Cultural Diversity in the Workplace
Introduction
Today, organizations can hire anyone irrespective of their cultural background. With increased globalization all over the world, differences in culture and diversity at the workplace have become a trend. Cultural diversity requires the organization to adopt a strong culture that enables all members to pursue their desires without being prohibited by race, gender, and nationality. A strong and positive culture in any organization brings more happiness than vacations or even higher salaries would. Great loyalty and higher satisfaction levels among the employees are common. Also, such cultures promote teamwork and inspire creativity. The perspective of people from different backgrounds varies. Cultural diversity has both positive and negative impacts depending on the organization’s culture present. Organizations should encourage respect for all cultural differences and embrace them when coming up with the organization’s culture.
- Characteristics of Organizational Culture
The organization needs special skills to handle cultural diversity. These skills entail building a strong and positive culture to help accommodate all cultural differences. But how can an organization achieve this? First, we need to understand the characteristics of a strong culture in any workplace. To build a positive culture, the organization must have a clear vision. A well-defined vision will attract fit employees who will help the organization in achieving its goals. The culture should also encourage innovation and risk-taking Hogan & Coote, 2014). Besides, the organizational culture should be outcome-oriented, thereby focusing on the outcome rather than the different methods deployed in achieving the outcome. People from different cultures have different ways of attending to their tasks; thus, the process should not be of concern. Also, teamwork should be encouraged to improve employee engagement and help come up with different ideas that result in a perfect one. A strong culture is the one that is aggressive and not easygoing to improve the competition. Lastly, a stable culture will help the organization maintain its status quo and become effective. Stable culture will prevent quick action, which might be a misfit to the situation. A positive culture is essential for organizational growth and employee engagement.
- Differences in Culture and Diversity in the Workplace
Cultural diversity means different methods of handling tasks in the workplace. Employees in any workplace have cultural needs that should be appreciated by the organization. Sometimes the dressing code is influenced by the cultural background. In the workplace, some cultures prefer turbans, while others don’t. In specific cases, employees might be required to reveal their faces, which contradicts their beliefs. Also, religious practices vary with respect to certain cultures. Certain religions require employees to take time off for religious days. In addition, different cultures have different customs. Some of them have rules on how they need their food prepared or can’t take particular foods. Family obligations, as defined in certain cultures, might come into conflict with work. Also, work ethics and personal growth differ between cultures. The differences in culture and diversity in organizations might lead to various problems and misunderstandings (Mateescu, 2017). For this reason, the organization should come up with ways that help accommodate all the cultures irrespective of their beliefs. The organization needs to also train all workers and staff on how to achieve positive engagement among the different cultures and instill cultural skills. In the long run, the organization will be on the right track in establishing a strong culture.
- Why Cultural Diversity in the Workplace?
People from different cultures have different thoughts, opinions, traditions, values, and trends, among others. The different backgrounds enable employees to analyze a certain task or matter from various perspectives, thus coming up with the desired outcome. If employees from the same culture were to analyze the same situation, then we would not expect more positive results because such employees are limited to the same experiences. Also, employees from different cultures help overcome differences while working together (Martin, 2014). The organizational culture is strengthened when people from different cultures come to a common decision. Cultural diversity makes employees feel valuable to the organization, thus promoting employee satisfaction, positivity, and increased productivity. An organization serving different cultures require to have employees from different cultures to help them understand various cultural background and easily come up with ways of offering quality and satisfying services. Therefore, diversity and differences should be valued and appreciated for workers to offer their full potential.
On the other hand, cultural diversity can result in various misunderstandings within the organization. The same way different opinions and experiences help employees come to a conclusion, they will lead to interpersonal conflicts. People might discriminate against one culture depending on the topic under discussion or other aspects that don’t relate to work. It is also hard for such members of a certain group to unity and achieves the set goal. Another negative effect of cultural diversity is miscommunication (Martin, 2014). Employees from different cultures with different native languages make communication difficult. It is not easy for them to come into a unique decision. If the organization fails to put up measures that tolerate different cultures will lose their employees who feel left out. The organization will also incur various costs when training employees on the importance of valuing other people’s opinions and teamwork. In addition, the organization will incur a cost in creating a common culture that will accommodate every culture. The advantages of culture diversity surpass the disadvantages, therefore, making it an important consideration in an organization.
Conclusion
Cultural diversity binds all categories of employees within an organization. Positive and strong cultures help promote tolerance and respect for other cultures in the workplace. Differences in culture and diversity in an organization ought to be put under consideration when creating a culture in an organization. Diverse cultures can have a favorable or unfavorable impact on the organization. However, the positive impact surpasses the negatives, therefore making cultural diversity essential in organizations. Properly managed diversity promotes employee satisfaction and helps boost productivity and effectiveness within an organization. A company that hires diverse people has an added advantage when it comes to the global market. Clients and consumers are attracted to companies who appreciate cultural diversity.
References
Hogan, S. J., & Coote, L. V. (2014). Organizational culture, innovation, and performance: A test of Schein’s model. Journal of Business Research, 67(8), 1609-1621.
Martin, G. C. (2014). The effects of cultural diversity in the workplace. Journal of Diversity Management (JDM), 9(2), 89-92.
Mateescu, M. V. (2017). Cultural Diversity in the Workplace-Discourse and Perspectives. Modelling the New Europe. An On-line Journal, (24), 23-35.