Managing diversity

Management of diversity within organizations

An organization needs to manage its diversity, this refers that they must plan and implement organizational systems and practices to manage their people and assemble the best team, no matter the origin of the person for the sake of the company. In this way is possible to maximize the ability of all employees to contribute to the organizational goals and objectives.
Nowadays, managing diversity became an important challenge for companies’ managers and their organizations; the work environment is presented every day more varied, differences in age, religion, gender, race and cultures can be noticed. They will also differ in terms of lifestyle choice, perspectives, attitudes, value system, beliefs, behaviors, expectations, skills and experiences.

Ethical impacts of diversity within organizations

The ethical character of an organization is traced by their manager, respecting diversity suggests a consequential act of ethics regarding the diversity concept, this includes, gender, sexual tendency, culture, religion, beliefs, language, mental abilities, between others.
Ethics play an important and definitive role in organizations, having too much diversity inside an organization can bring positive or negative impacts, depending on the way this is managed, the company will create value trough this feature or will have a failure. It´s up to managers and human resources department to create value through diversity, even though is not that easy as it sound, it necessary to construct relationships based on ethics and respect for diversity.

Which is the importance of diversity?

It’s the opportunity to merge different ways of thinking, and benefit from them in a way that those different ways of thinking can solve the common problems, but also the most difficult ones.
“For over twenty years, researchers have precisely shown that management practices are embedded in national cultures and that the search for a universal effective way of management is meaningless (Hofstede,1980; Trompenaars, 1997)”(1)

Chevier on 2003, studied three different international project groups, so she could find how diversity is being managed, and after having the results a better strategy must arise.

Three dominant strategies used by the gropu leaders where perceived in these cases:
1. Drawing upon individual tolerance & self control: In this strategy, managers don’t pay attention to the cultural differences, he just expect self control, patient and some “obvious” special qualities of their team to work in a coordinated way.

2. Trial & error processes coupled with personals relationship: relationships results the key, communication and social approach, would make the work easier. Learning what partners like and dislikes can create a better environment in the future.

3. Setting up transnational cultures: managers implement international cultures as a resource that helps to join together the parts of the project, National habits are replaced by the habits directed by these cultures.
The article proposes a better a new strategy for managing diversity in the most proper way.
According to them there must be a cultural mediator in cross-cultural teams, the one that must be based on:

1. Understanding the context of the team members is key to success.

2.Interaction results don’t come naturally.


References

(1). Chevrier, Sylvie. 2003. Cross-cultural management in multinational project groups Journal of World Business 38:141-149.

Arango, Maria Isabel. Organisations and Culture. Class notes. 2009

Hopkins, Wille Edward. 1997. Ethical dimensions of diversity. Volumen 5 de Sage series in business ethics Business Ethics Series Sage Sourcebooks for the Human Services

Image: Source: www.cde.state.co.us/.../index.htm

Exploring diversity

Diversity can be experienced every day; everybody is different, starting from physical characteristics but also in critical thinking, way of living, way of dressing, way of eating, way of talking... millions and millions of differences can be noticed from one individual to other, even though they live in the same country or same city, this fact make everyone to have special and unique characteristics, giving each person an “added value” perceived by others.

Dimensions of diversity at work and society

In order to explain better the diversity, I found this dimensions that helped me to understand how diversity impacts our society.

Primary dimensions: Important impact on our early socialization and sustained impact throughout every stage of life.
• Age
• Ethnicity
• Gender
• Mental/physical abilities and characteristics
• Race
• Sexual orientation

Secondary dimensions: “More mutable, less visible to others around us, and more variable in the degree of influence they exert on our individual lives.”(1).
• Communication style
• Education
• Family status
• military experience
• organizational role and level
• religion
• first language
• geographic location
• income
• work experience
• work style

Source: http://www.ryder.com/images/employees_diversity_wheel.gif

References

1. Loden, Marilyn . 1996. Implementing diversity, (Page 15)
Zapata Dalila. Chica Lina. Diversity presentation, organizations and cultures. 2008. UNIVERSIDAD EAFIT.
Gonzalez, Maria Alejandra. Exploring diversity, Organisations and cultures.

Film The Corporation

THE CORPORATION explores the nature and spectacular rise of the dominant institution of our time. (1)
This documentary, winner of 26 international awards and 10 audience choice awards evaluates and analyses the evolution of the actual Corporation and its impacts in society.
It is a complex review, of the dominant institution of our day: the corporation. It´s main purpose was to challenge the conventional notion that corporations have, for viewers to go beyond providing the normal world around them. They also added a critical of corporations and culture corporate.
The film aims also to take a stand against the destructive nature of neoliberalism today, alarming people of its dangers and prevent its growing expansión.
By the use of psychological criteria, the movie analyses the behavior of “the corporation”, it evaluates it, throughout case studies,in the same way a specialist would analyze the mental health and conduct of a person.
All the studied cases response to the symptoms of a diagnosed psychopath, showing the corporation as an irresponsible individual, out of control, heartless, antisocial, dishonest, a person with out any conscience at all.
After this results, the movie tries to show the corporation as a threat for the society and its future. Some examples and solutions are given in order to make people aware of what to do so they can stop this destructive monster, this psychopath.

