizational socialization is the process through which employees learn about their firm’s culture and pass their knowledge and understanding on to others. The study of multi-cultural influences in an organization has some inclination to the study of International Human Resource Management. The organization may develop its own culture apart from the culture of the host country. The problem arises in the formulation of strategies and policies for the organization, and in the relationships amongst managers and employees. Globalization has revolutionized processes in organizations, and the human components of the organization have also become complicated. Most of the business functions and responsibilities cannot anymore be performed by existing departments with their limited personnel. Companies have to create more departments, recruit more personnel, and add more duties and responsibilities. Human resource is internationalized, i.e. employees will come from different cultures. 3.1 Studies on Multiculturalism A comparison of managers from China, Hong Kong and Canada by Tse et al (1988, cited in Cray and Mallory, 1998, p. 70) found differences both in the choices that managers made and in the processes by which they made them. The study found that the managers had a similar behaviour “when the decision indicators were easily measurable but diverged when the topic was less well defined”. For example, when the managers were to choose between a standard or a new product design, they certainly were different in this context. Another study conducted on the role of board of directors in formulating strategy examined the perceptions of Australian, Japanese and overseas Chinese. It was found that both the “Chinese and Japanese board of directors saw boards as supportive functions for the top level managers, although in Japanese firms the function was more formal than operational” (Cray & Mallory 1998, p. 71). Ali’s (1989, 1993, cited in Cray & Mallory, 1998, p. 71) study on Arab executives found that their decision-making styles have roots in the cultural elements of both Arab and Muslim experience, which led to a preference for consultative and pseudo-consultative styles of decision-making within their own organizations. Across Arab nations, there are differences in the preferred decision-making style due to historical developments and outside cultural influences. A study of over 200 investments into the US (Kogut and Singh 1988, cited in Cray & Mallory, 1998, p. 71) used a measurement of cultural distance based on Hofstede’s four original dimensions to predict the type of investment preferred. Since managers generally prefer a lower level of uncertainty, it is argued, they will choose entry modes which provide greater control when cultural distance is high. Hoffman and Hegarty (1989, cited in Cray & Mallory, 1998, p. 72) examined nine European countries plus the United States for similarities in environmental scanning and strategic decision processes. They found that the size of the firm was a better predictor in the scanning and decision processes than national identity. Some Russian and American scholars found that “Soviet managers tended to rely more heavily on a hierarchically oriented, functionally specific system of management” (Cray & Mallory, 1998, p. 70). Soviet work culture is more traditional even with the globalization of organizations. In the present set up of organizations, globalization has allowed management to work horizontally, rather than vertically. The top-down authoritarian management in the present trend does not anymore work. Work cultures were also compared in China, Hong Kong and Canada by Tse et al. (cited in Cray & Mallory, 1998, p. 70), which found differences both in the choices that managers made and in the processes by which they made them. This study discovered that culture played a great role in management, but a comparison of the three cultures showed that the “more ambiguity in decision making, the more likely it is that culture will play a role in the process of decision-making and the outcomes” (Cray & Mallory, p. 70). Another comparison on work culture is that of Australians, Japanese and overseas Chinese. Both the Chinese and Japanese saw strategy in more abstract terms than Australian directors, who tended to view themselves as decision-makers more inclined to intervene directly in the strategic functions of the firm. (Cray & Mallory, 1998, p. 71) The process of decision-making, including strategic-decision making, is clearly influenced by cultural factors. The evidence that has been generated by investigations of international joint ventures indicates that decision processes find conflicting cultural orientations. This is a barrier to joint decision-making. Language barrier is another hindrance to communication in an organization. “Increasing globalization is forcing a growing number of business managers and employees to interact across linguistic boundaries” (Lauring, 2008, p. 343). Language complicates international management practices (Dalton and Chrobot-Mason, 2007, cited in Lauring, 2008, p. 343). The need to identify with social groups in order to feel a sense of belonging may lead to negative attitudes towards other cultural groups and counterproductive changes in resource distribution (Bartel, 2001, cited inLauring, 2008, p. 344). There are socio-psychological theories that relate to individuals’ interaction in social groups. Individuals categorize themselves and others into groups to establish and maintain their self-esteem and reduce uncertainty (Abrams and Brown, 1989; Brown, 2000, cited in Lauring, 2008, p. 345). Out-group members are met with negative attitudes and negative emotions (Mackie et al., 2000, cited in Lauring, p. 345). According to Giles (1979, cited in Lauring, p. 345). Language is always the focal point of inter-ethnic conflicts. A language group is an ethnic group, since language is one of the most characteristic markers of identity (Giles and Byrnes, 1982, cited in Lauring, 2008, p. 345). Expatriates are often posted in foreign subsidiaries as key strategic agents in intercultural communication and knowledge sharing (Harris and Kumra, 2000; Riusala and Suutari, 2004, cited in Lauring, 2008, p. 345). One of the major roles for expatriates is to create verbal networks that can facilitate communication within and between international units (Harzing and Feely, 2008). Consequently, language as a facilitator of internal and external communication and of relationship building and cooperation is of crucial importance to the responsibilities of expatriates. (Lauring, 2008, p. 346) 4. Conceptual Framework Communication amongst employees, inter-departmental functions, and relationships are indeed influenced by cultural factors. This was demonstrated or proved by the various studies and researches, some of which are enumerated in the literature review. 