| |
| |
|
Management Information |
|
|
|
Cultural Awareness - an HR Perspective
The use of cultural awareness training has increased rapidly in the majority of global companies over the last decade. My experience working in global companies in which effective cross-cultural functioning was critical, involved the devotion of considerable time and energies to ensuring that cultural training needs were identified and accommodated as necessary. This commitment to bridging cultural gaps represents a perceptible shift in attitudes amongst British company global thinking. This is a shift from the prevalent subconscious (and sometimes not so subconscious) driver, which existed in previous years. Thinking typically held that the way in which the West did business was the norm to which to strive and that non-western citizens should assimilate into our own particular mode of cultural thinking as opposed to vice versa. Little effort was truly made to understand the cultural differences between countries. This thinking was gradually moulded and changed by the realities of the failure of such thinking including ineffective team functioning, lack of productivity and general dissatisfaction amongst cross culturally functioning staff. It also become apparent that the financial costs of failed cross-cultural initiatives could be readily assessed and had a tangible impact on the financial bottom line. It is also interesting to note that the view that cultural awareness is unnecessary within other western groups has also changed. Commonality of language can sometimes be an impediment as opposed to an advantage as it disguises the differences of thinking and approach, which may underlie whole strands of business practice. When dealing with countries with obvious differences in respect to language, religion, values and behaviours etc., then individuals more readily accept the need to understand the motivations of the other party. When multicultural differences arise between western groups however, conflict within approach is often attributed to the ineptness / stubbornness of the other party. When such attitudes become ingrained within teams, then self fulfilling prophecy may kick in and poor relationships become the norm affecting productivity and hence financial gain. Recent experiences of running cultural awareness sessions for a UK team dealing on a regular basis with the US proved invaluable to overcoming a number of issues which had become entrenched into the operating behaviours of the teams. The sessions heightened awareness within the team of operating differences and helped to generate an understanding of why these differences existed within the groups. It also presented the teams with an opportunity to understand the potential frustrations that their US colleagues may have had with their UK peers in respect to their own personal approach to managing meetings, negotiations, making decisions, resolving issues etc. Involvement in awareness programmes across a range of diverse issues is proving invaluable in resolving numerous poor performances in international business and in enhancing day to day HR practices; for example: Expatriate assignments, management, training and benefits Production of international relocation guides and related support materials International company and office relocations International recruitment Corporate mergers and acquisitions Training and development Policy development Clearly from an HR, and hence a business perspective, cultural awareness has been critical to the success of global companies with the progression of strong acceptance within businesses for the need to enhance cultural awareness through diverse cultural interventions. About The Author N.A. Johnson is an HR & cross cultural awareness consultant for http://www.kwintessential.co.uk Permission is granted to reproduce this article as long as 'About the Author' and links are included. A courtesy e-mail would also be appreciated.
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Communicating with Case Studies A few weeks ago, a couple of colleagues and I discussed a new business idea. But, we had trouble expressing how this new business would provide value. Creativity and Innovation Directors, Consultants and Managers Creativity and Innovation is essential for competitive advantage, yet the role of Creativity and Innovation Manager is often not viewed as essential. Organizations without such a role will simply not perform as competitively as their rivals. 9 Strategies for Writing Accounts Payable Procedures The Cash to Cash Cycle Part Four of SeriesNext: Complete Cash to Cash CycleThe white flag is just a nose away?toward the Million dollar prize in cash savings for your business?So far, in Inventory and Accounts Receivable, we've found $250,000 each in cash savings. Then we found another 250K in Sales and Marketing. How to Find the Right Virtual Assistant for You If you search on Google for "virtual assistant", you'll find a ton of listings. You can search through those, check out their services and do some interviews. Just The Facts Attitudes are more important than facts. Dr. Tales From the Corporate Frontlines: Diversity in the Workplace: Ethnic Considerations This article relates to the Diversity in the Workplace Competency, commonly evaluated in employee satisfaction surveys. This competency explores whether your organization provides understanding and supports interaction among diverse population groups while respecting individuals' personal values and ideas. Innovation Management: The Time Factor Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are distinct processes that enhance problem identification and idea generation and, similarly, distinct processes that enhance idea selection, development and commercialisation. Using an Appraisal to Benefit Your Organization PERFORMANCE APPRAISALS BENEFIT THE ORGANIZATION:Appraisals help spot employees with potential for advancement. Appraisals bring attention to the so-called high-potentials - people who have both the will and the ability to excel in the organization. Ten Secrets of Super Successful Meeting Planners Whoever said that being a meeting planner was easy, lied! Rather, it should be classified under the tough and demanding job category. But, along with being tough, it's also fun, exciting, exhilarating, stimulating, and never, never boring. Planning For Growth Are you planning your business or are you planning your growth? If you are like many high-performing business people, you have an annual ritual to set your plans for the coming twelve months. Some people do it in December, others at weird, miscellaneous times of the year, but most -- me included -- tend to do it the beginning part of the New Year. Training Adults, Not Teaching Children Adults are vulnerable to personal and professional embarrassment from poor performance in the training program. Poor performance in the classroom may become the basis for personnel decisions by supervisors or the source of ridicule by peers. Gift Giving for Business a Major Headache Corporate gifting is a big headache for most business owners; how much to spend, who to spend the money on, where to get the gifts, what to get and how to gauge the effect of that giving in terms of benefits for the company are all important questions. When a company decides to give gifts it needs to be planned out as part of doing business, not just a last minute impulse. Training and ROI (Return On Investment) Statistics consistently reinforce that the biggest challenge in today's contact center environment is agent training. Turnover continues to be high; new hire costs are on the rise--$6500 per agent! At the same time, losing customers because of bad call experiences negatively impacts your bottom line. Hiring Productive Employees: A Checklist for Assessing Their Appeal The characteristics of job applicants have a strong influence on whether or not they get hired. Their characteristics also indicate the level of their productivity. The Seven Essentials of Business Communication There are seven essential elements to successful business communication:StructureClarityConsistencyMediumRelevancyPrimacy/RecencyPsychological Rule of 7±2If you are going to communicate effectively in business it is essential that you have a solid grasp of these seven elements.So let's look at each in turn. The Top 10 Things They Don't Teach You In Business School Here are 10 subjects that academia should be teaching their students in business school:1. Generate revenue for your companyWhat academia doesn't teach you is that the real purpose organizations hire you is to generate revenue. Is Your Brain Getting the Memory Full Message? 5 Ways to Free Up Room on Your Brains Hard Drive Lynn was tapped to head up the project team for a major company restructuring. She began her first team meeting by delegating steps and due dates to the various department heads. Disaster Prevention Tips For Hiring A New Manager It happens over and over in businesses every day.Within large companies, people are promoted to management positions to reward them for performance as individual contributors. Get Over Yourself Let me tell you a secret.Things don't always go the way we want them to. PR Still a Mystery to Some Unfortunately, there are managers who define public relations by its applications. Which explains neither its underlying strengths nor what PR is all about.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
