Social Psychology and Globalization
Introduction
Perhaps no other phenomenon has affected the daily lives of people all over the
world as Globalization. While politicians and world leaders harped on the
positive and negative outcomes of the process, the actual citizens in various
countries had to undergo many changes in order to incorporate the inevitable
changes into their lives. Globalization has affected the way that we work,
communicate, and even think and it has added a new perspective to our thought
process.
We dare to think much beyond our means today, which would have never been
possible a few years before. This sudden change in man’s perception and
ideology is because man has adapted himself to the changes to face the effects
of Globalization head-on. Many of us have accepted the challenges of
globalization and have changed our lifestyles to suit the challenges and escape
unscathed from the consequences. There are also others who have been badly
affected by the effects of Globalization and have sustained losses.
Analysis
The psychological aspects of Globalization are plenty, and often people have a
difficult time coping with the changes that are thrust upon them. For example,
employees who used to work within the protected environments that were
afforded to them by their employers would soon feel the heat and difficulties of
coping up with the international competition. Similarly, work environments
underwent a significant change and work culture became more aligned to the
western world. The most dramatic changes due to Globalization could have
been in developing countries that were suddenly exposed to the effects of
Globalization. There was a sudden change in work culture in countries such as
India and China, which were relatively new to the Globalization scene.
Similarly, Globalization had its effects on the home front as well as on all
aspects that could be conceived of in a person’s life.
Aspects of Globalization That Affect a Person’s Job
Perhaps the effects of Globalization have most significantly been felt on the job
front. There are advantages as well as disadvantages on the job front because of
Globalization. For example, companies that had to face severe competition
improved their products and services and started to have an increased focus on
the customer. Even companies, which have had huge profit margins in the past,
are beginning to feel the heat of the competition and are trying more and more
innovative methods to boost their businesses. Moreover, globalization has
thrown open the protected markets of many countries to international brands
that often threaten to consume the less powerful companies present in the local
market.
The immediate result of this is that all the activities of a company began to
depend on better financial outlays and better training methodologies that would
keep the employee informed about the market situation [Roberts, 2004]. This
has obviously put pressure on the individual who has to cope with the situation.
Employees who were sure of job security are today concerned about losing their
jobs because of competition. People are ready to do anything to anything to
keep their jobs and are willing to sacrifice even their personal time to keep a job
that pays them to meet the increased expenses of the modern world. This adds
to the stress that zaps individuals of their finer capacities [Mcmahon, 1998].
Some companies, in order to circumvent the stiff competition they face, are
prescribing heavy targets for each employee to achieve, which, in turn, causes
severe stress on the employees.
Globalization and Job Security
Globalization has caused a critical change in the management styles of various
companies. For example, companies are opting for a decentralized management
style compared to the centralized style a few years before. The change in power
hierarchies that happen because of such a radical change is often very confusing
for people who have been used to the familiar bureaucratic styles of operations.
The concept of empowerment is becoming important and operating units are
empowered to take decisions and implement the same.
Similarly, decision-making authority is filtered down with appropriate
accountability. “Computerization and automation has ensured that decisions are
made on the fly and that employees have to be quick witted to take decisions
and implement them in the shortest possible time.” [Frame, Davidson 2002].
This has placed tremendous pressure on the individual, both old and young.
Cases of brownouts and of people becoming insensitive to their emotional needs
are rising. The world today has more psychological wrecks than it had a few
years before because of the pressures at the workplace.
Globalization also hurts employees who are working in the developed world.
The most recent and perhaps the most vociferous opposition against the effects
of Globalization came when the issue of outsourcing became politically
important. Suddenly, the perpetrators of Globalization saw their own jobs being
lost to their cousins in the developing nations. The loss of money and job
security was devastating to the west and it was as if tasting their own medicine
on the job front [Strassmann, 1995]. Today employees are conscious of the fact
that they can lose a job as soon as they get it. On the other hand, employees are
also ready to ditch their company for the sake of money and better facilities
offered by other companies.
Sincerity and dedication have been replaced with consumerism and a give and
takes policy in which each person bargains for his or her worth. This has a
telling effect on companies because companies can no longer be sure of the
undivided faith and sincerity of their employees. Employee attrition has become
a major source of stress for people working in senior managerial positions as it
involves hefty overheads for companies in terms of the cost of recruitment and
training. While on one hand, some employees fear being sacked for
incompetence in a highly competitive working environment, on the other hand,
companies are also cautious about their employees and have found ways to keep
the best by offering better perks and facilities. The situation results in
considerable stress to both managers as well as other employees.
Globalization and Changing Perspectives of the World
Globalization involves an increased openness in international business relations,
and integration of markets on a worldwide basis, and a movement toward a
borderless world. The sources of globalization are varied and include the
technological advances, liberalization of trade policies brought into force over
the past decades. Never before has Globalization caused significant awe on
technology. Technology has perpetuated into every aspect of our lives and we
cannot imagine a world that is bereft of technology. Technological advances
have significantly lowered the costs of transportation and communication and
dramatically lowered the costs of data processing and information storage and
retrieval. Modern services such as electronic mail, the Internet, and the World
Wide Web are some of the manifestations of this new technology. These in turn
have helped us to expand our vision of the world and we have been able to
connect with people from other cultures and backgrounds.
