Introduction
In today’s globalized world, more and more diversity can be found in the workplace. Whether because of immigration or through advancements in technology that allow for virtual teams to be establish, the role of culture in HRM practices is now more important than ever before. Because people of different cultures are likely to have different perspectives on life, values, and what constitutes appropriate behavior, managers have to be cognizant of these facts and maintain a high level of cultural competence. This paper will assess the role of culture in human resource management practices within a global organization and provide some examples of how cultural differences may affect two human resource (HR) functions—recruitment and employee development.
The Role of Culture
Culture plays an important role in an organization regardless of whether one is talking about diversity. Culture is what provides the basis of acceptable behavior, norms, ideals, and expression. A culture that is accommodative will naturally tend towards welcoming diversity. A culture that is full of unconscious bias, on the other hand, will contain prejudices that prevent all peoples from being included in in-groups and from having potential access to decision-making. However, as Altaf (2011) points out, culture is one of the hardest and most difficult aspects of an organization to change. This is because there are many factors that impact and influence culture—from social attitudes to the experiences and behaviors...
Even in one society the various factors that influence culture are difficult to control. In a global society, where there are numerous different cultural factors impacting a global organization’s culture it can be almost impossible. To successful recruit employees, HRM should focus on developing a culture that is attractive to a diverse population so as to widen the pool of talent.
However, the role of culture in an organization is not something to be feared by HRM but rather something to be seen as an opportunity. Culture may not be able to be controlled, but it is something that can be influenced, and that is where HRM practices come into play. In order to create a sense of cohesion and consistency among workers, a culture of respect and appreciation has to be cultivated in the workplace and can be cultivated by taking concrete practical steps—such as recognizing the contributions of various people, showing appreciation for the unique qualities and skills of the diverse workplace, and so on. Boosting cultural competence among people in the workplace is another concrete step HRM can take (Von Glinow, Drost & Teagarden, 2002). This means that people develop their understanding of different cultures so as to be sensitive to what those individuals believe and what they think about life, work, society, family and so on. HRM can focus on recruiting diverse populations by creating cultural incentives in the workplace, such as prayer rooms, or by offering incentives, such as maternity and…
