Cross-Cultural Issues in Indian HRM

Cross-cultural misunderstandings can be seen among people working acrossMNC’s with diverse cultural
backgrounds. These misunderstandings often tend to createrepetitive phenomena involving
cross-cultural conflicts, dissatisfaction and provocationleading to communication problems, and
reduced employee performance. The managementtechniques learned and developed by a manager in his
original or home culture do not applyequally in other cultures and thus produce several clashes and
ambiguities.Cross-cultural differences are fairly significant. For example, people interviewed for positions in France
will be asked personal questions that are considered illegal in Canada,such as their age, marital status and number of
children. Since managing these problems arethe great challenge for the management.There have been many
attempts to define cultures and what differentiates them.

Theparameters can be defined as follows:

1.Power distance: degree of inequality in power between a less powerful individualand a more
powerful one in which they belong to same social system.

2.Masculinity vs. feminism: refers to the distribution of emotional roles between thegenders. It opposes
a tough masculine to tender feminine society.

3.Uncertainty avoidance: is the extent to which a culture programs its members tofeel either comfortable
or uncomfortable in unstructured situations

4.Individualism vs. collectivism: is the degree to which individuals are supposed tolook after themselves or remain
integrated into groups usually around the family.

5.Long term vs. short-term orientation: refers to the extent to which a cultureprograms its members to accept delayed
gratification of their material, social andemotional needs.

Problems faces because of cross cultures

Embracing diversity in the workplace does not mean that there will be continual bliss.There are always challenges.
Issues arise because, even in the 21st century, we don't fullyunderstand each other. Some may resist change that
comes with diversity.Cultural awareness is important to help members of a multicultural team identifywhere things
may be going wrong or how to best leverage their differences. Without somesort of formal cross cultural awareness
training it is difficult for multicultural teams toidentify areas that need attention.Cultural differences manifest in
many ways. Within a multicultural team, a person'scultural background will impact how they act and behave. There
will be differences in areassuch as communication, attitude to towards conflict, approaches to task completion
anddecision making styles. Unless people come to realize these differences between themthrough cultural
awareness, problems can continue and even intensify. There are so manyother problems such as inconsistent
industrial policies and rules, labour regulations and so on.Many people feel threatened by working with people of a
different age, sex, or culture. First, there is an increase in the cost of training. This increase comes from
costsassociated with seminars, programs and lectures given to promote diversity in thecorporation. In many
organizations, diversity can produce negative dynamics such asethnocentrism, stereotyping and cultural clashes.
These negative dynamics can in turncombine with imbalanced power structures to create work disadvantages for
women andminorities. In traditional, assimilations-oriented organizations, cultural differences betweenmajority and
minority group members create barriers to full participation of minoritymembers.
For Example :
Americans typically prefer to stand about five feet a part whenconversing. However, people from different cultural
backgrounds may have different “comfort zones”. For example, Indians, Germans and Japanese like more distance,
and Araband Latinos generally like to get closer. Knowing these nuances in personal space can helpcommunications
tremendously. Understanding the interaction between sexes and the rolesassigned in various cultures is important.
Conclusion
In today’sglobal market , diversity is a must. Traditional barriers are being broken down, and for many companies
cross border trade is essential for the company’s success and growth. Adecade ago Japan, Europe and North
America were responsible for over 80% of globalcommerce, but new markets are opening up throughout the world
and these have broughtincreased opportunity and also competition. In addition, rapid developments in
technologysuch as the Internet have made new markets accessible to even the smallest of companies.The growing
markets of Latin America, Asia and Central and Eastern Europe are nowplaying an ever more important role in
global buying, selling and manufacturing. Diversitywithin a company can help the firm better understand the
culture, customs, and the way of doing business internationally. Customers also prefer to do business with a
workforce thatwhich they can identify, and that have a strong commitment to their community.