The electronic world has thrown many surprises that we have accepted and
made part of our lives. For example, email and the World Wide Web have
changed the way we talk, interact, and even perform our official duties. Today
we expect communication to be fast and prefer replies to our queries in the
shortest possible time. Psychologically we are all becoming slaves of time and
visibly get stressed when we do not get results within the time that we expect
them to come. In short fast services have made us unrealistically expect results
and the net outcome is that we have become overstressed and confused.
Today, most major companies run on machines and a temporary loss of power
can cause losses to the tune of millions because the speed of operations cannot
be replicated by humans. Human enterprises have, through Globalization,
become the slaves of technology. It is the same with the human mind. Most of
the communication that happens today is faceless and between people who have
not ever met each other. The traditional concepts of affability have long since
disappeared, we are replacing the pleasing manners that we once possessed with
artificial emotions and gestures. In short, communication has become less
personal and more technological.
Globalization and Diversity
Globalization has encouraged diversity at the workplace and today people work
with a lot of others who may be radically different in their culture and
upbringing. HR managers opine that diversity in the workplace has both
advantages and disadvantages because, on the one hand, it can provide a lot of
beneficial conditions for the employees while on the other, it may also cause a
lot of problems. The positive effects are better interaction among people and an
expansion of their vision towards life. On the other hand, diversity also causes a
rift between people who may find it very difficult to cope with each other. This
in turn makes an effect on the personal life of the individual and acts as a
catalyst for fostering stress.
The modern workforce is no longer local in its composition because more and
more people of different ethnic origins are included in the workforce. As
companies grow, people from different backgrounds are in fact, forced to
interact with each other. It is not uncommon to see people of different
nationalities working in the same office. This also can cause trouble because
there is a possibility that these people would drag their personal differences into
the office atmosphere. Ethnic differences in the workplace can often cause
people to form sub-groups within the larger team thus derailing the very
rationale behind setting up teams in the office. Ethnic issues are widely
influenced by the political and cultural environment of a country and so it is not
always easy for HR managers to create a team that is devoid of race feelings
[Trigaux, 2003]. Hence, it is debatable whether Globalization has expanded our
vision or has constricted it.
Another issue that causes psychological problems is language barriers that exist
between people who are constrained to interact with each other. The lack of
communication that arises from such a situation can force people to interact to
get the minimum communication across and in a way causes people to feel
lonely in the office. Language issues can also zap the employee’s confidence
and will affect the other duties at which they may be good. It can also create
stereotypes that can affect the morale of people. For example in the United
States, blacks, Hispanics, and American Indians become quite conspicuous by
the way they talk.
In fact, it would not be wrong to say that their language is a bit different from
what others speak at the office. This is large because of their upbringing and
exposure to their peculiar surroundings. Similarly, the slang with which they
speak also can affect their interaction with other people in the office. Since
communication is a two-way process, bad language can mean that the minorities
who are not able to convey their ideas, also do not understand what others
would be trying to speak to them. This can often cause them to be branded as
inefficient and lacking man-management skills, which could be far away from
the truth [Gancel and Hills, 1997, Sago, 2000].
However, diversity also can bring about teamwork and interaction that can in
fact cure employees of psychological issues. Moses (2000) believes that there is
nothing like a single class of employees who share the same vision. In fact, the
diversity of employees has been increasing through the years and it is difficult
to maintain employees based on a few good age-old practices that would have
been practical so many years before. The trick that needs to be adopted in the
modern workplace is to adopt a strategy that is flexible and effective. We can
prepare for the future only by learning from our experiences and ensuring that
we do not commit mistakes that we have already committed [White, 2001].
Globalization and Culture
Globalization has caused cultures across the world to interact with each other
and help each other in integrating with each other. The disadvantage, however,
was that the overbearing effect of globalization often destroyed the local
cultures. Many countries have already lost their ethnic roots and have
youngsters who look like clones of the Western world. The situation is common
in almost all countries and even those countries that were considered to be
culturally impregnable have been significantly affected by the effects of
globalization. For example, the “fashion gap” between countries like Paris and
Asian countries is not very wide as was the case a few years before.
Societies have changed, cultures have been affected and new social orders have
been established because of globalization. Globalization has caused world
cultures and societal structures to change. Similarly, globalization has caused an
unprecedented level of cultural invasion and exchange. On a positive note,
globalization has served its purpose of unifying the world by obliterating
differences. But thinking about the costs at which this has been attained would
help us to ponder on the losses [Elisabeth 2000].
Conclusion
Globalization has many positive and negative aspects. While we benefit from
the positives, it would be wrong to assume that Globalization has only positive
effects. There are also negative aspects of Globalization that we must
understand and comprehend in order to withstand them and to derive the best
results. Even though the changes that globalization has brought into our lives
are many, there are also issues that have affected our lives in a very bad way.
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