...Variations In Human Resource Management Based On Cultural Dimensions Tyrone Kelly Saint Leo University We recognize that we exist in a global economy. Advances in telecommunications and Internet technology have literally placed connectivity with the world at our fingertips. This evolution is a catalyst for people of various nations who would not ordinarily interact, to collaborate, work much closer, more intimately and more frequently than ever before. This is a very stimulating time, yet it is also challenging for Human Resource Management teams in administrations all over the world. Questions such as, what are the cultural business norms or taboos that one should be sensitive to, or how to interact in a business setting with someone of another culture will inevitably arise. Thus, learning the people, culture and work ethic of a host nation is just as important, if not more so than learning about its business, finance and engineering infrastructures. The requirements of developing strategies, organizing projects, and motivating individuals to achieve and maintain competitive advantage for joint ventures is essential. Just as important is the development of sincere relations with people from around the world. Understanding key element of cultural diversity will be critical in this endeavor. No matter where you are in the world, people expect to be treated with respect and honor when you are guests in their country. Attempts to change others to fit your paradigm, e.g....
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...Variations In Human Resource Management Based On Cultural Dimensions Tyrone Kelly Saint Leo University We recognize that we exist in a global economy. Advances in telecommunications and Internet technology have literally placed connectivity with the world at our fingertips. This evolution is a catalyst for people of various nations who would not ordinarily interact, to collaborate, work much closer, more intimately and more frequently than ever before. This is a very stimulating time, yet it is also challenging for Human Resource Management teams in administrations all over the world. Questions such as, what are the cultural business norms or taboos that one should be sensitive to, or how to interact in a business setting with someone of another culture will inevitably arise. Thus, learning the people, culture and work ethic of a host nation is just as important, if not more so than learning about its business, finance and engineering infrastructures. The requirements of developing strategies, organizing projects, and motivating individuals to achieve and maintain competitive advantage for joint ventures is essential. Just as important is the development of sincere relations with people from around the world. Understanding key element of cultural diversity will be critical in this endeavor. No matter where you are in the world, people expect to be treated with respect and honor when you are guests in their country. Attempts to change others to fit your paradigm, e.g....
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...2 LEARNING OBJECTIVES After reading this chapter you should be able to •• describe the basic characteristics of culture and explain how cultural dimensions can be used in global HRM, •• describe how the institutions of society can shape HRM policies and procedures, •• discuss the possibility of the convergence of HRM across countries, •• explain how the heritage of state socialism continues to influence the context of HRM in transition economies, and •• discuss the effects of cultural and institutional context on the HRM role and on employee expectations. 23 24 ESSENTIALS OF INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT Springtime in Paris As she savored the last bite of her croissant, Martha Pereaux, HR director for C3 Technologies, thought about how she would approach her latest “cross-cultural collision,” as she had come to think of them. In the year since she had moved to Paris from Houston, there had been many, but none quite as bizarre as this one. Martha had taken the big promotion to head up the HR division of the joint venture between Houston-based SuperChem and the French company. C3 developed technology for the oil industry, primarily new types of concrete that formed the barrier wall for offshore oil and gas wells. The joint venture was meant to take on the likes of the giant Schlumberger on its own turf and compete with them for valuable technical staff. Everyone said she was the perfect choice, having grown up in a bilingual family in Canada...
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...Global Business Cultural Analysis of South Korea John Smith University of Rochester BUS 800 – INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS Dr. Peterson March 6, 2015 Abstract Today, the United States conducts a substantial amount of business with South Korea. It is important that American managers, entrepreneurs, and businessmen understand the South Korean social, cultural, and religious dimensions of the nation. The South Korean culture and customs are uniquely different from those of the United States. The culture and customs of the United States are based on European traditions and religious Christian beliefs. The culture and customs of South Korea are based on Confucianism’s way of life, Buddhism’s individual salvation, and since the 1950’s Christianity’s redemption of the soul. American businesses that incorporate South Korean culture into American business practices will develop long lasting business relationships with their South Korean counterparts. American businessmen working in multinational corporations have adjusted well the collectivist culture of South Korea. Multinational enterprises considering cross border business in South Korea can feel safe investing in South Korea. Keywords: South Korea, United States, cultural dimensions, multinational business, Hofstede. Introduction South Korea is one of the United States most important strategic and economic partners in Asia. Members of Congress tend to be interested in South Korea for political purposes. South...
