Globalization and diversity
The concept of Hofstede’s dimensions of culture comprises of a framework rotating about cross-cultural communication, which was invented by Geert Hofstede. The dimensions together portray the influence of the culture deep-rooted in culture on the values of the people of that society. These dimensions also explain the connection between behavior and these values, with the aid of a construction based on aspect analysis. In other words, these dimensions study significant features of culture and offer them a ranking on a contrast scale.
As far as international business is concerned, the culture dimensions illustrated by Hofstede build a very essential facet. Knowledge of this kind in which diverse aspects of a business are perceived in different cultures, can assist managers to understand and sail effectively across the global business market. Hofstede’s dimensions of culture are very influential in the workplace. Professionals in the cross cultural training and development field started experimenting with how these dimensions and state comparisons could assist people work more efficiently in over one culture (Hofstede, 2001). These dimensions have became training lenses through which could be diffracted a lot of different scenarios definite to two or more societies. A great example of how these dimensions have impacted the work place is when orienting new employees into a workplace. These dimensions offer a summary of cultural disparities and how they might influence relations and other dealings between different parts of the international organization. Learners can be offered with their individual cultural likings, and these can be contrasted to state scores or to real scores of colleagues. Learners can after that, through training, study how business practices may differ amid such colleagues and be offered with a general Language with which to enclose the dialogue on cultural multiplicity.
Managing cultural dimensions in an international organization is very crucial for the effective and cohesive operation in the organization. The key to operating a successful business is to have a culture that is based on a sturdily held and extensively shared set of values that are properly supported by structure and strategy (Marcus, 2003). In order to successfully manage different cultural dimensions, I would apply a number of strategies that would ensure that all the employees are integrated into the organization culture. One of the strategies that I would apply which I believe would be effective to achieve this is by understanding the way people understand, converse and make decisions across diverse kinds of cross-cultural environments. Even though it might be hard to understand certain behaviors and statements, there should be an important weight placed on the idea of open mindedness and acceptance. I would make sure that every employee understands and accepts the disparities on the multicultural group, and then use them to improve the manner in which the team analyzes circumstances and makes choices. Another strategy is to make sure that employees are conscious of the fact that we tend to be ignorant of our own prejudice putting cultural assumptions and stereotypes on others. I would create an organizational awareness by offering diversity training to ensure workers learn to be ethnically watchful and steadily adaptable when talking with people from diverse backgrounds.
In conclusion, as a global company, our company will undergo changes on an ever more recurrent basis and in our global operations; we must steer the cultural influence of change projects. Hofstede’s dimensions will provide us with strategies for localizing an ethnically suitable approach to cooperate activities.
References
Hofstede, G. (2001). Culture’s consequences: Comparing values, behaviors, institutions, and organizations across nations. (2nd Ed.) Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Marcus, A. (2003). Are you cultured? Global web design and the dimensions of culture. New Architect, March. Retrieved from: http://www.newarchitectmag.com/documents/s=2450/na0303r/.