5. Methodology In this study, we have to provide descriptions of multiculturalism in organizations. These descriptions can be properly done through a literature review and a gathering of data, and the data can be sourced out through the different ways of research. We have chosen the collection of data through submission of questionnaires to respondents in an organization, followed by structured interviews. The organization is a multinational firm with branches all throughout the world, but the main office inside the UK is the subject of the research. Management is contacted through a formal letter, and after a formal communication, contact through telephone follows. The details of the survey are explained to the interested respondents who may be composed of the CEO, and the middle- and low-level employees. Questionnaires are personally handed over to interested participants. It is explained to the participants that the survey is a study of how a company and its employees can cope with multiculturalism and the existence of more than one language and cultures in an organization. Questions are also asked about the respondents’ relationships with expatriates and host country nationals. 6. Data Analysis/Findings/Discussion The kinds of data collected in qualitative research include interview transcripts, field notes, personal comments, memos, and anything else that can convey the actual words or actions of people. We are especially interested with how things occur. Hence, we are concerned with how people interact with each other; how certain kinds of questions are answered; the meanings that people give to certain words and actions; and how people’s attitudes are translated into actions. The questionnaires that we have formulated have questions answerable by yes or no; but if some questions need some explanation, a space was provided for the participants to fill in their opinion. Questions were framed in the following manner: Do you find yourself comfortable working in an internationalized and culturally-diverse organization? Are there more foreign nationals than local talents in your organization? Do you feel that a competition is going on in your organization instead of a comparative team working for the success of the company? Have you ever been a part of the strategic planning in your company? Do you feel that you should be given a chance to be a part of the planning process considering that this should be a part of the role of the middle- and low-level employees in order for your organization to have an effective team? Do you think culture-influence problems are rightly addressed in your organization? Are expatriates more favored by management? Is there a fair and equal treatment of employees when it comes to work schedules and treatment in the workplace? Is language a barrier in your communication with expatriates? Please provide an explanation in the space provided. Do you find it difficult to communicate with workers of different culture? Are you coping with workers of different culture? Do you feel it should be these foreign workers who should adjust to the situation inside your organization? Do you feel language is a hindrance to a successful team building inside the organization? Do you feel culture is a hindrance to employee relationship? Do you feel that the organization should be able to work it out by focusing on a particular culture such as yours, instead of a multi-cultural organization? Please state the problems you’ve encountered, if there is any, in communicating with co-workers of another culture. State how this can be remedied. The questions are framed with the idea that multiculturalism in global organizations has a great influence in the communication process of employees in an organization. Language is another barrier to a good relationship amongst employees. We expected at least fifty respondents from an organization of a global scale to be the subject of the survey: this organization has branches worldwide but its main headquarters is in the UK. Data become inputs in a software SPSS. 7. Conclusion/Recommendations Multiculturalism plays a great role in management and inter-relationships in an organization of diverse cultures. An organization is usually global or internationalized, with managers, employees, or staff coming in from different cultures. Some organizations have merged or having joint ventures that expatriates are usually placed in various key functions. Employees have no other recourse except to cope with the existing mix of cultures, but this mix of cultures becomes a culture by itself. Language barrier is a hindrance to good relationships of staffs and managers, but this is not much of a difficulty, since people can always learn in the long run. Future work can concentrate on how managers should interact with their employees on cultural differences. This should focus on organizations having a joint venture with a company in a host country, while most of the managerial work is being handled by foreign nationals. References Cray, D. & Mallory, G., 1998. Making Sense of Managing Culture. London: International Thomson Business Press. Firth, D., 2002. Life and Work Express. United Kingdom: Capstone Publishing. Fraenkel, J. & Wallen, N., 2006. How to design and evaluate research in education. New York: McGraw Hill Education. Griffin, R. W. and Moorhead, G., 2007. Organizational behavior: Managing people and organizations. OH, USA: Cengage Learning. Harris, H., Brewster, C., and Sparrow, P., 2003. International Human Resource Management. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Lauring, J., 2008. Rethinking social identity theory in international encounters: language use as a negotiated object for identity making. International Journal of Cross Cultural Management 2008; 8; 343. DOI: 10.1177/1470595808096673. Marsick, V. & Watkins, K., 2003. Demonstrating the value of an organization’s learning culture: the dimensions of the learning organization questionnaire. Advances in Developing Human Resources 2003; 5; 132. DOI: 10.1177/1523422303005002002. Mead, R., 2005. International management: cross-cultural dimensions. Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishing. Parker, B., 2005. Introduction to Globalization and Business: Relationships and Responsibilities. London: Sage Publications. Schneider, A., 2002. Behaviour prescriptions versus professional identities in multi-cultural corporations: a cross-cultural computer simulation. Organization Studies 2002; 23- 105. DOI: 10.1177/017084060202300106. Read More