A Case Study On Culture And Work Performance In A Senegalese Factory

The meeting between Diop and N’Diaye

According to Barak (2016), culture refers to an environment that surrounds employees at the workplace. It encompasses beliefs, values, attitudes, behaviours and underlying assumptions of a particular group of people. Furthermore, culture is often influenced by a company’s founder, managers and executives due to their role in strategic decision making (Barak, 2016). In the case study, Mr. Olivier Bernard and his French compatriots have influenced the culture at Socometal and seem to hold a negative assumption on Africans that work at the company. In particular, Mr. Benard demeans the academic background of Africans and believes that making independent and meaningful decisions is beyond them. Given his arrogant and uncommunicative nature, Mr. Benard quickly dismisses the idea of increasing the volume of production at the company by claiming it won’t work.

Clearly, Mr. Benard not only overlooks the African people but the African culture as well. Even after Diop and Mr. N’Diaye’s production idea surpasses the set daily production target, Mr. Benard doesn’t hesitate to criticize the achievement. He claims it undermines the authority of the management (which mostly consists of the French and Italians) over the employees. This was something he didn’t expect at all, and the fact that Africans achieved doesn’t bode well with him.

Furthermore, the comment by the French logistics manager on why the Senegalese wouldn’t be vibrant to the idea because they are ‘lazy’ is also a culture assumption we can draw from the study. Also, the comments from the Human Resource Manager, an Italian, portrays Africans as lacking any initiatives and must be monitored to achieve set goals and objectives of the company. All these assumptions are a stark contrast to what Diop and N’Diaye think of the African culture. Both believe the move can be pulled off once some measures are put in place including better communication among employees as well as employees working in tandem with each other.

If I were Benard’s boss, I would first set up a meeting with Benard and, Diop and N’Diaye, the proponents of the production idea. Subsequently, I’d listen to both parties and hear their sides of the story. In the end, I would ensure that an agreement is thrashed regarding the work culture moving forward.  White and Rice (2015) argue that culture is interpreted differently by a diverse group of individuals. However, people unanimously need to shape the culture taken up by an organization. White and Rice (2015) further state that culture is negotiated. As such, formalizing strategic direction and setting up measurements must involve the entire group that is responsible for them and not one individual.

Description of the company, Socometal

In case both parties fail to come to a consensus, I would go ahead and make a decision in the interests of the employees and the company. This would include taking Diop and Mr. N’Diaye’s idea on board because results were there even for Bernard to see. It would be the right decision given that employees also liked the idea as it would get them extra money.

A reward system can be considered to be a cultural phenomenon which managers and other executive members can use to promote a certain cultural issue. Employees at Socomental company love the new reward system which sees them work extra hours and get extra pay. Furthermore, the fact that their French and Italian executives think of them as lazy and lacking initiative gives them the motivation to work hard and prove them wrong while also earning that extra pay. In the end, if production continues well, there might be a cultural change in the organisation.

If I were to design an effective reward system for organisations in Senegal, first, I’d come up with one that rewards employee based on their effort. Hence, the more hours you worked, the more your pay would be. This would also see employees working past the recommend hours or on non-working days get double the normal pay per hour which in itself would be a way to motivate them and increase the company’s output. Secondly, I would design a reward system enabling Senegalese employees to receive a certain fixed salary when on leave. It could be something small which shows that you value them (Agwu, 2013). Lastly, I’d design a reward system that sees part of the profits made by the organization shared equally among employers either on a quarterly or yearly basis. This would show appreciation for a job well done and motivate employees to work even harder because they know they’ll receive financial incentives if the company performs well. Furthermore, employees will be working towards a common goal which consequently strengthens the employee culture at the company.

References

Agwu, M. O. (2013). Impact of fair reward system on employees? job performance in Nigerian Agip Oil Company Limited, Port Harcourt. British Journal of Education, Society and Behavioral Science, 3(1), 47-64.

Barak, M. E. M. (2016). Managing diversity: Towards a globally inclusive workplace. Sage Publications.

White, H. L., & Rice, M. F. (2015). The multiple dimensions of diversity and culture. Diversity and public administration: Theory, issues, and perspectives, 1.