Cultural Diversity And Its Impact On The Workforce

Cultural Diversity Issues in the Workforce

Discuss about the Cultural Diversity and Team Performance.

The cultural diversity maintains the smooth performance of the workforce and processes of the organization. Globalization has brought about changes in the processes of the business. It has equally contributed to the growth of the organization while operating in the international markets by widening scopes of the business. Globalization has also brought about modifications in the structure and the processes of the business as per the requirements of market (Wrench, 2016). Firstly, this case study will examine the cultural diversity problem relating to ethnic and cultural differences. Secondly, it will administer language and communicational issues. Lastly, the case study will be enumerating the issues relating to the gender discrimination. The case study will also enumerate recommended actions to overcome this cultural diversity issue.

The discussion is aimed at identifying the different recommended strategies that are undertaken by the management of the business to mitigate different issues that are faced by the people relating to the cross- cultural communication and diversity in the workforce. On the other hand, management of cultural diversity helps organizations to maintain and  balance the functions that are undertaken by the business. The report aims at evaluating “Leading for Change: a blueprint for cultural diversity and inclusive leadership 2016” and thereby evaluate the manner in which the issues are being addressed relating to cross- cultural diversity based workforce. It has helped in forging changes

The cross cultural workforce helps the business to bring in modifications in the systems and the performance of the same while operating in the global platforms. Globalization has helped the businesses to bring forth modifications in the systems and the functioning of the business through the smooth functioning of the same as per the needs of the organization. Diversified workforce helps to maintain the different innovative approaches of the organization as per their needs of sustaining in the competitive market structure.

However, Nathan and Lee, (2013) stated that there are varied issues that might be faced by people while operating in a multicultural environment. Different diversified workplaces help in balancing varied amount of modifications as per the needs of business to bring in innovations. The key problems that are faced  by the employees while operating in a cross cultural workplace is being enumerated in this section of the report.

The differences in the cultural and ethnic background often cause issues while operating as per the needs of the organization. The key elements of the change is due to management’s prejudice to different cultural and ethnic backgrounds, which might create greater misconduct and dissatisfaction among the employees (Trax,  Brunow & Suedekum, 2015). The variety of changes in the processes and the operations of the business are dependent on the performance of the business and the manner in which workforce collaborates to bring forth the required changes as per the objectives of the business.

Language and Communication Problems in the Workforce

The ethnic and the cultural differences affect the morale of the employees while performing their job role through the gaps that are created among the employees through the bias practices of the organizations. On the other hand, favoring the different employees from the same background accords to the dissatisfaction in the workforce. Hogan  (2012) stated that diversity in the workforce and the manner in which the management of the organization reacts to the issues helps in identifying the different strategies that arte undertaken by the leaders of the organization to mitigate the issues. However, in most of the cases, as stated by Barak  (2016), the management of the ethnic and cultural biases results to resistances from the workforce. The allocation of the workforce and the manner in which the issues are mitigated helps in maintaining a healthy workforce as per the objectives of the business.

The differences in language and communication in the workforce affects the collaborative actions in the same. It affects the functioning of the workforce as per the common goal of the organization (Nederveen Pieterse, Van Knippenberg  & Van Dierendonck, 2013). The differences in the languages affect the interaction of the people with the management of the organization affects capabilities of the management to create awareness among the people of the different changes in the structure and the processes of the business.  Chen, Liu and Portnoy  (2012) stated that the cooperation and the integration of the workforce of the organizations help in maintaining the smooth performance of workforce as per requirements of the same to sustain in international markets. However, Bellini et al. (2013) stated that the language and the interpersonal communication becomes a great barrier while operating in a diverse workforce environment. The issues relating the communication and the language are dependent on the psychological backdrop, which has helped in maintaining the modifications in the management of the businesses (Madera, 2013).

Key elements of the changes in structures and performance of the business are dependent on the effectiveness of the communication (Wrench, 2016). It also depends on the manner in which the communication helps in the mitigation of the issues that are faced by the people in the organization. Therefore, the issue sin communication and the diversified languages affect the proper functioning of the management and the employees and their integrated functioning in a cross- cultural working environment.

Gender discrimination in the workforce affects the flexibility of the operations that are planned by the management of the organizations while operating in the international markets. Identification of the needs of the organization to bring in changes in the structure of the functioning of the business is mostly dependent on the skills of the workforce and the manner in which the productivity of the organization can be enhanced (Lynch, 2017). The discrimination based on the biasness towards a single gender and the manner in which the biasness can be mitigated through the no- discrimination policy of the organization helps in the proper management of the organization as per the objectives (Thomas,  2012).

Gender Discrimination in the Workforce

On the other hand, the organization face several ethical dilemmas and resistance from the male dominated workforce while undertaking recruitments of the female candidates as per the objective of bringing forth flexibility in the operation that are undertaken by the management of the same in the market. Ang and Van Dyne (2015) stated that the issues that are faced by the management of the organization while undertaking steps to promote no- discrimination policies has affected the smooth functioning of the businesses. Gender discrimination in the workforce affects the functioning of the same through the biased policies of the management of the organization. 

Management of diversity in workforce helps in maintaining the modifications in the systems. However, there are issues relating to management of cultural diversity.  Language and communication becomes one of the major issues while identifying the different levels of changes in systems of the business. The recommended actions, which might be taken by the organization to mitigate the issues that are faced by people working in a cross- cultural  workplace environment is being enumerated in this section of the report.

