Role of Culture in HRM Practices

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 of leaders. 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 paternity leave.
As Cambridge (2001) notes, compassion is something that HRM should attempt to cultivate in the workplace alongside the more traditional competitiveness that figures into most workplace cultures. In the globalized workplace, there is a need for more understanding and appreciation so that team members can get along better and provided needed support. Training employees in how to be compassionate towards people of diverse backgrounds is one way to do this. But another way is for leaders to demonstrate compassion through their leadership. Leadership style is really important in the workplace, as it sets the tone for how other workers will behave. A leader is the foremost example that workers will follow, so when a leader demonstrates compassion by engaging in a leadership style such as servant leadership, others will take notice. Servant leadership is a style of leadership that puts the needs of others first. It recognizes that people need to feel supported in order to achieve their potential, and an HR manager who practices servant leadership is one who can set a positive tone in the workplace and create good feelings among the workers, as they will appreciate the warmth and generosity of spirit that servant leadership creates. When it comes to developing workers, HRM should focus on leading by example: this will have the biggest impact on employee development in the global organization.
Hofstede (1980) showed how important it is for managers to learn what styles of leadership work in which settings, however; and what works in one region may not have the same impact in another. For example, the attitudes of workers in China are likely to be much different than they are of workers in the West—and this is because the cultures are completely different. Asia is more collectivist and the West is more independently-minded. This is important to keep in mind for HRM practices when developing workers because a leadership style has to be adjusted to meet the needs of the workers. Not every style will fit in every occasion. Servant leadership in China, for instance, could clash with the Asian expectation of autocratic leadership style. HRM practices should be adjusted therefore on a case by case basis in a global organization. Each region should have its own set of leadership styles that are gauged to maximize influence in that particular place.
Conclusion
HRM practices are highly influenced by culture, which plays a strong role in how HRM conducts itself in the global organization. When it comes to recruiting workers, HRM must focus on creating a culture that is attractive to a diverse population. When it comes to developing workers, HRM must focus on leading by example and using a leadership style that will fit the needs of the population being served.

References
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Cambridge, C. (2001). Compassion versus competitiveness: an industrial relations
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Hofstede, G. (1980). Motivation, leadership, and organization: do American theories
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Von Glinow, M. A., Drost, E. A., & Teagarden, M. B. (2002). Converging on IHRM best
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