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...Int. J. of Human Resource Management 18:1 January 2007 147– 158 HRM practices in Egypt: the influence of national context? Mike Leat and Ghada El-Kot Abstract In this paper we present the findings of a study which collected data on a range of HRM practices normally used in 58 Egyptian organizations operating in Egypt. The range of practices is concerned with job descriptions, recruitment and selection, training and development, compensation, performance appraisal and employment security. We examine and discuss these practices in the Egyptian context. The dimensions of the Egyptian environment which we examine include: the socio-cultural context, Islam, the vocational education and training system and elements of the economic and legal environment. The practices and approaches being used by the sample organizations appear to be the product of both culture bound and culture free influences. The main contributions of the study are that it provides much needed information on the HRM practices and approaches being adopted by Egyptian-owned organizations in the early part of the 21st century and provides support for the influence of national context on the HRM practices pursued by indigenous organizations. Keywords Egypt; HRM practices; Islam; institutional context; culture. Introduction: HRM practices and national context Against a background of the increasing internationalization of business, globalization of markets and cross-national activity by multinational...
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...Definitions of IHRM: Scullion (2005) tracked the evolution of definitions of IHRM. He observed that although there has been little consensus, definitions have broadly concentrated on examining the HRM issues, problems, strategies, policies and practices which firms pursue in relation to the internationalization of their business. Schuler et al (2009) similarly recently positioned the different views that have existed about the nature of IHRM. IHRM encompasses: ‘. . . the worldwide management of people in the multinational enterprise’ (Poole, 1990; p1) ‘. . . human resource management in an international environment . . . problems created in an MNC performing business in more than one country, rather than those posed by working for a foreign firm at home or by employing foreign employees in the local firm’ (Briscoe and Schuler, 2004; p1) ‘. . .how MNCs manage their geographically dispersed workforce in order to leverage their HR resources for both local and global competitive advantage’ (Scullion, 2005; p5) ‘. . . a branch of management studies that investigates the design of and effects of organizational human resource practices in cross-cultural contexts’ (Peltonen, 2006; p523) ‘. . . all issues related to the management of people in an international context [including] human resource issues facing MNCs in different parts of their organizations [and] comparative analyses of HRM in different countries’ (Stahl and Björkman, 2006; p1) ‘. . . complex relationship between...
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...Saari and Timothy A. Judge This article identifies three major gaps between HR practice and the scientific research in the area of employee attitudes in general and the most focal employee attitude in particular—job satisfaction: (1) the causes of employee attitudes, (2) the results of positive or negative job satisfaction, and (3) how to measure and influence employee attitudes. Suggestions for practitioners are provided on how to close the gaps in knowledge and for evaluating implemented practices. Future research will likely focus on greater understanding of personal characteristics, such as emotion, in defining job satisfaction and how employee attitudes influence organizational performance. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. “Happy employees are productive employees.” “Happy employees are not productive employees.” We hear these conflicting statements made by HR professionals and managers in organizations. There is confusion and debate among practitioners on the topic of employee attitudes and job satisfaction— even at a time when employees are increasingly important for organizational success and competitiveness. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to provide greater understanding of the research on this topic and give recommendations related to the major practitioner knowledge gaps. As indicated indirectly in a study of HR professionals (Rynes, Colbert, & Brown, 2002), as well as based on our experience, the major practitioner knowledge gaps in this area are:...
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...Understanding Cross-Cultural Management Second Edition Marie-Joëlle Browaeys & Roger Price Part One CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT Concept 1.1 Facets of culture Introduction to Part One Setting the scene This introductory chapter will give an outline of the research in the field of culture and management, which in turn serves as a framework for Part One. The concept of culture Many experts in their fields have wracked their brains to come up with what they consider to be their concept of ‘culture’. Those working in the field of cultural anthropology, alone, for example, have come up with a long list of definitions of the concept, based on their analysis of ethnological, social, psychological and linguistic data. The attempt made by Bodley (1994) to summarize these (Table I.1) gives an idea of all the facets of culture that need to be taken into account from an anthropological perspective. Although acknowledging the multiplicity of cultures, the authors of this book consider that the fundamental aspect of culture is that it is something all humans learn in one way or another. It is not something people inherit, but rather a code of attitudes, norms and values, a way of thinking that is learnt within a social environment. Family, the social environment, school, friends, work – all these help to form this code and determine how people see themselves and the world. The national culture and the particular region which people live in also help to shape a...
