Ibm krishna srivastava/MERI College/BBA_6th SEM
- 1. Managing diversity within and across Cultures IBM ASSIGNMENT
- 2. Managing diversity within and across Cultures From our increasingly diverse domestic workforce to the globalization of business, cultural competence is arguably the most important skill for effective work performance in the 21st century. Cultural competence, in brief, is the ability to interact effectively with people from different cultures. This ability depends on awareness of one’s own cultural worldview, knowledge of other cultural practices and worldviews, tolerant attitudes towards cultural differences, and cross- cultural skills. The more different cultures work together, the more cultural competency training is essential to avoid problems. Cultural problems can range from miscommunication to actual conflict, all endangering effective worker productivity and performance.
- 3. Managing Cultural Diversity in the Workplace Developing cultural competence results in an ability to understand, communicate with, and effectively interact with people across cultures, and work with varying cultural beliefs and schedules. While there are myriad cultural variations, here are some essential to the workplace: 1. Communication 2. Team-Building 3. Time 4. Schedules
- 4. To develop cultural competence, training should focus on the following areas: 1. Awareness 2. Attitude 3. Knowledge 4. Skills for an organization to actually profit from the “diversity of thought” of its diverse workforce the following factors have to come together: Commitment to the diversity development process by top management and all employees Diversity promoting and supporting companywide structures and processes Development and training of the workforce’s cross- cultural (leadership) competencies and conflict management skills
- 5. Steps needed achieve this goal 1. Select a cross-culturally competent team leader
- 6. 2. Select the team members
- 7. 3. Make the kick-off phase personal 4. Take the time to build relationships and trust 5. Learn about differences 6. Clarify expectations 7. Communicate
- 8. 8. Set and respect deadlines 9. Be alert to signs of trouble 10. Assess the team’s work
- 9. Reap the Benefits A multicultural team, like any other team, needs room and time to get to know each other, experiment, and build trust. To create room for the diversity of thoughts, multicultural teams need to find the balance between time- tested (cultural) practices and the development of novel ideas. Team members need to commit fully to the process, and be willing to go beyond their comfort zone. If they do, the diverse team offers each member a chance to bring his or her personal and professional expertise to the table, and to be recognized and valued for it.