Knowledge exchange processes in multicultural teams and organizational diversity

Diversity in the Workplace

annotated bibliography

HAJRO, A., GIBSON, C. B., & PUDELKO, M. (2017). KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE PROCESSES IN MULTICULTURAL TEAMS: LINKING ORGANIZATIONAL DIVERSITY CLIMATES TO TEAMS\' EFFECTIVENESS. Academy Of Management Journal, 60(1), 345-372. doi:10.5465/amj.2014.0442

The authors of this paper created a model which shows the connecting effect of knowledge exchange procedures between teams has on the efficiency of multicultural teams (MCTs) and a diverse organizational climate. Multicultural teams possess the potential to perform complicated and difficult tasks efficiently; however, in the absence of a proper MNC context, this potential will remain undiscovered leading to waste of important resources. In order to create a theory focusing on these problems, the paper\'s authors developed the following questions: (1) In what way does climate diversity of an MNC affect the procedures guiding knowledge exchange in multicultural teams? And (2) In what way do these procedures guiding knowledge exchange affect team efficacy? This study\'s analysis was carried out on the basis of 143 thorough interviews and close monitoring of team communication which took place among 48 teams across 11 firms. From this analysis, it was discovered that those teams whose knowledge exchange procedures ranged from collaborative to assertive had more effectiveness. Furthermore, the analysis showed that these dual procedures occurred more in companies whose diversity climates were more engagement-focused and were characterized by the application of diversity in passing across and improving work processes with the underlying belief that cultural disparities encourage perceptiveness, different approaches and understanding. Due to these discoveries, the paper\'s authors create detailed recommendation over the optimization of MCT knowledge-exchange systems for directing any subsequent practices and studies. They recommended that subsequent studies on this subject matter should obtain their data from a wide variety of companies and teams and they should develop statistical mediation systems for confirming if MCT effectiveness and diversity climate can be connected using knowledge exchange. Doing this will equally assist the identification of other moderating and interventional processes.

Lambert, J. (2016). CULTURAL DIVERSITY AS A MECHANISM FOR INNOVATION: WORKPLACE DIVERSITY AND THE ABSORPTIVE CAPACITY FRAMEWORK. Journal Of Organizational Culture, Communications & Conflict, 20(1), 68-77.

Despite previous researches proving the existence of a link between firm performance and organizational diversity, there is still no complete and conclusive explanation on the ways and reasons diversity in organization affects firm performance. Lambert (2016) stated that this restricted knowledge of the vague diversity effect might give an insight into why previous studies provide differing results on the link between diversity and any of group or company outcomes. Firms which are culturally diverse typically enjoy better performance when a system supporting innovation is in existence and there has been an establishment of a link between creative and group diversity. This could mean that creativity-diversity connections are the factors which affect firm performance results. Nonetheless, negligible attention is paid to the way creativity and innovation levels in individuals and groups in a firm bring about innovation for the firm itself. This article\'s writer examines the way firms which place significance on diversity develop innovative abilities via their power to utilize creativity and produce beneficial plans, goods and services from it. This author explains multi-level creativity and by applying the absorptive capacity system and the diversity outlooks, the article describes the way diversity and its management methods produce an atmosphere conducive for firm-level innovation. The article states that the establishment of programs and policy systems which back organizational diversity and actions improves the ACAP of companies and makes them more effective. This is partly because (1) the creativity-diversity connection at every level of the firm adds to its multi-level creativity (2) the effective management of creativity-diversity connections at every level of the firm makes the firm more aware of creative opportunities (3) the effective management of organizational diversity with the proper mind-set beings about the conversion of multi-level creativity to firm-level innovation as a result of workers now having a higher feeling of involvement in a broad working landscape and higher freedom to access beneficial information developed from diversity-linkages.

YUNHYUNG, C., HUI, L., JACKSON, S. E., SUBRAMONY, M., COLAKOGLU, S., & YUAN, J. (2015). CRACKING BUT NOT BREAKING: JOINT EFFECTS OF FAULTLINE STRENGTH AND DIVERSITY CLIMATE ON LOYAL BEHAVIOR. Academy Of Management Journal, 58(5), 1495-1515. doi:10.5465/amj.2011.0829

This study analyses the combined impact of diversity management (seen in diversity climate) and diversity composition (seen in fault line strength) on loyal conduct. With the basis of data collected from 1,652 managerial workers across 76 work divisions, the authors evaluate the relative influence of basic job-related and relationship-related fault line strength and a climate of diversity on the individualistic loyalty of the managerial workers. The authors discovered a negative connection between loyalty and gender fault line strength. They also discovered a positive connection between loyalty and a diverse climate. Furthermore, they discovered that diversity climate in work divisions help to moderate the connection between gender strength, loyalty and job fault lines. Concisely, they realized that a supportive climate of diversity lowers the adverse effects related with relationship-linked fault lines and raises the positive effects associated with task-based fault lines. The findings show the importance of concurrently studying diversity climate and fault lines in managing and increasing knowledge on workforce diversity.