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...3122-prelims.qxd 10/29/03 2:20 PM Page i International Human Resource Management 3122-prelims.qxd 10/29/03 2:20 PM Page ii 3122-prelims.qxd 10/29/03 2:20 PM Page iii second edition International Human Resource Management edited by A n n e - Wi l H a r z i n g J o r i s Va n R u y s s e v e l d t SAGE Publications London l Thousand Oaks l New Delhi 3122-prelims.qxd 10/29/03 2:20 PM Page iv © Anne-Wil Harzing and Joris van Ruysseveldt, 2004 First published 2004 Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form, or by any means, only with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction, in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside those terms should be sent to the publishers. SAGE Publications Ltd 1 Olivers Yard London EC1Y 1SP SAGE Publications Inc 2455 Teller Road Thousand Oaks, California 91320 SAGE Publications India Pvt Ltd B-42, Panchsheel Enclave Post Box 4109 New Delhi 100 017 British Library Cataloguing in Publication data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 0 7619 4039 1 ISBN 0 7619 4040 5 (pbk) Library of Congress Control Number...
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...and skills. Ideally, new skill requirements should be identified and developed early in the change process in order to ensure that managers and employees are ready to face their new tasks and roles when the changes are implemented. However, despite good intentions at the top management level, employees and middle managers often report uncertainty and a lack of the necessary skills required to implement change. In this paper, we report from a qualitative study of two planned organizational change initiatives in the public sector. The changes involved new work tasks and managerial roles for a group of middle managers. Although the skill requirements appeared to be clear and formal training was initiated, a number of uncertain and ambiguous issues emerged among the change recipients. We examine the types of uncertainty and ambiguity that emerged and how change recipients attempted to handle these challenges. Our findings suggest that although necessary and important, formal training procedures are not adequate for resolving competence-related uncertainties and ambiguities during change. Instead, more informal and horizontal communication appears to successfully resolve ambiguities about new skill requirements during change. Keywords:training, organizational change, change recipient A MODERATED MEDIATION MODEL OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DISCRETION AND TURNOVER INTENTIONS Avgar, Ariel C.; U. of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign;...
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...The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www.emeraldinsight.com/2046-9012.htm EJTD 36,4 Developing diverse teams to improve performance in the organizational setting 388 Katherine L. Yeager and Fredrick M. Nafukho Received 2 February 2011 Revised 18 August 2011 Accepted 7 October 2011 Department of Educational Administration and Human Resource Development, College of Education and Human Development, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA Abstract Purpose – The use of teams in organizations given the current trend toward globalization, population changes, and an aging workforce, especially in high-income countries, makes the issue of diverse team building critical. The purpose of this paper is to explore the issue of team diversity and team performance through the examination of theory and empirical research. Specifically, the paper seeks to answer the question: “How might individuals with diverse characteristics such as culture, age, work experience, educational background, aptitude and values, become successful team members?”. Design/methodology/approach – A review of theories that are pertinent to individual differences and team formation, including social identity theory, mental models, inter contact theory, social comparison theory, and chaos theory, was conducted. Team formation and diversity literature were reviewed to identify ways of developing diverse and effective teams. Findings – It is a...
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...Global Human Resource Management Learning Objectives After studying this chapter, you should be able to: Describe the drivers behind globalization in the early 21st century. Discuss the role that culture plays in determining the effective use of human resource management practices in a global organization. Identify critical HRM issues faced by multinational and global organizations when they conduct business in the international marketplace. Internet/Web Resources General Sites www.expatexchange.com www.ilo.org www.odei.gov/cia/publications/factbook/ index.html www.mexicomaquila.com www.gmacglobalrelocation.com www.shrm.org globalgateway.monster.com Company Sites www.globaldynamics.com www.nortel.com www.bp.com www.dell.com www.ballygaming.com www.nestle.com www.unilever.com www.fiat.com www.volvo.com Career Challenge Chapter 4 Global Human Resource Management 97 Boswell Technologies is a computer software development firm located in Akron, Ohio. Michael Carl, vice president for human resources at Boswell Technologies, has just returned from San Benedetto, Italy. It seems that Boswell is soon going to become Boswell International. The company has just acquired a successful software firm located in San Benedetto. The purpose of the acquisition was to quickly allow Boswell to become a premier supplier of new and innovative computer software in Europe. On his first day back in Ohio, Michael has been called into the office of Boswell’s president, David Randolf, to give...
