Professional Documents
Culture Documents
IHRM And: Multiculturalism
IHRM And: Multiculturalism
IHRM And: Multiculturalism
Learning objectives
Define culture Explain the importance of culture in IB Explain the concept of culture as three layers of meaning Describe the basic research findings of Hofstede and Trompenaars Describe the differences between convergence, divergence, and crossvergence Explain the importance of culture to IHRM Describe the importance of culture to the conduct of research in IHRM Explain the difficulties encountered when performing cross-cultural research
Overview
The importance of culture Cultural convergence and/or divergence Research in IHRM Impact of culture on IHRM
Culture is the characteristic way of behaving and believing that a group of people have developed over time
Surface or explicit culture Hidden culture Invisible or implicit culture Developing cultural understanding
The research of Geert Hofstede Power distance Uncertainty avoidance Masculinity Individualism
The research of Fons Trompenaars Universalism versus particularism Collectivism versus individualism Neutral versus emotional Diffuse versus specific Achievement versus ascription
Anglo Arab Far Eastern Germanic Latin American Latin European Near Eastern Nordic Independent
Practical observations
Deal focus versus relationship focus Informal versus formal cultures Rigid-time (monochronic) versus fluid-time (polychronic) cultures Expressive versus reserved cultures
Dangers of oversimplification
Convergence: best practices Divergence: local cultural practices Glocalization: global and local
Increasing creativity and Innovation Demonstrating more sensitivity in dealing with foreign customers. Hiring best talent from any where Demonstrating a Global perspective. Creating a Super organizational Culture. Greater flexibility within the Organization to adapt to a wider range of environments. Evolve universally acceptable HR policies and practices.
Individual competencies:
Possess a strong personal identity. Have knowledge of the beliefs and values in a culture. Display sensitivity to the effective processes of the culture. Communicate clearly in the language of the given cultural group. Perform socially sanctioned behavior. Maintain active social relations within the cultural group. Negotiate the Institutional structures of that culture.
Key terms
National culture Organizational (MNE) culture Surface, hidden, and invisible culture Convergence, divergence, and crossvergence Low context and high context Power distance Uncertainty avoidance Masculinity Individualism Confucian dynamism Universalism and particularism