Cultural differences are the distinctive behaviors, expressions, values, and attitudes consider unique of a particular race, national origin, or ethnicity. Cultural differences in the workplace can amount to age differences between employees, higher qualifications, and individual backgrounds. According to Sultana, & Aleem, (2018), cultural differences bring similarities and differences together, and some time the differences can outweigh the similarities. However, the difference can also create a more vibrant and dynamic office, although they can also cause many problems from cultural differences. Most importantly, the interesting thing about existing literature on cultural differences is all the misunderstanding that can develop by not knowing and understanding other cultures. For example, Americans tend to want to make contracts rather than build relationships. However, the relationship is particularly essential although Americans do not create and maintain long-term work relationships. It is surprising that is isn’t typically their biggest goal (Groutsis, O’Leary, & Russell, 2018). Americans are also very culture sensitive and think that our way is always the best. However, it is important to know that there is no right or wrong culture, although what is best in every situation will be different. However, differences between people in the workplace can be higher because they are based on many factors such as religion, values, past experiences, social standing and many more.
There are Ideological and cultural differences in many organizations and it is important that employees have sufficient understanding about other culture’s ways and customs (Velten, & Lashley (2018). For instance, if a worker knows that they take a long time to make decisions while seeking quick agreements, couldn’t there be some kind of middle ground among the team members. I get the impression that this is perhaps the meaning of this course in the sense that we are to take on more collaborative approaches. Being more collaborative would mean that we would consider our culture as well as theirs. However, in cross-cultural differences, it is essential to evaluate a comparison of one ethnic group with another rather than analyze individuals.
Workplace scholars such as Velten, & Lashley (2018), argue that there are more similarities in the workplace then the differences. However, although the similarities amongst employees are many, they need to be coordinated to avoid unfair competition amongst employees in a way that it distracts productivity. Additionally, other factors that contribute to workplace diversity are attributable to disability, education level, or work styles. Employee generation is one factor that creates cultural differences because each generation has distinct behaviors. Moreover, the impact of individual background contributes to cultural differences in the workplace significantly (Groutsis, O’Leary, & Russell, 2018). For example, China is known for the fast pace of life and production organizations. However, an employee from America may not approach their duties with the same pace.
Ethnicity and national origin are other examples of cultural differences that could be difficult to deal with in the contemporary workplace. Particularly, ethnicity, since it creates the challenge of language barrier thereby affecting the workflow of the organization. If employees are unable to communicate effectively, they are unable to execute their tasks sufficiently, especially in teams that have individuals from different nations and ethnicity. However, organizations are forming affinity groups to bridge the gaps between cultures and establish working relationships in organizations around the world. Cultural diversity clearly exists despite the impact of globalization. Thus, cultural differences pose significant difficulties in international negotiations and in foreign investments (Velten, & Lashley (2018). However, an organization must devise ways of countering the challenges since the increasing globalization requires sufficient interaction among individuals from diverse cultures. it is essential that organizations maximize and capitalize on workplace diversity because it is one of the drivers to success for many organizations.
Cultural Diversity management in organizations are the management-initiated policies that are not statutory (Velten, & Lashley (2018). Similarly, organizational culture plays an essential role in the management of cultural diversity. Organizational culture is determined by various forces within an organization, although it is facilitated and developed by the executive management teams. Consequently, an excellent corporate culture works effectively to assimilate the different cultural backgrounds of the employees and molds them towards cooperating to achieve a common goal. This involves the integration of non-traditional employees with traditional employees and using their diversity as the organization’s competitive advantage.
In conclusion, an organization depends on workplace diversity for its competitiveness and success. Therefore, organizations that can harness and embrace diversity realize significant benefits. Consequently, organizations that actively evaluate their workplace diversity approaches and ensure full implementation become successful. Moreover, managing workplace diversity increases employee adaptability, thereby allowing the creation of multiple solutions to problems and better resources allocation. What more, workplace diversity means that there is a variety of different viewpoints, and the organization can draw from that pool to develop business solutions. Additionally, managing workplace diversity enhances communication strategies in organizations since it reduces ineffective communication of primary goals and objectives. Therefore, organizations can take advantage of cultural differences to improve the effective execution of tasks and responsibilities.
References
Groutsis, D., O’Leary, J., & Russell, G. (2018). Capitalizing on the cultural and linguistic diversity of mobile talent: lessons from an Australian study. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 29(15), 2231-2252.
Sultana, S., & Aleem, S. A. (2018, January). CULTURAL DIVERSITY AT WORK PLACE. In TWO DAY NATIONAL SEMINAR GST AND DIGITAL ECONOMY-IMPLICATIONS ON TRADE AND COMMERCE (Vol. 5, No. 50, p. 132).
Velten, L., & Lashley, C. (2018). The meaning of cultural diversity among staff as it pertains to employee motivation. Research in Hospitality Management, 7(2), 105-113.