Examine critically the advantages of a culturally diverse workplace in a global business world: Essay

Résumé du document

Today the business world is becoming global. The interaction between countries and ventures, all around the world. Multinational companies have never been this important or powerful. Because of the augmentation of the interaction between different nationalities different cultures, people are being more and more influenced by other cultures.
"greater openness of national societies and cultures signifies eo ipso an enrichment in the sense of greater cultural diversity... the whole population of a nation/state (or any territorial community) comes into contact with other cultures and adopts them" Globalization and Europe, Zdravko Mlinar and Franc Treck, Chapter 5, pages 77-78. It is very difficult to define the culture that people belong to because they are influenced by many different sources. In order to study the advantages of cultural diversity, we would face the difficulty of defining the word "Culture". That term is often used to speak of many things which are totally different. It is difficult define it because of it multiple meanings.

Extraits

[...] the whole population of a nation-state (or any territorail community) comes into contact with other cultures and adopts them” Globalisation and europe, Zdravko Mlinar and Franc Treck, Chapter pages 77-78. That is to say that it is very difficult to define the culture that people belong to because they are influenced by many different sources. In order to study the advantages of cultural diversity, we would face an other difficulty wich is to define the word “Culture”. That term is oftenly used to speak of many things wich are totally different. [...]

[...] By mapping, people have a look to a “cultural they analyse the other culture by using Hostede and Trompenaars framework. They also used different framework to analyse deeply the different cultures that are working together. Mapping is about understanding the differences. Then are they Bridging. “understanding the lens through which others see the world is an enormous aid to intercultural effectiveness.” By bridging, the manager try to accelerate this phenomenon. He tries to “help the flow of ideas among people in a conversation, a team, or an organisation”. [...]

[...] This analysis is very useful for international manager, or people who work on a culturally diverse workplace. The following explication of this analysis is fully explain in International management, international edition, pages 102 to 106, and in Diana Santistevan's Lecture about Hofstede (13 march 2006). Based on opposition, the four dimensions are the followings: Power distance “Power distance is the extent to wich less powerful members of institutions and organizations accept that power is distributed unequally.” Some countries like United states has a very low power distance and other have a high one. [...]

[...] When you are in business relation with a customer, you'd better know to what he is used to, what you can do, and most of all, what you cannot do with him in order to respect his culture. When you are in a workplace with many cultural diversity, you are aware of other culture, you take care of it. Being aware of your customers' culture is a major point in driving business. It is a key of success. An other good point from having a multicultural workplace is the multiplicity of languages. [...]

[...] For example Denmark is a country with a low uncertainty avoidance. The third dimension will be Individualism. Individualism vs Collectivism “individualism is the tendency of people to look after themselves and their immediate family only. Collectivism is the tendency of people to belong to groups or collectives and to look after each other in exchange for loyalty.” United states are seen as one of the most individualist country. That is to say that people come first, they would better think for them before thinking to the group. [...]