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...Cross-Cultural Communication Theory and Practice Barry Tomalin; Brian J. Hurn ISBN: 9780230391147 DOI: 10.1057/9780230391147 Palgrave Macmillan Please respect intellectual property rights This material is copyright and its use is restricted by our standard site license terms and conditions (see palgraveconnect.com/pc/connect/info/terms_conditions.html). If you plan to copy, distribute or share in any format, including, for the avoidance of doubt, posting on websites, you need the express prior permission of Palgrave Macmillan. To request permission please contact rights@palgrave.com. Cross-Cultural Communication 10.1057/9780230391147 - Cross-Cultural Communication, Brian J. Hurn and Barry Tomalin Copyright material from www.palgraveconnect.com - licensed to Griffith University - PalgraveConnect - 2014-04-12 This page intentionally left blank 10.1057/9780230391147 - Cross-Cultural Communication, Brian J. Hurn and Barry Tomalin Copyright material from www.palgraveconnect.com - licensed to Griffith University - PalgraveConnect - 2014-04-12 Cross-Cultural Communication Theory and Practice Brian J. Hurn and Barry Tomalin Copyright material from www.palgraveconnect.com - licensed to Griffith University - PalgraveConnect - 2014-04-12 10.1057/9780230391147 - Cross-Cultural Communication, Brian J. Hurn and Barry Tomalin © Brian J. Hurn and Barry Tomalin 2013 Foreword © Jack Spence 2013 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this...
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...THE EFFECTIVENESS OF CROSS-CULTURAL TRAINING FOR EXECUTIVES IN OIL & GAS COMPANIES WITHIN THE KLANG VALLEY A Master’s Project submitted in partial fulfilment Of the requirements for the degree of Master of Human Resource Management The Effectiveness of Cross-Cultural Training for Executives in Oil & Gas Companies within the Klang Valley ABSTRACT Cross-cultural interactions are rapidly increasing. Globalisation and cultural diverse communities are lending themselves to daily intercultural exchanges. With greater diversity, we require greater open-mindedness, tolerance and sensitivity. Those in direct contact with culturally different members are in greater need of such skills, and often require training to become more cross-culturally sensitive. Cross-cultural training program for individual going abroad, address such issues and prepare participants to work and live overseas. Cultural conflicts affect the efficiency of the employees’ performance at workplaces and it is believed that employees from different cultural backgrounds will have to improve their communication skills. An intercultural training programme is needed in order to prepare multicultural employees for surprises that could arise in complex cultural situations without being frustrated, stressed, and puzzled. TABLE OF CONTENTS TITLE PAGE PAGE ABSTRACT ii ABSTRAK ...
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...Chapter 1 Managing Effective Organizations 1. To be formally defined as an "organization" the entity must consist of at least two people and be profit oriented. FALSE 2. The formal study of organizational behavior is believed to have begun between 1903 and 1917. FALSE 3. The effectiveness of any organization is influenced greatly by human behavior. TRUE 4. (Anthropology has contributed to the study and application of OB. TRUE 5. "Structure" is the formal pattern of how jobs but not people are grouped. FALSE 6.) "Culture" is the pattern of basic assumptions used by individuals and groups to deal with the organization and its environment. TRUE 7. The "organizational environment" includes the market and technology but generally excludes governmental activities due to the "commerce clause." FALSE 8. Group performance is the foundation of organizational performance. FALSE 9. Groups form within organizations exclusively to address formal organizational needs. FALSE 10. The essence of power is control over others. TRUE 11. Managers derive power from both organizational and individual sources. TRUE 12. Leadership and quality concepts have been found to be inseparable. TRUE 13. Job design refers to the process by which managers specify the contents, methods, and relationships of jobs to satisfy both organizational and individual requirements. TRUE 14. Job design looks at contents, methods and relationships...
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