Rawat, P. S., & Basergekar, P. (2016). Managing Workplace Diversity: Performance of Minority Employees. Indian Journal Of Industrial Relations, 51(3), 488-501.

Rawat & Basergekar (2016) debates that firms cannot enjoy the benefits from managing diversity until a supportive climate exists which is comprehensive in its orientation of the minority workers. The aim of this study is to determine if diversity in organizational demography caused disparities in the opinion held about supportive work climate actions. The study was undertaken on three Indian companies. The format of survey research was applied and responses were gathered from the companies which included a knowledge process outsourcing company, an IT company and a biotechnology company located in Tamilnadu and Maharashtra in the year 2014. The independent factor was a supportive work climate. The dependent factor was the performance management rating of a variety of employee classes. Minority workforce is a compound phrase for female employees, employees with unknown sexual orientation and those who are not Hindus. Also the group which had dependents at home were compared against those which didn\'t. From the results, it is clear that a supportive work climate resulted in high performance ratings.

DERVEN, M. (2016). Diversity & Inclusion ARE ESSENTIAL TO A global virtual team\'s SUCCESS. TD: Talent Development, 70(7), 54.

The writer of this paper states that virtual teams are now the latest norm due to the shortage of talent and globalization. In order to promote growth and innovation, organizations are now more reliant on virtual teams located across the world causing benefits for the office and the market. In situations when teams contain a variety of genders, nationalities, functions, geographies and ethnicities, achieving success calls for efficient diversity and inclusion (D&I). With the prevalence and significance of global teams, it remains quite baffling that establishment of tested mechanisms for improving D&I has not been adopted as standard operating procedure. Though a number of organizations possess team approaches like Six Sigma (a collection of tools and mechanisms which are aimed at improving results like lower process cycle duration and bigger profits or at lowering flaws) or official innovation frameworks, these are, in most cases, not merged with directly tackling and varying virtual team communication. Due to the additional complex layer of global virtual teams, it becomes very important to tackle this need. The researchers conclude by stating that novel working methods are needed in the connected world of today. Speed and cooperation are important. With the increasing porosity of global borders, having knowledge of disparities and actively developing all-encompassing behaviour will help foster growth and innovation and equally build a firm\'s reputation as the employer of choice.

Roberson, Q., Ryan, A. M., & Ragins, B. R. (2017). The evolution and future of diversity at work. Journal Of Applied Psychology, 102(3), 483-499. doi:10.1037/apl0000161

This paper focuses on the advancement of diversity existing within the Journal of Applied Psychology. Initially, the paper\'s authors examine the basics of diversity itself as well as its use in applied context and the literature as well. Next they examine the literature for diversity, such as the creation of the concept and its operational applications with time using the Journal and the entire field of applied psychology generally. They equally study the mechanisms which form the basis of the influence of diversity and the exact results of diversity in companies. In conclusion, they provide a subsequent research plan which contains diversity-related subjects and issues necessary for developing adequate knowledge of diversity and for improving the field, majorly from inside the Journal. This research provides a lot of additions to diversity studies in companies. Firstly, it gives a way of checking change in diversity studies with time and also critically evaluating the problems and advantages related to these changes. Secondly, it evaluates the basic processes and major influencers of diversity effects existent in companies. Lastly, this review checks just how descriptive the present diversity research is and applies this in creating a research plan. Via their organization of the general existent literature present on the concept of diversity, this article gives a concise illustration of the vague and unclear areas and the specific topics which subsequent research should lay emphasis on.

LAWTON, D. S., & DE AQUINO, C. E. (2015). DIVERSITY IN THE WORKPLACE AND THE IMPACT OF WORK VALUES ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF MULTI-GENERATIONAL TEAMS. Journal On Management, 10(3), 20-28.

