Strategic Management across Cultures

Strategic Management across Cultures

Introduction

Diversity, as defined by Ozgen et al. (2017), refers to recognizing and accepting individual differences irrespective of their gender, age, race, and ethnicity (p.3). With the increased migration and globalization, managing diversity in organizations is important. In the workplace, conflicts can arise due to cultural diversity. Companies operating across the globe are continuously forced to reconstruct their strategies in order to include diverse employees in order to reduce the issues of discrimination (Barak, 2016). Most organizations adopt diversity to become open to change. Improving and increasing workplace diversity has become an important issue for strategic managers in recent years due to the recognition of how the workplace is changing. As noted by Anglim et al. (2019), valuing and managing diversity is an effective way that can help in improving workplace productivity. In this regard, strategic management across cultures is a concept that should be given significant attention by strategic managers in order to improve the productivity of employees and the overall competitive advantage of the organization. This essay will discuss how to convince local workers and managers to increase the diversity of their workforce, the local conditions that might be conducive to its success, and the local conditions that might suggest imminent failure.

As highlighted by Ozgen et al. (2017), it is through combined and concerted efforts of people that an organization is harnessed to achieve its goals and objectives. However, these efforts must be sharpened from time to time in order to optimize the effectiveness of human resources and help the organization to overcome underlying workplace challenges. Barak (2016) notes that without employees, there is no organization that can succeed. As such, employees are a resource, and the management of employees is important in improving the productivity of an organization and enhancing its competitive advantage.

How Managers can Increase the Diversity of their Workforce

There are several strategies that senior management of The Company can adopt to increase the diversity of their workforce in Japan. Building strong diversity management is important for the company since it will enable the organization to be competitive in the market. As Lambert (2016) maintain, as regional and global demographics change, organizations also need to change their hiring and recruitment strategies. Increased focus on attracting and retaining competent employees from a diverse cultural background is a diligent way of fostering organization productivity and growth.

Develop a Diversity Committee

In order to accomplish the goals and objectives of the organization, the manager must use employee but-in. employee buy-in is achieved by creating a stand-alone diversity committee which comprises of members representing all facets of an organization’s workforce diversity (McCann & Kohntopp, 2017). The organization’s management should play a visible role in empowering the diversity committee to develop a diversity statement that supports employee diversity. This committee should also develop mentoring community outreach programs and diversity workshops.

The Company musts develop a diversity committee in order to encourage workforce diversity as they operate in Japan. The diversity committee will ensure that the company employs diverse employees and minimize the issue of discrimination. According to Darling-Hammond et al. (2019), when a company employs people without discriminating against them based on their cultural backgrounds enhances the reputation of the organization, and more people are associated with the organization. The diversity of the committee will help in ensuring that there is credibility in decision making.

The management must be deliberate with hiring practices

According to Anglim et al. (2019), the growing workforce diversity in organizations around the globe does not just happen. Diversity in the organization requires intentional and deliberate conduct. It is important to note that if the pool of applicants an organization receives from a certain region does not reflect the diverse demographics of the region, the management needs to expand its search beyond the traditional hiring practices. Organizations need to make sure that they hire and recruit candidates from diverse venues like from the disabled and the minority grounds (Barak, 2016).

In the company’s hiring practices, the management must consider all options in recruiting new employees. Since it is operating in a new region, the company must employ diverse people without discrimination. This would involve hiring and recruiting employees from marginalized communities, women, and even people with disabilities. Empirical research shows that hiring employees from diverse backgrounds is one of the steps that organizations make towards succeeding in the competitive market. As noted by Anglim et al. (2019), employees from the minority communities or even the disabled have equal potentials to the other employees. In fact, some of these people are more productive than employees from notable communities.

Develop learning and development programs

Working in a new geographical area in Japan means that the company will need new employees. In a new environment, the applicants who will apply for the job vacancies will be from diverse backgrounds. In a workplace with employees from different cultural backgrounds, employee to employee conflicts are likely to be significant. In this regard, the senior management of the company must develop learning and development programs for new employees.

Employee training is important because it helps in building a harmonious workforce. When employees are trained and developed, they are equipped with the same knowledge and skills irrespective of their cultural backgrounds (Bamel et al., 2018). Implementing this initiative will help the company to minimize the occurrence of conflicts between the employees. Also, through training and development, employees understand that they are all equal, and they should work collaboratively in order to enhance the performance of the organization. In addition, the management should provide diversity training to make employees aware of constitutes of a diverse workforce.

Promote and celebrate important dates

In every organization, every employee wants to feel valued. Working in an organization that values your diversity and support your cultural background enhances employee satisfaction. Thus, organizations must ensure that it celebrates important dates like International Women’s Day and International Day of People with Disabilities. In Japan, the company should celebrate such dates in order to show that the management and leadership of the organization are committed to valuing and recognizing diversity.

Respect career goals and develop various working departments

The senior management must understand the career goals of the employees. Just like employees come from different backgrounds, their career goals also differ. It is important to note that some employees are interested in accelerated career paths while others place more focus on work-life balance (Lambert, 2016). Senior managers must not treat the diversity of employees’ career goals as a lack of ambition, commitment, or intensity to work. The fact is that women have different career aspirations as compared to men. Where possible, managers should promote different career paths and opportunities.

According to Darling-Hammond et al. (2019), millennials make up the largest population of employees across the globe. Research shows that the different approaches to work, which include the desire to work in a flexible environment. However, managers should consider other generations and the job approaches they fit in. Thus, the company should develop various working departments in order to promote the inclusion of these job approaches. Additionally, they should embrace the needs of employees with disabilities to reap the benefits of their invaluable contributions and expertise to the organization. Respecting the career goals of employees and developing various working departments to include all employees will encourage the motivation and commitment of the diverse workforce.

