Introduction
In this paper, the article under scrutiny delves in the analysis of management across cultures. The aspects under study include leadership in a global environment, motivation, and communications across various cultural divides in a global setting. All these aspects engulf the prominent topic of management across cultures. The focus also extends to include the identification of appropriate HRM skills across teams as a way of limiting workplace conflicts. These elements are related to one another as they revolve around the leadership duties, roles in a global environment. In this paper, we also scrutinize these aspects, the present imminent challenges and delve at arriving at a conclusion that seeks to address the current challenges. The paper also aims at establishing solutions towards solving the challenges that global leader’s encounter and their solutions. In addition, we highlight the initiatives undertaken by organizations to shape their leaders to take on managing organizations on a global scale (van Driel & Gabrenya, 2013).
Challenges of International Management
The article highlights the plight of a team leader named Carlos Gomez managing Heineken, a Dutch brewing company situated in Amsterdam. From Gomez’s experiences, we identify the challenges that global leaders and executives face in their workplaces. Gomez, who is of Mexican origin experiences, challenges with his interaction with the Dutch in his new workplace. Previously, Gomez was stationed
It is hypothesized that cultural differences in behaviour will mean differences in HRM practices within different cultures but those within the same cultural cluster will be similar whereas those in different clusters will be dissimilar. Employees and managers from different cultures take decisions in different ways – the processes, behaviours and values are not the same. People have different value orientations as a result of individual psychology, life-stage and generation and assumptions about behaviour determined by cultures are linked to a variety of organisational behaviours.
Rothman stands by the importance of effective leadership in accord with Schmitz, (2012) in “understanding cultural value dimensions in businesses” is significant for an organization. Since Dr. Rothman feels that globalization and new technology have fast, advanced in the last few years, it is also important, like Malonis statement in his article that “companies establishing a global presence devise strategies related to language cultural awareness and sensitivity.” (p. 347). Dr. Rothman understands that the process that an effective leader follows using the skills needed to build up an organization adequately is a combined effort of individuals working together. Recently he made a statement saying, “Ours is an institution that welcomes people from all countries and backgrounds.” It is important that the as a leader that the semantic ethic of any individual that other under their domain treat others that are different from themselves with respect alleviating intercultural conflicts. Knowledge and awareness of cultural values can enable leaders and managers to effectively manage and work through intercultural conflict and interactions (Schmitz,
Mismanaging cultural differences can render otherwise successful managers and organisations ineffective when working across cultures. As stated byOsland (1990, p. 4) ``The single greatest barrier to business success is the one erected by culture''. Hofstede (1983) defines culture as "the mental programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one human group from another" (Hofstede 1983 p. 25). Through the comparison of Chinese culture and Australian culture using Hofstedes five cross-cultural dimensions: power distance, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity, individualism, and long-term orientation an insightful view into the differences and similarities of the cultures can be obtained (Chong & Park 2003). Human Resource Management
This paper is a report on cross-cultural management, with the issues related to cross-cultural management being discussed in the paper. Additionally, the report has produced the future way of cross-cultural management, including how it can be improved in offices relying much on this strategic approach.
My first hand encounter with Globalization that came from a project to standardize KPAs (Key Performance Area) for different roles within the HR function intended to bring uniformity in the appraisal process at offices spread across India, China, South Africa, and Philippines. My experiences made me ponder the complexities in bringing orderliness and uniformity in organizations spread over multiple locations. As we talk of ‘one world or none’, it is certain that any organization wanting to compete in the global market place will have no option but to globalize thereby creating a need for global leaders who can operate beyond the conventional norms of management, adapt to the changing international requirements seamlessly. And I look forward to be one of those global leaders within the organization who would be able to plan and direct the organization transformation into a global entity
Both the authors have taken descriptive approach to elaborate in detail their respective areas of cross cultural management. As per article, “Rethinking Cross Cultural Management in a Globalizing Business World” by Soderberg & Holden (2002), due to globalisation and its increasing trend, the organisations and its environment has gone through significant changes. Thus the traditional way of defining the cross cultural management needs amendments. Further the author has elaborated that in this commitment the authors are contending for a split far from the conventional method for considering and portraying diverse administration for two fundamental reasons. To begin with, the winning idea of society as-substance, which in this logical connection is vigorously connected with national societies (and, by augmentation, country states) is distant with the hypothetical improvements of conceptualization of society and character. Moreover a conceptualization of hierarchical and national society’s too characterized and homogeneous substances is out of stage with the new economy, with its accentuation on systems administration, hierarchical learning and information as the fundamental hierarchical asset, which rises above firm, industry, and national limits. Second, the new economy requires not simply new skills and 'worldwide education but also needs to adopt 'the worldwide attitude'. A globalizing business world too needs suitable calculated apparatuses and expository methodologies of advantage to both analysts besides, specialists. Consequently the article “Cross cultural Differences in Management” by Amman & Jordan (2012) has concluded that due to cross cultural environments, the managers can encounter different impact on different areas of management. These impacts can create many limitations and barriers on different areas of business. Therefore, managers of the
Human Resource Management (HRM) is an integral element of any global organisations' international business strategy as globalization is accelerating cultures together faster than ever as the product lifecycles in industries continue to accelerate. In addition to the quickening pace of innovation globally, the accuracy required in terms of knowledge management to ensure these initiatives keep pace with globally-based timelines is more critical than ever. While accuracy, acuity of information sharing and the continual pace of global innovations quickens, cultural constraints continue to keep global organisations' from attaining the greatest potential. These cultural constraints, so nuanced and imperceptible to many managers with an ethnocentric mindset, are what HRM professionals excel at ascertaining the relative impact of on global business strategies. Planning for the dichotomies between cultures, beyond the obvious to the nuanced in incorporating the five cultural dimensions as defined by Geert Hofstede, are essential for any global organisation to attain its strategic plans and objectives across multiple locations and cultures (Hofstede, 1998). HRM professionals have the critical role of navigating global organisations to this critical business objective.