Does the corporation act on its own?

In the cultural aspect is important to mention that the coporation is shown as an organization with personality, which has been created by the people within the corporation. The corporations acts are determined by the decisions and will of the stakeholders, managers and responsables, since it does not have like any other person will and freedom to act. The Corporations personality is only a reflect, a copy of the people that manage it, control it and work inside it.

REFERENCES

1. http://www.thecorporation.com/index.cfm?page_id=2

2. BAKAN,JOEL. The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power.

Image: Source: http://rboxer.megustaescribir.com/files/2008/12/the-corporation1.jpg

Organisations: National and organisational culture.


National culture

For the second Module of the Organizations and cultures course we were introduced to the organizations, national and organizational culture. Understanding that national culture, I found this definition which results to approach to its significance to me, National culture: “Comprises shared values, understandings, assumptions and goals that are learned from earlier generations, imposed by present members of a society and passed on to succeeding generations” (1)
In order to analyze and bring to reality this national culture, Geert Hofstede created and designed 5 dimensions that help us to understand and have a global view between nations and cultures, this cultural framework is based on:

• Power distance index
• Individualism
• Masculinity
• Uncertainty avoidance index
• Long term orientation. (2)

When talking about culture research, for me, Hofstede´s dimensions theory is one of my major sources, it´s amazing how using this 5 index can show and make clear the major behavior patterns of the population of a certain state. Its also important to mention the relevance of the Kluckholn and Strodtbeck's Six Dimensions.

Organizational culture

Culture inside organizations plays an important role, behavior patterns, beliefs and ethics are a sensible topic, since nobody acts in the same way, even though they share the same values, beliefs and traditions.
Organizational culture refers to the compilation of values, beliefs and norms that are shared by people and groups in an organization. These are intended to control the way they interact internally in the organization but also with stakeholders outside the organization.
The relevance of ethical and moral values in the understanding of culture varies from culture to culture and from person to person. They are based on religion and personal beliefs. What I think is right may not be right in your eyes.
Today, understanding the variety of moral values across generations and cultures is more important than ever.
It helps us do by showing with insightful discussions and fascinating evidence that people around the world are much more reflective and discerning in their moral choices than either conformists or relativists would have us believe.


Which is the relevance of the concept of culture within the organisational framework?

Culture, as a determinant of human behaviour, constitutes an important concept that must be analyzed and take in count in an organization, people inside a determinated group or enterprise have different points of view, as well as different ways of acting, resolving problems and negotiating. It´s important for an organization to have clear this differences, but also to “establish” a common culture, that must be reflected to people that don’t belong to the organization, this is intended to show an uniform way of acting and behaving, in a national level but also in a transnational one. The respect for cultural diversity becomes a relevant issue to manage inside an organization, from here starts the construction of a organizational culture.


References

1. DERESKY, Helen. International Management. Ed. Prentice Hall. New Jersey, 2006. “Understanding the role of culture” p.79 – 115

2. Hofstede, Geert. Cultural dimensions. http://www.geert-hofstede.com/

Mead, Richard. 2004. International Management: Cross-Cultural Dimensions . London: Blackwell Publishing.

Millman, Gregory J. . 2007. "Corporate Culture: more myth than reality? ." The Free Library 23:44-47. Millman, Gregory J. (2007, July 1).

Introduction

International business and cultures

Culture and globalization had become two important related terms, which must be mentioned when talking about international Business, culture defined as “Culture is the collective programming of the human mind that distinguishes the members of one human group from those of another. Culture in this sense is a system of collectively held values.” -- Geert Hofstede. Takes us to think that culture as a common factor in worldwide, becames a necessary issue to take in count regarding negotiations and globalization process in general, this means that by knowing and researching cultures the negotiation process abroad becames easier and faster; but also facilitates the interaction between interested parts, constructing business relationships oriented on respect, ethics and goal achievments.

Research methods

Research, use of rationally grounded procedures to extend knowledge that community of scholars regards as reliable and valid, a research aims to find the solution of any issue or question presented.

How to develop a research process?

The Research Process consitutes an important building block for our work and development in the Organisations and cultures course. It`s necessary to identify and clarify the Research Process, mentioning and studying each one of the steps of this process, starting with a Data analysis, proposition, research questions or hypothesis, empirical observation and data collection.

Each one of these ítems are connected and have a visible dependence between them in a conceptual framework. The Research Process can be inductive or deductive.

When designing the research, must be defined the type and the methodology to be used. Choosing from diferent types:
• Non- intervention case studies, surveys, field experiments and controlled experiments.
Regarding methodology, can be used:
• Data collection methods, sample sources, sampling methods, sample sizes and response rates.
Another important facts to mention are the Data Collection and Data Analysis, which shows results according to the information that has been collected, organizing it and tabulating it.

References

Brown, A., Organizational Culture, Pitman, London, 1995

Arango, Maria Isabel. Organisations and Culture. Class notes. 2009

Hofstede, G. (1981). Culture and organizations. International Studies of Management and Organization, 10(4), 15-41.

Image: source: www.designboom.com/eng/interview/dohosuh/07.jpg