• Equal treatment to the employees from the end of the leaders helps in the proper management of the Ethnic and cultural differences in the workforce. It helps in the proper functioning of the workforce through motivation and integration of the same towards the common objective of the organization.
• Undertaking frequent interaction with the people from the diverse cultures and ethnic backgrounds to identify their issues. It thereby helps in devising policies to bring forth changes in the situation of the same. Identification of the issues that are faced by the workforce due to the lack of recognition is mitigated. On the other hand, the smooth implementation of the workforce is initiated through the proper performance of the workforce targeting the objectives of the organization.
• Team building functions of the management of the organization helps in maintaining the Ethnic and cultural differences in the workforce. It helps in integrating the workforce and thereby facilitates the collaborative functions of the same, which helps in balancing different modifications in the systems of the businesses.
• Scheduling helps in maintaining standards and ethics of the corporate with the emotions of the employees through the identification of different religious and cultural events that fills the lives of the people. It helps the organization to formulate a yearly calendar that will be facilitating the needs of the employees and thereby encourage them to get involved in the processes that are planned by the business.

• Formulating proper communication tools will be helping the business to bring in collaborative actions in the workforce. The collaboration of the workforce can help the business to adhere to the modifications in the systems of the organization operations through the enhancement in productivity of the business.
• Encouraging employees of organization to attend different seminars that are conducted by the organization to undertake proper interactions to identify concerns that are faced by the employees while working for the organization. It has helped in maintaining different modifications in the systems and the performance of the business, which has helped in improving the functions that are undertaken by the business.
• Designing experimental training sessions with employees will also be helping organization to communicate with the employees and thereby mitigate the issues that are faced by the same. The key elements of changes in the systems of the business are sorted through communication. Therefore, the management must take training sessions with the employees to improve their involvement levels in the functioning of the business in the market. Chief role that is played by the leaders of the organization is dependent on managing the diverse workforce and thereby mitigates the issues that are faced by them relating to the change in the languages and the communicational systems. The mitigation of the issues relating to communication helps the organization to facilitate the changes in the systems of the organization.
• Designing debates and involving the different teams in the functions of the organization will be helping the organization to bring in changes in the processes to empower the workforce as per the objectives of the organization. The identification of the issues and the manner in which they can be mitigated will be helping the organization to bring in positive changes while managing the cross- cultural issues relating to the communication in a workplace.

• Formulation of policies that will help the organization to manage over the different prejudices that are met out to the employees. The identification of the issues that are faced by the people relating to the gender discrimination in the workforce helps in formulating strategies to bring in changes in the in- bound systems of the business to facilitate the smooth functioning. The policies that are formed by the organization will be helping the same to adhere to the different ethical standards, which will be helping the organization to adhere to its corporate responsibility.
• Transparency in the management of the organization helps in managing the different forms of Gender discrimination. It helps in the proper functioning of the workforce through communications and the flexibility of the operations as per the objectives of the organization in the market.
• Making the employees aware of the different stereotypes will be helping the organizational management to take steps to mitigate the issues that are faced by the people relating to the discrimination in the workforce.
• Evaluation of the issues and the manner in which the functions of the workforce is affected through the discrimination will be helping the organization to understand the issues and thereby formulate strategies to mitigate the issues that are faced by the people while working in the organization.

Conclusion

Therefore, from the above discussion it may be stated that the proper functioning of the workforce and the management of the cultural diversity helps organizations to bring in changes in the system of the business in the market. Alternative, the identification of the needs of employees and mitigating the issues that are faced by the same helps in maintaining the diversity in the workforce of the organization.

References

Ang, S. & Van Dyne, L., (2015). Conceptualization of cultural intelligence: Definition, distinctiveness, and nomological network. In Handbook of cultural intelligence (pp. 21-33). Routledge.

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

Bellini, E., Ottaviano, G. I., Pinelli, D., & Prarolo, G. (2013). Cultural diversity and economic performance: evidence from European regions. In Geography, institutions and regional economic performance (pp. 121-141). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.

Chen, X.P., Liu, D. & Portnoy, R., (2012). A multilevel investigation of motivational cultural intelligence, organizational diversity climate, and cultural sales: Evidence from US real estate firms. Journal of applied psychology, 97(1), p.93.

Hogan, M., (2012). The four skills of cultural diversity competence. Cengage Learning.

Lynch, F.R., (2017). The diversity machine: The drive to change the white male workplace. Routledge.

Madera, J. M. (2013). Best practices in diversity management in customer service organizations: an investigation of top companies cited by Diversity Inc. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 54(2), 124-135.

Nathan, M. & Lee, N., (2013). Cultural Diversity, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship: Firm?level Evidence from London. Economic Geography, 89(4), pp.367-394.

Nederveen Pieterse, A., Van Knippenberg, D., & Van Dierendonck, D. (2013). Cultural diversity and team performance: The role of team member goal orientation. Academy of Management Journal, 56(3), 782-804.

Thomas, K. M. (Ed.). (2012). Diversity resistance in organizations. Psychology Press.

Trax, M., Brunow, S., & Suedekum, J. (2015). Cultural diversity and plant-level productivity. Regional Science and Urban Economics, 53, 85-96.

Wrench, J., (2016). Diversity management and discrimination: Immigrants and ethnic minorities in the EU. Routledge.