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Table of Contents Outline 3 Executive Summary 4 Introduction 5 Purpose statement 5 Problem statement 6 Solutions 7 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………..….…8 References…………………………………………………………………………………………9

Outline

· Executive summary that briefly summarizes what the paper entails.

· Introduction that introduces the topic of discussion which is cultural diversity in the workplace.

· Purpose statement that demonstrates the need to explore on cultural diversity in the workplace.

· Problem statement that illustrates ways cultural diversity has become a problem in some organizations especially where management does not understand and support diverse employees.

· Solutions that can be implemented to help close the cultural diversity gaps that continue to exist in the current world.

· Conclusion that summarizes the research findings.

Executive Summary

Cultural competence has become a significantly important skill in our diverse workforce due to globalization of business. Cultural differences from several nationalities could be challenging for corporations. Managers fail to handle a diverse workforce due to various reasons that include false beliefs on cultural behavior and use of ineffective techniques to manage their workers. This could have devastating effects on the employees affecting productivity, profitability and workplace relationships. This paper focuses on illustrating corporation challenges regarding foreign nationalities and measures managers should take to accommodate employee differences from different regions. It simplifies cultural diversity solution to enhance productivity and promote peace in corporations. A solid conclusion is provided.

Introduction

Cultural differences influence the way members of a group make judgments, interact, think and behave. With increased business globalization, corporations are forced to employee people from different cultures to be successful in different regions across the globe. This tends to be challenging to managers and employees who are not knowledgeable of other cultural practices and have organizational cultures that do not tolerate cultural differences. It is the responsibility of organizations to create cultures that accommodate diverse employees. Managers should be aware that culture is complex and it needs to be adequately planned for. They can use mappings to help reduce cultural diversity gaps. This means that firms have to measure diversity in the manner of communication, persuasion, leadership, decision-making, trust, disagreements, and schedules. With these in mind, they can create an organizational culture that accommodates diverse employees to effectively handle various business processes.

Purpose statement

Organizations can handle various business processes by the help of advancements in technology. Globalization is occurring at a fast rate and many companies are expanding in an aim to reach a broader market. As a result, there is a need to create ways that enable people from various cultural backgrounds to effectively communicate. Employees of multinational companies are no longer restricted to their local communities and norms. They are now part of a global society and they have to adapt to working with people from a wide variety of cultures. The situation of having employees from different cultures in a company can be an advantage or a disadvantage (Peretz, Levi, & Fried, 2015). The solution to handling workplace diversity and increasing productivity lies in the maximizing and capitalization of the differences to create an environment in which business can thrive across a wide span of cultures. A company should develop a reliable organizational culture that can incorporate all the crucial features of all the cultures of their employees and merge them together in an amicable manner. The organizational culture should be created using a strategy that will unite the employees and make all the members of staff feel important to the company.

Problem statement

Cultural diversity is a very wide concept that is not understood by many managers of multinational companies. In some cases, this situation has been the cause of many business failures after trying to expand their market share in foreign countries (Ahammad et al, 2016). It is not uncommon for mergers or acquisitions of organizations based in different locations with cultural differences to fail due to these cultural differences. The situation worsens when management cannot adequately manage the culturally diverse workforce. They fail to communicate and effectively manage their teams that is significant for the success of any organization.

Managers have the task of hiring employees who influence the success of an organization (Pieterse, 2013). Usually, when a firm opens a branch in a foreign state, then it also has to hire workers from this state. Employing locally offers affordable labor costs and convenience. However, this strategy bears some challenges. It is usually very difficult for most human resource managers to figure out how the workers from the foreign countries will relate with the staff from different cultures (Peretz, Levi, & Fried, 2015). They initiate the hiring process without a model to use in bridging the cultural gaps. As a result, the employees’ relation is weak and the productivity of a company is negatively affected. In some cases, the situation worsens to a point where the managers are forced to close down the business in an effort to prevent further loses.

Solution

There are a couple of solutions that can be used to solve the issue of cultural diversity. These include:

1. Policies

The human resource departments in the multinational companies should always aim to create policies that favor the development of a diverse workforce. These policies should not only consider the relationship and communication strategies among the employees but also with the customers who are also foreign (Lambert, 2016). The human resource should collaborate with the sales department to ensure that they come up with brand creation strategies that will make the foreign company to become popular in the new foreign market.

2. Cultural shift process

It is also crucial for the managers to design procedural and well-organized processes that can be used to initiate and handle the cultural diversity shift that occurs when a company is moving towards a foreign market (Lambert, 2016). This process should be continuous and that each step is completed without any ambiguity among the new foreign employees and the existing workers. This technique ensures less conflicts and more productivity.

3. Cross-Cultural Training Program

Diversity training for both supervisors and employees is critical to help them understand and treat one another with respect. The training program should include education activities on cultural variations to enhance employee understanding about other cultures. It should help both the employers and employees to identify important values that will help support cultural differences in the workplace. It will help employees’ value and support customers from different cultures because they better understand different cultures and improve communication between employees (Troung,Priest & Paradies, 2014). Supervisor training is essential to help managers and other executives to effectively manage diverse perspectives. They need to learn that equal and fair treatment to all their people is essential regardless of the diverse backgrounds and experiences. The training will help supervisors connect and communicate effectively with all team members creating a comfortable work environment.

Conclusion

Cultural diversity is a challenge that can destroy a company in case it is not well-managed. The managers of every company should conduct thorough investigations on their staff to identify the various diversities that could be existing in their workforce. After pointing out the most crucial types of diversities that affect their companies, then they should find solutions that are specific to their issue to ensure maximum effectiveness after implementing the method that they select. Cross-cultural training programs are one effective way to enhance cultural competence in culturally diverse workplaces. Organizations should also focus on building organizational cultures that show respect and value to everyone regardless of the cultural backgrounds. A culturally diverse workforce that is well managed enhances organizational success because of the different perspectives shared.

References Ahammad, M., Tarba, S., Liu, Y., & Glaister, K. (2016). Knowledge transfer and cross-border acquisition performance: The impact of cultural distance and employee retention. International business review, 25(1), 66-75. 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), 68. Peretz, H., Levi, A., & Fried, Y. (2015). Organizational diversity programs across cultures: effects on absenteeism, turnover, performance and innovation. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 26(6), 875-903. Pieterse, A. N. (2013). Cultural diversity and team performance: The role of team member goal orientation. Academy of Management Journal, 56(3). Retrieved from http://leeds-faculty.colorado.edu/dahe7472/Pieterse%202012.pdf Troung, M., Priest, N., & Paradies, Y. (2014). Interventions to improve cultural competency in healthcare: a systematic review of reviews. BMC Health Services Research, 14:99.

References

Meyer, E. (2014). Navigating the cultural minefield. Harvard Business Review, 92(5), 119-123.