Senior management should promote authenticity

According to Ozgen et al. (2017), a diverse workforce results in better decision making. For an organization to reap the benefits of a diverse workforce, the management must understand that diversity of employees is not just a measure of their characteristics. Employees should consider the diversity of the employees by testing the decision making and critical thinking abilities of the employees. This ensures that the organization receives diversity in thought, not just in appearance. Employees must pass through the various stages of critical thinking in order to make effective decisions in the organization. As noted by Elder and Paul (2016), there are various stages of decision making which begin from the unreflective thinker to the accomplished thinker. Since organizations are faced with difficulties that need effective decision making, employees need to portray their diversity by thinking strategically before making decisions in the company.

Local conditions Might be Conducive to the Success of Workplace Diversity

Existence of diverse and large number of employees

One of the local conditions that might facilitate the success of workplace diversity in Japan is the increased number of employees from diverse backgrounds. As such, when the company announces for job vacancies, a diverse pool of applicants will apply for the job, thereby providing the organization with various choices to choose from. In a region that is populated with people from diverse cultural backgrounds, organizations benefit from the diversity of these employees since every person has unique competencies (Bamel et al., 2018). A large pool of employees will help in workforce diversity, for the company will choose the employees with the required skills while making sure that diversity aspects like women, people with disabilities, and marginalized communities are considered.

Appreciation of cultural diversity by the locals

When working in Japan, the company will succeed in promoting workforce diversity if the locals appreciate diversity. In a region that does not promote diversity, it will be difficult to promote the diversity of the employees due to resistance. In Japan, the employment policies state that all organizations should practice diversity in employment. These policies are meaningful in reducing instances of workplace discrimination. However, if the area of operation is habited by a community that appreciates the cultural diversity, the company will be successful in promoting a diverse workforce.

Professional qualification

Even though all companies wish to employ people from diverse backgrounds, they also consider the qualifications of the applicants. There is no company that can risk employing incompetent employees to be diverse (McCann & Kohntopp, 2017). In the case of the company expanding its operations in Japan, a key aspect that will promote diversification of the workforce is if the applicants from diverse backgrounds will meet the merit and qualifications of employment. In this regard, the company will benefit from acquiring local and qualified employees that are from diverse backgrounds.

Local Conditions Might Suggest Imminent Failure of Workplace Diversity

Negative attitudes by the locals

One of the key conditions that lead to the failure of workplace diversity in various regions is negative attitudes from the community. Negative attitudes harm the morale of employees and affect the productivity of the organization (Lambert, 2016). Since the company intends to expand to Japan, a completely nee working environment, its initiative to promote workplace diversity might fail if the locals have negative attitudes towards the company. For instance, if the locals discriminate foreigners, and they only need the company to solely employ the locals, this could suggest an imminent failure of workplace diversity.

The language barrier and opposition to change

Another key factor that might limit the promotion of workplace diversity is language barriers. When the company begins operations, one of the key challenges that can lead to failure of cultural diversity is the language barrier. When the locals communicate in their native languages, it will be difficult to interact and build a harmonious workforce. In addition, some locals are always resistant to change. They might dislike the idea of operating the company in their locality. This is a big blow to the company as diversity workforce will not be achieved.

Conclusion

With the increased migration and globalization, managing diversity in organizations is important. Cultural diversity affects the performance of all organizations. In the workplace, conflicts can arise due to cultural diversity. It is through combined and concerted efforts of people that an organization is harnessed to achieve its goals and objectives. Without employees, there is no organization that can succeed. Building strong diversity management is important for the company since it will enable the organization to be competitive in the Japanese market. Diversity in the organization requires intentional and deliberate conduct. In the company’s hiring practices, the management must consider all options in recruiting new employees. Since it is operating in a new region, the company must employ diverse people without discrimination. One of the local conditions that might facilitate the success of workplace diversity in Japan is the increased number of employees from diverse backgrounds. One of the key conditions that lead to the failure of workplace diversity in various regions is negative attitudes from the community.

References

Anglim, J., Sojo, V., Ashford, L.J., Newman, A., and Marty, A., 2019. Predicting employee attitudes to workplace diversity from personality, values, and cognitive ability. Journal of Research in Personality, 83, p.103865.

Bamel, U.K., Paul, H. and Bamel, N., 2018. Managing workplace diversity through organizational climate. In Flexibility in Resource Management (pp. 87-97). Springer, Singapore.

Barak, M.E.M., 2016. Managing diversity: Toward a globally inclusive workplace. Sage Publications.

Darling-Hammond, S., Lee, R., and Mendoza-Denton, R., 2019. Interracial Contact at Work: Can Workplace Diversity Reduce Bias?. Available at SSRN 3379069.

Elder, L., and Paul, R., 2016. Critical thinking development: a stage theory with implications for instruction. CA: Foundation for Critical Thinking.

Lambert, J., 2016. Cultural diversity as a mechanism for innovation: Workplace diversity and the absorptive capacity framework. Journal of Organizational Culture, Communications, and Conflict, 20(1), p.68.

McCann, J., and Kohntopp, T., 2017. Developing a sustainable environment for workplace diversity.

Ozgen, C., Nijkamp, P., and Poot, J., 2017. The elusive effects of workplace diversity on innovation. Papers in Regional Science, 96, pp.S29-S49.