The authors of this paper debates that firms and companies which desire to remain profitable in this 21st century are constantly faced with the problem of managing high levels of diversity present within the world. This diversity can be seen in so many ways including culture, sexual orientation, gender, thinking, ethnicity, race etc. Embracing diversity rather than shunning it is the right approach for achieving success. A thorough and quality-based study was carried out on 23 workers of a construction firm situated at the outskirts of Houston in Texas with the aim of proving the differences and similarities in the participants\' work ethics. The effect of these differences and similarities proved beneficial in increasing the understanding of work ethics possessed by three generations; the Generation Y/Millennials, the Generation X and the Baby Boomer as well as the effect on multi-generational employee teams. This study proved that there is a possibility of creating flourishing multi-generational employee teams. More similarities existed than differences concerning how a generation sees the work ethics of the others. Evaluation of acquired data equally revealed that all the generations were not knowledgeable about the feelings, thoughts and work ethics of the others. The systemic ideas which were discovered, gave evidence of the fact that every generation possessed their personal beliefs and no one among the participants had ever examined the chances of similarities or differences in work ethics between generations or even the ways these differences and similarities in work ethics could affect the work group.

Urbancova, H., Cermakova, H., & Navratilova, M. (2015). Human Resource Diversity Management in Selected Czech Agricultural Companies. Agris On-Line Papers In Economics & Informatics, 7(3), 79-87.

This paper aims to analyse human resource Diversity Management within agricultural organizations located in the Czech Republic and to develop recommendations for these organizations. The acquired data was majorly gathered from secondary sources and the carried out breakdown and examination were related to the result generation methods and of course, the analysis of the study\'s results. Selection of the organizations was random. The major research data was gathered using quantitative analysis questionnaires (n = 549, nagriculture = 108). The results gotten showed that the application of Diversity Management within Czech companies is comparatively low (36.1%; na = 108). However, considering the employment status in agriculture and the typical features of the workers involved in the sector, it seems that Diversity Management is set to become a major feature of organizational management in no time. The results of this study indicates that the application of Diversity Management is based on the sector within which an organization operates (p-value = 0.006; Cramer\'s V = 0.136). It is equally dependent on the size of the organization (p-value = 0.000; Cramer\'s V = 0.210).

Cooke, F. L., & Saini, D. S. (2010). Diversity management in India: A study of organizations in different ownership forms and industrial sectors. Human Resource Management, 49(3), 477-500.

The authors of this paper debates that tactically managing diversity in workforce is a beneficial HR duty which improves organizational performance. Diversity management is a complicated and distinct subject in India majorly as a result of its large cultural and religious diversity as well as the Indian laws which are aimed at combating social inequality and intricacies. This research work adds to the existing knowledge on the management of workforce diversity and tactical HRM in India via a thorough survey of 24 companies with different ownership methods scattered across various Indian industries. The major data collection method was special interviews of 110 managers of different hierarchies as well as 102 normal employees. The interviews were all conducted confidentially. This research uses the American developed definition of diversity management in relation to the HRM as its main starting point. It applies this in guiding its investigation of the way this concept is interpreted and applied in a number of top companies with different forms of ownership and present in different industries in India. Its results show the differences that exist between Eastern firms and Western MNCs and also the differing opinions of employees and managers on the issues associated with diversity management in India.

Olsen, J. E., & Martins, L. L. (2016). Racioethnicity, community makeup, and potential employees\' reactions to organizational diversity management approaches. Journal Of Applied Psychology, 101(5), 657-672. doi:10.1037/apl0000080

The paper by Olsen & Martins (2016) revisits the social psychology values literature and the cross-cultural psychology acculturation literature to create and test a model which describes the way signals of the diversity management mechanism of an organization influences the opinions of the attractiveness of a company to potential staff. The paper analyses the intermediate effect of the merit-based beliefs of individuals about the hiring methods of the organization as well as the checking influences of the race and ethnic origins of their home regions and they themselves. They test this model by applying a within-subject policy-capturing empirical design which recreates organization diversity management approaches, enhanced with the census data of the participants\' communities of origin. The results derived from the hierarchical linear modelling (HLM) analyses indicate that the varied instrumental diversity value brings about higher levels of attractiveness of a firm, partly via higher expectations of merit-based hiring methods. Equally, the varied integrative and assimilative diversity management approach signals were proved to have a positive relationship to an organization\'s attractiveness and the influence of consolidative diversity management is highest among people from ethnic minorities coming from regions dominated by Whites and Whites coming from regions with low white populations.