Cultural diversity can be characterized through ethnical, gender, religious, and national features differing individuals from each other; this notion covers their customs, values, beliefs, thoughts, actions, and communications. Cultural diversity is not only referred to the uniqueness of different persons, but to the fact, that human beings make social groups that are based on ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, place of birth, and age. It is necessary to underline the fact that such groups hold traditional values and beliefs influencing the feelings and behaviors of their members. Besides, cultural diversity is closely connected with the need for cross-cultural interaction which functions on the basis of cultural peculiarities or certain policies, and attitudes. Similar behaviors among professionals influence the effective interaction of culturally diverse persons in a cross-cultural framework (Huber 2006, p.387).
In contemporary society, most employees work in organizations ignoring cultural diversity and having business multiculturalism. The employees work with fellow co-workers, customers, business units, and suppliers who display diverse nationalities, and ethnicities. The modern working environment is based on cultural changes which influence beneficial and productive aspects of organizations’ functioning. Throughout the world, new and effective work systems are evolving; national trade and employment barriers between European Community (EC) member states and the former Soviet states are considered to be the clear features of social and political transition towards widespread workplace diversity. (Boxall, Purcell & Wright 2007, p.251).
It should be stressed that human history never faced such widespread movement of people beyond their homelands; traveling and desire to work abroad have been considerably increased this century; making cultural diversity one of the factors considered essential for maintaining organizational competitiveness. In order to remain competitive in the global arena, more and more corporations have engaged in increasing their activities and investments in foreign countries; professional companies from different countries are uniting to form alliances, resulting in the process of integration of professional, organizational, and national cultures. Under such circumstances, culture has generally become a critical factor for ensuring the success of businesses undergoing considerable transformations. (Moran & Harris 2007, pp.26-28).
An effective organization can be characterized as one overcoming cultural boundaries for the purpose of creating a working environment, in which every employee has an opportunity to improve the workforce with personal efforts and be in harmony with the workplace culture. The employees are to be able to care about and focus on the work outcomes expressing their skills and abilities. New trends have resulted in the necessity for a shift in human resource strategies so that more diversity openness and variance are practiced in the ways of working and employees’ characteristics. Human resource policies affect a number of workplace concepts; thus, employees’ treatment as organizational members and creating access to organizational rewards and opportunities for all of them. It is necessary to stress that this aspect is to cover such factors as procedural fairness in the selection, recruitment, and developments; besides, it is to reflect fair consideration towards equal pay and promotion (Boxall, Purcell & Wright 2007, pp.252-256).
Culturally diverse organizations successfully operate through full structural integration, absence of cultural bias, minimal intergroup conflict, and widespread organizational identification; this atmosphere leads to effective and beneficial business operations. To achieve cultural competence, an organization must value diversity, evaluate its employees, manage their personal difference, acquire and embrace cultural knowledge. The company is to get accustomed to diversity as well as the cultural characteristics of the communities and individuals. The Industrial Age has consequently led to the Information Age that requires global leaders to move beyond the instructions and improve perceptions of their own cultures. The organizations should strive to train cultural diverse within the staff and control ethnical and moral standards promotion in the working environment. (Boxall, Purcell & Wright 2007, p.256; Moran & Phillip 2007, p.126; Huber 2006, p.387)
References
- Boxall, P.F, Purcell J and Wright P.M. (2007). The Oxford handbook of human resource management. New York: Oxford University Press.
- Huber, D. (2006). Leadership and nursing care management. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Health Sciences.
- Moran, R.T and Harris P.R. (2007). Managing cultural differences: Global leadership strategies for the 21st century. Boston, MA: Butter-Heinemann.