This paper consists of three separate sections. The first is a review of an article on multiculturalism in the workplace. The second is a review of an article on trust in the workplace. The third essay discusses multiculturalism in the modern global business environment. Issues such as the challenges of diversity and labor-management conflicts are discussed.
¶ … workplaces now and where are they going?
Multiculturalism in the workplace article summary
Blanding, M. (2013). How cultural conflict undermines workplace creativity. Forbes. Retrieved from: http://www.forbes.com/sites/hbsworkingknowledge/2013/12/09/how-cultural-conflict-undermines-workplace-creativity/
According to Forbes, it is necessary for workplace teams to be diverse to respond to the needs of a modern global economy. However, managers cannot simply assume that communication will naturally flow freely and easily. If not appropriately managed, diversity can be a roadblock rather than a facilitator of productivity. Conflict in the workplace with cultural roots can also spill over into greater workplace intolerance because people receive a daily message that individuals of diverse backgrounds cannot get along. "Just as a child observing parents not getting along may develop the notion that marriage is very difficult, those seeing conflict around them by involving people of different cultures may develop the idea that ideas from those cultures are incompatible and cannot be easily combined" (Blanding 2013). Negative cultural experiences in the workplace were also strongly associated with a decrease in workplace creativity as well as productivity. (Although positive cultural experiences were not associated with substantially greater creativity).
The answer to this problem is not a less diverse environment but more intensive attempts to orient workers to other cultures in diverse workplaces before conflict begins to fester. It cannot be assumed that workers will naturally get along. Rather, they must be made aware of their own cultural biases and assumptions. Furthermore, when a workplace is not running smoothly, managers should consider if cultural friction is the result, rather than purely personal differences.
Trust in the workplace article summary
Russell, N. (2014). Three things never to do if you want employee trust. Psychology Today.
Retrieved from: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/trust-the-new-workplace-currency/201402/three-things-never-do-if-you-want-employee-trust
According to Psychology Today, there is an increasingly wide gap between managers and lower-level employees. One of the sources of this is the perceived entitlement of managers to higher salaries, even when the salaries of ordinary employees are being slashed or workers are being let go. When the company states that its values are to further the welfare of employees and managers do not act commensurate with those values, this creates cynicism and a lack of trust that permeates the entire workplace. Employers often believe that they can use cliches and employees will not notice the discrepancy between actions and words. Barclay's career website proclaims that people are its " most important asset" which raises the issue that "it's hard to believe a company would eliminate 12,000 of its most important assets" (Russell 2014). Focusing solely on short-term profits and treating employees like disposable commodities cause workers to be suspicious about any directive issued by management and fosters doubt that the workers will be rewarded if they go 'above and beyond' in their efforts for the company.
Although these unattractive and cynical actions by management may seem to only pertain to relationships on the organizational hierarchy from a vertical standpoint, a lack of trust that permeates the entire workplace can poison interoffice communication at every level. Management must ensure that its wide-ranging strategic actions are in line with its communications to both employees and customers. Ideally, some form of participatory strategy should be deployed. Worker's opinions and perceptions must be given weight when making major decisions that affect the company. Without employee buy-in, a company cannot be effective.
Challenges to organizations in the future
One of the challenges to organizations in the future will be the difficulty of balancing the need to adapt to local cultures while still retaining a core brand identity. Companies such as Starbucks have thus far proven to extremely adept at this, tailoring their menu and store ambiance to suit the needs of, for example, China or Japan without losing what made Starbucks so successful in the first place. To do so Starbucks has partnered with local organizations to ensure that the company understands local consumer psychology and can effectively use the supply chain and other resources within the nation to their maximum extent. This requires an open mind and a willingness to communicate and cooperate on a broad level. McDonald's and Coca-Cola have also adapted their marketing strategy and product to Asian tastes. People in different cultures are "pleased, worried, and annoyed" by different things and a company must be careful not to inadvertently seem insensitive -- it must be aware that it is saying what it wants and needs to be said when projecting its message (Conrad & Poole 2013: 426).
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