In 21st century, we are seeing a big leap in the globalization of business and with this, the ability of management of an organization to work effectively across the cultural and national borders is playing a critical role in business success. Staffing management of multinational companies is a complex issue to the international human resource management (IHRM). With this stated, the statement, “Culture is a major variable for international management” is true in every sense.
an extreme is unhealthy and dysfunctional, the same is true for organizations. Thus, instead of trying to maximize anything (decentralization, teamwork, formality, and so on), an organisation should seek to ensure that it maintains a minimal threshold of desirable attributes. The whole challenge of managing across cultures is about balancing the seemingly opposing values and practices in such a ways as to create advantages from them. The research of Evans and Doz is particularly relevant to all areas of strategic HR across cultures. In addition to recognizing that dualities exist and must be balanced, it is clear that HRM requirements become less a matter of having the right people at the right place at the right time, but more a matter of integrating selection, reward and appraisal practices within organizational values which will allow a balanced outcome under a range of cultural conditions.
For this assignment I am looking at some of the factors that affect Managers globally: Cultural linked leaderships, Reasons why senior management derail and Why is it difficult to find good managers:
When employees and managers from the US and other countries are mixed together in any intense environment they often bring with them different expectations about workplace success factors, rewards and career development as well as differences in motivational wiring.
Multinational companies (MNCs) gradually more control the world’s markets, and are playing an essential role in the globalization of economic movement. In sequence, the need for develop new forms of trans-national management organization is very much necessary where MNCs manage their employees on an international standard and this is viewed as important to the achievement of globalizing strategies (Bartlett and Ghoshal, 1989). A considerable body of literature investigate that transfer of “best practice” in Multinational Companies have been made, dazzling the importance emotionally concerned to the effective management of people from corner to corner national boundaries for Multinational Companies performance (Hofstede, 1980, 1997; Bartlett and Ghoshal, 1989; Adler, 1986; Adler and Ghadar, 1990; Yuen and Kee, 1993; Guest et al., 1996; Ferner, 1997; Edwards and Ferner, 2000). HRM practice from the home country to abroad subsidiary may be hampered by constraints set by the culture and tradition of the host country (Jain et al., 1998). In compare to, home country variation are more likely to create complexity for the “reverse” distribution of practice back from foreign subsidiaries. For trans-national business organization trying to develop “global” best practice, national limitations could be resulting from both the home and host country (Ferner, 1997; Edwards, 1998; Edwards and Ferner, 2000; Zhang, 2001). Dissimilarity in national business systems has influence HRM practice
After the involvement of globalization in the 19th century, there has been an increase in global business environment. Most companies are going multinational and building teams that cross national borders and migrate members from different countries to achieve the competitive advantage and gain benefits from concentrating skillset of people around the globe. Although a large portion of these teams are intended to pool resources and increment operational efficiencies, the cultural diversity of team members may create a better learning curve for establishing effective process than culturally homogeneous groups (Gibson & Vermeulen, 2003). Culture contrasts can also make considerable obstacles to successful operation, however these may be unobtrusive and hard to perceive until significant damage has already been done. Managers and individuals from multicultural teams are confronted with the challenge of how to get most of an individual 's qualities, while minimizing coordination misfortunes from communication problems, misunderstandings, language differences and varying work style. According to the above points, this essay will describe the managerial role for controlling the multi-cultural team with different mode of communication preferences, and will give an appropriate example by relating it with relevant academic literature.
Companies strive for globalization, but the world just becomes more fragmented because of ideology, religion and mistrust. Studies have also shown that there’s no such thing as universal global manager instead, global manager is characterised by the nature of the work he or she does within an organisation with global operations. He or she has the capability to manage the complexity of business that is conducted across divergent cultures and time zones. (Financial Times Lexicon). Multinational with global business operations instead require four types of managers to succeed. They develop four kinds of managers and then unite them in a common purpose. They are the business manager, country managers, and functional managers and a set of senior executives to nurture the specialists and coordinate their efforts (critical skills needed today as compared to a decade ago). In the article, Bartlett and Ghoshal provide comprehensively researched examples of all four types of managers, exploring the different skills and perspectives they require to succeed. Their article lays out a model for a management structure that balances the local, regional, and global demands placed on companies operating across the world’s many borders (Financial Times Lexicon).
Culture, according to E. B. Tyloe “is that complex whole which include knowledge, beliefs arts, moral, low, custom and othercapabilities acquired by man as a member of a society” quoted in (Nwachukwu C. B. 2000, P. 20). In a similar vein, the concept of culture is a huge one, separating human beings from their culture is impossible. Culture is deep rooted than obvious characteristic like gender, skin colour, race, and physical disabilities (Jashigin 1989, P.20).